Craving soda is normal as it contains many enticing chemicals that make it taste great. Whether you’re at the cinema or hanging out at a party with friends, soda may add to the overall vibe, making you feel connected.
Even popular commercials depict soda as an optimal sweet drink for jubilant gatherings. Drinking it once in a while won’t put you at significant risk of health conditions, but when it turns into habitual drinking of high-sugar beverages, new problems may occur.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention highlight side effects that come with drinking sugary beverages, such as weight gain, obesity, type 2 diabetes, kidney disease, heart disease, gout, and non-alcoholic liver disease (1).
Therefore, the benefits of not drinking soda, or why this sugary beverage is worth quitting will be reviewed in this article.
In addition, you’ll uncover how to stop drinking soda and how much weight you may lose if you quit drinking sweet beverages for 30 days.
What Are the Main Benefits of Not Drinking Soda?
The benefits of not drinking soda for a month or longer include:
- You may lose some weight
- Your skin may get better
- Your teeth may look whiter
- You gain more energy
You may lose some weight
Let’s face it, soda has no essential nutritional value but often contains lots of added sugars, artificial sweeteners, and high-fructose corn syrup. For example, one 12-ounce serving of cola contains approximately:
- Calories: 155
- Fat: 0.93 grams
- Protein: 0 grams
- Carbohydrates: 38.7 grams
- Sugars: 37 grams (2).
Harvard Health states that soda could cause weight gain (3). How does this happen? When a person drinks soda, they don’t feel full from the number of calories they ingest compared to solid food. In addition, drinking soda perpetuates more eating. That’s why people who drink soda may overeat, even though they are no longer hungry.
It all impacts your weight. Once you cut back on soda, it can positively reflect on your weight, which will likely decrease as you won’t be consuming empty calories. This could help you stop overeating. One study has shown that reducing soda intake decreases the risk of obesity (4). This applies to all sodas, including low-calorie and zero-sugar.
Some people may ask themselves “If I stop drinking diet soda will I lose belly fat?”. The answer is simple: yes, it’s possible because the sweeteners that are found in sodas tend to contribute to increases in belly fat, so decreasing your intake of them and substituting soda with water could help you lose belly fat.
The combination of positive habits, such as good sleep, regular exercise, nutritious meals, and elimination of highly processed sugary foods and drinks could help a person lose body weight, including visceral fat (5).
Your skin may get better
A 2019 study indicated that the consumption of soft drinks can increase the risk of acne in adolescents (6). Therefore, if you eliminate soda intake, your skin may clear up, leading to a better complexion.
Even if you don’t see any changes in your skin when you quit soda for a while, it’s important to remember that there are many possible causes for skin problems. In this case, you’ll need to talk to a dermatologist who could provide you with professional help.
Your teeth may look whiter
Dental damage from the regular consumption of sugary beverages has been studied (7). It was found that the consumption of sugary beverages contributes to the erosion of your teeth. That’s why when you stop drinking soda, your teeth may appear whiter and cleaner.
You gain more energy
According to one study, the consumption of soft drinks worsens your general health due to the influx of unnecessary caffeine and sugar content. As you cut back on sodas and other sugary beverages, your energy levels will tend to improve, particularly when you replace soda with water (8).
Is It Healthy to Not Drink Soda?
Yes, it is healthy to avoid drinking soda as this sweet beverage causes weight gain, tooth problems, and skin issues, in addition to making you crave more food. Drinking soda is also linked to cardiovascular problems and type 2 diabetes (8).
It’s recommended to quit drinking sodas in general, particularly when this drink is present as part of your daily routine. The habitual consumption of soft drinks could make your health worse over time.
If you want to lose weight, improve your skin and tooth health, and generally be more energetic, you can substitute cola with water, which contains no sugar or other added sweeteners.
The BetterMe: Health Coaching app will provide you with a host of fat-frying fitness routines that’ll scare the extra pounds away and turn your body into a masterpiece! Get your life moving in the right direction with BetterMe!
