Then God said, "I give you every seed-bearing plant on the face of the whole earth and every tree that has fruit with seed in it. They will be yours for food." Genesis 1:29

Monday, August 15, 2011

One Year – 365 Days – Pop/Soda Free!!!


It is weird for me to look back over this year and realize that I have changed, in at least this area of my life and a great change for the better!  I don’t plan on ever having another pop/soda again (I grew up in the north, so from now on, I’ll just be calling it pop). 
I still remember the main reason I knew I had to stop drinking pop – I kept getting these crazy stomach aches after drinking pop.  I had read some information on sugar and artificial sweeteners and realized that I needed to do this and do it now.  I set an empty bottle of Sierra Mist on my counter and wrote on it with a black marker, “Last Pop 8-14-10” and kept it there for atleast a month or two as my reminder.  Over the months I kind of forgot that I even used to drink pop quite a bit and just a month or 2 ago I realized that I don’t crave pop AT ALL!  I am so thankful to have this out of my life!
I know pop is so addicting and I wonder if my cravings and desires for pop would easily come back if I let myself have any.  I did have a good experience with this a couple months ago.  We went to Chick Filet and I ordered waters and poured some in Cadence’s cup.  She took a drink and said, “this is not water”.  I told her to stop it, just drink your water.  So she takes another drink and again she tells me that this is not water.  I take a sip and oh gross, it was pop!  After telling her sorry, and getting her water I smiled and was very pleased that I did not even like the taste of it!!  I did not miss it!  I was also thankful that Cadence did not like the taste either.  We do not give our kids any pop – they have never had any…that I know of.  It makes me cringe when I see people giving little kids pop in their bottle or sippy cup!  What a horrible habit and addiction to be starting at such a young age!
I know for me it was an easier decision to stop pop because I did not feel good.  But for someone who is not feeling bad while drinking pop or not realizing that some of the pain they may be having could be associated with the pop it may be a harder decision for them to stop.  I also think some people are so used to feeling bad that they don’t even know what it feels like to not be sick in one way or another – and I’m not saying big sicknesses and diseases.  I am just talking colds, backaches, IBS, acid reflux, allergies, etc.  I think these can all be helped if people would eat and drink better.  For me, not drinking any pop is a huge step in making me feel better and I would not trade that for a Mountain Dew or Sierra Mist any day!!
In a book I read called “Sugarettes” by Dr. Scott Olson it addresses drinking pop.  He says that “in the last twenty years, soda consumption has risen over 300 percent in the United States, causing a multitude of health problems”.  I like how he explains why drinking sugars is not good for us.  “Normally, when you put a food into your mouth you chew it.  The simple act of chewing begins a series of events that alerts your body that it should expect nutrients and a rise in blood sugar.  When you first put foods into your mouth and begin chewing, the stomach starts secreting stomach acid to prepare for the meal.  Hormones are released when we begin to eat.  Each of these hormones is designed to help your body deal with the rise in blood sugar that occurs whenever a food hits your stomach.  When you drink calories, something strange happens.  The hormones normally released during a meal are not activated.  This is especially true when the calories are comprised of simple sugars.  The other problem is that when you drink something that is very sweet, especially when you drink it outside of a meal, there is almost no digestion that takes place.  This means that the sugar in the soda goes from the can directly into your blood stream.  Imagine how confused your body must be when you drink a soda!”
Some people think that drinking a diet pop is better than a regular, but it really is worse because of the artificial sweeteners that are put in it.  Having all those artificial sweeteners are worse then just eating the sugar directly (I’m not saying to drink regular instead of diet, of course my stance is drink neither!).
Maybe on every bottle or can of pop there should be a label with a warning that says, “Drink At Your Own Risk”.
I am celebrating this part of my new lifestyle with a large glass of ice cold water...and loving every sip of it!!!  :)

1 comment:

  1. VERY GOOD POST!!! I'm not totally "pop free" but I realized recently that I don't enjoy it like I used to and I tend to drink water a lot more instead. Now I need to work on the sweet tea desires I have..... ; ) M♥m

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