Issue No: 144, Date: 1st March’ 17
GOT THIRST?
GET HEALTHY DRINKS, NOT SODA!
Sodas are sweet, tempting, sparkling & tasty, but don't confuse them with a healthy drink. Doctors have
discovered a lot of health risks connected with drinking sodas. You're just robbing yourself of a healthy drink
alternative loaded with the needed vitamins & minerals every time you gulp a soft drink. If you're choosing a
soda, chances are you aren't choosing a healthy beverage; there are a number of healthy drink choices you can
make instead.
Soda is something easily available & consumed by most of the people almost every day, people are even
addicted to soda. This makes it more valuable to know the reasons soda is fatal for human health & totally
worthless for your body. Sugary sodas contribute to obesity & diabetes; they are also root to so many other
ailments & health disorders. While on the other hand there are drinks that are rich & a total blessing, like,
Simple homemade fruit & vegetable juices are capable of doing wonder for your skin, body & mind.
Sodas are not exactly good for you-but at the same time, it can be hard to resist. It's sweet taste, pleasant fizz
& energizing jolt often seems like just what you need to wash down your dinner, get you through an
afternoon slump or just quench your thirst. But the more soda you consume (regular or diet), the more
hazardous your habit can become, and whether you're a six-pack-a-day drinker or an occasional soft-drink
sipper, cutting back can likely have benefits for your weight & your overall health.
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Issue No: 144, Date: 1st March’ 17
Don't let sodas fool you even if they do label “diet” on them.
Although they are sweet, sparkling & tasty, it contains a
bunch of health risks every time you gulp down a soft drink.
You can find soda almost anywhere nowadays as there are
numerous different brands & flavors. But it can be very
harmful to your body as they are full of calories & sugar. Soda
can lead to obesity, type 2 diabetes, prevent weight loss &
even increase your appetite; drinking them can cause
complications like chronic kidney disease, development of
metabolic syndrome & fatty liver. The acid in soda can also
cause cavities & tooth decay. There aren't any benefits to
drinking soda because they have no nutritional value and one
should choose healthy drinks instead, as they have vitamins &
minerals that are good for your body.
Water is the ultimate healthy drink as it re-hydrates you without extra calories & you can even add fresh fruit slices for
flavor. Milk & Tea are also great alternatives to sugar-filled sodas.
Soda beverages contain dangerous drugs, too. Actually, these drinks contain a mixture of different chemicals that can do
more harm than good, especially for people that experience chronic pain. Make this year the year that you say, “No More
Sodas”.
More & more popular drinks are heavily loaded with caffeine. Drinks like Red Bull & Mountain Dew are all known to
give people an energy boost & when consumed regularly, these drinks also cause caffeine dependency. The constant ups
& downs of a caffeine roller coaster ride cause headaches, insomnia, mood instability & pain. Caffeine is a brain
stimulant, a drug that can over-stimulate the brain & sometimes even cause death. Drinking 10 sodas a day has become
second nature to people who are addicted to the sugar- sweetened taste & caffeine sodas.
Numerous studies have shown the negative health effects of
drinking soda on your waistline & your teeth, however, drinking
them has far more health risks including diabetes, heart disease,
asthma, COPD & obesity. So, to help you resist the temptation to
grab a can of soda, get rid of all your soda & instead have these
healthy alternatives on hand. Here are some reasons why you
should say no to soda & yes to healthy drinks.
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Issue No: 144, Date: 1st March’ 17
Why Say No to Sodas?
Soda is Truly Worthless to Your Body:
There's really one major reason to not drink soda, as it
has absolutely no nutritional value, it is filled with
sugar, calories & nothing else. Healthy drinks on the
other hand, have vitamins & minerals the body can
utilize. Even Plain water can rehydrate your body
without adding extra calories to your diet.
Sugary Sodas Contribute to Obesity & Diabetes:
They are loaded with high- fructose corn syrup, a
sweetener that has been linked to obesity. Soda
Consumption also has been linked to the
development of type 2 diabetes, both due to its
sugar content & its effects on the body's hormones.
Soda Damages Your Teeth:
The sugar in soda coats your teeth, combining with
bacteria in your mouth to form acid. Both regular &
diet soda also contain carbolic acid through
carbonation & these acids work to weaken tooth
enamel, causing cavities & tooth decay.
Drinking Soda Can Weaken Your Bones:
Most of them contain phosphorous & caffeine,
agents that are believed to contribute to osteoporosis.
