Stop Drinking Soda Pop

Helpful hint  – Cut back, or even better, eliminate your consumption of soda pop.

It has been estimated that you and I drink on average 1.6 cans of soda every day or 597 cans of soda pop a year. At 150 calories per serving that is the same as adding more than 25 pounds per year to your weight! Well, I know that I don’t drink a can a day but I know many of my chiropractic patients do and many of them drink much more than that! Remember that one can is equally to only 12 ounces! Do you consume a 44 ounce’er every day? Think about it.

As a chiropractor I understood the importance of avoiding soda pop so I chose to significantly reduced my soda intake along time ago. I feel much better for doing so and now I can confidently tell my chiropractic patients as their Mesa AZ Chiropractor to cut back or even better, eliminate their consumption of soda pop.

Here are ten reasons to quit drinking soda pop that I found at associatedcontent.com:

“ Dehydration – Drinking soda with caffeine and sugar causes your body to become dehydrated. Caffeine is a diuretic and causes an increase in urine volume. When you drink a caffeinated soda to quench your thirst, you will actually become thirstier.”

“ High Calorie – Regular soda pop is high in calories. A can of Coke contains 10 teaspoons of sugar, which is 100% of the daily recommended value for adults. An 8 ounce can of soda has around 100-200 calories. Not only are the calories from soda pop empty of any nutritional value, they also deplete your body of vital minerals.”

Caffeine Addiction – Caffeine addiction and withdrawal has been recognized as a medical disorder. A study at Johns Hopkins University revealed a few interesting facts about caffeine. “Caffeine is the world’s most commonly used stimulant, and it’s cheap and readily available so people can maintain their use of caffeine quite easily,” says Roland Griffiths, Ph.D., professor of psychiatry and neuroscience at Johns Hopkins. “The latest research demonstrates, however, that when people don’t get their usual dose they can suffer a range of withdrawal symptoms, including headache, fatigue, difficulty concentrating. They may even feel like they have the flu with nausea and muscle pain.”

“ Acid – Whether you drink diet or regular soda, the amount of acid in these drinks is enough to wear away at the enamel of your teeth over time. Teeth with weakened enamel are more sensitive and more susceptible to decay. In tests done on the acidity levels of soda, soda was found to have a pH of 2.5. To put that into perspective, consider that battery acid has a pH of 1 and pure water has a pH level of 7.”

“ Save Money – Soda may be pretty inexpensive when compared with fruit juice and milk. You can purchase 12, 8 ounce cans for around $4. However, a person who drinks just 2 cans of soda a day, will pay $206 over the course of a year to keep her soda habit going. If there is more than one soda drinker in the house, or she drinks more than 2 cans a day, that yearly total could quickly double or triple!”

“Lose Weight – Of course “regular” sodas would not help you reach your weight loss goals, but certainly diet soda can be a useful tool in weight management, right? The word “Diet” is right there in the name, after all. Wrong! Researches at the University of Texas Health Science Center found that diet sodas put a person at a higher risk of becoming overweight. According to their research, ‘artificial sweeteners can interfere with the body’s natural ability to regulate calorie intake. This could mean people who consume artificially sweetened items are more likely to overindulge.’”

“ Artificial Sweetener Issues – Often the subject of urban legend, artificial sweeteners have been accused of everything from causing headaches to multiple sclerosis and even death. Most artificial sweeteners have over 20 years of research behind them, proving their safety for most individuals. However, consumption of artificial sweeteners may make some people crave more sweet things which will in turn create more cravings for people who are trying to avoid sweet foods for health reasons.”

“ Mineral Depletion – You may have heard of a recent study that showed women who drink cola everyday have a lower bone mineral density. One of the reasons for this could be that most colas contain phosphoric acid and caffeine is a diuretic and increases urine volume, more minerals are leaving the body before having a chance to be absorbed and put to use.

“Less Chance for Diabetes – While no research has definitively shown that soda pop causes diabetes, the daily consumption of soda pop does create other problems that could lead to diabetes: specifically weight gain. However, according to a researcher from Children’s Hospital Boston, the fact remains ‘when sugar enters the bloodstream quickly, the pancreas has to secrete large amounts of insulin for the body to process it. Some scientists believe that the unceasing demands that a soda habit places on the pancreas may ultimately leave it unable to keep up with the body’s need for insulin. Also, insulin itself becomes less effective at processing sugar; both conditions contribute to the risk of developing diabetes.’”

“ Soda Replaces Healthier Drinks – In the 1950’s, children drank 3 cups of milk for every cup of sweet drink. Today that statistic is flipped: children drink 3 cups of sweet drink for every cup of milk. One of the biggest problems with soda is it acts as a replacement drink for healthier options. Less amounts of milk in the average diet could account for the lower bone density and higher occurrence of osteoporosis in men, women and children.”