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.

Effects of Alcohol on the body

So, I was going to do a post about the worst side dishes you can come across, but then my eyes landed on an article posted by Women's Health explaining the side effects of alcohol on the body. I am a frequent reader of Women's Health and subscriber, it's a great magazine and provides quick and simple work outs that are fat blasting and fun, not just monotonous. anyway.


Very interesting.

Effect's of alcohol:

1. Slower Recovery :(
Hard workouts definitely drain glycogen, or carbs stored in your liver and muscles, leaving them in repair mode. Drinking after a workout slows the recovery of your body; snack on a peanut butter on whole wheat crackers to get some carbs that repair your muscles in your body before hand.

2. Alcohol and fat: your body ends up having to focus on processing the alcohol. Alcohol also breaks down the amino acids and ends up storing them as fat. Then your body doesn't focus on burning those carbs and fat.

3. Sleep deprivation: (to put it lightly)
More so than in men, women's sleep is disrupted, especially in the second half of the night, according to WomensHealth.com. Women are more likely to wake up and get 30 minutes less sleep than if they didn't consume alcohol. It can stunt the human growth hormone output, which builds muscle up to as much as 70 percent.

4. Depletion of H2O and nutrients: 
ahh yes, stomach lining is irritated by alcohol. Your hangovers signal that your are severely dehydrated. That lining thats annoyed, it decreases the absorption of nutrients. not good. That's why your stomach hurts after you drink too much, plus it makes you use the bathroom, good bye nutrients.

Ah Sugar..sweet right?

Not quite. It's not the best for you and should be consumed in moderation.

Women have a greater risk in developing cardiovascular disease than men. Us women require less calories than men. Sugar sweetened beverages bring in factors of this disease like high triglycerides in individuals who don't gain weight, according to an article by the American Heart Association.

The reference to sugar-sweetened drinks would be sodas, and flavored waters. Funny because we see so many ads on TV and in magazines about flavored water and how it can quench your thirst.

In the article, those who drank two or more sugar-sweetened drinks a day were more likely to develop the high triglycerides and increase waist size. We definitely don't want to increase waist size if the high triglycerides factor doesn't do it for you.

Don't know what triglycerides are? --> Triglycerides: Lowering them

You, in moderation ladies..In moderation. Water is always best.

coffee drinkin'

So many people can be seen in the morning, or on campus throughout the day with a coffee cup in hand, and the line at Starbucks is almost always out the door...Do these coffee drinkers have some benefit over those who don't drink coffee?

CNN.com reports that coffee drinkers may be at a lower risk of live, colon cancer, type 2 diabetes and Parkinson's disease.

Coffee also has antioxidants in it, and more people seem to be consuming their antioxidants through coffee rather than fruits etc. Men who drink coffee also have a lower rate of prostate cancer.

A study done in 2008, coffee-drinking women were less likely to die of various causes than those who don't drink coffee. (caffeinated coffee.)

Though keep in mind that the National Coffee Association reported that it does affect alertness, but there are not always other health benefits.

Everything at this point seems like it's saying that it may or may not help you out.
I guess from there we can draw our own conclusions...

Drink up !

Water is key in our daily diets to prevent kidney stones and can prevent us from getting headaches, dizzy, tired and weak. Water is there to help keep us hydrated, which leads to a happy you!

They say to drink 8 glasses a day, but according to Healthy Living with Ellie Krieger, water intake is a very individual thing. Men are supposed to drink around 13 glasses of fluid a day and women around nine.
Also make a note that you can get your water intake in several different drink items throughout the day...even coffee..weird,but true. To get water in the form of pure water, men should drink seven cups and women five.

Don't lose sight of the fact that water is probably your best choice, and healthiest.