By the time Lent finished, I was living and working in China. When out to lunch with colleagues and customers, they would order tea and water for themselves but Coke for me.
I drank it to be polite at first, but when I began declining Coke and ordering hot tea, my Chinese colleagues asked, “You don’t want to drink liquid obesity anymore?” No, thanks. No, I don’t.
Here are my top five most motivating reasons why you need to give up soda yesterday.
reasons to give up soda
We don’t need to dive into all the reasons why drinking soda negatively impacts our health.
It’s well documented that soda consumption is strongly linked to obesity, high blood pressure, loss of bone density, risk of heart attack, stroke, and certain cancers.
We firmly believe that to live your best life, you need to quit drinking soda and all sugary soft drinks such as Gatorade, root beer, juice, juice boxes, and energy drinks.
Yes, this includes diet soda as well, as those make our brains crave sugar and high-fat foods and cause changes in hormone levels and gut bacteria.
The goal of this article is to give you our most highly motivating reasons to give up soda. Happy Gilmore has been right all along. H2O IS BETTER!
Why (and How) To Give UP Soda
1. The Data is Infallible.
There are countless studies published with alarming statistics. One study monitored the health of 90,000 women over the course of two decades and found that women who drank two sodas per day had a 40% higher risk of heart disease.
Sure, a few hundred studies might say that soda isn’t bad for you. However, if you dig deeper, these studies are carried out by researchers with financial ties to the beverage industry.
Guess how many studies show that soda has health benefits? A big fat zero.
2. You Are Ingesting Chemicals.
Recently, an individual in our Duo Life Community self-experimented to improve his sleep.
After journaling and reflecting, he linked the onset of sleep difficulties to a specific point in time: the time Pepsi altered their formula with a new sweetener. Once he quit drinking soda, he was able to get a quality night’s rest.
Furthermore, Alex and I recently looked at the ingredient lists of various soft drinks and recognized many of the same ingredients that we used to use as chemical engineers in the plastics and adhesive industries.
Some of the chemicals in Coca-Cola are known to increase asthma attacks, skyrocket your glycemic index (chemical sweeteners are 200 times sweeter than table sugar), and cause severe adverse health effects from the GMOs in high fructose corn syrup.
If you haven’t already decided to give up soda, this next reason should help.
3. Soda is Highly Acidic.
Coke is incredibly acidic at a 2.5. The pH of water is a neutral 7. Since the pH scale is logarithmic, that means Coke is 50,000 times more acidic than water.
Also, phosphoric acid interferes with the body’s ability to absorb calcium which is critical for bone health. It is also a necessary mineral for good sleep. Do you really want to ingest that much acidity? Imagine what that does to your microbiome.
4. It’s Most Harmful to Kids.
While Alex and I are not parents yet, we are continuously improving our health so that our future family benefits. Kids are most targeted by soft drink companies.
In fact, Coca-Cola pledged in 2012 to stop advertising to children under 12 years old. Yet, Coca-Cola was still found to be doing so per the Center for Science in the Public Interest.
Soda has since been named the number one contributor to sugar in an American child’s diet.
5. You’re Wasting Your Money.
If that’s not enough to motivate you to stop drinking soda, the money should. While most Americans know that drinking soda is harmful, 48% of Americans continue to drink an average of 2.6 glasses daily.
The average estimate spent on soda yearly is $850. That is not including other sugar-sweetened beverages like juice boxes, sports drinks, and energy drinks.
With nearly a thousand bucks on the line, it’s a fine time to quit drinking soda and start drinking a gallon of water a day.
Closing THoughts on Giving UP Soda
If anyone in your household consumes soda, sit down and discuss why. Is it for caffeine? Do they crave sweetness? Next, make a plan to quit.
Start with 7 days of being soda-free. We suggest going all in cold turkey. If that’s too much of a challenge, work together to keep each other accountable. Options include journaling and finding an alternate drink (like infused water, coffee, or tea.)
We know that many people consume soda for its caffeine value – and I can relate. I began by replacing soda with coffee. My new lower-sugar diet helped me feel less bloated, less sluggish, and, ultimately, more energized.
During the challenge, make sure you empower yourself by saying “I don’t drink soda,” instead of “I can’t drink soda.” That alone will make you 8X more likely to succeed!
Leave a comment below to let us know you’re quitting. We’ll follow up after several weeks to hold you accountable.
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Hey we're Ryan and Alex
A husband-wife duo, two engineers, and the creators of Ryan and Alex Duo Life.
After eight years working in the corporate world as engineers, we left to tackle our true passion:
Helping highly motivated couples optimize their relationship and health by cutting through the muck and sharing what the research says works.
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