How to Give up Soda Without Losing Your Mind

Soda is a popular drink containing carbonated water, added sugar, or artificial sweeteners, and either natural or artificial flavorings. However, despite its popularity, soda is not good for your health. It’s linked to many health issues, including obesity, poor dental health, and other chronic diseases.

There are many reasons you should stop drinking soft drinks, one of them being it can cause weight gain. Soda is high in calories and doesn’t curb hunger pangs. This may cause you to eat in excess and consume more calories.

Many people who regularly drink sugary drinks and want to cut back struggle to do so even knowing this. That said, it’s time to learn how to give up soda without losing your mind. This article explains why you may crave soda, what you should be drinking instead, and how to give up drinking it.

Are You Drinking Enough Water?

Firstly, are you drinking enough water? It has been found that most Americans, roughly 75% of us, are chronically dehydrated. But instead of reaching for a glass of water to quench our thirst, many choose to drink soda. There are many reasons why that is a serious concern. For instance, dehydration lowers our metabolism. Lowered metabolism leads to weight gain and lethargy.

So, if you are tired, it could mean that you are actually dehydrated and not drinking enough water. Dehydration can also lead to back and joint pain, depletion in short-term memory, and loss of focus.

The moral of the story? Make sure you are drinking enough water and not reaching for a soda to quench your thirst.

This is a huge problem because soda causes dehydration!! The salts, acids, and other chemicals in soda only serve to deplete your body, not hydrate it. We can’t stress enough how important it is to drink more water.

How about this…the many chemicals in coca cola make it acidic to the body. One of the most alarming ingredients is phosphoric acid, which can dissolve a nail in about four days. In fact, soda literately leaches calcium from the bones and is a leading contributor to the rise in osteoporosis.

How to Give up Soda Without Losing Your Mind?

Always Have a Healthy Beverage at Hand

If you want something to drink, and the only thing available is soda, you are setting yourself up for failure. Have plenty of teas and juices on hand to reduce the impulse of grabbing a soda.

Try Kombucha

Kombucha is a fizzy, tasty drink that has the tang and bite of a soda. Kombucha also comes in many flavors, so just about everybody is sure to find a flavor they like. Having a half or a whole bottle of Kombucha when the craving hit is a great substitute.

Reduce Intake Slowly

Some may need to slowly “come off” of soda rather than stop cold turkey. In this case, decide on an amount that is reasonable and gently back off from that amount every other day. Add more ice, drink smaller amounts at a time and allow the mind to slowly adjust to not having the soda anymore.

Take It Seriously

Change your mindset by educating yourself about the harmful effects of soda.

Make a Change to Your Diet

Change up your diet to support your soda free goal. Are there certain foods that automatically get your mind to think about sodas? An example of that would be pairing soda with a slice of pizza. Once you pinpoint trigger meals, try to decide ahead of time to have a green tea, club soda with lemon, or something else. Finding the right substitute Deciding ahead of time can help you get over the hump of only wanting a soda “some of the time.” Start by reducing the number of sodas per day you usually have and take it from there.