What is the First Piece of Advice Doctors give Dieters? 
4 | Posted on October 13, 2009 ‹ newer older ›
If you drink soda, you could lose over 15 pounds by just giving it up. Any doctor will tell that giving up soda cold turkey will lead to a dramatic reduction in your weight.
As we debate how to pay for health care, Congress has proposed adding a tax to soda. Why? Is there something about soda that is inherently worse than, let's say, Twinkies?
The answer is yes. A 12 ounce can of soda contains 9 teaspoons of sugar and almost nothing else. That is an adult's recommended daily allotment of sugar in just one can.
Research shows that when you drink soda, your body doesn't register the calories you are drinking.
For example, If you eat 2 Twinkies (about the same amount of sugar as in soda), you are chewing and swallowing. Your body registers that you ate MUCHO sugar and (hopefully) will compensate later in the day with less dinner.
Not so with soda. You keep on eating the same amount, basically just adding 150 calories to your day and not compensating with eating less later.
Soda tastes great. It has a great pick-me-up, but it is added calories with no nutritional value, and our bodies don't know how to handle it.
If you love soda (and almost every body does), how do you drink less? First, there is diet soda. The new Coke Zero, actually tastes pretty good. Give it a try to see if you can reduce your "full sugar" soda intake.
Another idea, is to mix Sparkling Water with your favorite juice. This way, you get the bubbly sweetness and some nutrition, without all the sugar. As you get used to this concoction, start mixing in less juice to eliminate the calories.
Obesity is an epidemic. We should use every resource we can to end this epidemic, and if that means we have to pay more for our "treats" than so be it.
Want to read more? Here is a Sept. 2009 study on soda and its links to obesity. Check out:
http://www.healthpolicy.ucla.edu/pubs/Publication.aspx?pubID=375
Do you think there should be a tax on soda?
How do you replace soda (if you love it so)?
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4 Comments:
crystal light!! they taste great with only 5-10 cals a pack. they make boring water taste wonderful!
Courtney Fleury on April 6, 2010
HELP! I am addicted to regular pepsi. Cannot stand the taste of any diet sodas, crystal light, etc. Any suggestions besides water?
cathy on January 29, 2011
True Lemon, True Lime or True Orange added to cold water will help you get it down in a delicious way. I personally don't care for their True Lemonade products, but that's just me.
Laura on March 12, 2011
Interesting that Cathy says she is addicted to diet Pepsi. Over 40 years ago I worked with a young woman who was addicted to Pepsi (even had it with breakfast instead of coffee!) and today my daughter and my brother were both addicted to Pepsi until they were forced to give it up for health reasons. Weird that it's always Pepsi I hear about people being addicted to - wonder what's in that stuff - yuck? Anyway, about diet soda - when I was doing WW, a woman was not losing weight so she kept a careful accounting of everything she ate for the leader. She actually stayed within her points and should have been losing, but she drank a great deal of diet Coke. When she gave up the diet Coke, she started losing again! My father told me 50 years ago that you had to be crazy to drink something that could take the paint off of cars - I think he had something there! I gave up soda completely about 20 years ago and substituted herbal ice tea - kept a pitcher in the fridge summer and winter. No caffeine or harmful unpronouncable chemicals and comes in many delicious flavors :-) Now I can't stand soda - so artificial tasting - I guess because most of it is artificial - Ha! Ha!
JaneG on June 17, 2011
