What would removing soda from your diet do for you?

[Disgustipated]

I gave up on regular soda, and eventually gave up on diet soda as well. Going to diet didn't help my weight, and neither did drinking water. All these experts are full of doody (I can't use the word I'd like to use here). They say not to drink diet drinks because the sweetness in them makes your brain crave more food. If that's the case, why didn't I lose weight when I switched to drinking water?

 

[Ziggy Stardust]

I drink lots of water, never any sodas. Don't like ' em.

There's a litre bottle of water next to my computer that usually needs daily replacing.

 

[say1988]

Tell that to the dead people in Walkerton.

Don't blame the water. Blame the individuals that a) were lazy so they just lied about installing a chlorinator, b) were lazy so they took all the samples from around the system from the tap in their office (while they sat around drinking beer), and c) blatantly lied to the public to cover their asses after getting the bad results.And even then it took an extremely bad rain storm to cause the problem.

Yes there are places that have issues (particularly First Nations communities), but where d.highland lives it is fine (it may be pretty hard, but if there was a health issue it would be well published), unless it is an issue with a private well or system.

 

[Zelig]

Grey county. The municipality is Grey Highlands. I've tried looking for water test data but can't find any, and the local authorities pertaining to the government generally do not respond to inquiries at all (personal experience plays into that assumption). If you can get better results, by all means, I would be thankful.

Grey Highlands has 3 different groundwater systems.

Report with this info: www.grey.ca/media/files/Final_Report.pdf

Kimberley-Amik Talisman tests: www.greyhighlands.ca/read_file_main.php?uid=448
Markdale tests: www.greyhighlands.ca/read_file_main.php?uid=447

Couldn't find tests for Feversham/Beaver Heights, but it looks pretty small, dunno which one you're served by anyway.

 

[wilycoyote]

You might as well just use water.

I hate when people say this. Fine, skim milk isn't as strong in taste as fattier milk, but anyone that actually thinks it tastes like water has an unsophisticated palate. I grew up on skim milk and now don't like the thickness/heaviness of fattier milk. Can people just understand that it's possible that others like different things?

 

[Tani Coyote]

As I recall, soda makes up 10% of the average person’s calorie intake. Now, people say “that’s not high,” but that’s ignoring it’s an average – there are people who barely drink soda or none at all. Translation: everyone else is actually guzzling 20-30% of their calories in soda!

I cut soda out of diet about a year ago, and rarely drink it. I still eat a ton, yet have gone from 250 pounds to 225. Everytime I see family members, they comment on me losing weight.

That or I have a parasite, but I strangely suspect it’s my indulgence in water over soda.

I would drink 2-3 sodas a day originally.

 

[Synobun]

Grey Highlands has 3 different groundwater systems.

Report with this info: www.grey.ca/media/files/Final_Report.pdf

Kimberley-Amik Talisman tests: www.greyhighlands.ca/read_file_main.php?uid=448
Markdale tests: www.greyhighlands.ca/read_file_main.php?uid=447

Couldn't find tests for Feversham/Beaver Heights, but it looks pretty small, dunno which one you're served by anyway.

Thanks for that! Had to fix your links when I pasted them though.

There are 702 possible contaminant sources in the water system here, and it seems most raw water pumped here has moderate levels of e.coli in it, but is effectively zapped after treatment. Coolio.

 

[Quackers]

I severely limited my "soda" intake to around 500ml/week for 2 and a half months.
During that time I didn't sense any great deal of change in me. Sometimes I would actually crave a soft drink, which was pretty damn weird - but a slice of bread and half an hour later that feeling is long gone. At the time I was losing weight anyway but theoretically taking soft drinks out of the equation probably speeded up that process.

At the end of the day drinking a can or 2 of fizzy drinks a day isn't seriously going to jeopardise your health like cigarettes, alcohol or greasy food. Obviously it's preferable from a purely health point of view to drink water but if you get an extra bit of satisfaction from it thats good.

 

[7ronin]

I recently drastically reduced my intake of Coca Cola (my carbonated beverage of choice). Result: weight loss and caffeine withdrawl.

 

[Tani Coyote]

A lot of substances build physical and psychological dependence than just those that are typically classed as drugs, I notice.

Like in Supersize Me, didn’t he go through withdrawal after he stopped eating McDonald’s?

It seems soda can have a similar effect, the caffeine doing its part to hook people.

 

[metatron]

I only drink coffee, water, tea, and beer.

Coffee, water, tea, milk... and occasionally orange juice.

It's literally the easiest thing you can do for your health.

