2. Soda
Trust us when we say, sugary soda is not your friend. Not only does it cause weight gain, but it can damage your teeth, wreak havoc on your skin, hormones, mood, and of course, blood sugar levels. Most Americans get the majority of the sugar in their diet from drinking sugary beverages like soda. According to recent government reports, “more than 60-percent of children, 54-percent of adult men, and 45-percent of adult women had at least one soda or sugar-sweetened drink a day between 2011 and 2014,” writes Time magazine.
A lot people fall victim to the “diet soda” trend because they believe it’s somehow better for them. In fact, there are two separate studies which prove otherwise. The most obvious and well known problem with diet soda is that it contains aspartame, an artificial sweetener. A study in Applied Physiology, Nutrition, and Metabolism found that aspartame “raises glucose levels, overloading the liver and causing the excess to convert into fat,” writes Eat This, Not That! There’s also evidence that the coloring in brown drinks like cola can “increase the rate of cancerous and benign tumors in rats as shown by the National Toxicology Program and has been labeled by the International Agency for Research on Cancer as a possible carcinogen for humans.”
Not only is there substantial research to link the consumption of soda to obesity and diabetes which then increase a person’s chance of developing heart disease. But Time magazine points out that studies have shown people who drink diet soda are more likely to consume more calories elsewhere and there is evidence that the chemicals in diet soda “may actually alter gastrointestinal bacteria and make people more prone to gaining weight.” Each fizzy can you guzzle down is null and void of nutritional benefits, unless you consider about 10-teaspoons of refined sugar in your best interest. Soft drinks also contain large doses of artificial food dyes and preservatives like BVO (brominated vegetable oil).
