We’ve all heard that water is the best bet for our health.  We also know that a regular soda pop is high in empty calories.  Not everyone knows, however, that diet pop is just as bad.  And it isn’t just the sugars and artificial sweeteners that are bad for us!

Simple sugars, like the ones found in regular soft drinks, make the body’s insulin response over-react, and thus cause extra calorie consumption beyond just the soft drink!  But don’t jump over to diet sodas instead - there are [1] several [2] studies [3] which point to possible weight GAIN from sugar substitutes for the same reason!

Not only is the caffeine found in  many soft drinks a diuretic, the salt found in them as well will aid in dehydration!  That’s right - the beverage that does NOT hydrate.  Pretty crazy, isn’t it?

Some sodas contain phosphorus as well - which binds to calcium, and can leave your bones being leeched of important calcium.  Yes, you can take an extra calcium supplement to counteract this, but do we always remember to do that when popping open a can of coke??

Basically, the short list of dangers from sodas, especially in children, is tooth decay, nutritional depletion, obesity, type-2 diabetes, and heart disease.  Mmmm, yummy - sure, my teeth are falling out, my butt is enormous, and I have a bad heart - but dang, it tastes good.

I’m thinking I’m skipping the soda aisle in the future.