Soda vs. Weight-loss

I picked this topic because it’s one that affects us every day but most people ignore it because they are so prone to soft drinks. It’s reported that over 14+ billion gallons of soda is consumed each year in America alone. This high count of consumption is mostly due to people’s addiction to the sugars that are in these drinks. I know firsthand the pleasure and enjoyment people get after twisting a cap or snapping the top off of a cold soda. But what people have to understand is the world of health problems that they open up once that soda or soft drink is going down their throat.

Lets first start with the SUGAR CONTENT of sodas; Let’s use a 12oz. can of soda for this example, this is what you get in that one can (140-150 calories, 3.3 tablespoons of sugar, and 45mg of sodium). That’s a very large amount considering most people can drink up to 5 cans of soda a day. Think about that’s nearly 17 tablespoons of sugar; we are allowing our children and ourselves to consume massive amounts of sugar without thinking about the toll this can take on our health. The American heart association recommends that daily consumption of sugar should be 6 teaspoons for women and 9 teaspoons for men.  Consuming large amounts of sugar raise our blood glucose levels which in return lead to hypertension and cardiovascular disease. Sodas along with many other processed foods contain HIGH FRUCTOSE CORN SYRUP as their main sugar ingredient. “HFCS” is a bi-product of corn that has undergone major processing to become the sweet sugary syrup that is added to many of our foods and beverages. High fructose corn syrup also puts stress on the pancreas leading to fluctuating blood sugar levels. Soda makes a big contribution to the onset of type-2 diabetes in America with rates growing rapidly; we have to learn to avoid these drinks and high sugar foods.   

Now let’s talk about DEHYDRATION, I’m sure many of you have been told at some point in life that our body is made up of mostly water, 60% percent to be exact. Just from that small fact it tells us that water is very beneficial to our health and that things can go wrong in our body if we don’t have it. We lose water many ways throughout the day from sweating, urinating, and even breathing. This water must be replaced with WATER to keep us functioning properly; it’s recommended that we consume 8-9 cups a day. The amount of water we should consume varies depending on your level of activity and where you live. SODA is the enemy of water and most people consume it in place of H2o which is a big mistake. Most sodas contain caffeine; caffeine acts as a diuretic and tells the body to dump its vitamins and minerals through increased urination. Alcohol also does the same thing this is why those who drink alcohol end up being dehydrated if they don’t replace the lost water. Lastly soda contains high amounts of sodium; sodium draws water from cells in your body and promotes dehydration.  

PHOSPHORIC ACID is also a common ingredient in soda; this acid depletes the calcium from your bones and decreases calcium absorption. Studies have found that among women it leads to poor bone development or osteoporosis.

We gain weight when we consume more calories than our body burns & needs to function or burn off on a daily basis. When you drink soft drinks you are consuming allot of “empty calories” these are calories that provide no nutritional value to you they are just “there”. Consumption of all those empty calories leads to faster weight gain if you are drinking 4 cans of pop a day for example you are consuming about 600 “empty calories” just from soda alone. Now add on the chips, and candy that you love and the “empty calorie” count is sky-high. Whatever your recommended body weight is you should add a “0” to that number and that’s how many calories you need a day if you aren’t doing a job that’s very labor intensive. For example if you should weigh 150lbs add a zero to it and you should consume only 1,500 calories a day to maintain your weight. Now when soda and junk food get added to the picture, along with over-eating that counts ends up being doubled to 3,000 calories.

Soda is just one of the many things that contribute to obesity, we have to start tackling these issues head on, and once you identify your problem it’s going to be your first step to making a change for the better. This is why our approach at Drop Pounds Consulting is so unique because we address our client’s individual issues that contributed to weight gain and unhealthy eating habits. After we address those problems we build you and fitness & nutrition plan to target those individual needs and stay in touch with you throughout your weight loss journey. Thanks for reading and be sure to bookmark our site www.droppoundsconsulting.com

-“Drop Pounds, Live Longer”


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Here’s some helpful info!

Soda Alternatives

·         Iced tea (caffeine-free)

·         Infused water

·         Seltzer+juice

·         Kombucha

 Fresh juice