It's not that easy.

The people in the thread who claimed they have a hard time droping such beverages don't talk themselves into that or anything. It really is that hard for them. That shouldn't be surprising:
They are already in a state of mild chronic insulin resistance. Doing what seems natural to you would feel to them like going on a diet of unseasoned rice 3 times a day would feel to you.

@Cutlass:
It's hard. I just aknowledged that. Please try none the less. I love you and i don't want to see bad stuff happening to you.

On a more general note:
Sweetening coffee on the grounds that it has to be sweetened is absurd. Yeah, sure, plain coffee is bitter. So what.
The fact that it's bitter doesn't make you toss a spoonful of sugar on every bite of cauliflower, does it?
And for heaven's sake, don't use creamer either. Before you do that better put the entire sugar bowl in your coffee (or fill your coffee into the sugar bowl)!
Recipies for creamer differ but usually it goes along the line of 1/3 fat 2/3 corn syrup (plus water). I.e. short of motor oil or the contents of an ashtray it's roughly the worst thing you could possibly eat or drink...

(Plus what Zelig said: I believe there is a difference between naturally bitter and "harsh".)

$$$

Erm, i don't get it.
You mean where you live Coke is cheaper than other (more reaonsable) stuff, let alone the minor dent a coffee machine would make in your water and electricity bill?
Heck if i substract the container deposit my mineral water (!) is roughly 0.55 € per liter. And i could easily pick a cheaper one.
Coke is cheaper than that (i guess), but not by much...

On the whole debate regarding the taste of different varieties of Coke and Pepsi:
Are you guys sure that the various brands of the same name are actually the same in the US and say Britain?

 

[emzie]

I never once claimed that drinking my tap water would kill people. I said that it is unhealthy. It tastes terrible. It is quite often that the water is brown, or has flakes of brown stuff in it. And when I say often, I mean generally on a daily basis whenever you take water. I am sure it is fine for washing yourself and for cleaning stuff, however I would not recommend drinking this water daily for anybody, no matter how low your water standards are.

Turn on your kitchen tap and let it run for a few minutes to flush out any rust. If it's not coming out clear at that point, call your landlord and complain that you have rust in your drinking water. If he does nothing, call the city and complain. And if that gets you nowhere, call the ministry of health and complain. It's your job, ultimately, to look out for your health.

 

[Synobun]

Turn on your kitchen tap and let it run for a few minutes to flush out any rust. If it's not coming out clear at that point, call your landlord and complain that you have rust in your drinking water. If he does nothing, call the city and complain. And if that gets you nowhere, call the ministry of health and complain. It's your job, ultimately, to look out for your health.

There is nothing you can do about awful water unless you're willing to put a buck behind it. Whining to the already useless ministry of health will get me no where.

I live in a tiny town, and I do not have a landlord, so those two points are moot as well.

 

[jtb1127]

Wouldn't the fact that you live in a small town make it easier to raise hell about it?

 

[Synobun]

Wouldn't the fact that you live in a small town make it easier to raise hell about it?

No. Unless people start dropping dead, just about everything goes unnoticed in these parts, even if you complain about it.

 

[jtb1127]

No. Unless people start dropping dead, just about everything goes unnoticed in these parts, even if you complain about it.

Yeah, but there's less bureaucracy to deal with and it's easier to get in contact with local officials isn't it?

 

[Synobun]

Yeah, but there's less bureaucracy to deal with and it's easier to get in contact with local officials isn't it?

Not unless you're one of the upper class people that go golfing with said officials every Sunday. I have a deep burning hatred for this place because of the way things are done here (and the people in general are just.. douchebags).

 

[Smellincoffee]

I gave up on regular soda, and eventually gave up on diet soda as well. Going to diet didn't help my weight, and neither did drinking water. All these experts are full of doody (I can't use the word I'd like to use here). They say not to drink diet drinks because the sweetness in them makes your brain crave more food. If that's the case, why didn't I lose weight when I switched to drinking water?

That would depend on the rest of your diet, not to mention the amount of exercise you get. I started minimizing my soda intake a few months ago when my doctor told me to avoid salt, and yeah, I've lost a lot of weight since -- but I also started eating sensibly and exercising an hour a day.

 

[G-Max]

I rarely drink soda, so I wouldn't be affected much. However, I'd definitely be interested in knowing the effect of cutting vodka from my diet.

 

[Zelig]

I rarely drink soda, so I wouldn't be affected much. However, I'd definitely be interested in knowing the effect of cutting vodka from my diet.

Your posts on CFC would likely improve.