Would you consume something that increases your risk of diabetes, inflammation, weight gain, obesity, heart disease, fatty liver, bad teeth, bad skin, early aging, gout, Alzheimer’s disease, and cancer?
It’s for sale everywhere you go. Advertisements promise refreshment, excitement, attractiveness, friends, more energy and even world peace if you share it! Drinks with added sugar such as soda, energy drinks, sports drinks, and sweet tea are hazardous to your health, so why do you drink them?
Please don’t substitute diet drinks. Once thought to be a healthy substitute for sugar, artificial sweeteners can cause gut inflammation, headaches, and other toxic effects because the body can not metabolize them.
Doesn’t that sound better than diabetes, inflammation, weight gain, obesity, heart disease, fatty liver, bad teeth, bad skin, early aging, gout, Alzheimer’s disease, and cancer?
This is from a woman who used to buy Diet Coke by the case.
Alternatives to sugary drinks
Drink water
Drink filtered water and see how good you feel! Water prevents dehydration, improves your skin, improves your mood, boosts energy, aids digestion, prevents constipation, helps lubricate joints, and it may even help you lose weight!
Make your own drinks
If you are looking for something to drink other than water, try making your own lemonade from bottled lemon juice. See my recipe below.
Make your own tea and add stevia if needed for sweetness.
Stevia is a natural sweetener made from the leaves of the stevia plant. It is at least 200 times sweeter than sugar, so a little goes a long way.
Be careful when buying granular stevia. The less expensive brands contain added sugar or artificial sweeteners. Monk fruit is another good natural sweetener readily available in grocery stores.
Dilute water with fruit juices
Try diluting fruit juices with filtered water.
Fruit juices contain sugar, although they have some vitamins and minerals that soda does not. Read the label and avoid fruit juices and fruit drinks with added sugar.
Try carbonated and flavored water
Check the grocery store aisles for canned or bottled carbonated water with flavoring. These helped me stop drinking Diet Coke for good, so it’s a good transition away from soda if you miss the carbonation.
Look for the La Croix brand or store brands. Verify no sugar or artificial sweeteners added.
Final words
You can do it! Wellness is a journey, one step at a time. Try reducing your intake of sugary drinks by replacing them with water or other substitutes.
My Recipe for Lemonade Sweetened with Stevia
- Pour 1 1/2 cups of bottled lemon juice into a 2-quart pitcher
- Fill pitcher to the top with water, preferably filtered
- Add stevia to taste. I use 4 droppers full of liquid stevia, so experiment to find what tastes the best to you (I buy liquid stevia at Trader Joe’s or Whole Foods)
Note: Use liquid stevia in iced or hot tea or coffee. One drop per cup is usually enough or I use about 2 droppers full in a 2-quart pitcher of iced tea.
