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At present Americans now drink more soda than every before.  Over the last few decades soda pop has become a staple of the standard Western diet.  On average Americans drink approximately one and half soda cans a day.  This works out to almost six hundred cans a year!  According to one researcher these figures make soda consumption in the largest source of caloric intake for Americans.

How we got here is long story, but what can we do about it now.  Cutting out soda can mean the difference between obesity and health.  Below are some of the top reasons why you should cut this out of your diet and out of your families.  If your kids are drinking soda at school you may want to get in touch with other parents and begin making a stink about this.  Need some motivation?  Keep reading.

The calorie content of soda alone should have you searching high and low for alternatives.  One can of regular coke contains one hundred percent of the recommended daily sugar intake.  Now it’s pretty unlikely that this is the only sugar you are getting your diet.  And although there are lower calorie alternatives, artificial sweeteners like aspartame are hardly healthy options. 

Next, soda contains caffeine which is addictive.  While caffeine is the world’s most commonly used stimulant, it can have negative effects.  Withdrawal from caffeine like any other addictive substance can be difficult.  It can result in headaches and sluggishness.  Aside from this there is the inevitable come down after the caffeine hits.  For kids, this can mean diminished effectiveness and attention at school.

Pop has also been found to deplete minerals that the body needs.  Women who drink cola daily have been found to have lower bone mineral density.  Most soft drinks contain phosphoric acid alongside caffeine the combination of which can significantly reduce calcium levels.  These substances work to leech calcium from the bones.  Moreover, as a diuretic, more minerals are depleted through frequent urination.  For adolescent females who are especially in need of calcium to strengthen their bones, there is simply no reason to give them something that helps leech it right back out of them.

One of the most important reasons to cut out the can of pop is that it can lead to serious health problems like Diabetes.  Although it might not directly be shown to cause this disease, the weight gain, and blood sugar havoc that soft drinks play can lead to obesity and eventually insulin resistance problems.  These are precursors to Diabetes, one of the fastest growing childhood diseases around.  If you are worried about the obesity epidemic that is effecting kids in the developed world today, then fighting to keep soda out of schools should be on your list of priorities.

One of the biggest offenders of the soft drink industry is the way they have come to replace many of the drinks that kids used to enjoy.  Water for one has taken a huge backseat to all things sugary.  Most kids today are dehydrated and are not getting enough water.  Juice likewise has been replaced by the reign of the coca cola lifestyle.  Getting rid of the soft drinks and replacing these with healthy juices and water will be a huge first step to improving the health of the whole family.