I gave up soda at the start of my first pregnancy seven years ago, a habit that—unlike sweets—was easy to kick. Aside from the occasional urge for a sip, I’m happy with plain water 99 percent of the time.
But, I know how hard it is to give up a habit, especially when there’s sugar involved (see above!) However, like sugary snacks, soda adds an excess of empty calories to your daily intake, an excess that can actually harm your health.
I recently read a statistic that said the average American drinks a six-pack of soda per day. I know I’m not drinking a six-pack a day, nor is anyone in my family. So, that means someone out there is drinking the soda for me. Since I can’t find that statistic, I can’t verify it. But, soda drinking has long been targeted as a risk factor for obesity, Type 2 Diabetes, and tooth decay.
If you’ve been thinking about giving up soda (aside: we call it pop where I live), then good for you. There are plenty of good reasons to start.
But, if you need a little motivation, here are ten seriously disturbing results of drinking too much soda:
- a higher risk of osteoporosis
- kidney stones
- addiction
- a waste of hundreds of dollars each year
- tooth decay
- two words: fecal matter (from fountain drinks)
- calcium deficiency
- a possible, but controversial, link to pancreatic cancer
Have you successfully kicked a soda habit? Share your tips with us in comments.
Originally published on Diet-Blog.com
