What's The Deal With Sodas Calories - Unhealthy?

Unhealthy sodas damage teeth, provide empty soda calories and as soft drinks go are considered bad soft drinks. Unhealthy sodas are not recommended for either weight loss or as part of a healthy diet.

Sodas or aerated soft drinks, are increasingly being  consumed especially by children in urban areas, with an upward trend in consumption rates in villages as well.

Yes, sodas taste divine to kids, tingle their tongues and quench their thirst for the moment. But they provide poor health outcomes with each can consumed.

Along with the soda, we also inadvertently consume phosphoric acid in unhealthy amounts, not to mention sugar, artificial sweeteners, caffeine, and carbon acids.  The worst part of this zero nutrition beverage is that it has slowly been taking the place of milk in a lot of households - resulting in loss of much needed calcium, protein, essential fatty acids and B vitamin -Riboflavin. They also make you feel bloated and full and you end up eating less nutritious food at mealtimes.

Unhealthy sodas / soft drinks - Basic problems associated with consumption of sodas/aerated soft drinks when more than a liter /day is consumed.

Consumption of soda especially in excess leads to too much phosphorus in our body, which in turn leads to a reduction in minerals calcium and magnesium, vital for normal heart rate, nerve and muscle functioning, blood clotting, good bones and teeth.

• Effects of soda on teeth - Enamel or the top most layer of teeth get  eroded due to the acids in the drink, besides the high amount of sugar in the soft drinks also leads to the development of bacteria, thus compounding dental problems.
• Sodas contribute to obesity : It is not only the sugar content of the drink  that adds to the calorie content as mentioned earlier abetting obesity - but even diet colas may cause problems. The aspartame or artificial sweetener makes people crave for food as it induces hunger that can lead to obesity.
• Soft drinks make you lethargic: diet colas may cause dizziness, cramps and sometimes migraine and over long term use are known to reduce memory too.
• Soft drinks cause deficiencies/ lead to malnutrition: - people addicted to sodas do not consume much food or use excessive amounts of diet colas to kill hunger and land up with various deficiencies or even malnutrition.

 More serious health problems related to unhealthy sodas, and sodas calories.

1. Stomach: Soft drinks contain phosphoric acid which affects the acid balance in the stomach and interferes with its normal functioning. This causes indigestion and a feeling of bloating and discomfort.

1. Damage to heart: Invariably the sugar added in soda is fructose-high fructose corn syrup which may be damaging to the heart. Minerals such as calcium and magnesium are required for normal functioning of the heart and their absorption might get hampered.

1. Damage to Kidneys: The kidneys are unable to excrete phosphoric acid causing them extra stress. Sodas also make the kidneys leach out calcium from the body causing it to be collect in the kidneys and may cause painful kidney stones.
2. Damage to skin: By drinking soft drinks we are depriving the body of essential vitamins and minerals lead to premature wrinkling and ageing of skin. Fresh fruit juices, milk and even plain water are preferable any day.
3. Damage to bones: Phosphoric acid may deoxidize blood and may eventually softens the bones by extracting calcium from it leading to osteoporosis down the line.
4. Action of consuming and withdrawal of Caffeine: Caffeine added to sodas is addictive and is readily absorbed by the body. Sodas may lead to disturbed sleep, cause hyperacidity or even dehydration.                                                    
5. Damage due to diet sodas: - Aspartame in diet sodas is converted to methanol that may slowly accumulate in the body causing harm down the road.

How can we counter the effects of sodas? The best deterrent is to avoid soda altogether and substitute it with tender coconut water, sugarcane or fresh fruit juice or even tinned fresh juice is better than sodas.

• Limiting amount of soda consumed
• Using a straw to reduce contact with teeth
• Rinsing the mouth well after each drink