10 Surprising Health Benefits of Kicking Your Sugary Soda Habit

10 Surprising Health Benefits of Kicking Your Sugary Soda Habit

Soda. Pop. Cola. Whatever you call it, this fizzy beverage is a staple of the American diet. The average American downs a staggering 40 gallons per year!

But before you take another sip, you may want to reconsider. As it turns out, habitual soda drinking can take a real toll on your health.

The good news? By breaking up with your soda habit, numerous positive changes quickly follow. Ditching your daily dose of liquid candy provides a broad range of benefits. From losing weight to adding years onto your life, read on to learn 10 great reasons to kick the can for good!

Win the Battle of the Bulge

Let’s start with one of the most obvious perks of kicking soda to the curb: slimming down that waistline.

It’s no secret that soda packs a ton of empty calories. A 20-ounce bottle alone contains a whopping 240 calories and 65 grams of sugar. Drink just one a day and you’re looking at drinking an extra 9,125 empty calories and 2,278 grams of added sugar per year. Yikes!

Cutting out your daily dose of liquid candy is one of the easiest and most effective ways to cut calories and lose weight. Researchers estimate that simply switching from sugary drinks to water could reduce daily calorie intake by nearly 10%. That adds up to some serious pound-shedding!

Say goodbye to frustrating weight loss plateaus and hello to a slimmer, healthier you by breaking up with soda for good.

Curb Those Sweet Cravings

In addition to packing empty calories, the influx of sugar from soda can also perpetuate cravings for more sugary foods and drinks. Because it offers no nutritional value, soda creates what experts call a “hedonic hunger” that drives you to seek out more gratification through snacking.

Luckily, as your taste buds adapt to a soda-free life, your desire for sugary foods diminishes. You’ll notice those intense sweet cravings fading away when you stop bombarding your body with soda’s sweet stuff.

Cutting soda from your diet helps eliminate those peaks and crashes in energy. With balanced blood sugar levels, you’ll feel satisfied with better portion control and less desire to “fix” sudden energy drops with sugar.

Keep Your Smile Bright

If you’ve noticed your pearly whites looking a little less white lately, soda could be to blame. Habitual soda drinking erodes tooth enamel, leading to cavities and discoloration.

The acidity in soda wears away the hard enamel that protects your teeth. And the sugars provide the perfect food for the oral bacteria that create plaque and cavities. It’s a double whammy for your dental health!

Fortunately, when you stop sipping on soda, you stop bathing your mouth in acid and sugar. In as little as a few weeks, you’re likely to notice a brighter smile and better oral health without all that erosion.

You’ll also save money on fewer visits to the dentist. So kiss those high dental bills goodbye by prying soda from your daily routine.

Keep Your Heart Pumping

You’ve surely heard that soda isn’t doing any favors for your heart health. And research backs this up.

People who consume more sugary soda have significantly higher risks of heart disease. Studies show a clear association between soda and poor heart health, including higher “bad” LDL cholesterol, triglycerides, and blood pressure.

By cutting soda, you decrease inflammation and improve cardiovascular function. Your risk of heart attack, heart failure, and stroke all go down.

Within just a few weeks of ditching soda, many people experience improved circulation, lower blood pressure, and better cholesterol numbers. So do your heart a favor by cutting out the liquid candy.

Steady Energy That Lasts

It might seem counterintuitive, but soda actually saps your energy despite that initial sugar rush.

The body absorbs liquid sugar rapidly, causing blood glucose levels to spike. You get a quick shot of energy. But what goes up must come down.

That surge of caffeine and sugar is always followed by the inevitable crash. The up-and-down rollercoaster leaves you feeling sluggish, anxious, and craving your next hit of sugar and stimulants.

By getting off the blood sugar rollercoaster, you’ll enjoy steady, lasting energy without the peaks and valleys. Stable energy throughout your day helps you stay focused and productive without the nagging distraction of crashes.

Protect Your Kidneys

You might not know that sodas require a lot of work from some vital organs—especially your kidneys.

To absorb all that liquid sugar, your kidneys have to work extra hard. Over time, high soda consumption stresses the kidneys and can contribute to impaired function.

Studies reveal that heavy soda drinkers have a higher risk for kidney stones, kidney disease, and even dialysis down the road.

