Hope you’ve all had a great week! Another Friday has arrived very quickly and today I have a great guest post for you!
First, thank you, Jaima, for letting me guest post today! I am thrilled! You are the reason I am where I am today! Thank you! For those of you who do not know me yet, my name is Aimee and I am a new blogger. Today I’m going to share with you WHY I’m quitting soda!
To start, I have to tell you about my husband. I guess it was about a month into dating, he told me that he used chewing tobacco. While I was thoroughly disgusted, I had already fallen in love with him. I told him that it was fine, but once we had kids, it had to stop. I knew in all honesty, that he’d likely never quit, especially if he really didn’t want to. I am so proud to say that 4 years later, with a two year old at home, my husband finally quit! I have never been so proud! I had been nagging at him since my mom was diagnosed with cancer, and even more after she passed away. I understood the addiction side—I’m addicted to sodas. I always thought that it wasn’t nearly as bad of an addiction, but since my husband quit, I decided to do some research to help convince myself to stop drinking soda.
Now, I LOVE cokes. It’s often one of the first things on my mind when I wake up– I need a fix. Terrible isn’t it? Especially when I claim to be living this healthy life and using all the organic products, all the while I sucking down this awful stuff. Confession: I have been drinking primarily soda. Maybe 1 glass of water a day. That’s how bad my addiction has become. I don’t know if it’s the sugar, the bubbles, the caffeine, or a combination of those things that has me addicted, but all I know is I need help! LOL. If my husband could kick tobacco, surely I can kick cokes!
So, I have been soda free since Thursday, August 02, 2012. Wow. It’s in print, and all you people are reading this, so I better stick to it! I decided to get a coke can and look at the ingredients and do a little Wikipedia research. Here is what I found.
Ingredients
- Carbonated water: Nothing so much wrong with that.
- Sugar (high-fructose corn syrup): Contributes to obesity, cardiovascular disease, diabetes, and non-alcoholic fatty liver disease. Okay, pause here. My argument has always been that I’m not overweight. I never really have been. So I can’t say that cokes cause obesity in everyone. But I bet if I’m not careful, it will catch up to me. As for cardiovascular disease, diabetes, and liver disease, I don’t want to mess with those. My dad was just diagnosed with diabetes, and I take after him quite a bit. He cut the sodas and the diabetes symptoms went away!
- Caffeine: Let me preface this by saying I am not giving up all forms of caffeine. I still am drinking tea and the occasional cup of coffee. There are some benefits out there for low to moderate consumption of caffeine which is 130 mg-300 mg per day. But for those who want to know, here are the risks: may cause heart disease and bone density loss, and of course high levels of caffeine have been noted to increase the risk of miscarriage in pregnancy.
- Phosphoric acid: Here’s the big one! Did you know coke can be used to remove rust, clean toilet bowls, ruin car engines, and all sorts of stuff? Well, this is the culprit. This ingredient lowers bone density and affects kidney health.
- Caramel color (E150d): This is what discolors your teeth!
- Natural flavorings: So they don’t release what all is in this, so there’s not much to say here! But that’s scary—I don’t know what else is in this drink I am consuming!
A can of Coke (12 fl ounces/355 ml) has:
· 39 grams of carbohydrates (all from sugar, approximately 10 teaspoons): Umm, hello belly fat!! And did you know sugar is addicting? You just keep needing more and more! Seriously, try a sugar detox! It’s really tough because sugar is in so many things we eat, especially if you eat anything processed! Which I fully recommend eating REAL food!
· 50 mg of sodium: Did you know sodium affects your blood pressure, heart health, and besides that can make you look bloated! I work hard to keep in shape! I don’t need the sodium in coke to make me look fatter than I am!
· 140 calories: Empty calories. You could definitely lose weight by cutting the cokes. I have found I am hungrier when I am not drinking them, so that’s a battle for me. I want to eat more.
Okay, here’s what I am doing to help myself in this journey. The title did say QUITTING because it is a daily, consistent choice I have to make. I have to choose to quit every time I want a soda. I am drinking Cinch energy tea to help battle my cravings and it is really helping. I am drinking a ton of water to help flush everything out. I am eating Cinch snack bars and drinking Cinch shakes to help me fight my need for those extra calories. And of course, I am exercising! It is the BEST form of stress relief! I hope this information is helpful to you. Basically, I found that there are way too many bad things in soda for me to continue drinking them. I know this will be a long road, and I’m pretty sure that I won’t be able to taste one for a while or I’ll be hooked again!
