Buying soda is a difficult-to-break habit for many people. You may enjoy the taste or fizz of soda, or maybe you can't imagine quenching your thirst with something bland like water. Ordering soda with a meal or purchasing soda by the caseload at the grocery store is one habit that you should quit--for your pocketbook and for your health above all.
1. Soda Is High in Sugar
Soda can have as many as fifty or even eighty grams of sugar per can. When drunk in excess, you can be adding a lot of empty calories to your diet. Ingesting too much sugar can lead to weight gain, tooth decay, gum disease, high cholesterol, high blood pressure, digestion irregularity, depression, anxiety and diabetes. Pregnant women who ingest too much sugar increase their risk of preeclampsia.
2. Soda Is High in Caffeine
Caffeine is an addictive substance. in the short-term, it can give your body a boost of energy, which is why you may turn to caffeine drinks for a pick-me-up. However, once your body crashes from its caffeine-fueled energy high, you'll feel worse than you would have had you never ingested the caffeine to begin with. You'll experience headaches, sleepiness and fatigue during withdrawal. Your body will crave another jolt of caffeine, and you'll find yourself buying soda again.
In the long term, too much caffeine can give you stomachaches, irritability, anxiety, restlessness, difficulty concentrating and difficulty sleeping.
3. Soda Has No Nutritional Value
There is absolutely nothing about buying soda and drinking it on a regular basis that is beneficial for your health. There are no vitamins and minerals in soda. While you can argue that water is devoid of vitamins and minerals as well, at least water is also devoid of sugar, caffeine and every other negative ingredient in soda. In fact, long-term soda consumption can actually make you vitamin-deficient, as it can deplete calcium levels and affect your bone strength. Water hydrates the body and keeps it functioning without any negative side effects.
4. Soda Is a Waste of Money
When buying soda, you're wasting money on a drink that will only harm you. Water is typically free and at least other beverages that cost you money, such as tea, juice and electrolyte drinks, can have some added benefits. If you spend only $2 a day on soda--and chances are, you spend far more--you're wasting over $700 a year.
5. Even Diet Soda Is Harmful
You may try to combat the negative side effects of buying soda and drinking it on a regular basis by reaching for diet soda instead. However, while diet soda may be lower in calories, it still has too many downsides for a beverage that gives you no nutritional benefit. It is high in caffeine and can inhibit your calcium absorption. While it may not have sugar, the sweeteners in the drinks that are substitutes for sugar may cause diarrhea, bloating, food cravings, stomachaches, urination problems, skin rashes and panic. Some many even increase your risk for developing certain types of cancers.
