I listen to Dishing Up Nutrition or some type of nutrition podcast every morning to get ideas for how to incorporate nutrition into my day. This morning I heard about the dangerous caramel coloring in soda and how it may be linked to cancer.
“There’s no reason why consumers should be exposed to an avoidable and unnecessary risk that can stem from coloring food brown.” -Toxicologist Dr. Urvashi Rangan, executive director of Consumer Reports’ Food Safety & Sustainability Center.
I felt very good about my decision back in December to completely cut soda out of my diet when I heard this news. However, I decided to cut out soda for other reasons in the first place.
Reasons I avoid soda:
1. Water is cheaper! Whether you drink out of the tap or buy it at the store, water is by far cheaper than soda when bought in bulk. At home, we use a large Brita Filter for our water coming from the tap. Cory and I have recently decided to keep a case of water in our cars for when we need water at work or when we are not at home. We try not to drink the water bottles at home to save money. I also use a Nalgene bottle to keep track of how much water I am drinking every day.
2. It boosts your metabolism, hydrates your brain, and hydrates your skin. Who wouldn’t want a faster metabolism, a healthier brain and glowing skin? The recommended amount you should be drinking everyday is half your body weight, in ounces. So, if you weigh 150 lbs, you should be drinking 75 ounces of water a day to really get the effects of hydration.
3. Sugar! There is so much sugar in soda. It doesn’t matter if you drink Diet or Regular, you are still consuming sugar in some form.
4. Soda causes me to have extreme heartburn. I used to take Zantac EVERYDAY, twice a day to ward of indigestion. Now that I have stopped drinking soda, I haven’t had to take anything for it! It’s a miracle, right?
There are plenty more reasons out there for cutting out soda. If you have recently stopped drinking soda and want to share your reasons, please comment below or email me at [email protected].
To read more about the CBS article regarding the link between soda and cancer, click the following link:
Stay balanced ya’ll,
Anna