The Top 10 Reasons to Stop Drinking Soda

We all know how good a cold soda can be during the Summer time. Some people treat drinking soda more valuable than their taking care of their health. Now the question is, are you one of them? Majority of fast food joints carry soda as the primary source of beverage. Americans alone consume fifty six (56) gallons a year might even be more, which is definitely the most consumed beverage in comparison to water, beer, tea, lemonade and coffee. Soda by far has the most negative effect on health issues for Americans and others. Fast food alone is already bad, and when you order food you will often be offered to upgrade the order with a super-sized beverage. It’s bad enough with one can of soda but to have about three or four is disastrous. And a super-sized cup easily passes three cans of soda making it hazardous for children. This is in a way taking advantage of kids’ love for sweet stuff.

It was speculated that people who drink soda often are heavier than those that do not drink or seldom drinks. Our body needs sugar and calories to function, unfortunately the sugar from soft drinks are not recognized by the body thus causing more food intake. Aside from sugar-sweetened drinks that are causing issues with health, there is also what we call diet sweetener which is equally as bad if not worse.

Let us look at the top 10 reasons to stop drinking soda or at least give it a second thought.

1. The most basic reason is obesity or overweight, either one is bad. This is not the entire reason but its part of it and should not be ignored. Being overweight or obese will lead to more severe problems.

• Type 2 Diabetes
• Coronary Heart Diseases
• Gallstones
• Breathing Issues
• Cancers
• High Blood Pressure
• Self Confidence

2. "Diet" or "Light" food or drinks causes more problems than good, just because it has “diet” does not mean that you can eat it to lose weight. It merely means it is loaded with a different kind of “sugar” which is known to cause high levels of depression to people. It is reversible though since once the diet food consumption is stopped, the mood returns to normal.

3. Insomnia from excessive drinking of soda because of the caffeine in the soda. There are about 93 milligrams of caffeine in a can of soda, which is about half a cup of coffee and can last for about six hours in the system. Caffeine as we know it is a stimulant and most people start out the day with coffee which has much more benefits than a can of soda. Especially for children, caffeine can interfere with brain development. There is no definitive proof, but it is always better safe than sorry.

4. Osteoporosis. Calcium becomes a problem for soda drinkers. As soda has no calcium, that should not be a surprise. The phosphorus in soda weakens the bones tremendously thus causing easy fractures or even breaking of the bones, where normally it would just be a bad bruising. You need to reconsider opening a can of soda or ordering a soft drink with a meal in a fast food joint especially if you like playing sports. Fast food places should be a no no if you are an athlete.

5. Cavities and decay in teeth caused by acid “eating” away the enamel and making it much easier to have problems. The acid is part of the problem. The sugar in the soda helps the acid to speed up the process of having very bad teeth. The pH (measurement of hydrogen ions) level in our mouth is only slightly higher than water. The lower the pH the more acidic it is. Water have 7 pH level and most soda’s have between 2 to 4 pH level which is considered very acidic. "Diet" sodas have less sugar but it does not mean your teeth are safer.

6. Dehydration, really? And this is usually consumed when it’s hot and nasty outside. Yes, it will dehydrate your body because of the caffeine that it contains. Have you ever noticed that you need to use the restroom more when you drink coffee? That is exactly the same reasoning. Caffeine increases the volume of urine that will be purged causing dehydration, but coffee has a lot more positives than negatives.

7. Soda for children can cause hyperactivity, mood issues, and mental issues. The most common issue that will be noticed in children and teenagers who drink more than three or four cups or cans of soda is behavioral problem. They display sadness, inability to be confident, sleeplessness, anxiety, and many more. This is because the sweetener used have chemicals that can increase their mood and quickly crash it, just like using illegal drugs.

8. Causes issues to the digestive system, as mentioned, the acid in soda can break down or destroy teeth. The same acid can also break down the protective lining of the stomach and other gastric lining.

9. Acid reflux and heartburn, although not as bad as the others, it is still considered a negative thing. The air from the carbonated drink will react harshly in the stomach, causing distension. The feeling is painful until the air is completely out, sometimes it is a little distension and the pain is released quickly with a belch but not all the time.

10. Money, yes money becomes a problem when you need to satisfy an addiction. Drinking soda everyday and not being contented with one will add up fairly quick within a year. So why waste money and hurt yourself at the same time?

Most of these reasons should be enough to make you think twice if you are a heavy soda drinker. Looking at the first reason, you can already see reasons within a reason how such a drink can be harmful if it is consumed excessively. The quantity of being unreasonable did not exist when health was still a number one concern. Peoples’ mentality is that medicine can treat or cure whatever problems they have hence they prioritized happiness by indulging themselves into bad eating habits than eating healthy. People should know that medicine is a very bad alternative to take into consideration towards health issues, when the saying "prevention is better than cure" has always been a better choice ever since.

This article is a very hot topic even up to now because too many people claim that they are obese or unhealthy because the government did not do anything to stop the reproduction of soda, junk foods and fast food chains. But why put the blame on others when it is your own life and you ought to take care of it.

Children that are under the age of five and weighing as much as an adult is not healthy, and parents or guardians should be the ones responsible and not the place selling food. What one consumes is one’s responsibility and not others.

Think about the consequences before doing something, even if it is eating or drinking. Once your health is broken it can never be fixed to its original state. There will always be a scar. The overweight and obesity issues mostly are blamed on soda, but how about the people that made the choice to drink it? Hence always remember, you are responsible for any choice you will make in your life. So be wise and think twice, it is always better to be cautious than hazardous.