Soda is a refreshing energy drink there’s no doubt, and goes well with most meals. As a regular consumer, I often wondered whether drinking even just 1 soda a day would be bad for me.
I undertook some research and I’d like to share it with you.
So, is one soda a day bad for you? A peer-reviewed study found it’s bad to drink even 1 soda a day because that alone could increase your risk of type 2 diabetes by around 67%. The study was, however, unable to establish causality. And therefore can’t be said to be the only factor that causes the increase in health issues like tooth enamel. So like many things, treat soda (A sugary drink) as a treat and consume it in moderation. Your health is more important than having a soda every day Type 2 Diabetes is an interesting illness, and there are other health issues that can arise as a result of drinking 1 soda a day. So, below I’ll explain more about the data found in the study, and how much soda is healthy to drink. So to know is a soda a day bad for you keep reading the article! The results of this peer-reviewed study found that real sugar soda or Sugary drinks are not better for you than diet soda. The results showed there is some link between drinking artificially sweetened soda and an increased risk of getting Type 2 diabetes regardless of whether it’s regular sugar soda or diet soda. According to the Ohio State University Medical Center diet sodas are recommended because they contain fewer calories. Calories are a measure of stored energy. If you burn off all of the calories that you consume you will remain the same weight but you should still know is one soda a day bad. But, if you consume fewer calories than you consume your body needs to access stored calories to function. Which will use up excess fat. Real sugar soda contains more calories, and therefore, can lead to weight gain, if you consume more calories than you burn off. If you are unsure of how many calories you consume in a day then you can measure it by recording what you eat. It takes a little bit of time to calculate initially. But, it will give you a very accurate idea about whether drinking diet soda will be better for you than real sugar soda. For most men, the average calories you need to consume are 2000 to 3000 calories per day. Most women need about 1600 to 2400 calories a day. However, soft drink consumption increases the risk factors of risk of heart attack, risk of dementia, and fatty liver disease. It varies based on your height, according to Health.gov. Type 2 diabetes is a condition that is related to insulin in your body. Insulin transports glucose through your body according to Harvard Medical School. Many people with this disease take an insulin shot once a day to increase the insulin levels in their bodies. That way glucose can be distributed effectively throughout the body. When your body doesn’t get enough sugar because your insulin system is weak, you have an increased risk of getting severe health issues such as a stroke or a heart attack. When it is properly treated with insulin injections your insulin levels will be normal. But, if it’s undetected, you are more at risk of having a severe health problem like cardiovascular disease. According to WebMD.com, which has a team of 6 MDs, type 2 diabetes can cause: According to Ohio State University, weight gain is caused by eating and drinking more calories than are used by your body. Your body will use more calories if you do exercise. A ‘real sugar’ soda or Sugary drink has roughly 140 calories. About the same calories as three apples. Diet soda contains no calories and no high-fructose corn syrup so theoretically won’t make you gain weight. you weight loss instead. That said diet sodas do have artificial sweeteners that also have their own side effects and could cause bloating. By comparison, a footlong Subway for example has about 320 calories. Here’s a table that shows the average percentage of daily calories and 1 can of soda a day weight gain you get from common food. As you can see from the table above, a can of real sugar soda makes up 5% to 7% of a male’s recommended calorie intake, and 6% to 9% of the recommended daily intake for females. When compared to a standard meal say a subway footlong, a can of real sugar soda or traditional soda has about half the calories. Therefore, it depends on if you consume more calories than you burn off, and depends on how much you eat, what kinds of foods you eat, and the amount of exercise you do. Interestingly the negative effects of sugar-sweetened sodas and Sugary drinks are the same whether you’re overweight or not. There are many good options to drink instead of defaulting to soda such as iced coffee, iced tea, fruit juice, and good old H2o. There are also many drinks are also made from water and fruit juice, but are also carbonated, that are coming onto the market. These sugar-sweetened drinks or soda-like waters are good alternatives. They contain anywhere from 30% to 99.9% fewer calories than soda. Another good option is to make your own carbonated drinks using a machine like a Sodastream. This allows you to mix and match to create a soda recipe that you really love. And you can make it from all-natural ingredients such as honey, and lemon juice. I recently wrote an article comparing two of the top soda machines – Sodastream and Soda Syphon. You can read it by clicking here, Soda Syphon vs Sodastream. Some people can just stop drinking it altogether without much hassle. Others need really help and intentional planning to stop drinking it, and the way to help that is by replacing it with something else. For example, when you want to drink some soda or sports drink that has artificial sweetener, drink a glass of juice, or a cup of coffee. Sounds easier said than done but make it easier on yourself. Put existing sodas in the garbage and make other drinks readily available, such as tea and coffee in your eye line in the kitchen Place already filled cold water bottles in the refrigerator or switch to a sodastream and go for plain carbonated water OR make your own soda flavorings that aren’t loaded with calories or nasties. Make Change your habits will soon address your cravings I stopped drinking full-sugar soda and soft drinks about 8 years ago, have switched to SodaStream with carbon dioxide recently, and drink much more water. I used to drink a lot of V energy drinks, and soda’s with fast food. But, over time I noticed my mood was better when I didn’t drink soda or soft drinks. And if I have store /restaurant-bought sodas with a meal I often feel sluggish, and irritable. So, it wasn’t much effort to change it – keep it in moderation and have them as a treat. However, another option and observational studies for you may be to try a 30-day challenge where you go a whole month without flat soda or any carbonated beverages. After you’ve gone some time without soda, when you drink soft drinks again, you will notice how much you dislike the taste, and how unappealing it is to drink. At least I did. And based on the studies above it was a good move. Another good way to do it is to have soda water with alcohol. A lot of alcoholic drinks come with cola or lemonade. It’s better to mix your own soft drinks, and if you want to make it fizzy, use tonic water – also known as seltzer, mineral water, sparkling water, or club soda (sugary soda). That way you still get the bubbles, but without the extra sugar, and caffeine. So in summary 1 regular soda or flat soda per day can be bad for you, and can increase the risk of getting type 2 diabetes and risk of heart disease. Type 2 diabetes is an illness where your body is inefficient at moving sugar around your body, and untreated can lead to serious health issues like the risk of cancer, tooth decay, and belly fat. Regular sodas have, in particular the full sugar ones a relatively high amount of calories compared to other drinks such as fruit juices, coffee, or tea. For this reason, some people find this to be an incentive alone to drink less soda. And there are many good alternatives such as fruit juice, iced coffee, iced tea, and good old water. And if you are a regular soda drinker maybe try and moderate and take your health into consideration. I’m the owner and blogger here at SodaPopCraft.Com. I’m a soft drinks enthusiast, bringing you all I know and research from the world of Beverages, Soda Pop, Soft Drinks, and many more. I hope it inspires you to make Healthier, and Creative Drinks at Home. Read more About Me here & Tweet Me Here.Is real sugar soda better for you than diet soda?
But, what exactly is Type 2 diabetes?
Will 1 soda a day make you gain weight?
Food or drink
Calories
Percent of daily recommended calories (Men)
Percent of daily recommended calories – (Women)
An apple
52
1.7% to 2.5%
2% to 3%
Subway footlong
340
11% to 17%
14% to 21%
A can of soda
140
5% to 7%
6% to 9%
A can of diet soda
0
0%
0%
1 cup of coffee with milk
1
0.03% to 0.05%
0.04% to 0.06%
A Big Mac
257
8.5% to 13%
11% to 16%
What can I drink instead of soda?
What is the best way to stop drinking soda?
Conclusion
