Nutritionist shows you how to cut out soft drinks from your diet in 3 steps
In one 375ml soft drink, there is approximately 39g of sugar (almost 10 tsp). That is double your daily recommendation for sugar intake in ONE DRINK!
Itโs not only sugars that are a problem with soft drink but the over consumption of them can lead to a number of other health problems.
Here is a plan of attack to help you reduce your soft drink consumption toย zero, created by our resident nutritionist, Cheree Sheldon.
Brainwash yourself
Most of us are fairly trusting consumers.ย We believe that if something isย on our supermarket shelves, then it canโt be bad for us. Donโt always be so trusting โ know exactlyย what you are consuming.
So, the very first step is to read the ingredients in your soft drinks and learnย one by one what they are and what they do to usโฆ
Food acid 338
This is phosphoric acid, a product that is alsoย used in fertilisers and detergents. It can severely affectย human health by attacking mucousย membranes and can lead to breathingย difficulties, abdominal issues, extreme thirstย and weak rapid pulse.
The safe exposure toย this is set at 1 milligram/m3, which in a drinkย falls within normal limits. But if we drink thisย on a regular basis, our exposure levels haveย risen and our risk also rises.
Another major concern with this additive isย that it leads to lower bone mineral densityย and this affect is apparent in teenagers.
211 or sodium benzoate
A preservative that is linked to hyperactivity,ย and behaviour problems.
951 is aspartame
Linked to cancer, seizures,ย depression, nausea and asthma. So why is it used in our foods and drinks?
122ย is a red colouring
Itโs banned in several countries dueย to its association with cancer.
102 or tartrazine
Another colour banned in several countriesย due to its risk factors.
Now you know a little bit about some of theย ingredients found in soft drinks, itโs easy toย brainwash yourself into realising that reducingย (or completely cutting out) soft drinks in your life is a great thing.
Open your eyes!
Take a look around when youย go shopping or out to lunch.
Notice the difference between the fit,ย glamorous youths on the soft drink ads andย compare them to the people in real life whoย are drinking them.
Notice how automatically they consume them and ask yourself how healthyย do they look?
Can you see how as a society we have beenย made to think that drinking soft drinks isย normal? How many cafes and restaurants haveย you been to where they DO NOT have softย drinks available?
The push from the moneyย making soft drink companies has made thisย โtreatโ so readily accessible we can grab it at aย petrol station, in bulk at the supermarket, when we areย dining out, at the train station, on planesโฆ
It is seriously ridiculous! We should not acceptย drinks that provide at least our dailyย recommendation for sugar in one serve asย well as ingredients that havenโt been assessedย for long-term safety, as commonplace.
So open your eyes and take responsibility forย your soft drink consumption and ignore theย massive marketing that is trying to convince usย itโs OK to consume soft drinks all the time.
Once you are psychologically ready to reduceย your soft drink consumptions, there is noย stopping you!!
3 steps to cut out soft drinks from your life!
Reducing your soft drink intake can do amazing things for your health including:
- Reduce swelling and inflammation
- Helpย gout and arthritis symptoms
- Give you clearer skin
- Allow your body to absorb more nutrients so you will start to feel more vital
- Make your teeth stronger and less sensitive
- Reduce your risk of type 2 diabetes dramatically
- And another bonus: you will save so much money!
Step 1- reduce the amount of soft drinks you are drinking by a third
Seek out an organic soft drinkย alternative to your soft drink of choice.ย While the alternative soft drink will still containย sugar, it wonโt contain the other highlyย concerning ingredients.
Continue this for a week,ย or earlier if you are ready to cut back more.
Step 2- reduce by another third
Make sure you are drinking lots of water to helpย reduce the symptoms you may be having byย reducing sugar and caffeine.
Replace your soft drink with a super cold fizzyย mineral water flavoured with fresh lemon or limeย wedges.
Pat yourself on the back; you are doingย an amazing thing for your health! After anotherย few days to a week at this stage, you are ready to move onโฆ
Step 3- letโs get rid of that remaining third!
If you really feel likeย a soft drink, then try infusing your own flavouredย mineral waters by adding some whole pieces ofย fruit to the bottle and letting it mix for a whileย before drinking.
Flavours that work well areย ginger and pear, pomegranate, mixed berries,ย lemon or lime, green tea and mint, or mangoย and orange.
Find out how drinking water with lemon can actually help you lose weight here!
Remember to give it time!
Your taste buds will adjust.ย Give them a chance and before you realise it,ย if you try to have a soft drink it will be absolutelyย disgusting!
If in the meantime you are strugglingย with cravings, go and visit your local health foodย store and get a supplement to help your bodyย adjust to sugar cravings. There are quite a few good ones that can assist with that.