Luckily, the negative effects on kidney function are reversible. When you stop overworking your kidneys with soda’s high sugar content, their function can improve again over time. Help your kidneys out by removing this unnecessary stressor.

Reduce Fatty Liver Risks

Your liver also bears the brunt of excess soda intake. The fructose in soda contributes to non-alcoholic fatty liver disease, a growing epidemic.

This condition causes fat deposits to build up in liver cells, inflaming the organ. Left unchecked, it can progress to cirrhosis, liver cancer, and liver failure.

The good news is that ditching soda and limiting sugary foods helps reverse existing liver damage and prevent future issues.

Give your hardworking liver a break by removing soda’s unnecessary fructose from your diet. Within months, your liver will thank you!

Glowing, Youthful Skin

If you’ve noticed more frequent breakouts, dull skin, or uneven tone, soda may be the culprit behind your lackluster complexion.

Frequent soda drinking is linked to myriad skin issues, including acne, rosacea, wrinkles, and cellulite.

That’s because the insulin spike from soda elevates certain hormones that trigger excess oil production and inflammation. Sugar also breaks down collagen and elastin responsible for skin’s youthful bounce and softness.

By swapping out soda for water, you’ll notice clearer skin, less frequent breakouts, and an overall natural glow. The improvements will convince you never to turn back!

Stronger Bones and Teeth

Your skeleton also takes a hit from too much soda guzzling.

The high levels of phosphoric acid found in soda weaken bones and teeth. Studies show links between soda consumption and decreased bone mineral density plus increased fracture risks.

This is especially concerning for young people whose bones are still developing strength and density through age 30.

The good news—you can reverse the damage by taking soda out of the equation. Within months, studies show improved markers of bone and tooth health. Strengthen your bones by ditching the drink that depletes their minerals.

Live Longer!

Given all the ways soda harms your body, it makes sense that you’ll likely live longer without it.

Multiple studies reveal that daily soda drinkers have shorter telomeres, the protective caps on DNA that indicate biological age. Shorter telomeres correlate to shorter lifespans and higher risks of age-related disease.

By removing this toxic drink from your diet, you can lengthen telomeres and add potential years onto your life. Who doesn’t want that?

Break Up with Sugary Soda—Your Body Will Thank You!

With clear links to obesity, heart disease, liver issues, diabetes, and more, the evidence against habitual soda drinking is impossible to ignore.

Your body wants to be healthy. Ditching this addictive yet nutritionally bankrupt beverage provides enormous benefits from head to toe.

Giving up long-held habits isn’t always easy. But staying motivated gets simpler when you focus on why you’re doing it and how much better you’ll feel.

If going entirely soda-free seems too drastic, try cutting back incrementally. Consider weaning yourself off slowly by allowing a certain number of sodas per week, then phasing them out completely.

A New Kind of Soda: BrainPOP

If going entirely soda-free seems too drastic, there are healthier soda options to help you break the habit. At BrainPOP, we’ve re-invented soda by removing all the junk and keeping the fizz you love.

Founded by health enthusiast Sierra Hooshiari, BrainPOP offers a line of smart sodas that are low sugar, low calorie, and made with natural flavors and functional ingredients like botanical caffeine blend, 4 amino acids, vitamins, minerals & a hydration cocktail with Vitamin D. Our drinks provide a smoother energy boost along with nootropic benefits to enhance focus and cognition.

BrainPOP comes in a variety of delicious flavors including Coconut Delight, Dragonberry Warrior, Mango Colada and Mojito Madness. There are zero artificial sweeteners, preservatives, or synthetic additives. Our innovative formula delivers all the nostalgic fizz and flavor you expect from soda, but with incredible nutrition and health benefits. 

Satisfy your soda cravings the smarter way with BrainPOP. Our fun, fizzy drinks nourish your body and mind so you stay refreshed, focused and fueled with every sip. 

With some commitment and smart strategies, you can successfully break your soda addiction and ban the pop for good. Your body and mind will thank you! The benefits start accruing as soon as you quit—and increase the longer you stick with it.

Here’s to a slimmer, more energetic, disease-free future without soda holding you back! The choice to prioritize your health starting today will pay off for the rest of your life.

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