Southern California In Focus Aisha El-Awady, M.D., I'm Addicted to soft drinks

[Guest guest]

By Aisha El-Awady, M.D., Special to IFN

Hi. My name is Aisha, and I am addicted to soft

drinks Who would have thought that such a thing

was possible? A soft-drink addict? Well, there is

such a thing. Although you may not have thought

of your soft-drink habit as an addiction, try

quitting and you will see it is not as easy as you might have thought.

In fact, quitting soft drinks is not easy at all;

while getting hooked on them, with soft drinks

being as ubiquitous as they are, is as easy as

ever. Unfortunately, there is no rehab for

soft-drink abusers, but there are several tips to

help you stop this hazardous health habit.

 

 

 

Photo by Gary Tamin

 

 

One: Treat it like an addiction.

You will probably experience strong cravings and

withdrawal symptoms, such as headaches. Try to

keep temptations to a minimum. Keeping your

refrigerator soft-drink free. At work, avoid

walking past vending machines and keep a bottle

of water at arm’s reach. When shopping, avoid

passing through the soft drink aisle.

 

Two: Know the associated hazards.

Soft drinks are known to promote diseases such as

diabetes and kidney disorders. The high fructose

corn syrup in soft drinks is converted directly

into fat, and this has a direct link to obesity

risk. You are essentially drinking liquid candy.

The high phosphorous content of cola drinks

drains calcium from the bones and increases

calcium loss in the urine putting you at risk for osteoporosis.

 

Three: Make a gradual withdrawal.

Do not try to quit soft drinks cold turkey, or

you will end up with terrible headaches,

nervousness, irritability and other withdrawal

symptoms. Try to gradually wean yourself off of

the caffeinated soft drinks by reducing the

number of soft drinks you consume daily. If you

drink four cans of soda a day, then decrease it

to two cans for a few days, then one can for a

few days, and so on until you cut them out completely.

 

If you try to replace soft drinks with other

caffeine-containing drinks such as tea or coffee,

you will not be able to kick your caffeine

addiction. Instead, you can replace caffeinated

soft drinks with non-caffeinated ones for a

period of one week, which is about the time your

cravings will go away and the withdrawal symptoms

will stop. After that, replace the

non-caffeinated soft drinks with healthier

substitutes. About two to three weeks after

quitting, you will stop having those cravings altogether.

Four: Do not switch to diet drinks.

 

Consuming diet drinks is even worse for your

health than drinking regular soft drinks. That is

because diet drinks contain aspartame, which is

metabolized in the body into a number of toxic

chemicals. The most toxic of these is

formaldehyde, the same liquid that is used to

preserve body parts and anatomy specimens.

 

Aspartame consumption has been linked to a number

of neurological disorders such as migraines,

dizziness, shaking and tremors, seizures, mental

confusion, change in mood, Alzheimer’s and permanent blindness.

 

Water, herbal tea and pure fruit juices with no

added sugar are great substitutes.

 

Five: Exercise.

It will ease the withdrawal symptoms and boost

your endorphins, which will lift your mood. If

you are new to exercise, try going for a walk.

Aerobics, yoga, hiking and jogging will all do

the job. The important thing is to do something

that makes you feel good, and it will give you

something to focus on other than your cravings.

 

The best exercise for former soft-drink users,

though, is weight training. The stress on your

bones caused by weight training will help

increase your bone density, reversing some of the

damage caused by the mineral-depleting soft drinks.

 

Aisha El-Awady, MD, is an editor of the health

and science section of IslamOnline.net.

 

 

 

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© 2009 Southern California InFocus

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More information on aspartame on www.mpwhi.com,

www.dorway.com and www.wnho.net

Aspartame Toxicity Center, www.holisticmed.com/aspartame