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Monday, April 9, 2012

Ways to Stop Drinking Soda

Soda is one of those things that we tend to take for granted nowadays. Only a few generations ago, someone in the family would have actually made up any soda that we drank from the raw ingredients (remember how gram's lemonade was always the best?) but nowadays we rely on large corporations to do all the hard work. Here's some ideas on how you can cut down on the soda you drink so you can return to being healthier without all that sugar or those artificial sweeteners being added to your body.

1. Go cold turkey

If you're used to swilling down gallons of soda, this probably isn't the best choice. But for low to moderate soda drinkers just stopping drinking soda is a relatively easy thing to do. Make sure you have a glass or bottle of water close at hand and go for a swig of that each time you'd previously have reached for the soda. Not only will this be healthier but it will likely quench your thirst more than soda ever did.



2. Clear out the fridge

If you live alone or the people you live with are (fairly) happy with the idea of cutting out soda, clear out the fridge. You can either do this immediately, whilst you've got the urge, or you can simply not replenish your stocks so that the soda you've got gradually runs out. If you've got other people in the house this may not be an easy task - you'll need to talk it through with them unless you want to come across as a total dicatator.

3. Stock up on alternatives

This is the twin of item 2. If you don't stock up on alternatives to soda then you'll just get the urge to go out and impulse buy soda again. Not good news. So stock up on things like bottled water, maybe juices, fruit teas, milk, etc to give you plenty of choice when you get your next soda craving.

4. Keep a journal

This one's scary. Keep a log of the soda you drink during the course of a day or a week. Jot down each can or bottle or cup as you begin it - don't wait until afterwards otherwise the soda craving part of you will help you to "forget" some of your intake. Then review your journal at the end of the week and see how well you did versus the previous week. The aim here is to help you gradually cut down your soda drinking so that after, say, a month or two you'll find that you barely touch the stuff any more.

5. Keep at it

The sugar rush (or fake sugar rush if you're drinking diet soda) that accompanies your soft drink is actually quite addictive. Don't be surprised if you get cravings. Some people even get headaches if they cut out the sugar and saccharin from their diet too fast. Take it gently at first and build up to soda-free days over time if necessary.

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