How to Stop Drinking Soda

There is no doubt about the fact that soda is one of the tastiest beverages around the world. Most of us drink it regularly, not only to quench our thirst, but also satisfy the taste buds. However, there are some people who are addicted to soda and they need it several times a day. Some of them cannot even spend a single hour of the day without having soda. Like any other addiction, drinking too much soda is not good and it may take a toll on one's health. Before moving on to the methods of reducing soda intake, it is important to learn about the harms that soda causes to the human body.

There are several harmful effects of soda on the human body when it is consumed in excess for a long time. A few good reasons for quitting soda has been given below:

• Soda ingredients do not have any nutritional value and it only gives you a high amount of useless calories. So, its excessive consumption can cause weight gain, which may further lead to obesity.

• It has diuretic properties that increase urine production. As result, more and more water is thrown out of the body in the form of urine. Due to this excessive loss of water, your body tends to get dehydrated.
• Phosphoric acid in soda is often held responsible for reduction of bone density. Thus it increases the risk of arthritis and osteoporosis.

• The acidic component of soda has a damaging effect on tooth enamel and makes the tooth more susceptible to decay.
• Prolonged use of soda can cause erosion of the stomach lining leading to heartburn, gas, and other digestive problems.
• It can cause damage to various internal organs as well. Sodium present in soda is bad for heart health. Research studies carried out in this field, suggest that too much soda consumption can cause damage to the kidneys and the liver as well.

It contains caffeine that makes you addictive towards this drink. Therefore, quitting the habit is not going to be easy. Here are a few simple tips that are proved to be beneficial for this purpose.

You have not developed the habit in one day, right? So, don't expect that you can quit it in one given day. During the first week, reduce one part of your total intake per day. Suppose, if you take 6 sodas daily, make it 5. Next week, make it 4. Proceed this way and after 6 weeks, you must stop it completely.

While quitting, you will feel a strong urge to have some soda quite often. To tackle this problem, take a small amount of diet soda in a glass and then put a few ice cubes to fill up the glass. Thus you will consume more water than soda. Continue to have it until you successfully quit the habit.

Every time you feel like having a soda, you can take a healthy drink to kill the craving. Consider a drink that you like other than soda. You may try soy milk, skim milk, or simply a glass of cold water with some lemon juice for flavor.

Since you are addicted to the caffeine that is present in soda, when you cut it down, you may experience headache as its withdrawal symptom, quite often. Drink a cup of green tea every morning. This is a healthier option that can manage your headache really well.

A healthy, balanced diet along with a good exercise regime can help you achieve your goal faster. Fresh fruits and vegetables have the potential to minimize the cravings for certain sugary foods and beverages. Moreover, a regular workout routine is considered to be helpful in developing better control over mind and body.

The points given in this Story will serve only as a guideline. The real difficulty lies in your mind. Unless you have made up your mind, you cannot stop soda intake. It requires strong determination to deal with the habit of drinking soda.