There are countless reasons to stop drinking soda, immediately. Soda consumption has been linked to a host of diseases, including a dramatic increase in the risk for developing cancer, diabetes, and heart disease. The phosphoric acid that gives soda it's "refreshing" zing, is caustic enough to remove rust from the hulls of ships and dissolve acid build-up from car batteries. Tooth enamel and bones suffer that same erosion. Yet, people continue to guzzle the stuff in massive quantities. According to the Beverage Marketing Corporation, Americans drink more than 50 gallons per capita of carbonated soft drinks each year, the most in the world.
To add insult to injury, people who drink one or more soft drinks a day have a 31 percent greater risk of becoming obese. In his article about the Top 10 Reasons to Give Up Soda, our Fitness and Nutrition Expert, Steve Edwards says, "If you're looking for a scapegoat in the obesity epidemic, look no further than soda. It's the single greatest caloric source in the world, accounting for somewhere between 11 and 19 percent of all the calories consumed worldwide. It's cheap, addictive, and readily available, which generally means that it will take some willpower to avoid."
Diet soda is just as bad. Research shows that overweight people who choose diet beverages eat about the same number of total calories as those who choose sugar sweetened sodas. Their drinks may be calorie-free, but they make up for that by eating 88-194 more calories per day! What's more, when they snack, diet soda drinkers get more of their calories from sweets, which suggests that artificial sweeteners do something to cause an even stronger sweet tooth.
We know that eliminating soda from your diet is easier said than done. If you have to, ease into it. If you drink two sodas (or two liters of soda) cut that amount by half, and replace it with something from the list below:
1. Water. Learn to love it.
2. Need flavor? Add crushed berries, cucumber, lemon, or mint to water. Try these recipes.
3. Like it fizzy? Carbonated water is your friend.
4. Skip flavored syrups&madsh;try flavored bitters instead.
5. Crave caffeine? Try unsweetened iced tea or green tea.
Follow our 60 Days 'Til Summer Countdown and we'll help get you swimsuit ready with mini-workouts, healthy eating tips, fitness tips, and more! Each morning we'll post a new tip, so check our homepage or this post to find out what it is. And, make sure to follow the hashtag #SummerCountdown on Twitter for more motivation and to tell us how your #SummerCountdown is going!
Do you drink soda? Which of these tactics will you use to help you quit?
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