Soda help! page

[alexkharden]

Ok, I've been mostly primal for two months now. I do 20/4 fasting and a 48 hour fast once a week. To date I've lost 20 pounds, which it's about half of what I want.

My question concerns Diet Mountain Dew. I'm addicted to it. I drink 2-3 24oz DMD's a day. I need a substitute, something similar but healthier for me to redirect my addiction to. I've considered diet sprite, but I don't know if that will be any better for me.

Does anyone have any suggestions, please?

Thanks everyone!

[Annieh]

Yuk, it's poison. Sorry can't make suggestion other than just don't do it!

One glass of freshly squeezed real grapefruit off the tree would be way more satisfying and nutritious than 3 bottles of this stuff.

To my way of thinking there's no such thing as mostly primal, it's either primal or it's not - and diet drinks (including sprite) are not. Why would you sabotage all your other good decisions by ingesting them?

[gated312]

Agreed with what was said above. If you're really hung up on the whole carbonation factor, go with club soda/carbonated water. I always find that pretty refreshing.

[Paleobird]

Kombucha.
Sparkling mineral water with a squeeze of lemon or lime (or both).
Plain water (what a concept.)

[Gadsie]

A little off topic, but is everyone always talking about DIET soda, like sugar soda isn't bad or anything..

[MissJecka]

I stopped drinking soda years ago and now I find it rancid. I agree with the others - soda is pure crap and you just need to stop.

I don't even really like fizzy things anymore, but if I want something with fizz and flavor, I get seltzer. They come in all sorts of "natural" flavors, but I usually just go for plain seltzer with a squeeze of lemon or lime juice, and sometimes with muddled berries. I've also added a drop or two of vanilla extract to a glass of seltzer and it's pretty damn tasty.

[RobinNM]

Unfortunately, you just have to get off the soda merry-go-round. Diet sodas don't have sugar, but they are LOADED with chemical crap that you just don't need to be putting in your body.

If you hate the taste of water (that's weird to me, but some people do) try putting some lemon or lime juice in it. Sparkling water is also a good option. Try drinking ice cold water with lemon to see if that gives your tastebuds more of a boost.

Just keep thinking of your body as an engine. You wouldn't put crap oil or gas into it because you know it would break down that much faster. Drinking diet soda is using crap oil and gasoline and your body WILL break down faster if you continue to drink it.

[Bosstycoon]

SODA IS TERRIBLE!!!!! I havent had a drink of one in 3 years since I was a senior in high school living the SAD diet and going to fast food for lunch in which also i havent had in 3 years (Off campus school=awesome)..Anyways i love LEMON WATER so much!!! I just throw a wedge in my gallon jug i carry around all day and it satisfies me hugely!! I only intake water all day everyday..Also havent had alcohol in 2 MONTHS!!! YAAYAYA

If the carbonation is the factor do some carbonated water and add some fresh squeezed lemor or lime in there to get that sense of citrus like mountain dew gives u...

[Crabbcakes]

Hi alex!

Yeah, I hear you. My answer depends on what kind of psychology you have - are you the cold turkey kind, or do you need to wean off?? I am fighting the Soda Monster, too.

If you are the wean-off kind, here is what I suggest:

First, make the move to a diet soda that doesn't have caffeine and let your body get used to not having that.

Then alternate each bottle of the caffeine-free diet soda with a glass/bottle of the best water you can find. This will start cutting out the sweet dependence while keeping the volume that you are used to.

Then move to a soda thing that has all-natural, "clean" ingredients. Reed's Ginger Brews are just awesome tasting. Your local well-stocked health food store will have them so you can buy a couple of bottles to sample (they come in different flavors). These aren't diet, but they are "clean", so you will be retraining your body to do without the chemicals. My kids also like Izzy. One daughter likes one or two of the Zevia.

Then you can move to mostly doing without and keeping the clean sodas for special occasions. The natural sodas come in small bottles, so you will be decreasing the volume you are used to.

Just hang in the new soda zone(s) for a while until you are ready to take the next step - this also gives you time to research new natural sodas and other drinks that you probably don't know are out there. We have made this a family project, and it is a yummy one!

This is how I have managed to decrease my diet soda intake to the rare can of mass-market stuff (on really weak days), that I never finish, and completely prefer the naturally brewed ones. Now, the Mountain Dew and Mello Yello won't go down - my tastes have changed and it tastes so chemically and fake. I haven't been able to get into the plain seltzer thing yet (I like heavily iced water better) - perhaps you might.

Good luck, and write with your progress!!

[merryish]

I agree, the diet sodas are basically poison in a bottle. The ingredient list gives me the creeps. Every time I see a friend or coworker drinking this stuff, I want to stage an intervention. The only thing worse is sugared soda, which my boss drinks - it hurts me to watch her.

I sometimes drink seltzers because my room mate keeps tons of them around the house, but I'd say 90% of what I drink now is water, tea, and coffee. I've settled into a routine -- coffee before noon, tea before 5, water after that. I don't miss the sodas at all, and my body is a lot happier.