Giving Up Sodas

If you've read any "how to lose weight" articles lately, then you know people everywhere are harping on the necessity of breaking with the soda habit. I read somewhere recently that drinking even one soda a day can raise your chances of obesity by up to 65%. I don't know if that're true or not, but what I DO know is that every soda you drink adds 200-300 calories to your daily caloric count. You'd have to run for 30 minutes straight to burn that off.

Diet sodas may not have the calories, but the sweeteners in them confuse your body and trigger it to think that you're hungry when you're not. Plus, just like white sugar, artificial sweeteners just aren't good for you. They weaken your teeth and bones, and it's best just to stay away from them.

I used to be a religious Diet Dr. Pepper drinker. I never really drank a lot of soda, but I had to have my one Diet Dr. Pepper everyday, and I'd probably had that ritual since high school. Then, about six months ago, I decided to kick the soda habit for good. In that endeavor, I realized something. I don't think it's the taste or the caffeine in the sodas that we crave. I think it's the carbonation. Sure, when a craving hit, I could imagine the phantom taste of that magical drink on my tongue, but even when that faded I still craved the soda.

I decided that I needed to replace my sodas with something else that didn't have any of the negative aspects that I was trying to get rid of. That led me to sparkling water. I've NEVER been able to stand the taste of mineral water, but I knew that if I could flavor the water, then it would essentially be a healthy version of soda. So, what do you add to disgusting sparkling water to make it taste good? Juice!

As a rule, I don't drink juice, because it's typically full of sugar and calories and it's healthier just to eat fruit, but a splash of juice wouldn't throw off my whole diet. Just find a juice that you like, but make sure it's 100% juice, not a juice blend or cocktail. I found that I really love the pomegranate-blueberry juice that Minute Maid makes. So I started replacing my daily soda with sparkling water + a splash of juice and I found that not only is it just as tasty and refreshing, but it has no added sugar or caffeine and a fraction of the calories. I even got my husband hooked on them.

We've both been soda-free for six months now. About a month ago, I actually took a sip of a soda and I didn't even like it anymore. It was too sweet for my taste. So, if you decide to kick sodas and need an alternative, take my advice and just try my replacement. It really does work. Now, if only I could get my daughter to drink it... but lucky for me, she's just as happy with plain water as sodas. For now, anyway.