Saturday, October 17, 2009

Soda

**Before I start, I just want to say that I know I risk sounding preachy and holier-than-thou with many of these posts that say "do this" or "don't do that." I do not feel this way at all. I am the first to admit that I have a wretched sweet tooth, and also used to drink a couple of cokes a day. However, I hope that I can increase awareness about these things. I know that if I, the Queen of Sweets, can quit this stuff (for the most part) and lose the weight, then anyone can. But people need the knowledge and the right tools. Luckily, I already had a lot of this knowledge because my mom was fairly healthy growing up. But not everyone had this example, and therefore don't know where to start. That's where outsiders like me come in. It is my goal to help inspire and motivate people to transform into a happy, healthy, fit version of themselves- and ENJOY it! Working out and eating healthy should be fun, not a chore. Life is too short to make yourself miserable. If you do it right and have the right attitude, it can be a blast. It is for me! And I hope that is contagious. I have a passion for this topic, and I love helping people. Nothing would make me prouder than to help motivate and possibly even change the life of at least one person. Now back to your regularly scheduled programming...**


You may think I am crazy but, in my opinion, soda and its marketers rank right up there with cigarettes and alcohol. There is absolutely nothing good about soda. It may taste good to you, but if you were to stop drinking it for a while and then have one again, you will be surprised at how syrupy it will taste to your rehabbed taste buds. You won't be able to drink the whole can, I guarantee it. This is how I am. We do not buy soda, but sometimes we will order a root beer (our fav.) when we go out to eat. But it is so sweet that I always have to have a water right next to it in order to wash it down. Nothing quenches thirst like a nice glass of ice cold water.

In fact, do you think it could even be argued that soda could fall under "hot drinks" with coffee and tea in the Word of Wisdom (in the LDS Church)? I guess if you're following the spirit of the WoW, it does (basically anything that can be habit-forming to YOU is discouraged). That may seem extreme, but I am sure that there are plenty of studies that show a direct link between soda consumption and obesity.

You may be wondering what the heck is the Word of Wisdom?? Well, it's basically a set of guidelines that God set forth for us (translated by Joseph Smith in 1833) in relation to health, and healthful eating. Many of you know us for avoiding coffee, tea, alcohol, and smoking. This is where all of that comes from, but there is much more to it. It also addresses what you can and should eat, including eating meat in moderation. Keep in mind that this was given to us long before the effects of smoking were known. Back then people did not understand why they were told not to smoke, for instance, because everyone smoked! Now we know. And the WoW is not just for the Mormons- God gave this to all of his people, which is everyone on this earth! Everyone is encouraged to follow it. If you are interested in learning about everything that it entails, here it is: D&C 89.

Ok, so this next part is for all those ladies who drink diet soda: IT IS NOT ANY BETTER FOR YOU. In fact, it could even be worse because, instead of using real sugar, they are using fake sugar. At least real sugar is derived from nature! Fake sugar has been shown to do a number on insulin in the body, and it actually makes you feel MORE hungry. Not something you want if you're trying to lose weight.

So if you want something that doesn't have any calories, then drink water. God gave us water for a reason. And don't mess with a good thing by flavoring it with powdery junk. Fine, try a little lemon. But why not try to just get used to it. And you will if you drink it long enough. I love water! My son loves water. We don't do much juice around here because kids don't really need it, and it fills them up. And my son needs as many "real" calories as he can get, since he's so darn skinny!

For those who are interested: I found an article online that has some great quotes on this topic from various LDS Church leaders. Apparently this is more of an anti-Mormon website, but I don't see how this particular article is bad (unless they think we're all crazy for not drinking soda). :) Here's the link: Are Mormons Allowed to Drink Caffeinated Sodas?

7 comments:

Sharron said...

Wonderful idea for a blog. Thank you! I am a hopeless fizzy-olic and I know the stuff is horrible for all of us, for many reasons. I love getting this to help convince myself, give-it-up already . . . for good!

Mom not Mum (Sandy) said...

Hi - this is Sandy Weber from the ward - I don't know you well but I've been reading blogs and one leads to another so here I am.

Soda is my "thing" I drink coke like it's going out of style some days and it IS a habit. I know it is because I've tried to quit and yet here I sit with the BIG drink from McDonalds filled with it. I don't buy soda at home - in fact I drink a lot of water at home but take me out and I'll refill as much as possible. I know I could lose quite a bit if I were to kick the habit but it's a hard one to do. I am going to set a goal to quit AND to lose pounds. (of course after I finisht this one last soda).

RR said...

Hi Ladies! Thanks for your comments I really appreciate them. I hope I didn't sound too preachy- I like to make my posts kind of sassy as a sort of call to attention. Anyway, I would love to help you develop a specific goal. I am a certified personal trainer and have learned how to effectively set specific goals through my studies. That particular format really helped keep me on track with my own goals. Thanks for reading!!

Anonymous said...

I won't be back to respond here, but I will always respond to comments on my blog if you want to ask follow-up questions.

First, thanks for the link to my blog there at the end.

Second, the point of my blog post, and Steve Benson's research, is that drinking caffeinated soda is indeed against the spirit of the law of the word of wisdom. It is not a 'technical' violiation, but many GA's have said it is a violation anyway.

He backs that up with quotes from many general authorities.

Basically, if you want to avoid sinning against the mormon God, you must abstain from Pepsi and Coke.

-Measure, owner of rfmorg.wordpress.com
(30-year mormon, 2-year atheist)

RR said...

Thank you for your comment Measure- I have only been a member for 5 years, so I wasn't sure if I was correct about it being against the spirit of the law of the WoW. I am glad that you affirmed that, and I agree with your comment.

I approach it a bit more from the health side, but I think some may need a bit more motivation from the faith end of it.

Mach Momma said...

Water is also good with limes (reminds me of Cafe Rio) and fruit like raspberries, strawberries and pineapple.
I've been a water drinker forever, but I have had episodes of old fashion cherry coke and Dr. Pepper fixes.
It's hard when you need a fix of carbonation and /or energy. Try vitamin B if you are really dragging and trying to go over this bad habit.
It is so bad for your adrenal and liver and if your liver isn't running well, neither is your metabolism.
You don't sound preachy:)

RR said...

Mach Momma- That is a great idea! Vitamin B is known to be good for energy. I just thought of something else, too. If you crave the carbonation, carbonated water is really good. Like Pellegrino (sp?), and some like to add lemon or lime, or add a bit of 100% no sugar added juice to it for flavor. So good!

Thanks for the comment! I love my readers. I also love getting new insight!