“I Will Survive.”- Saying Goodbye to Soda

Day One:

Last night, my sister-in-law and I decided that we were going to kick our caffeine addictions to the curb. We’re lovers of all things carbonated. She prefers Mt. Dew or Dr. Pepper, with its 23-bubbly-flavors, and I can’t get enough of Diet Coke with an icy-cold splash of Barq’s Root Beer on the top.

Image taken from Fun140.com

We both have different reasons for saying, “Sayonara” to soda. My main reason is that I’m seven-months pregnant and I have an overwhelming sense of guilt every time I consume one. Smeagol’s back and forth bantering in “Lord of the Rings” perfectly illustrates my inner battle. Soda is “my precious.”

My second, more selfish reason, is because yesterday I saw “Twilight Eclipse” with my hubby and a couple of close friends, one of which is 6-months pregnant, and she didn’t even look pregnant! She wants to do prenatal yoga with me and I don’t even think they’ll let her in the class.

So there we were, sitting in the theater with our buckets of buttery popcorn and she leans over and offers me a water. I declined and pointed to my 50 million oz soda. My friend, who full disclosure is the sweetest girl, says, “Oh, you drink soda? I only drink water, juice and milk.”

And that was it. I texted my sister-in-law as soon as I got home so we could start our soda cleanse.

So what’s so bad about soda anyway?

According to the Center of Science in the Public Interest:

• A 20 oz bottle of soda has 17-level-teaspoons of sugar in it.
• To burn off the calories in a 20 oz bottle of non-diet soda in a 135 pound person, you’d have to walk 3 miles in 45 min.
• Plus, there are so many alternatives that are better for your complexion and tooth enamel.

Finding Alternatives

As of now, my favorite substitution is Crystal Light’s new Pure Fitness drink mix. I’ve tried the Grape and Kiwi Strawberry flavors and they’re both good. It’s also naturally sweetened, which is important because pregnant women are advised to consume limited amounts of artificial sweetener.

Here’s the ingredients broken down:

(One packet is 2 servings so these are the real totals)

• 30 calories per packet
• Total Carbs: 6g
• Sodium: 70mg
• Potassium: 30mg
• Sugar: 6g
• Sweetened with evaporated cane juice which is less processed than refined sugar.
• All those other big, hard to pronounce words in the ingredient list shouldn’t be worried about. They’re either natural, even though they don’t sound natural or they’re not significant.

I’m looking for other alternatives too, so leave a comment below and tell me what your favorite non-soda drink is…