Soda Habit

[jackofallgeeks]

I've been trying to quit soda now for over a year; at least since I graduated College. I haven't generally been very successful, but I'm getting a lot better. This Article has a number of reasons why quitting is a good idea.

Comments

[surichan.livejournal.com]

Nngh, please for to get off the soda. The stuff's just so...rotten. XP

What for not to drink the drink.

[jackofallgeeks.livejournal.com]

Indeed. this is a known fact, and as I've said, I'm getting better. More often than not I get tea when I eat out and I don't have anything but water (and sometimes juice) at home. trouble is, I still like the stuff, generally speaking. I was at a cookout yesterday and what else are you supposed to drink at cookouts but beer and soda? (That's a rhetorical question.) and even at that, I've become a big fan of Red Bull-like drinks, which I'm sure are at least as bad as sodas.

YOU SAID WHAT FOR NOT FOR TO DRINK YOUR DRINK! ;____;

[surichan.livejournal.com]

Well, my trick was going to Japan. Living in a country where the sodas are vastly different - even a Coke doesn't taste like a Coke - changed my tastes to the point where I couldn't stand American soda when I got back Stateside.

Barring that, though, allow yourself to stop and remember what soda does before you order it, or pick it up at cookouts. My dad swears by unsweetened iced tea at outdoor gatherings, I swear by bottles and bottles (and bottles) of water that I refill nightly and keep in my fridge for easy transport to wherever - it's gotten to the point where I pretty much need water all the time. If I go for a couple of hours without it, I get dry-mouth and sometimes a headache, depending on what I've had to eat that day. It's like a nicotine fit, only for water. :P Riddle me that!

Juices are good too, so long as they don't have added sugar and (preferably) aren't from concentrate. I used to drink nothing but water, tea, and coffee, but these days, unless I need the caffeine, I've replaced coffee with lightly pasteurized orange juice. It's awesome, and it's flavor - so maybe that might help when you want something sweet and water's just not cutting it? If orange juice isn't your thing, or you need variety, anything by Odwalla tends to be good - sometimes they sweeten things with a little cane juice, but if you've got to go for added sweeteners, you could do far worse than cane juice.

If nothing else, look into getting packets of stevia extract with which to sweeten things. It's 100% natural, has no calories, and contains fiber, which we all need more of. I haven't tried it in anything iced, but I love it in hot tea. It's also supposed to be good for baking, but I think I need the liquid stuff for that, because the powdered stuff doesn't respond well to baking when I've used it - it leaves an unpleasant aftertaste. Also! Agave nectar! Or even good old raw honey - always a treat in hot beverages.

Hooookay, enough of me and my long-ass comments. :P

[surichan.livejournal.com]

Also! And completely unrelatedly:

How do I get a sidebar that lists my tags? I've looked in Customization, and I just can't find it. >__< It's dumb.

[jackofallgeeks.livejournal.com]

Honestly? I have no idea how, or even when, that got there. I'll take a look around and see what I can see.

Even further off-topic: gimme a call later tonight or this week, what for we can hammer out the details for this weekend's trip, yes?

[tiel.livejournal.com]

Know what my favorite reason to skip the soda is? The stuff can strip the rust off of a car battery. *shudder*

I get soda cravings all the time. My trick (besides drinking diet soda, which cuts out the sugar abd calories but opens the artificial sweetner debate) is to not let myself drink any soda until I've had all my water for the day.

[jackofallgeeks.livejournal.com]

As noted in the article, Diet Sodas are, for the most part, just as bad as regular sodas. It lists that regular sodas have a pH of 2.5 or so and diets have a pH of 3 or so. It also notes that other key problems with sodas -- such as not triggering appetite hormones and degrading bones -- are still present in diets. in fact, the only thing that can be said about diets is that they don't have the sugar content -- but like you said, there's the artificial sweeteners and all the questions they bring up.

I don't drink nearly enough water, of this I'm sure. I'm constantly thirsty, and I really should carry around a water bottle like I plan to. As is typical with many of the things I plan to do, though, it gets pushed off or forgotten.

Soda

[xenu.livejournal.com]

I'm not going to get virtuous about not drinking much soda, because my vices are far worse. You could say I'm committing slow suicide. You could also say I work in customer service. :P*

[metis2be.livejournal.com]

I found that a good way to quit things is to limit them. If I took up the foul habit of drinking soda, to quit I would just allow myself one a week. Every time I wanted it, I would always think of some situation where I'd want it more, but wouldn't have it. I was also one of those kids who wouldn't play with play-dough in case it dried out and I couldn't use it sometime later. Turns out the stuff dries out anyway.

Also, Renfair this weekend. You, me, Asiya, and Nick. A plan?

[jackofallgeeks.livejournal.com]

Gah! I would love to, but I already have plans to be in Philly this weekend. :(

[metis2be.livejournal.com]

September 30th it is!

Me and Nick are flexible, and I haven't heard back from Asiya, so you're currently the person who gets to be planned around.

[metis2be.livejournal.com]

Oh, just talked to her, she's busy that weekend, so we planned it for Oct 7th.