How I Stopped Drinking Soda
“I don’t drink soda.” — Guy Fieri
Let’s get it this out of the way: Yes, I am a millenial. I understand that I am “responsible” for “killing” several industries like casual chain restaurants, diamonds, homeownership, movie theaters, cable television, cereal, etc and soda is one of the many. I acknowledge seltzers like LaCroix are just simply water with bubbles where you softly whisper in your flavor of choice. However, let me tell you how I personally got this point.
It was my freshman year of college. At the University of Notre Dame, all first years were required to take a two-thirds of a semester long course called Contemporary Topics. This class focused on promoting health and well-being.
My section met every Tuesday and Thursday at 9:30AM and on this particular day, I needed a little pick-me-up, so I grabbed an apple juice box on my way out of my room. That day, the lesson promoted the importance of having a balanced diet and my professor emphasized the point that our daily intake of sugar should be approximately 28–40 grams. I quickly glanced over at the nutrition facts for my favorite childhood drink and my jaw dropped to the floor. This tiny beverage consisted of my entire day’s worth of sugar and I had yet to even really begin the day. At that moment, I knew I had to make a change.
Lunch was accompanied by water instead of my usual soda. Dinner followed. This trend continued meal after meal until it became part of my routine. I came to realize the only reason I actually craved Coca-Cola, Sprite, Fanta, etc was more for the carbonation than the flavor. Sparkling water become a very welcome substitute.
My beverages rotate between water (still & sparkling), tea, coffee, milk, and booze. To be honest, drinking soda now actually kind of makes me feel dizzy after all this time of omitting it from my diet. Trust me when I say, I am nowhere near the most health conscious person and still drink the occasional Dr. Pepper when I am on a flight, but this is a change I recommend everyone consider for their lifestyle. It will make you feel much better. Just try it.
Thanks for sharing this drink with me. Cheers!
