Kathy O’Sullivan, a 41-year-old call center agent from Portsmouth in the United Kingdom, is a self-confessed Coke addict who used to take 6 liters of the soda – a source of 2,400 calories and 162 teaspoons of sugar every day.
O’Sullivan started to be hooked on Coca-Cola at age 13, and now the mother of three started to bear the grim consequences of her addiction: losing three teeth and being severely anemic that she needed to undergo three blood transfusions.
“I am a normal weight … but my diet is terrible. I have to force myself to eat because I fill myself up with fizzy drink all the time,” she recounted in an interview, addicting all the sugar – instead of giving her lots of energy – made her feel “permanently drained and tired.”
O’Sullivan has tried to swap ordinary Coke for the diet variety, but she said she disliked the taste and missed the sugar rush from the regular Coke. She has also sought help from her doctor many times – she was given caffeine tablets, but they made no difference in curtailing her soda addiction.
Now, the Coke addict will be trying hypnosis to address her sticky situation.
Several studies have shown the benefits of swearing off soft drinks, which are blamed for the excess calories that fuel the obesity epidemic in the United States and many other countries. A study published in the Journal of Clinical Endocrinology and Metabolism, for instance, suggested that common soda sweetener such as fructose may incite a weight gain-promoting hormonal response in the body.
A study presented at an American Diabetes Association meeting, on the other hand, showed that women who transitioned from less than one, non-diet soda a day to one or more sodas were almost twice as likely to develop type 2 diabetes within four years as those who consumed less than one soda a day.
But how can one curb their soda intake? Another drink or healthy food on hand may replace a fizzy drink, advised clinical nutrition expert Lona Sandon of the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center.
Here are tips for a healthy soda swap:
1. Drinking soda for energy? Try coffee or tea for some pick-me-up, and they are full of antioxidants for protective benefits. Lightly sweeten them with stevia, a natural plant extract, or a teaspoon of honey.
2. Drinking soda due to low blood sugar? The adrenal glands of people who have low blood sugar probably need support, where their blood sugar drops when or when they get so exhausted from being chronically fatigued. Try managing stress better, and avoid dropping blood sugar caused by skipping meals. Snack on some nuts and healthy fats like walnuts could help too.
3. Drinking soda due to (unconsciously) feeling body yeast? Sugar cravings might be a product of yeast or candida overgrowth in the gut. To fight this, get good probiotics and try tea with stevia, cinnamon, and nutmeg. An alternative would be to go for fruit-infused water instead.
4. Drinking soda due to hormones? This can trigger bad cravings, so kick up the estrogen status and increase feel-good hormones by consuming edamame, drinking soy milk, or eating berries or two squares of dark chocolate.
Photo: Matthias Ripp | Flickr
