I ran across this web article today on Yahoo! . It immediately caught my attention since I have long been preaching the good word about avoiding soda or soft drinks. In my recent blog 10 Common Mistakes That Parents Make, I wrote that giving children soda is one of the worst things a parents can do (when it comes to nutrition). So, needless to say, I was interested in reading about a few more reasons to avoid these sugary, nutrition-less beverages.
In this article, Dr. Mao (also author of the book Second Spring - Dr. Mao’s Hundreds of Natural Secrets for Women to Revitalize and Regenerate at Any Age) breaks down a few of the reasons why soda is not a good idea. At the top of the list is — you guessed it — SUGAR. One drink can easily have more than the total daily allotment based on the USDA recommendations (10 teaspoons). Consuming this much sugar at one time raises insulin levels and can have a negative impact on immune levels (leaving you more susceptible to disease). Let us also not forget that any sugar that is not used in the body will turn to fat. And, as this article rightly points out, excess fat leads to an increased risk of heart disease and cancer.
“But I drink diet soda”, you say? Still no good. Dr. Mao contends that fake sugar is not much better for you (and many nutrition experts also agree). Not only are you just replacing sugar with chemicals, but your mind still thinks you are consuming sugar. The problem with that is the more sugar you consume, the more you want to consume, which can lead you to bad food choices - this is the case whether it is real or fake sugar.
So, let’s just face it — soda is not a good idea. Not for adults and not for kids. The next time you find yourself wanting to reach for your current soft drink of choice, choose water or herbal tea instead!