What Happens to My Body When I Stop Drinking Soda?
Changes in your body will depend on how often you consume soda. Individuals who drink it daily may initially feel bad and unusual due to the caffeine content in soda being removed from their diet. Caffeine withdrawal may temporarily result in unpleasant symptoms, such as irritation, fatigue, or even depression (9).
However, such symptoms typically only apply to heavy soda drinkers who can’t imagine a single meal without consuming a sweetened beverage.
When it comes to occasional soda drinkers, they may feel cravings but over time this desire to consume soda passes.
Also, people often start to notice positive body changes within the first couple of months. As previously mentioned, this could lead to:
- Decreased food cravings
- Increased weight loss
- Improved energy
- Reduced risk of obesity and type 2 diabetes.
Read more: 7 Zero Calorie Drinks for Intermittent Fasting (And a Few More to Avoid)
What Are Some Other Benefits of Not Drinking Soda?
An additional benefit of removing soda from your daily routine is improved sleep. Research published in 2016 showed the link between shortened sleep duration and soda consumption. The important factor seems to be the caffeine content in soda (10).
The list of improvements continues to develop as you eliminate soda from your routine. If you sleep better, you have more energy the next day. Therefore, an additional benefit of not drinking soda is your energy levels will improve once you return to enjoying more high-quality sleep.
Another perk of avoiding soda is the decreased risk of osteoporosis. One study showed that a high consumption of soft drinks is associated with an increased risk of fracture (11).
Drinking no soda at all ensures it cannot negatively impact the health of your heart and blood pressure. According to a study, adolescents who replaced soda with reduced-fat milk demonstrated reduced blood pressure and potential cardiometabolic benefits (12).
How Much Weight Will I Lose if I Stop Drinking Soda for 30 Days?
According to a publication from the University of Utah, a person who eliminates soda can lose approximately a pound per week (13).
However, it’s hard to define the exact number of calories a person can lose because other factors contribute to weight loss, such as high sleep quality, improved stress management, an active lifestyle (especially a strength training routine), nutritious foods, hydration, and a daily calorie deficit.
BetterMe is your fast-track ticket to long-lasting weight loss! Tailor your fitness journey and maximize your results with just a couple of swipes!
How to Stop Drinking Soda
The most effective way to stop drinking soda is to replace it with healthier alternatives. And no, the options aren’t only limited to plain water (which is still a winner, by the way).
Great healthy alternatives to soda include:
- Sparkling water with no added sugars
- Adding lemon or berries to water
- Coconut water or kombucha
In addition to finding alternatives, making lifestyle changes is essential.
- Avoid getting too hungry. For example, have a savory, satiating breakfast and healthier snacks if you feel hungry between meals.
- Distract yourself. A good option is to take a 10-minute walk. Drink water if you think you’re hungry. Sometimes a simple glass of water will reduce your cravings.
- Try to reduce the intake of soda gradually. It may be difficult to cut back on something enticing and sweet. People who quit smoking promptly can face adverse effects, such as anxiety and irritation and the same is true when people stop consuming caffeine or soda. Quitting it gradually could soften the blow without evoking any unpleasant conditions. For example, instead of drinking soda at each meal, a person could try to reduce the intake to just 1 or 2 glasses a day as a first step.
Read more: 7 Benefits of Quitting Caffeine, and What To Drink Instead
What Happens if I Only Drink Water?
Drinking water without any sugar added is essential to a quality life characterized by good health. According to Harvard Medical School, the foremost benefits of drinking water are:
- Carrying nutrients and oxygen to your cells
- Flushing bacteria from your bladder
- Cushioning joints
- Improving digestion
- Protecting organs and tissues
- Maintaining electrolyte (sodium) balance
- Preventing constipation
- Regulating blood pressure
- Normalizing body temperature (14).
