Soda Pop: How to GET OFF All SODA POPS for WEIGHT and HEALTH reasons!

It has been reported that we Americans, if you counted cans consumed by a headcount, boils down to over 50 gallons of soda per person each year!!! We know that pop is "liquid sugar," for the most part, and that it  serves to spike our insulin levels and encourage our bodies to store energy as fat, contributing especially to BELLY FAT!! Many go to the "diet versions," which makes me cringe because of the many studies possibly linking the aspartame/nutrasweet or other artificial sweeteners to everything from birth defects, to neurological disorders, brain tumors, etc. etc. Why do you think the FDA puts a warning on all products with aspartame: DO NOT DRINK IF YOU ARE PREGNANT? Remember it took millions of people connecting the dots to cancer and saccharin before it was removed after years and years on the market. Do you really want to trust that aspartame or nutrasweet are safe in the long haul???  And did you know, that when you drink diet sodas, the brain finds nothing recognizable nutritionally to make healthy cells, and since it wants to get fed, it triggers cravings for more food. You will often overeat the wrong kind of foods, from this cycle!  Many studies show that people who drink "diet pop," get addicted to the taste, drink it regularly, and ironically because of the craving cycle, gain MORE weight than regular, sugar laden pops. Oh my!


Now for some SURPRISING information on DO YOU THINK YOU ARE DRINKING CAFFEINE FREE POP????? Let's look at the REAL truth! And then we'll talk about how to get off of the soda pop cycle, and alternatives to do so!


Okay, so most enlightened consumers already know that colas contain a fair amount of caffeine. It turns out to be 35 to 38 milligrams per 12-ounce can, or roughly 28 percent of the amount found in an 8-ounce cup of coffee. But few know that diet colas -- usually chosen by those who are trying to dodge calories and/or sugar -- often pack a lot more caffeine.

A 12-ounce can of Diet Coke, for example, has about 42 milligrams of caffeine -- seven more than the same amount of Coke Classic. A can of Pepsi One has about 56 milligrams of caffeine -- 18 milligrams more than both regular Pepsi and Diet Pepsi.  A recent study by John Hopkins, showed that over 90 % of pop consumers do not know the real caffeine count of their soft drinks. ALL cola drinks natural have caffeine in them because of the Kola Nut, even w/out caffeine added! 


So we may know we don't want to have Soda Pop add weight, to be nutritionally empty, to weaken our bones, to cause constant DEHYDRATION, or  to ingest artificial sweeteners with unknown negative properties! And perhaps caffeine  is off our "want" list!  But how do we slowly get off the soda pop habit without withdrawals???


Well, for every 12 ounce can of pop you drink, because it brings your body into an ACIDIC state of about 1.5 (BAD, you want to stay ALKALINE or at about 7.5)  to help negate the effects of the soda, many studies say it would take 32 glasses of alkaline water to bring you back to alkalinity. Let's keep it simple: Acidic= where disease happens! Alkaline= where it doesn't!  Why not try alternating and programming off with some of the new tasty healthier soda pops? (See picture above of Zevia, sweetened with a stevia natural sweetener with no carbs! Comes in ALL flavors) Also, Hansens has a great Soda Pop out, there is one called Chill, low in carbs and sweetened with natural sweeteners. If it is the carbonation you like, we take a favorite juice, Lloyd's is Pomegranate Lime-ade, and he adds selzer, plain carbonated water, on ice. There are so many combinations that are healthier while you program away. If nothing else, CUT BACK, and see the difference in health and weight! 


If you are an ardent soda pop drinker, it is going to be your choice to scale back for health and optimal weight. Pop, like sweets, was originally intended for a treat, once in awhile, and then became an everyday part of the American diet! I do not drink pop, and at first missed it, but have not had any for 15 years, and frankly do not miss it at all. But it took adjusting and working it out of my choices of beverages!  I feel POP is on my TOP TEN list of items to take out of your diet forever, if you so choose and can gradually wean off!  Think of it, if you didn't do soda, you could have so many fun "legal" delicious treats instead of the pop, regular or "diet." CHEERS, and remember, you are learning. It may be small steps you are making, but education is the catalyst to those steps. Thanks again for all your comments, feedback, and support. :-)