Experts also worry that people consume soda in
place of milk or other healthy drinks, depriving the
bones of calcium.
Soda Can Harm Your Major Organs:
Research has demonstrated that increased soft drink consumption may be linked to chronic kidney disease,
development of metabolic syndrome (a group of symptoms that add up to increased heart risk), & fatty liver, a
chronic liver disease.
Why You Should Quit?
The biggest risk for regular soda drinkers is the excess
calories. The calories in regular soda are coming entirely
from added sugar & you're not getting any value in terms of
vitamins & minerals. But, they may also be causing other
types of harm as studies have shown that its consumption is
linked with tooth decay & diabetes, it also seems to be bad
for your bones. It may have something to do with
phosphorous in it or it could be that the people are drinking
soda instead of other beverages- like milk, that have
nutrients necessary for healthy bones.
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Issue No: 144, Date: 1st March’ 17
What About Diet Soda?
Sugar-free sodas may not have any calories, but that doesn't mean they're any good for you. In fact, they may
not even help you lose weight. Several studies have shown that diet soda drinkers are more likely to be
overweight or obese than regular soda drinkers. Plus, diet drinks have many of the same health risks as regular
soft drinks, including tooth decay & bone thinning & they've also been linked to heart disease & depression in
women. Switching to diet sodas may be a smart first step if you're trying to eliminate excess calories.
What to do, if you Really like Soda
•If you must drink soda, one sweetened with corn syrup is better than artificially sweetened drink. At all costs,
avoid diet sodas made with artificial sweeteners. It's not 'diet soda', it's “even worse for you soda”. More &
more sodas are sweetened with cane sugar, which is a better choice than either high fructose corn syrup or
artificial sweeteners. Still, please remember that any drink containing sugar provides “empty calories” &
should be avoided.
•If it's just the carbonation you like, try good old fashioned sparkling water. If it has Lemon, Lime or other
fruit juice added, try to pick a drink that uses natural instead of artificial flavoring. Also, some experts say that
excessive consumption of carbonated beverages- even water, may leach minerals from your bones, so don't
overdo it.
•We should always have water to satisfy our thirst. Most of us were like this when we were young, but
somehow we drifted away & got stuck in a paradigm in which a meal isn't a meal without some kind of sweet
beverage to accompany it. Start drinking high quality spring water & you will realize just how delicious it is &
how amazing it makes you feel.
Wean Yourself Off Slowly
Weaning yourself off something gradually works
best for most people. If you plan to go that route,
think of it as a temporary change: Giving up soda
for 2 weeks or a month may be easier & more
manageable than ditching it forever. The best part of
this method is you may not even want to go back to
soda- at least not at the frequency you drank it
before. We acquire a taste for sugar, depending on
how much we have on a daily basis, if you cut out
soda for a while, you may be surprised at how sweet
it tastes once you drink it again.
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Issue No: 144, Date: 1st March’ 17
Mix it with Water
Drinking half-soda, half-water is suggested. By doing this, you are automatically drinking less & hydrating &
filling up with water, which is a good thing. But there is an added advantage as well: “It cuts back on the
sweetness you get from soda, which is one of the things people get really used to. If you are drinking less
sugar, your taste buds will change & soon you won't need that sweetness anymore”.
Start Tracking Your Calories
If you are blindly drinking colas without stopping to
think of their impact on your waistline, you could be
in for a rude awakening: Each 12 ounce can of coke,
for example, contains 140 calories, while a 20 ounce
bottle has 240 calories. Downloading a calorietracking application may help you realize just how
much those beverages can affect your daily calorie
consumption- as long as you actually log in & record
each serving. Instead of pouring yourself refill after
refill, start paying attention to how much you're
actually drinking, once you do, you may be more
willing to cut back.
Switch to Unsweetened Tea
Need that jolt of caffeine to wake up in the
morning? If you are not a coffee drinker, it is
suggested to sip on unsweetened iced tea instead.
It can be just as refreshing & there are real health
benefits to drinking an unsweetened iced tea. If
you don't like the taste of plain tea, mix in some
lemon, mint or a small amount of sugar or
artificial sweetener- at least during your transition
from soda phase. The important thing is that
you're aware of & in charge of, exactly what's
going into your drink & how much is added.
