Energy Drinks & Soda–What You Need To Know

By Mary Miller Cullins

Thirty years ago, a young person likely drank twice as much milk as soda (and who ever heard of  an energy drink?).  Now, many kids and adults drink twice as much soda as milk, so they are regularly taking in less calcium and fiber and fewer vitamins and minerals.  

Drinking soda increases your risk of Osteoporosis. Soda may contribute to osteoporosis (brittle bones).  Bones need calcium to stay strong and people need plenty of calcium throughout their life for strong bones; what you drink when you are young could pay off big time when you are older.

The sugar in soda harms teeth. Soda contributes to tooth decay.  Every time you take a drink, you bathe your teeth in sugar.  The acid in both regular and diet soda can also weaken tooth enamel.  Drinking soda can cause weight gain. Taking in more calories than your body needs causes weight gain, so if you drink a soda every week, that’s more than 1,000 extra calories, yearly, that is about 12 pounds.  Imagine what a couple of sodas a day will do if you are not doing something to burn those extra calories.

Diet Sodas, fortified sodas and Energy Drinks are not much better for you. Energy drinks and fortified sodas have sugar just like regular soda.  Many sodas, diet sodas, and energy drinks also have caffeine.  Too much caffeine causes irritability, problems sleeping, headaches, and anxiety.

Soda may contribute to diabetes. Drinking soda increases your risk of being overweight, and being overweight puts you at a greater risk for type 2 diabetes (and a lot of other chronic health problems, too!)  Even if you are not overweight, research shows that drinking just one can of soda a day can put you at risk for diabetes.

Ways to reduce your sugar: Drink water.  It’s the best thirst quencher and it’s usually free!  Drink low-fat milk.  Milk, soy milk, and rice milk provide lots of calcium and protein.  Limit the amount of soda, diet soda, fruit drinks, and energy drinks you consume.  If you drink a lot of these, gradually replace them with milk or water.

Make Healthy Choices

Your Body Depends On It!

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Posted by Mary Miller Cullins on 12:26 PM. Filed under Sports and Healthy Living. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0. Both comments and pings are currently closed.