Help for Soda Lovers

Helawat

Source: WebMD
http://www.webmd.com/food-recipes/features/help-soda-lovers?page=2

No Need to Go Cold Turkey

Soda is certainly not an ideal drink from a health standpoint -- it offers no nutritional value and can be high in sugar, sodium, and caffeine. But the good news, experts say, is that if you truly love it, there's no need to give it up completely.

If you generally watch what you eat and are reasonably active, a soda or two a day isn't going to derail your efforts, says Tavis Piattoly, RD, director of performance enhancement at Ochsner Clinic's Elmwood Fitness Center in New Orleans.

But if you regularly drink two, three, or more cans a day, the added sugar can pile on the pounds "unless, of course, the soft drinks are planned into an overall diet of moderation, variety, and of course, exercise," says Dee Sandquist, RD, manager of nutrition and diabetes at the Southwest Washington Medical Center in Vancouver, Wash.

Keep in mind that when you're trying to adopt a healthier diet, it's not a good idea to completely deprive yourself of treats, Marr says.

"A very Spartan diet without some of your favorite foods is not sustainable," she says. "I encourage people to figure out how to include their favorite foods into their diet."
Lower-Calorie Alternatives

To reach soda lovers who are reluctant to give up their favorite "fix," both Pepsi and Coca-Cola recently launched lower-calorie soft drinks. Pepsi's Edge and Coke's C2 are now in grocery stores across the country.

Both are touted as a lighter alternative to regular sodas, but with a truer cola taste than diet sodas. The drinks are made with both high-fructose corn syrup (the standard sweetener for regular soda) and Splenda, a no-calorie, no-carbohydrate sweetener.

While the sodas have fewer calories than regular soda, they are not no-cal. Pepsi, for example, says a 12-ounce can of Edge has 70 calories and 20 grams each of sugar and carbohydrates, compared with regular Pepsi's 150 calories and 41 grams each of sugar and carbohydrates.

The development of these sodas is the result of a "fundamental change" in the way people are drinking soft drinks, says Pepsi spokesperson Dave DeCecco. "More than 60 million people are drinking both regular and diet sodas," he says. "It just makes sense for us to give them what they're looking for."
The Skinny on Diet Sodas

If you're trying to cut calories but don't want to give up soda altogether, switching either to the new lower-calorie sodas or to diet sodas is a good option, says Sandquist.

Extensive research has shown that the artificial sweeteners used in diet sodas are safe (except for people who have the metabolic disorder phenylketonuria or PKU, who should not consume aspartame).

But even with diet drinks, it's not a good idea to overdo. Researchers say that a new study, done in rats, suggests that artificial sweeteners might interfere with the body's natural ability to count calories based on a food's sweetness. This could make people who consume artificially sweetened items more likely to overindulge in other sweet foods and beverages, say the authors of the study, published in the International Journal of Obesity.

What if you simply don't like the taste of diet drinks? Here are some suggestions from people who have made the switch:

* Try different brands to see which you find most palatable.
* Serve it ice-cold.
* Try adding lemon or lime to spark up the flavor.
* Take it slow: Start out by pouring a small amount of diet soda into your glass of regular soda, then gradually increase the proportion of diet soda until you get used to the taste.

Helawat

Source: WebMD
http://www.webmd.com/food-recipes/features/help-soda-lovers?page=2

No Need to Go Cold Turkey

Soda is certainly not an ideal drink from a health standpoint -- it offers no nutritional value and can be high in sugar, sodium, and caffeine. But the good news, experts say, is that if you truly love it, there's no need to give it up completely.

If you generally watch what you eat and are reasonably active, a soda or two a day isn't going to derail your efforts, says Tavis Piattoly, RD, director of performance enhancement at Ochsner Clinic's Elmwood Fitness Center in New Orleans.

But if you regularly drink two, three, or more cans a day, the added sugar can pile on the pounds "unless, of course, the soft drinks are planned into an overall diet of moderation, variety, and of course, exercise," says Dee Sandquist, RD, manager of nutrition and diabetes at the Southwest Washington Medical Center in Vancouver, Wash.

Keep in mind that when you're trying to adopt a healthier diet, it's not a good idea to completely deprive yourself of treats, Marr says.

"A very Spartan diet without some of your favorite foods is not sustainable," she says. "I encourage people to figure out how to include their favorite foods into their diet."
Lower-Calorie Alternatives

To reach soda lovers who are reluctant to give up their favorite "fix," both Pepsi and Coca-Cola recently launched lower-calorie soft drinks. Pepsi's Edge and Coke's C2 are now in grocery stores across the country.

Both are touted as a lighter alternative to regular sodas, but with a truer cola taste than diet sodas. The drinks are made with both high-fructose corn syrup (the standard sweetener for regular soda) and Splenda, a no-calorie, no-carbohydrate sweetener.

While the sodas have fewer calories than regular soda, they are not no-cal. Pepsi, for example, says a 12-ounce can of Edge has 70 calories and 20 grams each of sugar and carbohydrates, compared with regular Pepsi's 150 calories and 41 grams each of sugar and carbohydrates.

The development of these sodas is the result of a "fundamental change" in the way people are drinking soft drinks, says Pepsi spokesperson Dave DeCecco. "More than 60 million people are drinking both regular and diet sodas," he says. "It just makes sense for us to give them what they're looking for."
The Skinny on Diet Sodas

If you're trying to cut calories but don't want to give up soda altogether, switching either to the new lower-calorie sodas or to diet sodas is a good option, says Sandquist.

Extensive research has shown that the artificial sweeteners used in diet sodas are safe (except for people who have the metabolic disorder phenylketonuria or PKU, who should not consume aspartame).

But even with diet drinks, it's not a good idea to overdo. Researchers say that a new study, done in rats, suggests that artificial sweeteners might interfere with the body's natural ability to count calories based on a food's sweetness. This could make people who consume artificially sweetened items more likely to overindulge in other sweet foods and beverages, say the authors of the study, published in the International Journal of Obesity.

What if you simply don't like the taste of diet drinks? Here are some suggestions from people who have made the switch:

* Try different brands to see which you find most palatable.
* Serve it ice-cold.
* Try adding lemon or lime to spark up the flavor.
* Take it slow: Start out by pouring a small amount of diet soda into your glass of regular soda, then gradually increase the proportion of diet soda until you get used to the taste.

MargieM

I love not having to deprive myself! I've cut back from 1-2 cans a day to maybe one can a week. I haven't missed it much, but there are times....

Thanks Helawat!

peej76

The thing about soda, for me, is once I started drinking more water, I found the soda burned my throat especially Pepsi which of course is my favourite. So I just started buying the 6 pack of little 237 ml cans. I find it's just about the right amount! And I only use them on my cheat days. This gives me 2, my husband 2 and my 13 year old son 2.