To lose weight, you need to consume fewer calories than you use throughout the day. If cutting out soda helps you consume fewer calories, then it can help you lose weight. People who drink a lot of regular soda are more likely to see weight loss benefits when they eliminate soda than people who only drink small amounts of soda. What you drink instead of soda also effects whether you lose weight and how much you lose.
Soda Nutrition
Regular sodas are high in sugar, which makes them high in calories as well. A 12-oz. can of soda typically contains about 150 calories and 10 to 12 tsp. of sugar, according to the University of Nebraska Lincoln. Soda doesn't provide any nutritional benefit, so you are better off consuming healthier beverages.
Healthier Beverages
Water is one of the healthiest beverage options, since it quenches your thirst without any calories. A 2008 study published in the "Journal of the American Dietetic Association" found that dieters who drank two glasses of water before each meal achieved more weight loss than dieters who didn't drink this amount of water. Unsweetened tea and black coffee are other calorie-free beverage options. Low-fat milk and 100 percent fruit juice are also healthy options in moderation. Although they do contain calories, they also provide essential vitamins and minerals.
Other Beverages to Limit
Don't replace sodas with other sugar-sweetened beverages, including sports drinks, sweetened teas, energy drinks, flavored milks or juice beverages that aren't 100 percent fruit juice. These beverages all contain a lot of calories, and people often do not eat less during meals where they consume high-calorie beverages so they end up gaining weight. If you are trying to lose weight you should stick to mainly calorie-free beverages. Reducing the amount of calories you consume through beverages helps with weight loss, according to a study published in April 2009 in the "American Journal of Clinical Nutrition."
Considerations
Although diet soda doesn't contain the calories regular soda does, it still isn't the best beverage option. Drinking diet soda instead of regular soda can help you cut calories, but it may actually lead to weight gain in the long term, according to MSNBC Health. Drinking diet soda for a short time can help you transition from regular soda to other healthier beverages, however.
References
- "American Journal of Clinical Nutrition"; Reduction in Consumption of Sugar-Sweetened Beverages is Associated with Weight Loss: The PREMIER Trial; Liwei Chen, et al.; April 2009
- Discovery; Drinking Water Proven to Help Weight Loss; Emily Sohn; August 2010
- City of Boston; Mayor Menino Issues Order to End Sugary Drink Sales on City Property; April 2011
- "USA TODAY"; Soda Drinkers Consume Calories; Nanci Hellmich; March 2007
- MSNBC; Dieting? Why You Should Ditch the Diet Soda; Elisa Zied, R.D.; October 2010
- University of Nebraska Lincoln; Think What You Drink; Mardel Meinke
Member Comments