Over the past couple of years, soda’s reputation has taken a huge hit. While no one ever really looked at soda as a part of a healthy diet, for many years its daily consumption was overlooked and not considered too much of a problem. In light of the growing numbers of Americans considered obese or overweight, more people have come to look at soda as an inherent problem in our culture and diets.
As you focus on your diet and weight loss in Crawfordsville, soda is one of the first things that will need to go from your diet. Unfortunately this is easier said than done, especially if you don’t know all the reasons that soda is such an unhealthy part of your diet. By learning all the problems soda could be causing your health, you may find it easier to drop the sweet habit once and for all.
The Problems with Cola
Sodas are loaded with sugar, unhealthy chemicals and caffeine. They pack absolutely no nutritional value, meaning they offer only empty calories that are going to make it more difficult for you to lose weight.
One serving of an average soda has about 100 calories and 27 grams of sugar. This might not sound like too much to you, especially if you are choosing to have a soda as an afternoon snack. The problem with this portion information is the serving size: eight ounces. Even a simple can of soda has more than eight ounces in it, averaging out at about 140 calories per can with a whopping 39 grams of sugar.
As the packaging grows so do the calories. Many vending machines sell sodas in 20-ounce bottles, more than twice the recommended serving size. This size of a bottle has close to 250 calories and about 65 grams of sugar. Once you start incorporating biggie-size cups and unlimited refills you can start to see the depth of the problem. Soda is fattening and we drink way too much of it. Most people who order a soda at a restaurant will down 36 ounces or more before finishing their meal. When added up daily over the course of a week, soda consumption alone could be costing you 1,400 calories or more. This is enough caloric intake for an entire day, and you didn’t even get any nutritional benefit from it!
If you are drinking soda daily try cutting it out of your diet. You may be surprised by how much of a boost this provides your diet and weight loss efforts!