As you can see, your body needs water. As long as you stay well hydrated by drinking water and avoiding sugary beverages, you may reduce the risk of weight gain. This ultimately decreases the chances of severe health conditions such as obesity or heart disease. Swapping soda with water is the best decision for every person who wants to support their well-being.
When comparing soda and alcohol, alcohol is more harmful to health as it’s more toxic and can cause immediate harm, poisoning, and toxification. The immediate risks of alcohol can be more severe, but the effects of sugar are often more subtle and it might lead to chronic diseases over time if you abuse it. Your skin may look more healthy and youthful when you stop drinking sodas as the sugar that’s found in soda could be the cause of acne breakouts. Therefore, the elimination of sugary beverages could make your skin clearer. There is a high possibility you could lose fat when you stop drinking soda. You won’t only reduce your sugar intake, you’ll also reduce additional food cravings that come with soda consumption. Coke Zero is bad for you as it contains artificial sweeteners. Its abuse can also lead to weight gain, heart problems, and other unpleasant conditions. Frequently Asked Questions
Is soda worse than alcohol?
Does quitting soda help improve skin complexion?
Will I lose belly fat if I stop drinking soda?
Is Coke Zero bad for you?
The Bottom Line
This article has reviewed the main benefits of not drinking soda or why this sugary beverage is worth quitting. The high consumption of soda is linked to a number of health conditions, such as weight gain, skin issues, overeating, heart disease, and obesity.
Therefore, people who cut back on cola or other soft drinks may lose weight, sleep better, improve their skin health, have whiter teeth, and lessen their food cravings.
The best way to quit drinking soda is to look for alternatives or make this process less challenging by reducing soda intake gradually.
DISCLAIMER:
This article is intended for general informational purposes only and does not serve to address individual circumstances. It is not a substitute for professional advice or help and should not be relied on for making any kind of decision-making. Any action taken as a direct or indirect result of the information in this article is entirely at your own risk and is your sole responsibility.
BetterMe, its content staff, and its medical advisors accept no responsibility for inaccuracies, errors, misstatements, inconsistencies, or omissions and specifically disclaim any liability, loss or risk, personal, professional or otherwise, which may be incurred as a consequence, directly or indirectly, of the use and/or application of any content.
You should always seek the advice of your physician or other qualified health provider with any questions you may have regarding a medical condition or your specific situation. Never disregard professional medical advice or delay seeking it because of BetterMe content. If you suspect or think you may have a medical emergency, call your doctor.
SOURCES:
- Get the Facts: Sugar-Sweetened Beverages and Consumption (2022, cdc.gov)
- Coca Cola (n.d., nutritionix.com)
- Sugary Drinks (2023, hsph.harvard.edu)
- Resolved: there is sufficient scientific evidence that decreasing sugar-sweetened beverage consumption will reduce the prevalence of obesity and obesity-related diseases (2013, onlinelibrary.wiley.com)
- Losing Belly Fat (n.d., rush.edu)
- Daily Intake of Soft Drinks and Moderate-to-Severe Acne Vulgaris in Chinese Adolescents (2019, ncbi.nlm.nih.gov)
- Testing the Effect of Aggressive Beverage on the Damage of Enamel Structure (2017, ncbi.nlm.nih.gov)
- Impact of soft drinks to health and economy: a critical review (2019, springer.com)
- Caffeine Withdrawal (2023, ncbi.nlm.nih.gov)
- Short and sweet: Associations between self-reported sleep duration and sugar-sweetened beverage consumption among adults in the United States (2016, sleephealthjournal.org)
- High Consumption of Soft Drinks Is Associated with an Increased Risk of Fracture: A 7-Year Follow-Up Study (2020, mdpi.com)
- A Randomized Study of the Effect of Replacing Sugar-Sweetened Soda by Reduced Fat Milk on Cardiometabolic Health in Male Adolescent Soda Drinkers (2020, mdpi.com)
- Health Hack: Lose Weight By Cutting Soda (2019, utah.edu)
- How much water should you drink? (2023, health.harvard.edu)
