This week eliminate all pop or soda

Did you know that drinking just 2 sodas per day = over 100,000 calories per year? That’s a lot of calories for a beverage that offers no nutritional value. If you can’t go cold turkey and cut soda completely try to have just 1 or 2 sodas per week. In case you were thinking, great I drink Diet soda, please refer to our week 3 discussion. Diet sodas are much worse than regular soda.

Here are some of the health reasons to not drink soda:

Extra pounds- Soda is a significant contributor to obesity. Drinking a single can a day of sugary drinks translates to more than a pound of weight gain every month. And diet soda is just as likely to cause weight gain as regular, or even more -- it may sound counterintuitive, but people who drink diet soft drinks actually don’t lose weight.

Liver damage- Soda damages your liver. Consumption of too many soft drinks puts you under increased risk for liver cirrhosis similar to the increased risk faced by chronic alcoholics.

Tooth decay- Soda dissolves tooth enamel. Soft drinks are responsible for doubling or tripling the incidence of tooth decay. Soda's acidity is even worse for teeth than the solid sugar found in candy.

Kidney stones and chronic kidney disease- Colas of all kinds are well known for their high phosphoric acid content, a substance that changes the urine in a way that promotes kidney stone formation.

Diabetes- Anything that promotes weight gain increases the risk of diabetes. Drinking soda also stresses your body's ability to process sugar.

Heartburn & acid reflux- Heavy consumption of soda is a strong predictor of heartburn. Many carbonated beverages are very acidic. They also deliver a lot of air in the form of carbon dioxide, which can cause distension of your stomach. And that distension appears to be associated with more reflux.

Soft drinks = Soft Bones = Osteoporosis- Soft drinks containing phosphoric acid are definitely linked to osteoporosis (a weakening of your skeletal structure) because they lead to lower calcium levels and higher phosphate levels in your blood. When phosphate levels are high and calcium levels are low, calcium is pulled out of your bones.
Hypertension (high blood pressure)- Experts have reasons to believe that over consumption of soda leads to an increase in blood pressure. It doesn't matter if the soda is regular or diet.

Heart disease- Heavy soda drinkers are more likely to develop risk factors for heart disease.
 
Impaired digestion (gastrointestinal distress)- Drinking sodas, especially on an empty stomach, can upset the fragile acid-alkaline balance of your stomach and other gastric lining, creating a continuous acid environment.

I know it might be tough, but you will be much healthier by eliminating soda from your diet.