You want to reduce your risk of developing degenerative diseases, including tooth decay, gum disease, cancer, diabetes, obesity, macular degeneration, osteoporosis, heart disease, and dementia, right? Then one of the most important things you can do right now is give up soda and other sugary drinks and encourage your family members to do the same. This one step can dramatically reduce the amount of sugar you consume. You’ll save money and resources and free up more room in your refrigerator and pantry for more health-promoting foods.
FYI: Artificially sweetened beverages aren't the answer, they have their own side effects. This will dramatically reduce the amount of sugar you consume. You’ll save money and resources. You’ll also free up more room in your refrigerator and pantry for more health-promoting foods.
Sobering Soda Stats
The average 12-ounce can of soda contains 10 teaspoons of sugar (usually as high fructose corn syrup. A typical 20-ounce bottle of soda contains 17 teaspoons of sugar––5 teaspoons more than the USDA’s recommended daily upper limit for sugar consumption for the average person.
U.S. soda consumption doubled between 1970 and 1999. During the same period obesity among children in the U.S. increased by more than 100% over the same period. Today’s teenagers today’s now drink more soft drinks than any previous generation. They also drink 40% less milk than previous generations.
Research published in the Lancet showed that drinking one soda or sugared fruit drink per day could more than double your child’s chances of becoming obese. Regardless of how much children exercise, researchers at Boston’s Children’s Hospital found that every sugared soft drink consumed daily increased a child’s Body Mass Index (BMI), a measurement of obesity. As if that’s not enough reason to can the pop, consider this:
A Harvard School of Public Health study linked soda consumption with obesity in adults. Looking at tens of thousands of female nurses over eight years, researchers found that women who increased their consumption of soft drinks from less than one a week to one a day gained an average of 18 pounds. Researchers also found women who drank soft drinks daily had twice the risk of diabetes compared to those who drank little or no soda. Need helping kicking the soda habit?
Are you afraid your children, friends, spouse or significant other will complain if you just say, “No!” and refuse to buy any more soda? Are you wondering what to drink or give them for a treat?
Nothing beats filtered water. You really can get used to it and even enjoy it straight up. Besides filtered water, you can make and drink hot or cold herbal tea (I love iced Red Zinger or hibiscus tea), which can look and taste a bit like fruit punch, particularly if you sweeten it with a dash of liquid stevia. Read on to learn how much of a dash I mean. If you’re looking for something a little fancier and more fun that can help your family members kick the soda habit, consider making a healthier soda alternative at home.
Homemade soda without the sugar
For a soda-like drink, you can mix sparkling mineral water with a squeeze of lemon, lime, or orange juice or a dash of your favorite fruit juice. For a sweet taste you can add a dash of plain or flavored liquid stevia. If you hvaen’t liked powdered stevias, try the clear liquids. I think you’ll like them. My favorites are made by Wisdom Natural Brands. They're based in Mesa, Arizona. They make a Grape, Apricot Nectar, Valencia Orange, Lemon Drop, Peppermint, English Toffee, Chocolate, Chocolate Raspberry, Root beer, and Vanilla Crème. I’ve tried about half of them. I especially like Root beer and Vanilla Crème flavored stevia in sparkling mineral water. They just came out with a berry and a hazelnut liquid stevia, which I’m hoping to try this month.
How much liquid stevia should I add?
The biggest mistake people make with stevia is they use too much. Remember stevia can range for 100 to 300 times the sweetness of sugar. It’s not an artificial sweetener. It’s the extract of a leaf native to South America. If you want to read more on stevia, it’s history of safe use, and learn how to use it to replace caloric sweeteners in cooking and baking, you’ll find info and charts in my latest book, The Ice Dream Cookbook: Dairy-Free Ice Cream Alternatives with Gluten Free Cookies, Compotes & Sauces, which you can order from my web site for speedy delivery.
When adding liquid stevia to beverages, start with 1 drop for ever 2 ounces of liquid. That means 4 drops for an 8-ounce cup or glass of water, sparkling water, or tea. Stir, taste, then add another drop or two if you need it.
Do-it-yourself sparkling mineral water
Why buy sparkling mineral water or club soda when you can make it at home for a fraction of the cost of store bought versions and avoid the plastic bottles, plastic chemicals, and plastic waste?
My friends Kenny & Brenna turned me on to their soda making machine. They used it to make honey sweetened lemonade, then I turned them on to flavored stevia so they’d have more options and something fun for the kids to enjoy as a treat without sugar calories. They got their soda maker from Soda Stream, the global leader in home carbonation with soda makers in more than 10 million homes worldwide.
SodaStream manufactures and distributes five home soda makers that turn fresh water into sparkling mineral or soda in seconds. The machines are lightweight, easy to operate, and come in a variety of styles.
I chose the Penguin model because it features a glass, rather than plastic, carafe. I got it as part of a Penguin Starter kit, which consists of a Soda-Club Penguin Machine, 2 Soda-Club glass carafes with screw on tops, 2 jet carbonator cartridges, and a user-friendly instruction booklet (I really like that part!). I gave it a big thumb up! I can't wait to use it in my cooking classes this summer.
BTW: I don’t recommend the Soda Stream's soda flavorings because they contained artificial flavorings, sodium benzoate, sucrose (sugar), and the artificial sweeteners sucrulose, Splenda, and Acesulfame Potassium, along with artificial colorings. Their unsweetened, natural flavors essences (berry, orange, and lemon-lime) are free of added sweeteners, so you might want to try them. Although I don’t think you’ll need them if you keep lemons, limes, and oranges in the house and/or liquid flavored stevia.
What does it cost?
The Penguin Starter Kit runs $199.99. Some of their other models start at $89 but they use plastic (polycarbonate) bottles, which I prefer not to use. The company will recycle your spent carbonator cartridges. You can exchange the empty carbonators for full ones at an authorized retailer or by ordering online at
Soda Club. You can click the previous link or the banner on the left side of this page under the pictures of my cookbooks. Spare carbonators are also available to ensure
you’ll never run out of fizz. The price for replacement cartridges depends on how many empties you send back. Each Soda Stream carbonator adds fizz to up to 60 (14.5 oz. size) or 110 (33 oz. size) one-liter bottles.
Is it worth it?
If you love or once loved soda, if you’re spouse, significant other, or children have a thing for soda, if you've been buying soda or sparkling mineral water, and you’re serious about improving your health and reducing environmental waste, then I think it’s worth investing in a Soda Stream Soda Maker and some liquid stevia. If you're fine with filtered water, iced herbal tea, or water with a squeeze of lemon, lime, or orange, then you're probably doing well without a soda maker.
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