I’d love to hear your stories of beating addictions, soda related or otherwise!
Great post! I quit drinking soda on March 18Th of this year and man what a difference I felt after the first few days. Still off and plan to stay off. My husband who is Type 2 Diabetic was drinking 4 to 6 52oz. Diet Pepsi a day has been off soda for 2 weeks now and is feeling so much better. That stuff is just poison for our Temples. Thank you for sharing such good information. Hugs, Bobbi Jo
Thank you, Jaima, for this post!!
Aimee,
I am the exact same way, and my brother is worse! He doesn’t even get in that 1 glass of water! My husband doesn’t drink a lot of soda and my step daughter this it’s gross! I just love it, and like you I don’t know if it’s the bubbles, taste, or what, but I love it! I have also tried to stop and I drink a lot of water at work, luckily we have a water cooler. I just don’t buy it anymore at the store, this way it’s not in the house! I also found though that sparkling water tastes great – which leads me to believe it’s the bubbles and carbonation I like. Although I haven’t checked the health benefits and I hope it’s healthy
Congratulations on making it this far! I’m with you!
Thanks Jessica!
I will have to try the sparkling water!
Hi Jaima,
I’ve been lurking your blog for a bit and I just ordered my first every Shaklee products from your site. My husband and I are making the transition to being natural and chemical free in our house. Thanks for making it easy for us to do with your link to your shop.
Aimee,
Good luck on your journey of quitting soda. I personally am not a huge soda drinker, but my mother is. She drinks a 2 liter bottle of Diet Coke every day. She has it sitting next to her bed so she can have a glass right away in the morning. Does that make you feel better about your addiction?? I’m sure you didn’t do that! While I’m not a huge soda drinker, I sometimes crave the bubbles. So I have a Soda Stream machine. It was $99 which isn’t pennies, I know. But, when you think about what you spend on soda, even an infrequent drinker, it’s a good investment.
When I’m craving bubbles I make a club soda (just water with carbonation) and add it to grape juice or lemonade. I get the bubbles and a healthy drink without all the garbage that comes with the sodas you get in the store. You can also buy the syrups to make your own soda if you need to. They have all natural and organic options. My favorite is an Apple Mango flavor.
These can be purchased almost anywhere, but we got our at a Bed Bath and Beyond.
Good luck!!
I think the carbonated lemonade would be good! My friend has a soda stream that I don’t think she ever uses! Maybe she’d let me buy it from her for a discount!
Hi! This is my first comment ever and I just had to say Good Luck and you can do it! I too have had a battle with soda. I had to have it every day. It took me a long time to realize exactly what I was doing to my body. We have switched over to a more whole foods, healthier lifestyle and soda just doesn’t go along with that. I went cold turkey and got it out of my house. I substituted with more water and decaf tea. I still crave it now and again. What I’ve realized is that when I do give in and take a sip it is just too sweet. I can only drink a couple of sips and I’m done. So over time, at least with my experience, the sweetness alone will make you not want it anymore. Thanks again and good luck! I’m cheering for you!
Thanks for the cheers! I need all I can get!
I spent five years fighting kidney infections & stones. Finally reached the point of having the “may need daily antibiotics” conversation. Before taking that step, my doctor offered to let me try some dietary changes and see what happened. No alcohol, no caffeine (decaf tea is ok) & avoiding artificial sweeteners. And drinking water. Plenty of water (the trick for me is using a straw). Happily the diet change worked! In fact the only problems I have had in the last four years have been when I cheated…..oh, just one drink….Yes it will hurt me! You’ll never regret giving it up, but your body will experience an adjustment/detox period. Good luck to you!!
