So many of us thought we were being virtuous by opting for a diet soda with a meal. We cut down on the calories. Not so, according to this story by NPR. What has happened is while there may be fewer calories in our glass, we just add them to our plate. And what’s worse, we end up eating more calories than someone drinking a sugared soda.
Last Saturday, to help a relative kick the soda habit, I decided to drop my 8 ounces with lunch. Some days I have had lunch with water, others club soda and one day I popped for a Pellegrino. Turns out what I like is the cold and the bubbly of soda, and seem to be OK without it. I already drink water with breakfast and dinner. I drink water all day long and whenever I drive I fill up my water bottle and take it along. It’s a good way to make sure you stay hydrated.
Often we make big, grandiose resolutions on Jan. 1. By this time we’ve dropped them because they were too big. Start small, I say. Consider dropping the diet soda. It adds no nutrition and may be making you fat. Remember, you can take the road to better health with baby steps and are more likely to stick with them because they’re more doable. Try giving up the diet soda. You may discover as I have it’s not as tough as I thought it would be. — Sue Ontiveros
