Learn The Truth About Soft Drink So You Can Be Motivated To Quit But First You Need To Understand Why You Need To Quit
One thing I don’t drink a lot of is soft drink, I just don’t like the gassy bubbly feeling that I get when I drink it. I end up burping, feeling bloated and yuck after I drink it so it is easy for me to just not have it. However I know that for some of you soft drink is the first thing you reach for when you feel thirsty. Let me share a few facts today about why you really should put some thought in to cutting it back or even better cutting it out.
Is This How You Are Feeling Most Of The Time?
Do you feel tired all the time, do you crave sugar, are you hungry all the time, are you over weight, do you get heart burn, do you get highs and lows in your energy levels? Do you drink a lot of soft drink? Could you be addicted to it and not realise it and not realise that it is in fact responsible for all of the above.
The Truth About Soft Drink – Why Is It So Addictive?
Sugar
First thing you need to understand is how much sugar is in one soft drink, 10 tea spoons of sugar, so in one drink that’s more than your daily need of additional sugar. You drink your Coke you flood your body’s blood with all that sugar. Your body reacts to all that sudden excess sugar, your pancreas releases insulin to combat all that sugar. So you have the high of sugar in your blood feeling energetic. Then the insulin does its job of mopping up all the excessive sugar which drops you back to a low. You’ve gone from high to low, now you need another soft drink for that pick me up hey. Noooooooo.
Phosphoric Acid
Soft drink contains phosphoric acid which gives the drink its bite. Phosphoric Acid actually leaches calcium from your bones promoting Osteoporosis. Even if you are taking a supplement you are contradicting it with the soft drink. This is also what rots your teeth slowly over time.
Sodium
Sodium which is salt, stops water being held in your cells so it keeps you feeling dehydrated. This is put in on purpose to keep you thirsty to keep you drinking more.
Caffeine
Caffeine of course is a diuretic so you continue to lose water through out the day. As it is a stimulant, you receive the high of energy but then a crash, you crave more on the low grab another soft drink.
Diet Soft Drink Is Just As Bad If Not Worse
The artificial sugar in diet soft drinks confuses your body when it tastes something sweet that isn’t sugar. As a result, it makes your body crave for actual, sweet food. So while you may be taking in 0 calories from drinking diet coke, there is a higher likelihood you will consume more food after drinking the diet soft drink, which then leads to weight gain.
The thing that shits me most is the four above ingredients of soft drink are put in there deliberately to get you addicted so you keep buying it for the rest of your life. All the while slowly poisoning yourself and stopping you from being your best healthiest you you can be. There really truly is NOTHING good about soft drink it’s all empty calories, it’s not water it has no nutrients. There really is no good reason to put it in your body other than you have become addicted to it. Think for a moment would you give a new born baby coke? No but why do you give it to yourself?
If anyone has quit soft drink I’d love you to leave a comment for others to hear how you went, how you did it and any changes you found after you did it.
Renee
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Hi, I have been drinking Pepsi Max daily for the last 18 years. I first started in my first year of University. About 2 months ago I decided to stop. I was not losing weight as quick as I would like ie 13kg in 18 months (I know I could have tried harder) and wondered if going off Pepsi Max would help. It was amazing. I used to raid the lolly jar constantly in search of something sweet. This stopped when I stopped drinking it. I discovered (much to my amazement) that it was easy to stop. I thought I might have been addicted and had withdrawels. I now drink filtered water. About 3 weeks into stopping I thought I would have a can of Pepsi Max, I didn’t enjoy it like I used to and also found that for 3 days after I was craving lollies again. I haven’t touched it since.
Leisa, that is awesome work on quitting and I am so glad you have shared your story for others to concider. That’s great you should be really proud of your self. Bet you will notice some weight changes with the sugar cravings being so full on. Thank you so much for sharing,. R
When I started on the weight loss journey I am on, I knwe my Coke habit had to go. I was amazed at how my stomach actually reduced in size just by giving it up. I am still having the odd one – now because I enjoy it. Saying that I am trying not to have it all and find something else to have when we are all sitting around having a drink.
Thanks for suggesting I visit. So glad I have!
Annaleis, that’s great you were able to cut it back like that. Thanks for visiting and thanks for sharing. R
Great article! I started my weight loss journey on the first of this year and one of the things i did was give up diet soft drink. I used to have one a day. I went through massive withdrawals when i gave it up – headaches, mood swings, unable to sleep, etc. Lasted 2 weeks but boy was it worth it! So far i have dropped 37kg this year and i believe strongly that letting go of my soft drink has helped me! I now have an occasional soft drink if i go out or just as a treat but it’s like 1 a fortnight if that. Recently i started researching the effects of soft drink so i can write my own blog article about the truth behind soft drink for others to see. Your article is awesome! Do you mind if i use some of your blog information in my blog? Of course i would link it back to yours for sure!
Thank you! 🙂
Hey Sarah, happy for you to share my link, happy for my info to help you help others. R
Fantastic article, thank you. I love Diet Coke and Coke Zero. I don’t drink any alcohol and it has always been my “treat”. When I had my children I would drink coffee all morning and by lunch time switch to coke – (never a single drop of either while pregnant or breastfeeding though). I know its bad for me, real bad, but I have struggled to give it up and to reach for water instead. I buy the groceries so I have to make the choice not to put it in the trolley. I haven’t touched any for a few weeks now and your article reaffirms to me why and I thank you for that. Thanks for the facts and being so encouraging.
I was setting such a bad example to my children – making them drink water and milk and yet sipping on coke with lunch each day. I feel a better mother for this change too.
Thank you.
I have regularly consumed diet drinks for over 32 years. I have given up a number of times but was always lured back. Since starting the 8 Welk Bodyback Challenge I have stopped drinking all soft drink – occasionally I may have a sparkling water. I have noticed I no longer crave chocolate and other sweet foods. I also am drinking lots of water. I don’t know, but I have renewed energy to be with my kids.