I Dare You To Have A Soda Quota

We all should have a quota on our soda. The best quota to probably have is zero!

It turns out that diet soda is just as bad if not worse than drinking regular soda when it comes to weight gain. Go figure! Well it does go to our expanded figures!

Let's look at two research studies -

First a study that shows how drinking regular soda can contribute to weight gain. A research study of more than 50,000 U.S. nurses found that those who drank just one serving of soda or fruit punch a day tended to gain much more weight than those who drank less than one a month, and had more than an 80 percent increased risk of developing Type 2 diabetes, the most common form of the disease. The risk pertained to drinks sweetened with either sugar or high-fructose corn syrup.

That makes sense because here is the calorie breakdown of a Classic Coke - 8 oz = 105 calories / 12 oz = 155 calories / 16 oz = 200 calories. Drink 16 oz a day and it will only take 18 days to gain an extra pound!

Now for the second research study on diet soda -

People who drink diet soft drinks don't lose weight. In fact, they gain weight, a new study shows. The findings come from eight years of data collected at the University of Texas Health Science Center, San Antonio. Researchers found that nearly all the obesity risk from soft drinks came from diet sodas. There was a 41% increase in risk of being overweight for every can or bottle of diet soft drink a person consumes each day

This study showed that people who drank diet soda actually were more likely to gain weight compared to those who drank regular soda. We don't exactly know why, but part of it may be we are fooling ourselves by consuming "diet foods" and thinking we can eat more food because of it.

Since the late 1970`s the soft drink consumption in the United States has doubled for females and tripled for males. The highest consumption is in the males between the ages of 12 - 29; they average 1/2 gallon a day or 160 gallons a year. It's estimated that 21 percent of all sugar intake is from soft drinks.

The bottom line is that we need to signficantly limit or cut out soda drinking. I dare you to have a Soda Quota!

Written by Dr. Dan Davidson, founder and director of the Back Resort & Rejuvenation Health Center - and creator of the FitStronger.com and DietStronger.com programs.