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***If you area heavy cola drinker (somewhere between 2 to 4 cans a day) and you want to overcome this addiction, here is one persons way out! I found the trick to kicking the soda pop addiction was finding a replacement beverage that satisfied both the convenience and taste factor. What I most liked about drinking soda was that it was nice and cold, easy to grab and go and had some “texture” to it (the carbonated beverage). Although I like a bit of fruit juice, it was too “syrupy” for me to find it satisfying as a main beverage and plain water wasn’t doing it either. Here’s a replacement beverage that worked for me: Healthy Soda Pop Replacement * Keep a jug of water refrigerated at all times. It has to be prepared fresh daily or sealed well because once it tastes a bit stale, you’re turned off of it for awhile.
* Squeeze fresh lemon or lime juice in the water, as much as you like, tossing in the just squeezed fruit wedges too.
* When serving, pour over a full glass of crushed ice. The crushed ice added a bit of “texture” to the beverage that I felt was an acceptable replacement to the carbonated soda. It wasn’t carbonated, but the sensation was satisfying enough.
* I found keeping the water cold, always at the ready and lots of crushed ice on hand was key. More Tips: * Don’t keep soda in the house, especially canned pop. When you open a can of pop, it’s too easy to feel obligated to drink the whole thing (otherwise it’s wasteful).
* If you find in the beginning that you just have to have some pop, keep a small bottle refrigerated. I found that giving myself a sip or two was enough to satisfy my craving. Just be careful to only take sips when you’re on the verge of guzzling a 2 Litre bottle of cola.
* Keep water bottles at the ready so you can just fill them up when you’re running out the door. You may have to pound the crushed ice a bit finer for it to scoop up nicely into the empty bottle. If you give yourself a few days, you’ll find the craving won’t be that strong and that you’re satisfied with the citrus flavored water. For me, the crushed ice was a must have. This is a great healthy alternative to drinking soda pop daily and it’s easy (and cheap) to maintain. *********************************************************** Here are a few comments to this article: Some Responses to “How To Beat The Soda Pop Addiction” 1.Chris-07 Jan 2008 at 7:14 am
We replaced bad pop with good pop - Seltzer water or club soda. It’s a bit of a financial savings (.50 per 2 liter bottle at our local Publix on sale or .79 regular price) and you can even get the lime or lemon thrown in for that price.
Same fizzyness, no sugar, caffeine or bad stuff. It’s also easy to make juice more interesting and less caloric.
2.Beverly-07 Jan 2008 at 8:18 am
There are narrow ice cube (tube) trays available to make ice that will fit through the narrow top of a water bottle. Not quite the texture of crushed ice but so convenient! Like Chris, I ALSO like to drink seltzer water as a soda pop substitute. 3.Alan-07 Jan 2008 at 11:21 am
I’ve found that a little zest of lemon and/or lime spices up a plain bottle of water quite nicely. 4.jim-07 Jan 2008 at 12:47 pm
Like Chris - seltzer or club soda is a good substitute especially with lemon or lime added.
If I want a sweet soda, I make my own Italian sodas or ginger ale. They are very easy to make. For ginger ale, mix 1 cup of water with 1 cup of sugar. Add about 1/2 cup of roughly chopped ginger. Bring to a boil and then let steep and cool. Add a couple of tablespoons of the ginger to a glass. Add ice, some of the ginger slices and club soda.
You can also buy small 6 oz bottles and cans of some colas and sodas. This is a good and easy way to limit consumption - you only get a 6 oz serving. 5. Amy07-Jan 2008 at 2:06 pm
Great tips. FYI- you got a mention on Life hacker- CONGRATS! I am down to one or less sodas a day and replaced my addiction with a lot more water and a little more coffee :) Coffee and iced tea are a lot cheaper than soda and I can get a lot more done than on just water ;) 6. Chuck-07 Jan 2008 at 2:57 pm
I enjoy Metro mint. It’s just water with mint. Available in most grocery stores. 7. Dominic07-Jan 2008 at 4:54 pm
Just a little FYI, Club Soda is Seltzer with Salt added. Seltzer is a better choice. Also avoid Tonic Water, its almost as bad as a diet soda. 8. Kyle-07 Jan 2008 at 9:14 pm
I'm still a teenager so the temptation for pop is all around me but what happened to me was a few months ago my mom was diagnosed with diabetes so we basically got rid of all of the non diet pop and replaced it with diet, i hate the taste of diet so i switched it water… its a little extreme but it got the job done. 9. Lucas-07 Jan 2008 at 10:24 pm
I used to drink 2 liters or more every day! First regular then diet. I replaced the pop with flavored seltzer (cherry’s my fav). 10. sara-07 Jan 2008 at 10:43 pm
After having 2 babies in 1 year, I needed to get back into shape..fast. My original intent was to eat small portions, drink a ton of water, and work out. Well, the “ton” of water slowly got replaced with diet soda..After all, I had 2 little ones to chase after and my own business, I needed the caffeine! Before I knew it, I was drinking a minimum of 6 cans a day..sometimes more if I had an extra long day! The energy it gave me was great, but the sugar crashes..not so much! What worked for me was weaning myself from the pop and chewing on crushed ice; I realized that drinking so much soda was just a habit, and the ice kept me busy. I know that sounds stupid, but if it can help one person…
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[…] Drink more water This one is a no-brainer. Let’s say you drink three sodas a day from the vending machine at work. That’s a $3 a day, five days a week habit that you’re feeding. If you start drinking from the water cooler instead, you can start saving almost $780 a year. So not only will you be saving a substantial amount of money, you’ll be doing your body a huge favor by cutting all those calories and sugars out of your diet. And for those of you that are addicted to soda, here are some great ways to beat the addiction. […]
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