The Hard Facts of Soft Drinks

Soft drinks have become a part of our modern life. We all consume it regularly without a second thought. Be it a social gathering, business meeting or meeting people generally. Many of us gulp it in minutes without knowing how it affects out physical health.

The moment it enters our body, our pancreas quickly starts to make insulin because of its excessive sugar. As we know insulin is a hormone produced by the pancreas, which is used by the body to move sugars (carbohydrates) from food into the circulation. These sugars are used by the cells for energy purpose. In 20 minutes of consuming these drinks, the blood glucose level increases and our liver starts storing the excess sugar in the form of fats, thus leading to obesity.

Soft drinks have Sodium Benzoate which mixes with the diet and decreases the amount of Potassium in our body and this sometimes reacts to Asthma  and skin aggravation.  The high responsive solvents present in soft drinks when mixed with saliva become acidic in nature, this influences negatively to the delicate skin in the mouth. With every sip of it, the teeth decrease by some percentage.

Soft drinks have high amount of fructose syrup which is associated with increased risk of metabolic disorders which further increase the risk of diabetes and heart disease.

One out of 55 deaths everyday are caused by heart stroke which is an after effect of drinking soft drinks.

Many soft drinks contain Phosphoric acids which disturbs the digestive system. Also it increases the odds of kidney stone.

The Endocrine System of the body is affected by tar present in the soft drink. This tar contains BPA ie Biphenyl A which is similar to tumour causing compound found in water bottles and tinned products. All this can bring the untimely adolescence in the body. By the use of these drinks, calcium is urinated along with phosphoric acids, this leads to thinning of bones and calcium deficiency.

Within minutes of drinking these, there is sugar over burdening and glucose shoots. Insulin is secreted in large amounts and every thing goes haywire in the body

So, avoid this carbonated water which is highly sweetened, artificially flavoured, has high fructose corn syrup or sugar substitute, contains caffeine, colouring and preservatives.

Switch to coconut water, lemon water, fresh vegetable, fruit juices, butter milk, milkshakes, smoothies, tea, iced tea and other natural drinks.

Water and Health

The saying goes correctly here that we don’t value what we have in abundance and is free of cost. And one big example is of water.  Mother earth has given us water in abundance.

How many of us drink water in the required portion, may be just a handful.  Doubtless if the body is well hydrated then one deals with much lesser health issues.

First lets check if we are dehydrated or not. Thirst is not a fool proof sign of dehydration as the weather and activity level can interfere, so if you are not thirsty ,does not mean that you are not dehydrated and don’t require water. Some signs of dehydration are fatigue; headache, mood swings and severe dehydration can cause mental confusion. Researches say that dehydrated people score low in reasoning tests and have difficulty in concentration.

In fact dehydration sometimes sends body wrong signals of hunger and in response body gets more prone to sugar cravings.  On the other hand staying well hydrated sends the body signals of feeling full, as the satiety level is influenced by the stomach. Drinking water can curb the appetite.

Dehydrated body can cause dry mouth; means there is less saliva production. Saliva keeps the mouth naturally fresh by rinsing away odor causing bacteria and food particles, where as dry mouth from dehydration lets debris built up in the mouth surface contributing to foul smell. So next time your mouth smells, can be due to less intake of water.  To avoid bad breath, keep sipping water through out the day, keep snacking on hydrated fruits.

Dehydration plays an important role in the quality of skin. Due to less moisture the skin can get flakey, dull, can have fine lines and dark spots. Even if one has an oily skin, that does not mean it is healthy. In fact then the skin is prone to breakouts. As the oil glands try to make up for the lack of moisture. Keep the skin glowing by drinking a large glass of water before consuming tea & coffee. Avoid long hot showers which dry the skin further. Dehydration is also associated to headaches. Low blood pressure means less blood and less oxygen carried to brain cells.  The vessels in the brain widen to try to increase the flow, this triggers the headache, drinking enough water may prevent headache.

A good way to judge whether we are well hydrated. Check the urine. If the urine is pale yellow, means you are well hydrated, if it gets more yellow means you need to drink more water. Dark yellow to orange urine indicates severe dehydration.

The ideal advice is to drink eight glasses of water per day. Though many a times the amount of water needed by the body depends on health, activity levels, 2.2 liters of water i.e. nine glasses keeps a healthy adult well hydrated.

So the trick to drink more water. If you force yourself to drink more water even for a week, you will start felling the change in your body like more energy, less confusion, better physical activity, a feel good factor. These signs are self encouraging. Many times water helps your muscle contract, lubricates the joints and makes it easier for the brain to process information. People who drink more water consume less calories, salt, fat and sugar.

Use tricks to keep yourself motivated to drink water. Match a glass of water to every cup of tea or coffee. Even if its soda or sparkling water, try to increase your intake.
On a funny note play a drinking game with yourself means drink water whenever you check social media.  Keep your water bottle visible through out the day, sip while watching TV.
Old people and young children have weak thirst response. They should learn to be proactive. Keep colorful favorite cartoon glasses for children.

Another good trick would be squeeze few lemons adding leaves of mint, some cumin seeds. Add water n run in a blender. Freeze in cubes. Every time you drink water and you feel tasteless, add a cube and drink, so you also get additional antioxidant with every glass.

Making a jar of thin butter milk and drinking it through out the day adds up to the liquid intake of the body. Eat water rich fruits and vegetables like cucumber, zucchini, tomatoes, watermelon, and carrots. After a work out, cool down with cucumber and watermelon slices. Eating these whole foods can replace the vitamins, amino acids and water loss from the cells. Crush mix fresh fruits in a jar and keep in the fridge to make whole days healthy drink, this way the sugary drinks can be avoided.

Live a healthy life, along with a glowing skin and a healthy mind and body with a free of cost measure, drink water often.

Green tea and its benefits

An interesting fact which is not commonly known is that all teas come from the same plant known as Camellia Sinensis. The way a tea is processed makes it green or black.

Caffeine content is in different proportion in both the teas. Green tea is low in caffeine, so if you want to feel fresh and energetic in the morning then choose black over green. Where as during the day if you want to relax over a cup of health drink then green tea is perfect. Remember if you add milk to any of the teas, then the effect is not the same. Milk reduces the effect of caffeine to a great extent.

When it comes to antioxidants then both the teas are winners. This quality helps in preventing cancer, though green tea is still higher in antioxidants. The absorption of antioxidant is affected by the milk present in it. EGCG is a type of flavonoid present in green tea which regulates the gene activity in cancer cells and can even halt the growth of cancer cells.

The fluoride content of these teas is good for the bone and teeth health. Black tea if made with tap water gives high fluoride. Again here if milk is added the fluoride value weakens.

This drink is heart friendly as the ECGC content creates a lining along the blood vessel to reduce the stress. Black tea improves the working of blood vessels making the cardiovascular system work more smoothly. Both the teas are helpful in reducing the bad cholesterol from the blood, though milk tea does not support the same.

So enjoy the tea that suits your personally.
Green tea not more than 6 cups and black tea not more than 3 cups. To enjoy the full health benefits, add to them a dash of cinnamon and ginger.

Brewing the tea correctly requires 2 gram of tea per 100 ml of water or 1 teaspoonful of tea leaves per 150 ml water. Brewing the tea too hot and too long will result in bitter taste due to the release of extensive amounts of tannins.

One can keep adding water to green tea leaves
until the flavour degrades.

One cup of green tea contains just one calorie
with a caffeine content of `12 mg.

Enjoy this health drink by adding honey and lemon
for a refreshing flavour.

"So enjoy the tea that suits your personally!"