7 Ways to Ditch Liquid Sugar (Soda, Sweet Iced Tea, Juice Drinks, Etc.)

Are you among almost one-third of Americans, who day drinks at least one sugar-sweetened soda, iced tea, energy drink, vitamin water drink or fruit drink each day?

With the holiday season upon us and sweet temptations abounding at parties, I invite you to look at your consumption of sugary beverages, which research reveals can increase the risk of obesity, diabetes, heart disease, and gout.

Indeed, liquid sugar is the single largest source of added sugars in the American diet (36 percent), according to SugarScience.org. (FYI,  SugarScience bases its findings based on a comprehensive review of more than 8,000 scientific studies on the health impacts of sugar.)

Now, I invite you to dream with me. Think about how awesome it would be to Take Back Your Liquid Sugar Power?

[shareable cite=”Connie Bennett, The Cravings Ninja”]Don’t Listen to this Unsafe Endorsement Advice from Beyonce, Selena Gomez, and LeBron James.[/shareable]Of course, it’s understandable that you’ve been swayed and convinced to swig soda and other sugar-filled drinks by celebrity endorsements from the likes of Beyonce, Selena Gomez, and LeBron James.

Remember, though, that these “Celebrity Sugar Pushers” — as I call them — have been paid millions to entice you to swig those dangerous, potentially life-shortening sugar-filled sodas and drinks.

Beyonce, for instance, took a “$50 million Deal with the Devil,” as journalist Kristin Wartman brilliantly put it in a piece about her multi-year contract with PepsiCo.

Sure, you may not feel ready to give up your habit of swigging soda or sweetened iced tea. So to get you in the right frame of mind to Take Back Your Sugar Power, I invite you to review some scary, shocking, alarming facts about the dangers of sugar-sweetened beverages.

Bear in mind I’m only citing a few of many, many studies.

Then, while you quickly review this compelling research, bear in mind that when you slash sugary drinks and drink more water, you’ll begin to Crush Your Cravings, shed your excess weight and probably better manage or even halt the progression of dangerous diseases.

Are you ready to get Sugar Shocked? Sugary beverages have huge health risks. Learn just a few:

• If You Consume Soda, You Have a Greater Risk of Developing Diabetes and Chronic Metabolic Diseases.
• When You Down Soft Drinks, You Gain More Weight than Those Who Don’t Swig Soda.
• Drink Soft Drinks and You Have a Much Bigger Chance of Getting Gout.
• Soda Harms Your Heart. In fact, even one soda a day may raise your risk for a heart attack.
• Kids Have a 60 Percent Chance of Getting Obese.
• Now learn about more health hazards from Authority Nutrition.

If you’re one of millions hooked on soda, here are seven easy ways to ditch sweetened drinks — and shed hence the pounds.

1. Decide to ditch the soda for the sake of your health. This is your beginning to Claim Your Liquid Sugar Power.
2. When an urge for soda hits, drink two glasses of water first.
3. If plain water doesn’t entice you, try sparkling water instead. Doing so can lessen your urge for sweet fizzy drinks.
4.  When you’d prefer flavored water, instead choose room temperature or chilled water filled with fruits and/or spices such as lemon wedges, strawberries, pieces ginger or cinnamon sticks.
5.  Take an organic vegetable juice break. Make your own or get it juiced at Whole Foods or another store. (My friends and I attest to this healthy habit.)
6.  Cut out or scale back on caffeine. Instead drink herbal teas from Yogi Products, Celestial Seasonings and Mountain Rose Herbs. Enjoy flavors such as peppermint, ginger or Rooibos tea. (Bear in mind that soda can put your brain into over drive and make you hyperactive.)
7. If you feel tense, wired or tired, go for soothing lavendar, chamomile, Relaxed Mind or Valerian tea.

Share your ideas. If you’ve cut out soft drinks and other sweetened beverages, what were your favorite ways to do it?