For today's blog I thought I would talk a little bit about nutrition and soda. How many people rely on soda as your best friend??? Well, STOP! It's awful for you! Not only does it not hydrate you and it's FULL of sugar, it can cause a lot of other health problems as well. It's linked to weight gain and fatty liver disease (basically where fat builds up in your liver, also known as NAFLD). It spikes your blood sugar and destroys any vitamins you might have thought you were taking in. Also, a Gatorade is fairly equivalent to a soda with the amount of sugar in it. So, don't think you are doing any better when drinking a Gatorade. If you can't help it and you just have to have a soda of any kind, please stick to the regular and leave the diet drinks behind. But always know water is your best bet and is usually free (unless in a bottle) and more accessible than paying almost 2 dollars for one out of a vending machine. I personally bought a Britta Water filter and LOVE it! I have saved about 60 bucks a month since buying it and I'm saving the environment by not buying plastic bottles :)
A little more focus into the diet drinks. The famous word that's been thrown around us is Aspartame. It's HORRIBLE for you. Things such as anxiety and depression can be caused from it. I would know about the anxiety part, it was part of my health issues (I am anxiety attack free for exactly 371 days!!!).
1st- It messes with your skin. i.e. can cause a greater chance of more acne.
2nd- It alters your mood. Over time it can cause anxiety, depression, and bipolar disorder. Aspartame is also on an EPA list of potentially dangerous chemicals contributing to neurotoxicity right under Arsenic.
3rd- Weight gain and belly fat. That one is pretty self explanatory.
4th- Diabetes and Heart Disease. Another self explanatory one. With weight gain and belly fat, there comes the possibility of diabetes and heart disease. Both are scientifically linked.
5th- Kidneys become sluggish. There is a 30% drop in kidney function after only 2 servings of diet soda a day.
6th- Aspartame is linked to cancer. This was found to be linked through exposure in the womb. Some studies have linked lymphoma and tumors in rat testing. Also, beware of the BPA in cans and the caramel coloring.
Want a Diet soda yet?!?! I hope your answer is no!!
As far as water goes, it is your best friend. The more water you drink, the less water weight you will carry and the more calories you will burn. The worst thing in the whole world is eating healthy and then seeing that you GAINED weight. Before you freak out, it is most likely water weight. When you don't drink enough water in a day, your body clings to the available water in your system. The body sort of spazzes and doesn't know when you will provide it with more water, so it stores it. All of the excess water that has been stored is what you are seeing on the scale. A recommendation is to drink 2 liters of water each day, or 8 glasses :)
If anyone has ANYTHING to add to this or if you have questions, please do speak up! I want to hear from you :)
~Ditty
As a Recovering Diet Coke Addict, I can attest to everything you've said. I lose more weight, and stop retaining water when I don't drink any pop! Just because it doesn't have calories, people, doesn't make it good for you! =) ps- I'm so happy you're doing this blog =)
ReplyDeleteThanks Cait! I'm happy I'm doing this too :) And yes, diet coke takes a toll. It may say 0 calories, but everything else in it is worse than just a number on a label. I can't begin to tell you how many times I ended up in an ER for anxiety attacks. It was NOT fun by any means.
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