Addicted To Soda? It may just be the bubbles
I am addicted to soda. I am a soda junkie. Everyone in my life knows that I am a complete and total soda addict. I can’t just drink one soda. I start with one, sure, but I quickly find I’ve consumed three or four cans back to back. When we go out, my wife orders a full pitcher of soda because she knows that I can finish it.
We all know that soda has no nutritional value, no health benefits, and a large calorie and sugar bill attached. Each 12 oz soda I drink has 140 calories and 39 grams of sugar.
If there is soda in the house, I’ll consume as much as 6 cans a day without thinking about it. A little math tells me that on a daily basis, I’m drinking 840 calories in just soda, taking in 234 grams of sugar – A FULL HALF A POUND OF SUGAR. if I am inactive and not burning some extra calories, my body weight will increase by as much as 1.5 pounds per week.
I started dissecting just what it is about soda I really like. I drink it when I am thirsty because I enjoy it more than water. Water to me just seems… flat! Sure, soda is sweet, but is that really what is causing my addiction? I don’t crave the sugar, I crave the drink itself. I decide to try an experiment.
Instead of buying cases of coke, I start drinking bottles of Gerolsteiner water. Each 1 liter bottle contains zero sugar. zero calories, and lasts pretty much all day. I tried a bunch of different waters but settled on Gerolsteiner for two reasons. First, I’m a cycling fan and Gerolsteiner is a well known sponsor of cycling (the marketing machine at its best). Second, I found that it didn’t have any strange after-taste. Third, I like the glass bottle and the wrapper. The water stays cold longer than a typical soda might.
In a matter of days, I learn that my addiction was not to sugar, or caffeine, or soda at all. My addiction is to good ole carbonation. There is something about bubbles that just makes the drink taste better. Has this secret been kept from us by the soda companies all these years?
Challenge:
To all of you soda drinkers out there: Take this two week challenge and see if you can kick that soda habit for good. Go buy a few bottles of sparkling mineral water and put them in your fridge. Next, take all the cold soda from your fridge and put it out of sight. The next time you have a soda craving, grab a cold bottle of water and enjoy it the same way you might soda. It may take a bottle or two before your mind accepts this new drink as a replacement for soda. In my experience, by the time I made it to my third bottle, I was hooked! I have had no reason to drink soda since making the switch.
There are lots of different water choices out there, so it may be worth trying a few until you find one that you like. Good luck with your weight loss goals. Stay the course. You can do it!