Kasey,
Your comment literally changed my life! I’ve struggled with this problem my entire life and when I ran across this post on Pinterest I thought it was just telling me a bunch of stuff that I know is true but won’t stick with. I’m one of those people who don’t like the “taste” of tap water. I bought a filter for my faucet and that helped a little bit, but I still couldn’t handle drinking more than half a glass or so – until I read your comment about the straw! That’s when it hit me: it’s not the TASTE of the water that bugs me, it’s the smell! I have one of those reusable cold cups that I normally use for smoothies and iced coffee, and after my big epiphany I immediately filled it with ice and (filtered) tap water and started sipping water through the straw. It totally worked, and I’m drinking SO much more water now. Sorry to gush, but I really wanted to let you know that you made a HUGE impact on my health, and I’m feeling so much better now that I’ve made the switch. Thanks SO much for including the part about the straw in your comment because it really helped me make a healthier choice fit into my life. You rock!!
Its SOOO hard! I’m addicted to Pepsi. I just can’t get enough. I don’t drink tea of coffee, but oh how I love my Pepsi. I’ve tried sparkling water, but to me it tastes gross. I think I love Pepsi for the mixture of sugar and carbonation. I keep saying I’m going to quit drinking Pepsi, but then I somehow talk myself out of it and end up having another.
Congrats on the decision! I quit drinking regular Coke 20 years ago (only to trade it for diet Coke). That resulted in a 20 lb. weight loss with no other effort. Last month, I gave up diet Coke. I was totally addicted! I can honestly say that I feel better. I have switched to sparkling water and tea as my beverages of choice.
It can be done! I still can’t believe that I had my last soft drink on June 25!
I quit soda a couple of years ago. I have one occasionally only when I’m somewhere I can’t stand the taste of the water (like every 6 months at a restaurant). Now when I do have it I can barely stand it. I used to be able to guzzle soda. Now I can’t finish a glass because it’s too sweet and the carbonation bothers me. I’ve lost 60 lbs and this was one of the changes that led to my weight loss. Plus I rarely get sick. I used to get bad respiratory infections every winter. This past year I only went to the doctor for my annuals. Of corse cutting out soda was only one change I made. I continue to focus on cutting back on processed foods and eating more whole foods. When I’m in a “soda” mood now I reach for sparkling juice like an Izze. Even that I don’t drink every day though. I love flavoring my water with fruits. Good luck and don’t give up on kicking the habit!
Thank you for this post. I know all these things already but you have helped me find more inspiration to quit.
Thanks,
Quitting…….
I gave up soda a little over a year ago. The cravings are mostly gone, but I do keep a bottle of spakling water in the house. I’m the only one that drinks the sparkling water so I just keep one bottle in the fridge. A few sips of the bubbly carbonation beats my cravings.
Thank you for the tips. I am in
The exact same predicament.
YOU GO GIRL!!!!!
This has given me inspiration…….again!
About 3 years ago I was done being the big girl in the group. I admit, I am not that over weight but my friends are all very athletic and work out. If not, they secretly have surgeries to better themselves! So, I quit all sodas and started running. I lost 30 pounds in about 6 months. I have managed to keep the weight off but not the soda addiction! About a year ago I started drinking it again
My kids say something every time I get a large Mt. Dew (at Taco Bell)or Coke(at McD’s). They know I shouldn’t drink it……..so why don’t I?
It helps settle my stomach(which is probably upset from all the sugar)
It helps my headaches (again sugar)
blah blah blah……. So, I am quiting once again! I have 1 more Pepsi in the fridge and then DONE!
Thank you for changing my life again!
awesome!!! You CAN do it!!!
Good for you and thanks for sharing! I had my last soda on August 8th and it feels great! The first two or three weeks were the hardest and I had to start over because I gave in and had a soda. But cutting down helped me make progress and eventually quit. My best advice is to make sure that everyone in your household is supporting you! Don’t keep any soda in the fridge because if it is convenient it will be more challenging to resist. Also I plan what to drink with the meals that usually make me want soda. For example cheeseburgers or pizza are special occasion meals and I plan ahead by having an alternative drink like juice or lemonade.. then I don’t miss the soda.
Thanks for posting this! I have seriously cut down on soda and it has really helped me be healthier, lose weight, and feel better. When I really want a soda (it helps me with migraines) I get a Hansen’s All Natural. All of the flavors are delicious. While the empty calories are still there, at least I can’t clean my toilet with it! Also, I buy just one, so that I’m not tempted to have more at a later time.