7 Reasons to Eliminate Soda from Your Diet
April 17, 2009 - 7:36am
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Remember, soda is not a replacement for your daily water intake. Every glass of soda you drink requires you to add an EXTRA glass of water to your daily recommended intake.
Soda is packed with calories. The average can of soda contains at least 150-200 calories. The average person purchases not a can, but a bottle. The average individual bottle of soda, if you read the nutrition information, is listed as having TWO servings per bottle – but most of us drink the entire thing. In short, you’re drinking hundreds of calories per day – all of which are completely void of nutrition.
Soda causes bone weakening. Yup, it’s true. The caffeine and phosphoric acids found in soda will leach the calcium right out of your bones. The increased urination caused by caffeine will also make it more difficult for your body to have time to absorb the nutrients found in your food before being eliminated. It’s a lose-lose situation as far as nutrition is concerned (think arthritis, osteoporosis, etc.).
Soda is terrible for your teeth. The acids found in soda re incredibly strong. They change the pH level in your mouth, destroy your enamel, and cause considerable amounts of decay.
We value and respect the experiences of all of our HerWriters, but everyone is different. Many of our writers are speaking from personal experience, and what's worked for them may not work for you. Their articles are not a substitute for medical advice although we hope you can gain knowledge from their insight.
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Thank you so much for this info. The more I read about soda, the more I agree that it's a useless addition to our diets, that can actually be quite harmful.
I also think that "drinking" calories is a fast way to gain weight. We are far wiser to eat our calories - it's more satisfying and our brains are more aware that we have eaten. When we consume our calories by drinking them, we are less aware that we are taking in so many calories. Even if soda is fat free (which most regular soda is), those 12 (12!!!) tea spoons of sugar are stored as fat if not used as energy immediately and it's highly unlikely that that will happen.
I was less aware of how bad soda is for teeth and it makes sense. I also read about "Mountain Dew Mouth" that many people suffer - rotting teeth due to ingesting huge amounts of soda. If that in itself isn't enough to quit or drastically reduce intake, I don't know what is!
I too was addicted to Diet Coke. It took a long time to stop. Once I did, I lost 10 kilos, my teeth were much whiter! I switched to soda water and Diet Kola Capsules for a couple of months... it was worth it. See http://www.dietkola.com for some info on it...
Thanks so much for writing.
We should note that the site says Diet Kola capsules contain St Johns Wort, Kola Nut, Caffeine, Vanilla Bean Powder, Stevia, and Citric Acid.
Anyone who is on prescription medicine, especially prescription anti-depressants, needs to ask their doctor about this before taking it. The St. Johns Wort could interact with your prescription medicine.
PLEASE KILL THE MYTH.
Soda causing dehydration is a myth that exists simply through repetition. It was said enough times that people believed it to be true with out any actually research.
Actual research does not support the myth that soda in anyway causes dehydration.
Current research says about caffeine.
# When consuming a caffeinated beverage, the body retains some of the fluid.
# Moderate caffeine consumption causes a mild diuresis very similar to that of water (water, when consumed in large volume, increases urine output).
# A person who regularly consumes caffeine has a higher tolerance to the diuretic effect.
Unless your downing caffeine pills, it won't cause dehydration.
2: Salt makes you more thirsty but does not necessarily dehydrate you. Salt attracts water so in small amounts in food can help hydrate you when taken with fluid. So eating some salty crackers with a glass of water can actually hydrate you more then simply drinking the glass of water alone.
Why does sea water dehydrate you then?
1 kg of seawater(or 1 liter) has approximately 35 grams of dissolved salts or 3,500 milligrams. (1g=1,000mg)
Humans can't drink salt water because the kidneys can only make urine that is less salty than salt water. Therefore, to get rid of all the excess salt taken in by drinking salt water, you have to urinate more water than you drank, so you die of dehydration.
1kg of coke (or half of 2-liter or 2.8 cans) contains 140 milligrams of Sodium. So salt water is 25 times MORE salty then coke.
Simply put there isn't enough salt in soda to counter the fluid intake. Its not as good as water but it won't dehydrate you. Soda does not dehydrate you but you have to drink more of it then you would is you just drank water.
I'm all for promoting good health but not at the expense of truth. When you repeat a lie through repetition(even unknowingly) everything else you say starts to sound suspect.
I tend to agree with you, Anon. I think that the "bad" stuff in soda is really the sugar. Here's what MayoClinic.com has to say about diet sodas:
Drinking a reasonable amount of diet soda a day, such as a can or two, isn't likely to hurt you. The artificial sweeteners and other chemicals used in diet soda are safe for most people, and there's no evidence that these ingredients cause cancer. Some types of diet soda are even fortified with vitamins and minerals. But diet soda isn't a health drink or a cure for weight loss. Although switching from regular soda to diet soda will save you calories, some studies suggest that drinking soda of any type leads to obesity and other health problems. And healthier choices abound. Start your day with a small glass of 100-percent fruit juice. Drink skim milk with meals. Sip water throughout the day. For variety, try sparkling water or enjoy a squirt of lemon or cranberry juice in your water. Save diet soda for an occasional treat.
Source: Katherine Zeratsky, R.D., L.D
I personally like tonic water, sometimes even club soda. As a distance runner, I drink a lot of electrolyte fluids - those contain essential minerals and sodium to help replace what's lost during hard workouts, and I even drink them in preparation for a distance event. If the argument against sodium was true, then electrolyte fluids would have to be included in the "bad for you" category.
All in all, while I agree that sodas, diet or otherwise, might not be the healthiest of fluid choices if consumed in great quantity and on a regular daily basis, and I rarely allowed sodas in my house when my kids were young (still don't), I wouldn't be one to start throwing red flags all around me about this.
People just have to learn to make good choices, that's all. We like our sweet, carbonated stuff, after all. Even I do - especially in a mojito, LOL!