How to replace soda without mourning

July 16, 2009   3 Comments

Seven percent of the average American's calories come from soda (see reference below). What if you could reduce or even eliminate soda from your diet? If you weigh about 160 pounds, and all you did was eliminate soda from your diet, you could lose approximately 11 pounds over a year.

Of course, everyone loves soda. It tastes delicious. My husband's first memory at the age of 2 was of his first taste of Coke. It is found worldwide, and it takes an enormous amount of self-discipline to avoid it.

How do you replace soda? Try replacing the soda you drink with other tasty liquids. Herbal tea is a great choice, because not only does it taste great - but it is made with ingredients that are good for you.

What is in herbal tea? It depends on the flavor. For example, chamomile tea is made with chamomile flowers. Red Zinger has things like rosehips, peppermint, and orange peel. You are literally drinking the juice of flowers and herbs.

There are other benefits to herbal teas which (depending on the tea) can be stress release, promoting sleep, and reducing inflammation. And, there are so many flavors. If you don't like one, keep looking until you find the one that suits you.

Our photo is of a glass of Red Zinger iced tea. Iced tea is easy to make. Just brew up some tea and put it in the fridge for later. Since, it is homemade, it doesn't have any extra sugar added to it.

Remember that if you find your tea too sour, a teaspoon of sugar is only going to set you back 15 calories. That is nothing compared to 8 ounces of soda which is 100 calories.

The statistic on American soda consumption is found in Mark Bittman's "Food Matters". Check it out for a discussion on reasons for changing your eating habits:

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