Do you know how soda affects your body?

In the early 1880's the first cola-flavored drink was introduced...That long ago? Amazing.
Different types of soda's have been popping up through out history. We've got Ginger Ale, which started in Ireland and we've got soda water, which pretty much started it all.

And, perhaps many of us remember growing up and soda being the main drink at birthday parties, classroom parties and anywhere you went to get food, or drink.

But, within the last few years, I've personally noticed a drastic change in the amount of people drinking soda. I'm not sure of the facts, but through speculation, more people seem to be straying away from the product.

There's this little diagram my mom sent me in an email, here are some things I found interesting.

1. A 12 oz. can of soda has 9 teaspoons of sugar, or corn syrup, sucrose. This leads to weight gain, belly fat, and type 2 diabetes.
2. The caramel, or brown coloring, the chemicals that produce this color have been linked to cancer (lung and liver) in lab rats and mice.
3. The amount of sugar and acid in the soda can lead to tooth decay.

It's fun to drink every now and then, but like we all know, the best choice is water. If you need a sugar fix, go for something else. Tea is always good, Tazo Tea, or a passion tea lemonade drink from Starbucks.

I know there's tons of information out there on soda how it affects your body, but I'll just list a few things that could happen as a result from consuming soda daily, or routinely.

There's other things to keep in mind, but these are a few simple facts to be aware of.

P.S. sorry for the lack of photos, I'll get more in here soon.

Adrenals!

DON'T eat this please...

Fight or flight??? Which do you prefer?

Well, our little adrenal glands work hard for us, not only assisting us in this fight or flight situation, but regulating our thyroids, hormones and immunity. Those sound pretty important to me.

To keep healthy adrenals, try to avoid or limit your caffeine and sugar intake. those to substances make your adrenals work hard and sustain high levels of cortisol..keeping them from doing their daily job.

They work best with short term stress, healthy adrenal glands release cortisol to help you deal with stress then bounce back, and continue that process. But, unhealthy adrenals have a harder time bouncing back.

Adrenals that are shot, can take four to six months to fully recover, it honestly depends on how fatigued your adrenals can be. Sometimes kidney infections can be caused by fatigued adrenals, since those organs are neighbors. Be kind to your this organ and you'll be fine.

Cut Out That Sugar!

Aloha kanaka ma keia la, (hello all on this day)

Please, don't go around eating death everyday. Sugar will seriously do some damage to your body. It's hard to believe because it doesn't seem like we'd consume a lot of sugar every day. Although, if you really stop and think about it, sugar is in everything.

Also, what I found interesting was, there's a lot of info. about there about how grains are good and they provide your body with the needed, fiber....But grains turn to sugar when consumed, and you can get just as much or even more fiber from vegetables. crazy right?

hows that for sugar? (see photo of brown and refined white sugar)

I propose you try to cut down on your sugar intake, limit it..Keep a food journal and how many grams of sugar you eat a day. Though, keep in mind, sugars in fruits and candy are different, as well as the sugars in sodas. Sugar can weaken your eyesight, damage your kidneys, can promote tooth decay (EWW).


Shape.com, a great reference site for me, explains that you really shouldn't have more than 40 grams of added sugar daily for a 2,000 calorie diet, which is 10 teaspoons. For a 1,600 cal. diet, no more than six teaspoons, or 24 grams. It's also reported that majority of the sugar comes from drinks. (i.e. Coke, Pepsi, all those sodas).

Oh right, don't forget that, sports bars, gels and cereals are all sugar, just take a gander at the ingredients, it's quick shocking at times. Sugar is so addicting and is hard to cut, but you WILL feel a difference when you cut back on it.

learn more!

Calculate your BMI

BMI or Body Mass Index is when you measure the amount of fat based on your height and weight, applying to both women and men.

BMI is connected to death and disease; so it is important to keep track of your total body fat.

Click to find calculate your body weight to find out if you're in a healthy range.