Drinking a Healthier Option

I've been addicted to drinking carbonated drinks since I was a child. Back in my gradeschool and highschool days, I always snob the orange juice my mom prepared and instead go to the caf to buy myself a can of soda. After all, a can of ice cold Coke is hard to resist especially if it perfectly complements my everyday baon. My addiction in softdrinks got worse when I entered college. I drink softdrinks like water!

Soft drinks are popular because of its accessibility, addicting taste, and cheap price. I only had a change of heart when I discovered that behind its sweet taste lies the many negative effects in our health that might trigger a more serious health condition in the future. Scary, right?



Even insects are Coke lovers. Photo credit here



I'm posting this entry to remind myself why I should trade my can of softdrinks for more healthy drinks available in the market in order to prevent the health risks that come with these carbonated drinks. Researchers discovered that women who consume fruit juices on a daily basis are not prone to diabetes because they contain natural sweeteners unlike the added sugar found in sodas. Besides, fruit juices are also healtheir since it contain vitamins, minerals, phytochemicals, and fiber that cannot be found in soft drinks.

7 reasons why you should stop drinking softdrinks: 

1. Too much caffeine. Aside from coffee, our favorite soft drinks contain a high amount of caffeine that makes us more dependent and addictive to it. Roland Griffiths, Ph.D., psychiatry and neuroscience professor at Johns Hopkins University, acknowledged that caffeine addiction and withdrawal is a medical disorder. People who withdraw from caffeine suffer from headache, poor concentration, and fatigue while others claim they have fever, muscle pain, and even nausea. 

Too much caffeine intake causes irritability, tension, anxiety, mild depression, restlessness, high blood pressure, irregular heartbeat, gastrointestinal disturbance, insomnia, and excessive urination (caffeine is diuretic). 

2. High acidity level. Despite its sweet taste, soft drinks are the most acidic beverage in the market with a pH level of 2.5, the same acid level as vinegar. Too much acid in the body is dangerous because it oxidizes the substances that come in contact with it. Oxidation may be a good thing but most of the time, it destructs an element’s properties and make it weak or rusty (in the case of metals).  

Phosphoric acid that comes from soft drinks has a negative effect on the stomach’s hydrochloric acid resulting to indigestion since the stomach fails to function properly. Undigested food in the stomach also causes bloating.

3. Weakens bones.  Food Politics author Dr. Marion Nestle said adolescents who consume soft drinks more are more prone to bone fractures than non-regular drinkers. Soft drinks contain phosphate which, when taken in excessive amounts, lead to the weakening of bones because it prevents the body to absorb iron, calcium, zinc, and magnesium which are all important in strengthening bones.  Phosphoric acid and caffeine in soft drinks prohibit these nutrients to reach bones since the diuretic property of caffeine causes these nutrients to be flushed in the body through excessive urination.



Pearly white no more. Credit here

4. Teeth problems.   Dr. Elson Haas, The Detox Diet author, said that high phosphorus intake from soft drinks results to tooth decay and loss, periodontal disease, and even gingivitis. The high acid content in soft drinks easily dissolves the calcium found in the enamel of the teeth. Once the enamel was destroyed, teeth become more sensitive and more prone to decay. Sugar content also contributes to the corrosion of teeth. Layers of clear plaque are formed when sugar is deposited on the teeth. Bacteria will soon feed on the sugar deposit in the teeth, causing the rotting of teeth.

5. Obesity. Researchers found a direct link of drinking soft drinks to obesity because of its high calorie content. For instance, an 8 ounce of one carbonated drink has 100-200 calories while a daily consumption of a 330 ml single can is equivalent to more than 1lb of monthly weight gain. In addition, researchers also found that obesity is 1.6 times greater to those who regularly consume soft drinks.

6. Thirst. Drinking soft drinks makes you thirstier rather than quenching your thirst. Do not drink soft drinks if you are thirsty because the saliva level is low. Caffeine and sugar content in these carbonated drinks also account why they are diuretics. So even if you increase its liquid intake, you will still feel thirsty because the kidneys try to flush the high sugar content in the body.

7. Diabetes. Diabetes is possible among soda regular drinkers.  Regular consumption of soft drinks (or soda habit) promotes weight gain that could possibly lead to obesity. Obesity is one of the risk factors of diabetes. In addition, the body cannot produce insulin effectively because of the fat cells in the body.

A recent trip to a nearby 7-11 outlet led me to a new discovery: Easy Pha-max Wheatgrass Ready-To-Drink. It was really 99% curiosity on my part why I decided to buy this product. I mean, wheatgrass has been a buzz for quite sometime now. And since I'm trying to look for a better substitute to Coke and try something new to avoid the umay factor of drinking C2 Apple I decided to give it a shot.

Wheatgrass in an instant!

The taste was not that bad afterall. I actually thought that it would taste like damo because it's wheatgrass but I was proven wrong. It tasted like a sweetened green tea. Plus, I read somewhere that wheatgrass is really good for the body because it detoxifies the body, making it cleaner and free against the free radicals that threaten one's health condition. Definitely, this drink will be part of my weekly "healthy living" ritual.