That soda in your hand is killing you

As you all know, I eat healthy. I prepare foods with preservative free products, churn my own butter, grow my own veggies, etc... Anything I can do to ensure that my family is as healthy and chemical free as possible, I do it! One problem though is the sodas! Mountain Dew specifically. For years, I have been hooked on the caffeine in Mountain Dew and even though my mind says "don't", my body aches for it! Literally! I began to have headaches, become super light headed and sometimes shake! Its almost like someone coming off of a drug. At that point, I give in and go grab a Dew. Many people ask me how does it taste and honestly, I cant say its "Oh so good" because Im not drinking for taste, I drink it because of the way it makes me feel. Its my drug of choice and I set out on a mission to see why its so dangerous to us and why our bodies react as they do to them.

Soft drinks cause more harm and no good to our bodies! Why? Here are a few ingredients in soft drinks and the effects of the ingredients

Phosphoric Acid: May interfere with the body's ability to use calcium, which can lead to osteoporosis or softening of the teeth and bones. Phosphoric acid also neutralizes the hydrochloric acid in your stomach, which can interfere with digestion, making it difficult to utilize nutrients.

Sugar: Soft drink manufacturers are the largest single user of refined sugar in the United States. It is a proven fact that sugar increases insulin levels, which can lead to high blood pressure, high cholesterol, heart disease, diabetes, weight gain, premature aging and many more negative side effects. Most sodas include over 100 percent of the RDA of sugar.

Aspartame: This chemical is used as a sugar substitute in diet soda. There are over 92 different health side effects associated with aspartame consumption including brain tumors, birth defects, diabetes, emotional disorders and epilepsy/seizures. Further, when aspartame is stored for long periods of time or kept in warm areas it changes to methanol, an alcohol that converts to formaldehyde and formic acid, which are known carcinogens.

Caffeine: Caffeinated drinks can cause jitters, insomnia, high blood pressure, irregular heartbeat, elevated blood cholesterol levels, vitamin and mineral depletion, breast lumps, birth defects, and perhaps some forms of cancer.

Looking at the above ingredients and the harm caused by the ingredients, its not surprising the affect soda's have on our bodies and why we are so addicted.

This is a serious problem, not just for you but for me as well. We can't concentrate on living a healthy, chemical free life in other areas and continue to fill our bodies with the garbage contained in soda's. Let's make a change