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Issue No: 144, Date: 1st March’ 17
Class Up Your Water
Whenever the urge to drink a soda hits, fill up a big glass of
ice water & finish that first. A lot of times, people drink
soda just because they're bored, or they're thirsty & that's
what is available or that's what they're used to. If you are
still craving for a soda after you've downed your glass of
water, then you can reconsider whether it's really worth itbut chances are your thirst will be quenched & you will feel
satisfied from just the water. You can make this work while
you're out & about too, by always carrying a bottle of water
with you. Even plain water can be made more palatable
with the addition of some fruits or natural flavors. Adding
Lemon, Orange or Cucumber slices to a pitcher of water in
your refrigerator, which can serve as a detox when you go
hunting for a cold soda. Frozen berries & fresh mint can
also be tasty additions to a cold glass of water.
Steer Clear of Soda Triggers
Save it for Special Occasions
You may notice that you only drink soda in certain
places or situations like in the afternoon at the office,
for example, or when you eat at a certain restaurant.
You may not be able to completely avoid these
scenarios- you've still got to go to work & should
still enjoy eating out, but you may be able to change
those bad habits. If it's the office vending machine
that tempts you to buy a soda every day, try to stay
away from it in the afternoon & pack your own
healthy beverage or a refillable water bottle so you
have an alternative or if you tend to crave soda with a
certain type of food, try restaurants that offer other
options instead.
Once you're able to break your regular soda habit & the
drink loses its grip on you, it can be treated just like
any other junk food: If you really like the taste, there is
nothing wrong with an occasional indulgence. In fact,
knowing that you can have a soda on your cheat day or
during a special night out may help you resist them on
a more regular basis. If you understand that soda is
essentially just sugar & artificial flavorings, then you
can be more smart about when you're going to drink it.
Alcohol & Diet Sodas are a Bad Combination
Start a Journal
When cocktails are made with diet soda, people tend
to get drunk faster. The culprit behind this
phenomenon is the fact that using mixers that are
sugar-free enables the alcohol to enter a person's blood
stream at a much quicker rate. Though, it turns out that
diet soda is not really a viable alternative to sugarladen drinks, all is not lost as water makes a good
substitute for diet sodas & the occasional sugary drink
will likely be fine.
Log your daily soda intake & the times you feel the
need for a quick caffeine, sugar fix. Think about how
you are feeling during those times & write it down.
By doing so you will become aware of when you are
mindlessly reaching for a can of soda, determine
your triggers & begin to steer clear of them.
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Issue No: 144, Date: 1st March’ 17
Stock Up on Soda Alternatives
Turn Plain Water into a Fun Drink: Water is the ultimate healthy drink as it has no calories. You can spruce
up the water by adding some non-caloric additions like a sprig of mint, slice of lemon or cucumber, frozen
strawberry or lime. The options are endless; make these creative concoctions your new healthy habit.
Go Green: Several studies have shown the benefits
of drinking green tea, including reducing the risk of
cancer, heart disease, hypertension & kidney stones.
You can enjoy this tasty drink hot or cold & caffeinefree too.
Blend Your Own Fruit & Vegetable Juice: Start off
your day with high energy levels by blending your
favorite fruits & vegetables in your juicer for a
delicious, low-calorie drink. Also, we should not
drink fruit juices straight as it contains a lot of sugar.
Drink some seltzer with a splash of juice for a little
flavoring. Rather than drinking juice, eat a piece of
whole fruit as by eating the whole fruit, you will also
get the fiber in the fruit.
Put Back the Juice Box & Make Your Own Juice
Spritzer
Soda & fruit juices contain many extra calories. You
can mix your own juice spritzer by combining one or
two parts seltzer, mineral water or club soda with one
part 100% fruit juice such as fresh-squeezed orange
juice.
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Issue No: 144, Date: 1st March’ 17
Milk: This is another essential healthy drink, an 8 ounce glass of non fat milk has 80 calories & nine
essential nutrients.
Tea: Whatever tea you prefer either green, black or herbal, they all have been shown to contain high levels
of antioxidants, which are believed to protect the body from damage.
Powdered Drink Mixes: They contain no tooth-rotting carbonation & come in sugar-free varieties. They
give your sweet tooth a fix without harming your overall nutrition.
Thus, always remember that you can always cut up some fresh fruit & pop a little into a tall glass of water
for an extra flavor. Choose healthy drinks over soda: Give it a try. Your body will be grateful to you.
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Issue No: 144, Date: 1st March’ 17
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