My healthy lifestyle philosophy can be summed up like this: "take baby steps to achieve your goals" and "the little things add up".
Soda is one of those things that gets me going. First of all, I used to be the biggest Diet Coke fan. I drank several every day. About 3 years ago, I gave it up. I decided that I needed to stop pumping chemical additives into my body. There are plenty of other drinks available and I didn't need to drink soda. My husband had given up drinking soda about a year before I did. He was a regular Coke drinker and he went cold turkey and only drinks water (he doesn't even like coffee, I know, can you imagine?).
So, it was Diet Coke and there's no sugar, no calories. But, have you ever looked at the ingredient list of soda (diet or regular)? Why do our bodies need that? On top of that, if you look at regular soda, do you even realize how much sugar is in one serving? There are 39 grams of sugar in a can of regular Coke. There are only 25 grams in 2 Reese's Peanut Butter cups. Ok, so there's no fat, but seriously, why do you need that sugar?
Personally, I'd rather have the sugar in something yummy and chocolaty than in a drink. It's such a waste. Now, don't complain about how water is boring... there are so many ways to flavor water. This is where I get to the "little things adding up" philosophy. If you have only one soda a day, that's 39g of sugar and 140 calories every day extra... that's 4,200 calories a month that are totally unnecessary, and that is more than a 1 pound gain every month. It's the little things.
On top of soda being a complete waste nutritionally, it's such a rip off. I hate going to a restaurant and paying $2.50 for a soda. When you're eating out with a family of 4, you're looking at spending $10 on just drinks. Water is free. Water is healthier. Save the sugar and the $10 for a yummy dessert to share.
Another thing is kids and soda. There is so much about that combination that makes me cringe. Just today I heard a story from my friend that she was getting lunch at a quick service type restaurant with her 14 month old and the cashier encouraged her to give her daughter Coke. Seriously? She said something about how then she wouldn't drink so much water. What 14 month old (or anyone for that matter) needs a Coke? Why?
Then there's the elementary school friend of my daughter. She's got behavior problems, etc, etc... this happened a while ago, but we were out to lunch with her and some other people and this girl had 2 cokes at lunch. And the parents wonder why she doesn't behave, she's pumped up on sugar!
So, that's my rant on soda. I rank juice and lemonade up there with soda. My kids drink lemonade occasionally and juice boxes are usually just at parties. They know my thoughts on the sugar content of their drinks and have been given the choice frequently between lemonade or juice and an after meal treat. They always pick the treat. I guess I left out the 'everything in moderation' philosophy as well. Ok, so I have 3 mottos.