First Off: Soft Drinks

First up for serious weightloss discussion: soft drinks. Next to plain water, soda drinks have gained popularity as pleasant tasting thirst quenchers. Be it a clear soda, cola, or a flavored soda; these spirited beverages have a funny addictive kick to them. This drives people to crave for them more often until such time that they could no longer go without them.  On my part, i have grown accustomed to enjoying hearty fastfood fares, especially meat dishes, with a tall glass of ice cold cola. In a way i cannot fully explain, drinking cola balances the greasiness and robust flavor of meat, making it more delicious. Maybe this is all just in my head. But really, though i did not really keep track of of my soft drinks drinking pattern, i know for a fact that never a week passes by that i do not enjoy at least 500 ml of ice cold cola. Hard as it is to break this, i am well aware of the need to do it not only for weightloss purposes but for overall health reasons as well. To get started, i did a bit of research on the scientifically proven adverse effects of soft drinks on our health.  From an article discussing the findings of Yale researchers, whose quest for answers was driven by the alarming increase of soft drinks consumption among children in school, i got these eye-opening facts. Let's pore over them together. 

1. Soft drinks intake means higher caloric consumption. Made mostly of sugar and water and little else, it is only apt that soft drinks be the first ones taken out from anyone's regular diet menu if he or she is to endeavor to lose weight seriously.

2. Frequent consumption of soft drinks, which is tantamount to its increased intake, can take its toll on your bones, resulting to osteoporosis. Researches have long speculated that drinking soft drinks can deplete calcium levels while increasing phosphates in the blood. With calcium as the indispensable mineral needed for maintaining good bone health, decreased levels of it can seriously put bone health at risk. 

3. If you think drinking sugar-free soft drinks sweetened with aspartame or other sugar replacements is a healthy alternative, think again. Several findings reveal the possibility of a person's experiencing a wide range of immediate and long-term adverse health effects: weight gain, tinnitus, vision loss, tremors, tachycardia, seizures and convulsions, swallowing pain, seizures and convulsions, rashes, rapid heartbeat, phobia, panic attacks, some allergic reactions, numbing and/or tingling of the limbs, vomiting or nausea, migraine headaches and other kinds of headaches, muscle spasms, menstrual problems/changes, memory loss, marked personality changes, clouded thinking, etc. 

So the next time i am compelled to grab a can of soft drink to quench my thirst, i would stop and call these facts to mind. Drinking soft drink could mean not only throwing a portion of my hard-earned money, but also my health in the long run.  

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