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.

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.