Although I am a Fitness Professional, I am also a Natural Health Advocate. Fitness and health go hand in hand. To have a fit body, you need to also have a healthy body. I can show you some great workouts, but if you’re consuming foods and beverages that prevent you from obtaining optimal health, you’re not going to have a fit, healthy body.
I have reported on several reports about why soda is so bad for you. If you or your children are still drinking soda, here’s another reason why you may want to think about flushing that can of soda down the toilet and never buy another can of soda again.
I recently came across an article by Dr. Joseph Mercola explaining what happens to your body within an hour of drinking a soda. This is just one good example of the old saying “You Are What You Eat”, however, it’s more about what our bodies do with what we eat.
Before I do that, I’d like to share with you a video that was put out a few months ago by the New York Department of Health that should get your attention.
It’s no secret that soda is bad for your health in many ways. Per Dr. Mercola, here’s what happens inside your body when you assault it with a soda.
Within the first 10 minutes, 10 teaspoons of sugar hit your system. This is 100 percent of your recommended daily intake, and the only reason you don’t vomit as a result of the overwhelming sweetness is because phosphoric acid cuts the flavor.
Within 20 minutes, your blood sugar spikes, and your liver responds to the resulting insulin burst by turning massive amounts of sugar into fat.
Within 40 minutes, caffeine absorption is complete; your pupils dilate, your blood pressure rises, and your livers dumps more sugar into your bloodstream.
Around 45 minutes, your body increases dopamine production, which stimulates the pleasure centers of your brain – a physically identical response to that of heroin, by the way.
After 60 minutes, you’ll start to have a sugar crash.
More Soda Facts
One can of soda has about 10 teaspoons of sugar, 150 calories, 30 to 55 mg of caffeine, and is loaded with artificial food colors and sulphites. Not to mention the fact that it’s also your largest source of high-fructose modified corn syrup.
Here’s another sobering fact if you’re struggling with weight issues: Just one extra can of soda per day can add as much as 15 pounds to your weight over the course of a single year!
Other statistics on the health dangers of soft drinks include:
• One soda per day increases your risk of diabetes by 85 percent
• Soda drinkers have higher cancer risk. While the federal limit for benzene in drinking water is 5 parts per billion (ppb), researchers have found benzene levels as high as 79 ppb in some soft drinks, and of the 100 brands tested, most had at least some detectable level of benzene present
• Soda has been shown to cause DNA damage – courtesy of sodium benzoate, a common preservative found in many soft drinks, which has the ability to switch off vital parts of your DNA. This could eventually lead to diseases such as cirrhosis of the liver and Parkinson's
If you are still drinking soda, stopping the habit is an easy way to improve your health. Pure water is a much better choice, or if you must drink a carbonated beverage, try sparkling mineral water with a squirt of lime or lemon juice.
There is absolutely NO REASON your kids should ever drink soda. None, nada, zip, zero. No excuses. The elimination of soft drinks is one of the most crucial factors to deal with many of the health problems you or your children suffer.
If you are struggling with a soda addiction, I would recommend that you gradually cut back on your soda consumption. For example, if you are drinking 2 sodas per day, cut back to 1 ½ per day for a week, then the next week cut back to 1 soda per day, the following week cut back to ½ can of soda per day and then the following week stop.
Source:
http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2008/1/19/what-happens-to-your-body-within-an-hour-of-drinking-a-coke.aspx
New York City Dept of Health - Are You Pouring on the Pounds
