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You hear it from your doctor, the news, and even your mailman – soda is bad for you, and drinking it isn’t doing your body any good. It’s full of sugar, preservatives, and not much else, we all know this.
But there are some shocking benefits to your body and life that you might not consider when cutting out soda from your diet. It’s not just about the sugar!
Soda is full of sugar. Really, it’s bad. One 20 ounce container of Coke contains about the same amount of sugar as 5 of those delicious Little Debbie Swiss Rolls. Cutting back on sugar is the first thing that a dermatologist is going to recommend to you when you have reoccurring skin conditions.
Cutting out soda entirely can help reduce acne, red skin, and give you a fresh, clean complexion.
We all know soda is bad for your teeth, but dentists are not playing when they say so. The average can of soda you consume is about twice as acidic as lemon juice, which erodes the enamel on your teeth. Without this protective layer you are more likely to have pain from very hot or very cold foods, and develop tooth decay faster.
When you’re trying to lose weight and cut calories, are you thinking about the soda you’re consuming? You should be! Many people who are trying to lose weight don’t consider their drinks, which still count for calories.
One can of Mountain Dew contains 170 calories. To put in perspective what you could eat instead, two whole tablespoons of peanut butter only has about 100 calories. A medium sized apple is only about 120 calories. Two large hard-boiled eggs have just over 150 calories and pack 12 grams of protein.
The National Sleep Foundation says that while most people think of coffee and alcohol as major reasons they stay up at night, soda is often to blame as well. The caffeine in a can of soda can stay in your bloodstream for six hours, keep you up well past when you last drank it.
And the carbonation in the soda can contribute to bloating and heartburn, though many people overlook the drink when thinking about their symptoms. Heartburn can keep you up, or wake you up from sleep, ruining your schedule.
A study done by Harvard University and published int eh American Heart Associations journal, Circulation, suggests that there is a direct link between drinking sugary beverages like soda and an increased risk of heart disease. And it wasn’t insignificant.
Those who had two servings of soda a day – about two cans, or one drink and one refill at a restaurant – had a 31% higher risk of death from heart complications. 31%. That’s huge! While nutritional science has a lot of variables and the numbers aren’t always rock solid, this level cannot be ignored.
Cutting out soda should be priority #1 if you want to get healthy, live longer, and feel better in your day to day life. It’s hard to kick the habit, but there are no real downsides, other than missing that sugary tang for a few weeks until your body adjusts.
