Are you drinking enough water?

It has been found that most Americans, roughly 75% of us, are chronically dehydrated. There are many reasons why that is a serious concern. Dehydration lowers our metabolism.  Lowered metabolism leads to weight gain and lethargy.

So, if you are tired, it could mean that you are actually dehydrated. Dehydration can also lead to back and joint pain, depletion in short-term memory, and loss of focus.

Most Americans though, reach for a soda, not water.

This is a huge problem because soda causes dehydration!! The salts, acids and other chemicals in soda only serve to deplete your body, not hydrate it.

Not compelling enough?

How about this…the many chemicals in coke make it acidic to the body. One of the most alarming ingredients is phosphoric acid, which can dissolve a nail in about 4 days. In fact, soda literately leaches calcium from the bones and is a leading contributor to the rise in osteoporosis.

As if this was not enough, most experts agree that sodas are contributing to our obesity epidemic. Thirst can be masked as hunger. When you are thirsty and reach for a soda, instead of water, that causes even more dehydration.

There was a study done at the University of Washington on thirst. They gave participants with hunger pangs a glass of water. Believe it or not, in 100% of the cases, the pangs went away. There was no need for food.

The hunger pangs were just thirst in disguise.

1. Drink a glass of water. If you are craving soda, you could be dehydrated. Give your body what it actually needs by drinking a glass of water.

2. Always have a healthy beverage at hand. If you want something to drink, and the only thing available is soda, you are setting yourself up for failure. Have plenty of teas and juices on hand to reduce the impulse of grabbing a soda.

3. Try kombucha. Kombucha is a fizzy, tasty drink that has the tang and bite of a soda. Kombucha also comes in many flavors, so just about everybody is sure to find a flavor they like. Having a half or whole bottle of Kombucha when the craving hit is a great substitute.

4. Some may need to slowly “come off” of sodas rather stop cold turkey. In this case, decide on an amount that is reasonable and gently back off from that amount every other day. Add more ice, drink smaller amounts at a time and allow the mind to slowly adjust to not having the soda anymore.

5. Take it seriously. Change your mind set by educating yourself about the harmful effects of soda.

6. Change up your diet to support your soda free goal. Are there certain foods that automatically get your mind to think about sodas? An example of that would be pairing soda with a slice of pizza. Once you pinpoint trigger meals, try to decide ahead of time to have an iced tea, club soda with lemon or something else. Finding the right substitute Deciding ahead of time can help you get over the hump of only wanting a soda “some of the time.”