Key takeout
- Soda-like sugar drinks are the top sauce of sugar added to the US diet.
- Drinking a can of soda every day can reduce 12 minutes of illness from a person’s life.
- For a longer and healthier lifestyle, nutritionists recommend giving up on sugary sweet soda.
When it comes to your health, small daily habits can make a big difference. It’s like limiting sweet soft drinks. If you enjoy soda from time to time, you are hardly alone. Almost two-thirds of our adults drink at least one sweet drink a day. In fact, sugar-subscribed drinks are the largest source of added sugar in American diets.
The problem is that soda doesn’t just supply a lot of empty calories. Research shows that consuming one sugary drink per day increases the risk of premature death, especially from heart disease and cancer. Furthermore, when one study attempted to quantify how a particular food or drink affects a person’s lifespan, the researchers found that a person’s drink could cost a 12-minute “healthy life” (aka a lifespan without illness).
How does this happen? To investigate, I asked my nutritionist how limiting sugar-like soft drinks can help you live longer (and the best tips for kicking habits too!). This is what they said to us.
How can limit soft drinks help you live longer?
It reduces the risk of chronic disease
Enjoying soda from time to time won’t drive your health. However, they often supply a lot of sugar while sipping this soda drink. Only a 12-ounce can of soda added to the sugar contains about 10 tablespoons of sugar. That’s about the same as most of us should have (or maybe even more) all day long. To put that in perspective, American Dietary Guidelines recommend limiting additional sugar to less than 10% of daily calories, or 12½ teaspoons, for those who burn 2,000 calories per day.
Why is sugar added? “Too much sugar can contribute to health issues like unnecessary weight gain, heart disease, and type 2 diabetes.” Jamie Nadeau, RD, LDNregistered nutritionist and balanced nutritionist owner., Sweet drinks are very problematic and we can see that some cardiologists recommend avoiding them completely.
That’s not all. The negative health effects of soda are also partly attributed to what it lacks. “From a nutritional perspective, you don’t do that much.” Laura M. Ali, MS, RDN, LDNa Pittsburgh-based cook nutritionist. “Aside from adding lots of sugar and calories, soda has little nutritional value.” So, what can you do? Choose drinks that offer health-promoting nutrients, such as milk, sugar-free tea and coffee. They do not have added sugar and provide nutrients such as vitamins, minerals and antioxidants. This can reduce the risk of chronic disease and increase lifespan.
You can maintain a healthy weight
Throwing off sugar-incorporated soda in favor of calorie-free drinks may help you live longer by helping you maintain a healthier weight. This is because our bodies don’t recognize the calories in food the same as soda calories. “Liquid calories from sugary drinks like soda, don’t fill you, [so] A registered dietitian based in Pennsylvania said: Beth Stark, RDN, LDN. “Over time, these excess calories can lead to weight gain and many other health conditions.”
Supports a healthier gut microbiota
More and more, science is discovering that gut health is related to almost every aspect of our overall health. And excess added sugar from something like a sugar-like drink can have a negative effect on your microbiota. For example, one study found that people who consumed more sugar-enrolled drinks have unwanted gut bacteria, particularly the type associated with diabetes. Additional studies have found an association between alterations in enterobacteria and alterations in enterobacteria, which can cause inflammation, an important driver of many chronic diseases.
Your oral health may improve
Another perk that reduces sugar-incorporated soda intake is better oral health. This is because these drinks provide the perfect storm of sugar and acid, increasing the risk of tooth decay and cavities. And the more you drink them, the more likely your dental health will suffer. Therefore, throwing these drinks away in favor of water or other unsweetened drinks can be a boon for your oral health. Beyond your teeth care, your oral health is closely linked to the risk of chronic diseases such as heart disease and diabetes, which also affects your life expectancy.
I’ll dig deeper
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Instead, focus drinks
- Seltzer: When you’re craving fizz, reach for this sugar-free drink. And it doesn’t have to be bland boring. “To get the carbonation you’re looking for without sugar, you can find unsweetened seltzer water in a very diverse range of flavors,” says Nadeau.
- Injected water: If normal water doesn’t excite you, there are many strategies to add flavor to your H2O without sugar. Stark is a huge fan of making spa-inspired water with fresh fruits such as berries, melons and citrus fruits, combining herbs such as mint, basil and thyme. “Water acquires a light flavour essence from fruits and herbs that still have calories and sugar added,” she says.
- Unsweetened iced tea: Usually, if you drink soda for a caffeine kick, try brewing a pitcher of unsweetened iced tea instead. Green, white and black tea offers multiple health benefits while quenching your thirst. Herbal tea is packed with flavor. Try our carb-free raspberry iced tea for its natural sweetness.
- coffee: A cup of coffee is another caffeinated soda alternative. In addition to supplying caffeine corrections, coffee is loaded with antioxidants. Furthermore, research has found that unlike soda with sugar, coffee can actually help you live longer. Add sugar from sweeteners and flavorful syrup.
Conclusion
You can enjoy everything in moderation a bit as part of a healthy dietary pattern. Even drinks that are sometimes sweetened with sugar. But if sugar soda is a staple of your daily routine, it can hurt your long-term health and even cut your life. That’s why nutritionists say that sugar-subscribed soda is the most important drink to limit if you want to live longer. The good news is that there are plenty of flavorful and carbonated alternatives that can help you kick your habit. Try replacing the soda with infused water, flavorful seltzer, unsweetened iced tea, or robust coffee. While you are in it, you will erase your thirst and age more elegantly!