New Year, smarter drinking? It’s currently January and many people are working towards their New Year’s resolutions (including myself) or just have general goals to eat right and workout more this year. Regardless if you have New Year’s health resolutions or not, we should all try to eat right when we can and make any little changes to our diets and habits that can better our health. 

Today, I’m talking about soda. I gave up soda and juices for the last several years and have been happy with that decision ever since. As someone that struggles with their weight, I don’t need the extra calories or sugar that soda and juices provide. Even if you aren’t trying to lose weight, there are many reasons why you should cut sodas from your everyday diet. I will drink juices and soda very sparingly, for example, with a cocktail or mimosa once or twice a month. If I’m sick (which is also rare), I’ll drink orange juice. But on my regular day-to-day or week-to-week, I’m honestly drinking sparkling water and regular water. 

Let’s dive right in on some reasons why you should give up sodas and at the end of this post, I’ll share some of my favorite sparkling water brands. 

Top reasons to stop drinking soda: 

No nutritional benefit.

There’s no nutritional value to soda. There’s no vitamins, minerals, or antioxidants. Just lots of sugar and calories. A well balanced diet typically consists of foods high in protein, a moderate amount of carbs, plenty of fruits and veggies, low fat, and low sugar. Soda doesn’t align with any of your typical health advice. Additionally, eating a lot of foods high in sugar and calories (like soda) can lead to obesity, diabetes, and other blood sugar complications. 

Heart disease.

Daily drinking of one 12 oz soda has been shown to increase a person’s risk for cardiovascular disease by 19% aka increase your risk for having a heart attack or other heart complications.   

Excessive sugar.

The amount of sugar in a typical can of soda is the same amount in 3-4 donuts. The problem isn’t only eating a lot of sugar, but more so the effect on you blood sugar levels. Excessive sugar enters your blood causing a quick spike in your blood sugar. A hormone, insulin, enters your blood to help get the excess sugar out and bring your blood sugar back to normal. The problem is that this system isn’t perfect. Sometimes, insulin overworks and takes out too much sugar, leaving your blood sugar level even lower than it was before. Your brain needs sugar for energy and to function, therefore, too low blood sugar levels are also dangerous.  

Brain development and function.

As mentioned above, drinking soda can cause a sugar spike, then insulin may overcompensate and your blood sugar gets too low, which can leave your brain deprived of sugar. This can lead to decreased brain function, headache, and more. Studies have also shown that frequent soda drinks have worse memory and a smaller brain volume. Children especially shouldn’t drink soda because their brains are still developing and the caffeine can cause adrenal gland exhaustion. Sodas are also linked to increase aggression and difficulty paying attention in children. 

Weight gain.

The excessive sugar in soda can turn into fat, which can lead to weight gain. 

Type 2 diabetes.

Studies have shown that daily drinking of one 12 oz soda can increase your risk of Type 2 diabetes by 18% . 

Weaken the kidneys and liver.

Many sodas contain phosphoric acid, sugar, and high fructose corn syrup (HFCS). Phosphoric acid is linked to kidney stone development and other kidney problems. Too much sugar and HFCS can cause liver damage.

Some of my favorite sparkling waters! 

Try whatever flavors you’d like. All of these brands I enjoy and can be found easily at Sam’s Club, Kroger, Walmart, and the like. I also have them linked below to Amazon (but you can probably find better prices in stores). Feel free to visit my Amazon Storefront for my full list of drink recommendations and to shop my Drinks Lists. I hope you enjoy them and discover your own favorites brands and flavors! You’ll find that they are all low in sugar and calories. If you don’t like sparkling water, perhaps try green tea or make your own vegetable juices at home for a healthier soda alternative.

As always, I hope you found this post helpful! Drop any questions or comments below. Will you have these health problems we discussed if you enjoy sodas once or twice a month? Probably not. Everything in moderation. That’s the key.

xoxo,

Margaret Nicole