It’s Monday again. Yes….Monday, the day we talk about motivation to get healthier! I have decided to discontinue the linky part of Get Motivated Mondays, but I’ll probably continue to write about getting healthy, so long as I can think up new things to write about! Even though I’m not providing the linky party, feel free to share anything you want to in the comments below. I’m all in for listening to what you have to say about getting healthier!
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OK, I’m really, nervous to put this out there in writing, because I’m not sure I’m ready to give it up….and I don’t think I really will give it up completely, but I do want to start limiting it a bit more! This is my biggest battle when it comes to weight loss. I am totally in love with Dr. Pepper. I know it sounds crazy, but drinking a can of Dr. Pepper every day makes me enjoy my day a little more. Yes, sometimes I rely on the caffeine, but it’s not only the caffeine. I LOVE the bubbles that carbonation brings with it. So, while I’m trying to focus on thinking all things healthy, I figured why not provide myself a list to look at, any time I need motivation to skip that soda. So here goes:
Reasons to Skip the Soda:
- Soda consumption is linked to obesity. Give it up and you tend to drop pounds like magic. Source
- When consuming high amounts of sugar, your body can’t fight off illness as easily, it depresses your immune system. Source
- Excess sugar can alter your behavior, attention span and learning ability for the worse. Source
- It can promote sugar cravings, causing you to eat more junk than you would have before. Source
- It is linked to diabetes Source
- High doses of sugar and artificial sweeteners increase the urinary excretion of calcium, leading to weaker bones Source
- Phosphoric acid present in many soft drinks robs the body of calcium by increasing the loss of magnesium and calcium in the urine. Source
- Sugar promotes heart disease, by turning the excess sugars into fat. People who eat too much sugar tend to have higher blood triglycerides and increase the risk of heart disease. Source
- The caramel coloring used in soda is carcinogenic, increasing your risks of cancer. Source
- It can cause potassium levels in the blood stream to fall, leading to being dizzy, feeling weak and causing muscles to atrophy. Source
- “The acid forming nature of soda pop is a threat to teeth and enamel. The teeth are alkaline in nature due to calcium, the most alkalizing mineral in the body. Because soda is greatly acidic, it corrodes the teeth and enamel.” Source
- Sodas increase stomach acid levels, irritate and erode the gastric lining, and burn out tissue binders, “eating away at your liver,” according to Barnet Meltzer, M.D.
- Carbonation robs the red blood cells of their ability to exchange oxygen, which sets back an athlete or anyone who needs stamina and energy.
- According to a Johns Hopkins study, women who drink caffeinated beverages are more prone to PMS: the more they drink, the worse PMS symptoms are.
There you have it. Lots of GREAT reasons to quit drinking soda….or at least start to limit it more than you once did.
What about you? What are you working on right now to help you to get healthier?
Sidetracked Sarah says
Great job Christy. That's awesome that you made it so long. WTG!
Sidetracked Sarah says
Yes, that is my goal, too. I would love it if I could just not like it any more…but I don't see that as happening.
Christy says
I haven't had a soda in over a year – never lost any weight but I know that it is poison to my body to drink it. I just said to my dh the other night if I was going to "cheat" and drink a soda it would be Dr. Pepper!
Beth Cranford says
I love Dr. Pepper too! When I saw that you chose Dr. Pepper for you image (with a big X on it) I thought "now why is she picking on me?"
Until about a year ago I depended on a can of Dr. Pepper right after breakfast. (I know, to those of you who don't do that it sounds gross!). But I've finally been able to switch to low sugar, decaf sweet tea! It's still not water but it's a lot better for me than soda.
I'm getting a lot less sugar, no carbonation, no high-fructose corn syrup, almost no caffeine, no artificial ingredients, and it's cheaper and no cans to deal with!
I do have to say though, the sight of a can of DR. Pepper in my fridge is still very enticing, and the sound of a can being opened? Well lets just say "ahhhh".
I'll probably never drop it completely, like you said, but I think the drastic reduction is a good thing.
Thanks for the reminder of why I'm doing this!