Soda, pop, cola—whatever you call it, sweet nondiet carbonated beverages are laced with sugary calories. If you can’t make the complete switch to diet, try to cut at least 8 ounces from your daily routine. Choose a cold glass of water with lemon, unsweetened or artificially sweetened ice tea, or a fruity zero-calorie drink instead.
CALORIES SAVED: 100
by swapping a no-calorie beverage for 8 ounces of regular soda.
Also, the next time you order your favorite soda, cram your cup with ice, and you’ll drink at least half as much.
CALORIES SAVED: 200.
Stop the diet pop, too! Many people drink diet soda because they don’t want the calories of regular soda. They think drinking diet soda will help them lose weight.
But research indicates that diet sodas may actually contribute to weight gain. A study conducted at the University of Texas Health Science Center found that the more diet sodas a person drinks, the greater the risk of becoming overweight or obese.
The reasons that diet sodas promote weight gain still aren’t fully understood. Some experts speculate that the artificial sweeteners in diet soft drinks stimulate hunger, leading to increased eating and subsequent weight gain. Others believe people who drink diet sodas may be compensating for other unhealthful lifestyle habits that cause weight gain. For example, they may choose a diet soda thinking they are saving calories and then choose fries to go with their giant cheeseburger.
Bottom line: Sodas of all types are liquid poison in one way or another. So get off sodas now!