9 Reasons to stop drinking soda

I have to keep reminding myself why I’m trying to give up sodas for good. I have been drinking the diet stuff for years now and it’s time to give it up.

So here’s 9 reasons why we should all stop drinking soda:

1. Soda is absolutely useless. There aren’t any benefits from drinking sodas. Even diet sodas are mostly filtered water and artificial sweeteners.

2. It increases the risk of Osteoporosis. If you drink a lot of soda, it can increase your risk of getting Osteoporosis because people aren’t getting the same amount of calcium in their diets. Once upon a time, kids were drinking several glasses of milk a day and now, they aren’t drinking nearly as much so they have weaker bones early in life.

3. Obesity. If you’re drinking the sugary stuff, you’re getting a lot of empty calories and many people forget about the calories in a drink. Drinking a can of soda every day can translate into over a pound of weight gain every single month. If you think you’re safe by drinking sugar-free diet sodas well, you’re wrong there too. Many studies are now saying that the diet sodas are causing people to actually eat more because the diet sodas make them hungrier.

4. High blood pressure. Typically the heavier you are, the more likely you are to have high blood pressure. Also, scientists are saying that consuming too much fructose can lead to higher blood pressure.

5. Soda can lead to heartburn. This one I know from experience. Whenever I was having gallbladder problems, I thought at first it was really bad heartburn (because that’s what the hospital initially told me) and they told me to stop drinking soda.

6. Dental erosion. Soda contains acids that eat away at enamel, more than that sugary sodas also end up causing cavities.

7. Aspartame is a toxin. The artificial sweetener in most diet sodas is not only 200 times sweeter than regular table sugar, it also breaks down into three different kinds of chemicals: phenylalanine, aspartic acid, and methanol. Methanol ends up converting into formaldehyde and formic acid, which are both carcinogens.

8. Dehydration. Caffeine and sugar both cause dehydration. Caffeine is a diuretic and drinking a caffeinated drink can actually cause you to be thirstier.

9. You can get more nutrition from other drinks. Herbal teas, green tea, and even regular tea all have antioxidants in them and can help you ward off health problems. Milk is full of calcium and vitamin D, both of which we don’t get enough of.