A Love-Hate Relationship

Erin Arnim

I love soda. I could drink soda all day every day, but there is one major problem. Soda can rot your teeth. Recently, my dentist found two cavities in my teeth. Even though I brush twice a day, floss every night, swish Listerine and wear my retainer, I have not been so good to my teeth. I never thought drinking just 2 sodas a week could cause so much damage. I had to think to myself what would I rather have?

This

 or this                                                                                  

 The second picture is a little extreme since I only drink about 2 sodas a week, but it puts things into perspective. More cavities are a possibility if I keep up with this habit. After receiving the news from my dentist, I decided to change my soda drinking ways. I did some research on healthy yet tasty soda alternatives.

These are what I found:

    100% fruit juice mixed with sparkling or seltzer water

    Unsweetened iced tea with only 2 packets of sugar

    Lemonade (or combine iced tea wit lemonade for a yummy Arnold Palmer)

    Green tea

    Red wine (for those who are legal)

    Make your own concoction!

Visit http://www.womenshealthmag.com/nutrition/healthy-homemade-soda?page=0 for recipes!

These alternatives have sugar, but it will be very hard to get rid of sugar in your drinks entirely unless you have the will power to drink only water. These drinks are still sweet, but they cut out a lot of sugar you find in soda.

It has been difficult so far, but I hope as I continue to incorporate some of these soda alternatives into my daily routine, I will be able to cut my soda habit. If you have a soda problem, like I do, consider taking my suggestions and implementing them within your own life and see if it works

for you!