 |
| Bottled poison. |
If you're where I was, I'm afraid to say it'll probably never entirely go away... but that doesn't mean that you can't give up soda. Although they may seem obvious, these are the steps that I took--and in many ways continue to take--to slay the sugary beast.
- Start by raising the amount of calcium you eat.I actually supplement calcium specifically for this reason. Paleo options for this include eating whole sardines and other small fish that still have bones as well as green leafy vegetables, those primal among us might choose dairy instead. The reason for this is that addiction to carbonation may be a sign of a calcium deficiency. It won't work for everyone, but it's worth a shot, right?
- Reduce sugar soda as much as you can.
If you're like I was and you literally drink it every hour of your waking day, make a conscious effort to drink less of it. For example, at my peak I'd drink roughly a can of soda an hour for twelve hours most days. That's 1,800 calories and over 500 grams of carbohydrate. Think about the impact one would make by cutting that in half; starting by drinking a can every two hours instead of one, then every three hours.
You can also replace it with other drinks, but be warned...People have it in their heads that certain things are "good replacements," when they really aren't that great. Iced tea might have less sugar, for example, but not always. I have a resident who is trying to lose weight who overdrinks sports drinks like Gatorade and Powerade thinking it will help him. These won't harm you if you are extremely active and athletic, but if you're not they are no better for you than a soda with some salt added to it. Fruit juice, as well, may seem like a good choice... but wouldn't it be better to just eat the fruit? In the long run, the only really good substitute is water. - Once you've reduced, switch to diet soda.
This one is actually the most difficult for quite a few people to hear, especially if you're coming from a natural foods (or so-called-natural-foods) movement. I tried this when I was still a vegan only to have a bunch of friends tell me how evil aspartame was. And, well, it is, but I assure you it's way better for you than sugar soda. Consider that a 20 ounce Mountain Dew has around 290 calories (enough for a whole fricking meal) and 77 grams of sugar (more than enough or a whole fricking day), getting rid of that is making an impact. The caveat here is to make sure you either improve or don't change your other lifestyle habits; diet soda can encourage people to eat more because they think they've made up for it.
Be warned, "real sugar" is not "diet."I remember one day my father--a diabetic--came home with a twelve pack of Sierra Mist Natural because they market it kind of shadily. Sugar, in the long run, is still sugar. And the same, unfortunately, goes for those natural sodas brewed with honey or maple syrup. Still sugar. - Start going days without soda altogether.This is an optional step. Personally, after a year of diet soda, I gave up soda cold turkey. This step is if you can't do that. Just start going days without soda. If you're addicted, you'll shake. Drink water. Eat some fruit if you need to. Know that the shaking is not because you need it; just as carb addicts may think they are going into sugar shock when they reduce their carb intake because their body reacts, your body might react to the lack of soda. But make a conscious effort to cut it down.
- Give it up... for good.Don't fall into the trap of thinking you can drink it once in a while and be OK. It took me ten years to give up soda because every time I'd give it up, it would be a half-assed "moderation" way of going about it. I'd drink a soda--just this once--and it would spiral into four, five, six, or more and I'd be right back where I started.
