Why Is Soda So Terrible For Our Health?

There’s nothing better than a cold glass of coke after almost any meal of the day. It could be pizza, it could be a burger, it could be anything; it doesn’t really matter! Coke after a really nice meal is just the kick; I think it might be a tradition (hahaha!).

However, even though that sugary, awesome drink makes our taste buds go to heaven, it does the complete opposite to our body and overall health.

Most sodas carry the same ingredients, except for the coloring and flavoring mixes; other than that, they all contain the worst things your body could ingest. Here’s a little breakdown:

• Chemicals and preservatives: Sodas are one of the most popular drinks around the globe, as such, these are always supposed to be on a shelf. In order for a soda not to go bad on you, they are filled with a high amount of chemicals and preservatives that could cause a huge amount of damage to your immune system. These can cause difficulty in breathing for example or even behavioral changes.
• Refined Sugar: No surprise here! Refined sugar is one of the causes behind most diseases treated today. They can cause small side effects like bloating, up to diabetes which is one of its biggest side effects. This type of sugar is known for accelerating your heart rhythm, which can cause heart and health problems like arrhythmia and high blood pressure.
• Aspartame: When sodas claim to not contain sugar (refined), they contain something worse. Just to put it into perspective, it took lobbyists 20 years to get the FDA to approve it in food for human consumption. This artificial sugar has been proven to cause seizures, brain cancer, and even kidney issues. Therefore, it was one of the ingredients you should run the furthest from.

Not only do the ingredients in soda have side effects, but also soda itself. Obesity, for example, soda contains such high amounts of sugar that it becomes extremely easy for your body to store it as fat. Not only that, but this type of drink can also increase the signs of premature aging.

When you consume sugar, your body produces AGEs. AGE stands for Advanced Glycation End products. This natural process of glycation causes the sugar in your bloodstream to attach to protein molecules. This process causes harmful new molecules that if accumulated, can damage adjacent proteins in a fast manner.

See? There’s not one positive consequence in drinking soda, which is why we must all avoid it at all cost. Yes, you have diet soda which is less harmful. However, if you’re in need of something sugary, why not make yourself a smoothie instead? That’s 100 calories of pure awesomeness you should put in your body.

Nonetheless, I completely understand how hard it is to change your eating habits; I’m currently working on giving up on a large amount of cheesecake I consume weekly. However, feel free to join me next time, as I give you a few tips on how I managed to change my diet, without feeling the need to “cheat”. It works, I pinky promise!!

Ashley Lied is a young writer, nutritionist and future full-time mother of three puppies. Keep on the lookout for the rest of her blog posts!