Over one fourth of the beverages consumed in the United States are carbonated soft drinks. Americans drink more soda pop than ever before. These popular beverages account for more than a quarter of all drinks consumed in the United States. More than 15 billion gallons were sold in 2000. Willingly drinking soda is almost like opting to smoke: if you know how harmful it is, then why do it? Here are some reasons that will make you think twice before drinking soda.

8 Reason Why Sodas are Horrible for Us

Depression

It is found that people who drank more than four cups or cans of soda a day were 30 percent more likely to develop depression than those who steered clear of sugary drinks.

Kidney Stone

Drinking a lot of soda can leave you at an increased risk of painful kidney stones. Researchers found that those who consumed the most sugar-sweetened beverages had a 23 percent higher risk of developing kidney stones. Consumption of coffee, tea, beer, wine, and orange juice, on the other hand, were associated with a lower risk.

Cancer

Drinking just two sugary soft drinks a week increases the amount of insulin the pancreas produces and can double the risk of developing pancreatic cancer.

Bad for the teeth

Drinking soda regularly causes plaque to build up on the teeth and can lead to cavities and gum disease.

Premature aging

Phosphates used in fizzy drinks, as well as many other processed foods, has been found to speed up the ageing process. This is not bad just in terms of wrinkles, but also health complications that some with age, such as , chronic kidney disease and cardiovascular calcification.

Increased Blood Pressure

Experts have reasons to believe that overconsumption of fructose, particularly in the form of soft drinks, leads to an increase in blood pressure.

Obesity

Harvard researchers have recently positively linked soft drinks to obesity. The study found that 12 year olds who drank soda were more likely to be obese than those who didn’t, and for each serving of soda consumed daily, the risk of obesity increased 1.6 times.

Risk of Osteoporosis

Frequent consumption of soft drinks may also increase the risk of osteoporosis, especially in people who drink soft drinks instead of calcium-rich milk. High soda consumption in children poses a significant risk factor for impaired calcification of growing bones.

Healthy Alternatives to Soda

If you’re a soda drinker and are looking for some healthy alternatives, here are a few suggestions:

Ginger Ale

-Combine ½ cup hibiscus flowers, ¾ cup coconut crystals, ¼ cup ginger root, juice from ½ fresh lemon, pinch of salt, and one cup filtered water in small saucepan.

-Bring to a boil, stir until all sugar is dissolved, strain into a glass jar, discard the flowers and root, and then mix 3 tablespoons of the resulting syrup with 8 ounces of carbonated water.

-Store in the refrigerator and enjoy!

Lemongrass-lime

-Combine ¼ cup lemon zest, ¼ cup lime zest, 20 kaffir lime leaves, 2 stalks lemongrass roughly chopped, and 2 cups water in a saucepan. Bring to a boil, reduce heat, and simmer for 5 minutes.

-Strain into a jar and chill.

-Mix 2 Tbsp with the sweetener syrup of your choice, top with soda water and stir.

Citrus soda

-Combine the juice from ½ grapefruit, ½ orange, and two limes with 1 cup coconut crystals in a small saucepan.

-Boil and stir until the sugar is dissolved, cool, and then strain into a glass jar.

-Stir 3 tablespoons into 8 ounces of carbonated water and cool.

Source:
courtesy of NATURALNEWS

by Jeery park

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