I drink a lot of soda. Anyone have any suggestions to help cut the soda out??

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Replies

  • stevencloser
    stevencloser Posts: 8,911 Member
    I can't see myself starting a thread asking how to get over my tea addiction...

    And I can't see myself starting a thread asking how to get over my soda addiction. The difference is, while people typically aren't told that (sugarless) tea is unhealthy, they are told that (sugarless) soda is unhealthy, even though they're about the same in terms of health and calories. That's where threads like this come from - misinformation. That's what the apparently "pro-soda" people are against.

    Are they? I'm really asking.

    Can you replace all your drinking water with soda or even diet soda and feel completely safe and healthy?

    My grandfather drinks tea instead of water all his life and he's over 90. Nobody ever questions this drinking as unsafe, unhealthy. Can the same be done with soda?

    50+ years of research says so. Only the carbonation would be an issue but carbonated water is also a thing and has the same issues.
  • clicketykeys
    clicketykeys Posts: 6,589 Member
    50+ years of research says so. Only the carbonation would be an issue but carbonated water is also a thing and has the same issues.

    Isn't acidity the concern with carbonation, though? There are similar issues with coffee, tea, milk, and juice.
  • Muscleflex79
    Muscleflex79 Posts: 1,917 Member
    Start to visualize it as the poison it is, that might help.

    lol...guess you didn't read the thread or are unaware that it is not, in fact, poison. smh.
  • Aniston_T
    Aniston_T Posts: 25 Member
    There are also studies that say that sugar feeds cancer. So I am curious as to who did the studies that say that soda is harmless (is the sugar industry behind this) and also, when they did the studies did they mean that 1-2 cans of soda is harmless but did not take into account that some people drink way more than that. Just curious! Haven't don't any research about it and I drink soda now and then.
  • TR0berts
    TR0berts Posts: 7,739 Member
    Aniston_T wrote: »
    There are also studies that say that sugar feeds cancer. So I am curious as to who did the studies that say that soda is harmless (is the sugar industry behind this) and also, when they did the studies did they mean that 1-2 cans of soda is harmless but did not take into account that some people drink way more than that. Just curious! Haven't don't any research about it and I drink soda now and then.

    A couple of things here.

    1: Not all cancers are "fed" by sugar. So dropping sugar won't help you with certain cancers.
    2: Considering your body will create sugar (since that's what your cells run on) if you don't give it enough, it's irrelevant anyway.
    3: If you have cancer, you'll be (or should be) monitoring your diet and adjusting accordingly.
  • Aniston_T
    Aniston_T Posts: 25 Member
    edited May 2017

    TR0berts wrote: »
    Aniston_T wrote: »
    There are also studies that say that sugar feeds cancer. So I am curious as to who did the studies that say that soda is harmless (is the sugar industry behind this) and also, when they did the studies did they mean that 1-2 cans of soda is harmless but did not take into account that some people drink way more than that. Just curious! Haven't don't any research about it and I drink soda now and then.

    A couple of things here.

    1: Not all cancers are "fed" by sugar. So dropping sugar won't help you with certain cancers.
    2: Considering your body will create sugar (since that's what your cells run on) if you don't give it enough, it's irrelevant anyway.
    3: If you have cancer, you'll be (or should be) monitoring your diet and adjusting accordingly.



    TR0berts Thank you for clarifying that. It makes sense
  • Aniston_T
    Aniston_T Posts: 25 Member
    Sorry was supposed to be a quote...
  • HonestBuddha
    HonestBuddha Posts: 23 Member
    I'm not a fan of diet soda. I was drinking anywhere from 3-6 Cokes a day at 140 calories each. Serious Coke habit LOL. I quit cold turkey and had my last one Sunday morning and refused to buy anymore. If I get headaches or anything I'll go for coffee or tea since I can control the sugar I put it in. It's the sugar in everything America makes that is making us fat. From the yogurt to even the bread we eat. I've watched videos of Europeans eating regular American food and they were surprised how sweet our regular bread is. It tasted like a treat to them.
  • Muscleflex79
    Muscleflex79 Posts: 1,917 Member
    Aniston_T wrote: »
    There are also studies that say that sugar feeds cancer. So I am curious as to who did the studies that say that soda is harmless (is the sugar industry behind this) and also, when they did the studies did they mean that 1-2 cans of soda is harmless but did not take into account that some people drink way more than that. Just curious! Haven't don't any research about it and I drink soda now and then.

