Top 3 Reasons to Stop Drinking Soda Today

Most people know that soda is loaded with refined sugars, harsh chemicals and harmful ingredients, but the unfortunate truth isn't keeping individuals from drinking the beverage. According to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 63 percent of children and 49 percent of adults drank some type of sugar-sweetened beverage on any given day between 2011 and 2014. Do these same people understand the havoc soda can wreak on the body, and how they're ultimately destroying their own health by contributing to the soda industry? This beverage is loaded with sugar and offers no nutritional quality, according to Lona Sandon, RD, assistant professor of clinical nutrition at the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center.

"The calories in regular soda are coming entirely from added sugar, and you're not getting any value in terms of vitamins or minerals, or even good quality carbohydrates," she told CNN.

So you can't benefit from drinking soda, but why else should you stop drinking the sugary stuff? Here are a few reasons why you should put down the carbonated beverage today and say goodbye to it for good:

1. It Increases Your Diabetes Risk Because you're consuming added sugar, drinking too much soda may increase your risk for diabetes - and opting for a diet option doesn't make a difference. According to a study lead by researchers at the University of Texas Health Sciences Center in Houston, drinking one diet soda per day was linked to a 36 percent increased risk of developing Type 2 diabetes and metabolic syndrome. Both conditions can increase your risk of developing high blood pressure and cholesterol, heart disease and stroke.

2. It Can Negatively Impact Your Brain Did you know that following a diet that's high in refined sugars can impact your mental health? According to a study conducted by researchers at the Department of Physiological Science at the University of California, consuming too much refined sugar may result in impaired learning, memory and behavior. "We have investigated a potential mechanism by which a diet, similar in composition to the typical diet of most industrialized western societies rich in saturated fat and refined sugar (HFS), can influence brain structure and function via regulation of neurotrophins," the researchers of the study wrote. They fed animals a high sugar diet and found their ability to learn and remember things was impaired.

3. It Destroys Your Teeth When you consume sugary beverages, bacteria existing in your mouth latches onto the sugar and produces acid, which eventually eats away at the enamel of the teeth. This is the easiest way to develop cavities. If you are quitting soda, you may want to consider our Oral Health Probiotic. Removing soda from your diet may seem difficult at first, but it's a smart choice that can positively impact your overall health in the long run. By following the Hallelujah Diet and instead drinking natural smoothies and juices, you can curb a sweet craving without damaging your immune system.