Small Steps to Better Health ~ Step 2

Well, how have you been doing with small step one?  Are you drinking more water throughout the day?  Hopefully, you are and are keeping your bodies well hydrated.  Step number 2 is simple, but may be much harder for some to do.  Since I told you last week what to drink...I will tell you this week what NOT to drink.

Step 2:  Give up all soft drinks.  I know, I know...that is a hard one for some.  It certainly was for me.  For years, my drink of choice was a Mountain Dew...and if I couldn't have that, my next favorite was Mello Yello.  Leave it to me to prefer the drink with the highest level of caffeine!  But, it is not only the caffeine in your bodies that are harmful with soft drinks.  There are many other dangers lurking within that nice cold, sweet beverage.

First, let us talk about caffeine.  Caffeine is a diuretic.  That means it robs the body of the water it needs to keep organs, muscles, joints, bones, etc. functioning properly.  If you must drink caffeine, for every cup you have, you need to add another two glasses of water just to counter the affects.  If you are suffering from joint pain or arthritic symptoms of any kind, caffeine only intensifies your aches and pains.

Sugar:  Soft drinks are loaded with them.  And many of these are in the form of high fructose corn syrup (HFCS).  I could do a whole post on the dangers of HFCS.  Studies have recently found mercury in food and beverages that contained HFCS.  And take it from one who is suffering from mercury poisoning...you do not want to go there!  Secondly, HFCS comes mainly from genetically modified corn which is very dangerous.  We will get into GMO foods later.  Thirdly, HFCS is one of the leading causes of obesity and diabetes. I could go on and on, but I don't want this post to turn into a book instead!

Now, for those of you that drink diet drinks and think that it is good to avoid the HFCS.  I must tell you that I think it would be better to drink the regular soft drink than diet.  Diet drinks...as well as almost anything that touts the label sugar free...is loaded with aspartame.  Aspartame takes the number one spot for complaints of adverse reactions with the FDA. 

The following quote was taken from Dr. Mercola's site.

Aspartame accounts for over 75 percent of the adverse reactions to food additives reported to the FDA. Many of these reactions are very serious including seizures and death.(1) A few of the 90 different documented symptoms listed in the report as being caused by aspartame include: Headaches/migraines, dizziness, seizures, nausea, numbness, muscle spasms, weight gain, rashes, depression, fatigue, irritability, tachycardia, insomnia, vision problems, hearing loss, heart palpitations, breathing difficulties, anxiety attacks, slurred speech, loss of taste, tinnitus, vertigo, memory loss, and joint pain.


According to researchers and physicians studying the adverse effects of aspartame, the following chronic illnesses can be triggered or worsened by ingesting of aspartame:(2) Brain tumors, multiple sclerosis, epilepsy, chronic fatigue syndrome, parkinson's disease, alzheimer's, mental retardation, lymphoma, birth defects, fibromyalgia, and diabetes.


Ten percent of aspartame is made of a chemical called methanol.  If you do not know what methanol is, it is wood alcohol, which is a poison.  Methanol breaks down into formic acid in the body.  What is formic acid?  The same thing as formaldehyde.  Most of us know formaldehyde as the same as embalming fluid.  That was enough for me to stay clear of aspartame!  Especially be careful with children drinking diet drinks, they seem to be even more susceptible to these dangers than adults.  I could once again go on and on about the dangers of aspartame, but time will not allow. 

If you do decide to cut out the soft drinks, I would advise you to do so gradually, especially if you drink at least one soft drink a day.  Expect to feel worse before you feel better.  Whenever your body detoxes from a man-made chemical, it has to release those toxins that your body has now grown accustomed to.  The process may be a little difficult at first, but you will be doing a great service to your body.  I hope this has encouraged you to keep giving your body the drinks that will keep you healthy!  God bless you!