I teach my clients that drinking soda pop is detrimental to their health.  Yes, even the sugar free sodas add inches to the waist line. There are numerous health risks in drinking soda.

Soda typically contains carbonated water, a sweetener, and a natural or artificial flavoring. Most sodas also contain caffeine, colorings, preservatives, and/or other additives.

A 20 ounce can of soda contains  17 teaspoons of sugar.

What Are The Health Risk?

Let’s just dive right in and get started.It’s a hot day and you reach for an ice cold soda. Is that really a good idea? Soda will dehydrate you even more than the heat. How can that be you ask? Soda has caffeine and caffeine will cause you to urinate more, thus causing more dehydration than the sweating you are doing in the heat. When the cells are dehydrated, they are not able to absorb the nutrients they need to maintain a healthy balance.Harvard did a study on over 3,000 women and the report showed that there was a two-fold risk in kidney function decline. The results of this 11 year study were:

Consumption of ≥ 2 servings per day of artificially sweetened soda is associated with a 2-fold increased odds for kidney function decline in women.Regular soda has enough sugar in it to contribute to type 2 Diabetes. The high level of sugar adds a strain on the pancreas causing the pancreas to struggle with trying to keep up with the body’s need for more insulin. Did you know that 1 to 2 servings of the sugary drink increases your risk of type 2 Diabetes by 25%? Scary isn’t it?

The average 20 ounce can of soda contains 17 teaspoons of sugar. The sugar not only contributes to diabetes, but also to tooth decay.

Ok, so I’ll drink diet free soda. Well, that’s not a good idea either. Artificial sweeteners are linked to numerous illness including cancer.

1. 1. But, diet soda will help me lose weight. Think again! A study done by the University of Texas Health Science Center found that the more diet sodas a person drinks the greater the risk for becoming over weight, 500% increase!
   2. By drinking sugary sodas and other sugar ladened drinks, you are creating a problem with your liver. Your liver will become fat resulting in a fatty liver. In a study of over 2,000 people, non-alcohol related fatty liver disease was noted with CT scans of the liver. This higher rate was noted with people who drank more than one serving of soda a day compared to people who do not drink soda.
   3. Soda increase obesity in children by 60%. Other health issues are caused by children drinking sugary drinks. Type 2 diabetes is on the increase in children as well as fatty livers.
   4. The acid in soda wears away the enamel on teeth. You will be seeing your dentist more, so you may want to make friends with him/her.
   5. Soda cans are lined with BPA. BPA is known to disrupt the endocrine. BPA is also linked to heart disease, obesity and reproductive problems. If you are having problems in conceiving a child, this could be contributing to it.
   6. The artificial coloring in sodas that give it the caramel color is linked to cancer. It is made by reacting sugars with ammonia and sulfites under high pressure and temperatures. Studies have shown a connection with the artificial coloring and  lung, liver, or thyroid cancer or leukemia in laboratory mice and rats.
   7. Caramel coloring is linked to vascular disease.
   8. Each soda you consume a day has a 20% increase in heart disease in men.
   9. Drinking more than one soda a day increases your risk for heart disease and metabolic syndrome. Your risk is increased by 48%.
   10. Sodas containing ascorbic acid and potassium benzoate can form benzene which is a known carcinogen.
   11. Sodium benzoate is used as a mold inhibitor. These chemicals have the ability to cause severe damage to DNA in the mitochondria to the point that they totally inactivate it.  Note: Some companies have phased out sodium benzoate. Diet Coke and Diet Pepsi have replaced it with another preservative, potassium benzoate. Both sodium and potassium benzoate were classified by the Food Commission in the UK as mild irritants to the skin, eyes, and mucous membranes.
   12. Some sodas contain brominated vegetable oil. BVO is also added to many sports drinks and citrus drinks. BVO is a flame retardant!
   13. Soda interferes with your metabolism. The high sugar in soda and other sugary drinks slows the metabolism causing it to be harder to burn fat and lose weight.
   14. Soda depletes calcium from your bones. The phosphoric acid is the culprit.
   15. High levels of soda consumption have been linked to asthma.

 

What about sparkling water? Sparkling water can be a healthier choice than soda, but like any other drink, watch out for the artificial colorings.

So, what can we drink?

Water, but make sure it’s from a pure source. But, water is boring and has no flavor you say. Add a slice of organic fruit to your water.

• Hibiscus tea – is found to be highest in antioxidants.
• Apple Cider vinegar in water – make sure you buy Bragg’s of the Mother apple cider vinegar (any brand with of the Mother is fine). Dr. Jarivs wrote a book about the benefits of apple cider vinegar. I encourage you to read about this amazing product. Start out with a tablespoon of the vinegar in about 8 ounces of water. As you become adjusted to the taste increase the amount to 2 tablespoons. Don’t drink the vinegar straight, it can burn the esophagus. Apple cider vinegar is good for indigestion and doesn’t have the side effects of the prescription medications.  Many of these medications are under investigation.
• White tea – has antioxidants that are good cancer prevention options.
• Green tea – organic teas have health benefits and is rich in flavonoids.

Did you know the best way to brew tea is with the cold method? Hot water will decrease the amount of antioxidants in the tea. Also, leave the milk out. Milk has sugars that cancer feeds on plus it reduces the antioxidants in the tea.

Conclusion

I encourage you to learn about the different teas and the health benefits.  The benefits of organic teas are many and I could write an article on each tea.  Note that if you add lemon juice to the teas, you will be increasing the antioxidants to each cup. Green tea with lemon is a good liver detox. Start your morning off with the organic teas to give your body a boost in health benefits.