How to Stop Drinking Bad Soda: 5 Ways to Kick Your Soda Habits (2024)

When it became clear how unhealthy conventional soda is, many soda drinkers switched to diet versions.1Then they learned you could drink sodaAlsocause adverse health effects.2

Although it may not be pleasant for our soda-loving readers to hear, soda (including diet soda!)is not good for you. But we'll let you in on a secret: there is a happy ending if you kick your bad soda habit for good!

Read on for more information…

Why is soda so addictive? 3 reasons why it's hard to stop drinking soda

But first things first: why is it so hard to stop drinking soda? A soft drink addiction or addiction is something that can develop slowly or quickly. Your individual brain chemistry, as well as your personal and family history of addictive behavior, is a major determinant of how you respond to addictive foods, drinks, or drugs.

Research shows that there are three important factors that determine how addictive soft drinks can be:3

1. The high sugar content
2. Caffeine and carbon dioxide
3. The ritual effect of drinking soft drinks

High sugar content

Traditional soda is a drinkfull of sugar. Unfortunately, research suggests that sugar activates dopamine pathways.

According to Gary Wenk, director of undergraduate neuroscience programs at Ohio State University and author of “Eating your brain”, the brain's reward system is activated in the same way with soft drinks as with drugs.

Caffeine and carbon dioxide

Another ingredient that, like sugar, stimulates the brain is caffeine. And as you know, soft drinks contain a lot of caffeine. According to research, caffeine stimulates the reticular system in the brain. Consumption of carbonated soft drinks with high caffeine content causes insomnia, restlessness and headaches.4

The ritual of drinking soda

Finally, let's not underestimate the habit of reaching for a soda - whether it's as a pick-me-up or as a social activity. When you're used to something that brings positive feelings, it's not easy to give up.

Why is soda bad for you?

Okay, soda is addictive. But is that addiction really that bad for you? The short answer: Yes.

The average American consumer13 kilos of sugar exclusively from soft drinksevery year.5So it should come as no surprise that cutting out sugary soft drinks is a good idea for better health.

Studies also show that increased soda consumption can lead to obesity, type 2 diabetes, heart disease, kidney disease, non-alcoholic liver disease, cavities and arthritis.6A 2019 study from Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health found that an increase in the consumption of sugary drinks can lead to an increased risk of mortality or premature death.7

What about diet soda: is diet soda bad for you?

Unfortunately, regular soda isn't the only culprit when it comes to poor health outcomes. Companies advertise diet sodas with zero sugar content as the healthier alternative to regular sodas. But diet soda contains chemicals and additives that are similar to traditional sodamay not be good for your health.

Researchers discovered that drinking one or more cans of diet soda per day increases the risk of stroke or dementia.8It is also associated with weight gain, not weight loss (as is often advertised!).9

However, it is important to note that studies on diet soda intake and health outcomes are observational and only prove an association, not causation. In other words, we still don't know if drinking diet soda causes weight gain, or if diet soda drinkers gain weight for some other reason.

How to stop drinking bad soda

These days, quitting soda might not be as hard as you think! Here are some tips and tricks to get rid of the doll in a realistic and more achievable way:

Drink more water

Water will fill you up and hydrate you, so you may not be as inclined to quench your thirst with traditional soda or diet soda. If that doesn't help, try adding some lemon juice or even some cucumbers or strawberries to your H2O. (Spa water, anyone?)

Avoid getting hungry

Make sure you eat at regular times so that you don't get hungry at some point and reach for something easy, like that can of co*ke. In other words: avoid creating dangerous conditions for yourself that will give you a quick energy boost from a can of soda.

Manage your stress level

Speaking of avoiding bad conditions, managing your stress levels can also help. While this is easier said than done, you can try to manage your stress by exercising, meditating, getting more sleep, or turning off your phone notifications.

There are tons of different ways to manage your stress, you just have to find the solution that works best for you. Once the stress is over, you won't be so tempted to return to the usual comfort of a soda.

Try a healthier soda alternative

And most importantly, don't see this as a limitation. Instead, see it as an opportunity to add positive elements to your life: water, stress reduction, and...healthy soft drink alternatives. And this is where OLIPOP comes into the picture.

OLIPPis a delicious tonic that is great for digestion thanks to its fiber content, prebiotics and herbal ingredients. It comes in flavors ranging fromClassic root beerInVintage colaUnpleasantGinger lemonUnpleasantOrange pressand more.

Ofprebiotic fibersin every can of OLIPOP helps support a healthy microbiome. This promotes better health by helping to digest food and produce vitamins, among numerous other beneficial functions.10So OLIPOP is not just a delicious drink; it also provides the foundation your gut needs to thrive.

Create a support system

Open a canOLIPPwith a friend and together, hurray for better soft drinks! When you switch from conventional soft drinks (high in sugar or diet) you don't have to do it alone. There is always someone who can accompany you on your journey. So come together and support each other. There is power in numbers!

Quitting Bad Soda: The Takeaway

Now you have some tools to lean on when you're ready to quit: drink water, avoid getting hungry, manage your stress, pull yourself together, and try the tempting cans.OLIPPyou looked. Opening one will make you forget all about the sugar-laden traditional soda.

Sources

1. CDC. “Genovervej din drink.” Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, February 10, 2021.https://www.cdc.gov/healthyweight/healthy_eating/drinks.html.
2. Wellness team. “How bad is diet soda for you?” Cleveland Clinic Health Supplies. Cleveland Clinic Health Essentials, October 10, 2019.https://health.clevelandclinic.org/3-reasons-you-should-kick-your-diet-soda-habit/.
3. Drayer, Lisa. “10 Reasons to Give Up Soda.” CNN. CNN, 2014.https://www.cnn.com/2019/10/28/health/soda-soft-drinks-addictive-drayer-food-wellness/index.html.
4. Anjum, Ibrar et al. “Impact of Sugary Drinks and Soft Drinks on Brain Health: A Mini Literature Review.” Cureus vol.10.6 e2756. June 7, 2018, doi:10.7759/cureus.2756
5. Marriott, Bernadette P. et al. “Trends in energy and total sugar intake from sugar-sweetened beverages in the United States among children and adults, NHANES 2003-2016.” Nutrients full. 11.9 2004. August 25, 2019, doi:10.3390/nu11092004
6. CDC. “Genovervej din drink.” Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, February 10, 2021.https://www.cdc.gov/healthyweight/healthy_eating/drinks.html.
7. “Higher consumption of sugary drinks linked to increased risk of mortality.” News, March 18, 2019.https://www.hsph.harvard.edu/news/press-releases/sugary-beverages-linked-with-higher-risk-of-death
8. Howard, Jacqueline. “Sweet Comparisons: How Much Sugar Is in That Drink?” CNN. CNN, July 2, 2014.https://www.cnn.com/2017/04/20/health/diet-sodas-stroke-dementia-study/index.html.
9. Fowler, Sharon P. G., Ken Williams, and Helen P. Hazuda. “Diet Soda Intake Is Associated with Long-Term Increases in Waist Circumference in a Biethnic Cohort of Older Adults: The San Antonio Longitudinal Study of Aging.” Journal of the American Geriatrics Society 63, no. 4 (March 17, 2015): 708–15.https://doi.org/10.1111/jgs.13376.
10. “Probiotics: What You Need to Know.” NCCIH. NCCIH, 2012.https://www.nccih.nih.gov/health/probiotics-what-you-need-to-know.