    Tests on aspartame have proven that it is completely safe for human consumption (unless you have phenylketonuria - a rare genetic disorder you were diagnosed with at birth). The amounts that "cause cancer" or other problems would be based on a human drinking HUNDREDS of liters PER DAY (I don't have the exact numbers handy, but the amount of aspartame it would take to cause problems is literally beyond what anyone could possibly drink in a day) - so yes, anything in excess is bad (same way water can kill you if you drink tons at once), but aspartame has been proven safe again and again in normal amounts.

    http://seriecientifica.org/sites/default/files/scl_enc_butchko.pdf
  • BurlzGettingFit
    BurlzGettingFit Posts: 115 Member
    I'm not a fan of diet soda. I was drinking anywhere from 3-6 Cokes a day at 140 calories each. Serious Coke habit LOL. I quit cold turkey and had my last one Sunday morning and refused to buy anymore. If I get headaches or anything I'll go for coffee or tea since I can control the sugar I put it in. It's the sugar in everything America makes that is making us fat. From the yogurt to even the bread we eat. I've watched videos of Europeans eating regular American food and they were surprised how sweet our regular bread is. It tasted like a treat to them.

    No, it is not the sugar that is making people fat, it's the amount of calories in food and portion sizes of food they're eating that is making them fat.
  • DaniG_1987
    DaniG_1987 Posts: 40 Member
    La Croix. Still gives you the bubbles without the calories, sugar, or salt.
  • Sunna_W
    Sunna_W Posts: 744 Member
    Another thing is to buy the cans and measure out a certain amount each time to pour out. Usually an ounce a week does it.

    Here is a great website: http://www.health.com/health/gallery/0,,20902395,00.html/view-all
  • tjhovey
    tjhovey Posts: 5 Member
    I used to drink a lot of Coke. I switched to carbonated flavoured water/seltzer, and discovered it wasn't the soda taste I really like; it was the fizz. I bought a Soda Stream machine for home because it's cheaper and easier than buying seltzer all the time, and I put 4 bottles in the fridge each day, and basically drink them all throughout the day. No more soda craving, and I'm better-hydrated, too. If you want flavour, flavoured seltzers ("natural flavour" in the ingredient list), or even the flavour syrups for Soda Stream work.

    It can take a while to reduce caffeine intake without side effects -- going cold turkey is painful (literally -- I got bad headaches), so easing off gently over a couple of weeks would be my suggestion. While I have become accustomed to coffee with no sugar (a dietician suggested using lactose-free milk in my coffee because it's sweeter than normal milk), tea is a great option because with all the varieties and flavours available, it can taste great with no sugar/sweetener at all.

    I have read that while artificial sweeteners don't have the calories, they can impact insulin levels (glycemic impact) similar to sugar. If this is true, you may be saving calories, but you're not saving your health. I use stevia once in a while, but it's the 'new kid on the block', so long-term use/safety remains to be proven. If anyone has reliable (e.g. medical school/university/hospital) studies on artificial sweeteners' glycemic impact and/or stevia safety, I'd be interested in getting links.
  • Tacklewasher
    Tacklewasher Posts: 7,122 Member
    tjhovey wrote: »
    I have read that while artificial sweeteners don't have the calories, they can impact insulin levels (glycemic impact) similar to sugar. If this is true, you may be saving calories, but you're not saving your health. I use stevia once in a while, but it's the 'new kid on the block', so long-term use/safety remains to be proven. If anyone has reliable (e.g. medical school/university/hospital) studies on artificial sweeteners' glycemic impact and/or stevia safety, I'd be interested in getting links.

    Sigh.

    What you read is wrong.
  • tklivory
    tklivory Posts: 46 Member
    Also, I would like to add that the leaves of the stevia plant (and yes, it's a plant) have been used for sweetening in South America for over 1500 years. Now, the powder form and how it's extracted/used in food, that's relatively recent, but even then, they've been using it for decades in Japan. Just because it's (relatively) new in the US doesn't mean that Stevia is the 'new kid on the block'. I used stevia for years before it became well known because I liked the faint licorice taste in my hot tea.

    That being said, I also have a daily Diet Coke. I went off all soda for a while as I was acclimating myself to drinking water, but now that I'm comfortably at 4L of water a day, I added it back in because I just really like the taste. Absolutely no impact on my weight loss. And I still use stevia or honey for my tea, depending on the flavor of tea. (Honey for herbal, stevia for puerh/black). It works for me!
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