Surprising Facts About Heart Disease

As you know I am on a mission to empower busy parents to take over their health and always be able to keep up with their kids! So, in honor of heart health month I want to talk about soda!

Sugar has been labeled by many as a toxin, and for good reason. It’s been linked to diseases that dominate our healthcare system, such as cancer, obesity, insulin resistance, type 2 diabetes, high blood pressure, high cholesterol and liver disease.

The average American consumes 150 pounds of sugar a year!

According to Mark Hyman, MD, sugar consumption is more serious than you think.
Check out these facts:

• 90% of kids and 50% of the U.S. population drinks soda once a day.

• One can of soda a day increases a kid’s chance of obesity by 60%.

• You have to walk 4 1/2 miles to burn off one 20-ounce soda.

• Obesity (not just being overweight) has risen from 9% to 36% since 1960. It’s projected to hit 50% by 2050.

• Sugar is eight times more addictive than cocaine.

• The average American eats 1 pound of sugar every day (that’s about 2 cups of sugar).

Is diet soda better?

A can of diet soda a day can be connected to a higher likelihood of heart disease, stroke, diabetes, and high blood pressure in addition to contributing to weight gain.

The acid in diet soda attacks the enamel in your teeth, while the artificial sweeteners like aspartame hit your system and may trigger taste buds and trick your body into thinking you just had regular sugar.

Like regular soda this can trigger sugar levels to spike, which sends your body into fat storage mode. Also, some data show those who drink artificially sweetened beverages double the risk of metabolic syndrome which is related to diabetes and cardiovascular problems.

A can of regular and diet soda will never quench your thirst as it dehydrates rather than hydrate your body. A lack of water can lead to brain fog, poor concentration, fatigue and feeling irritable which in turn can increase cravings and weight gain.

Check out this article about a teenage girl losing 30 pounds in 3 months by just cutting out soda.

So, what’s an alternative to soda? Carbonated mineral water- there are limited studies, but in these studies it has shown that it may protect against heart disease by reducing the “bad” LDL cholesterol and increase the “good” HDL cholesterol.

If you’re not a fan of sparkling mineral water, here’s a refreshing recipe idea to make it tasty!

8oz sparkling mineral water

1/2 lime, squeezed

A pinch of sea or Himalayan salt

Mix is all up and enjoy!

If you can’t stop drinking soda cold turkey then slowly reduce the amount of cans you drink to eventually be able to eliminate it. For example, if you drink 1 can a day reduce it to 1 can every other, once that gets easy to do, reduce one more can per week, and keep eliminating a can per week until you don’t need any.

Have you checked out the The Get Strong & Fit Program? In the program I provide recipes and meal ideas the entire family will love. If you’d like to chat further about The Get Strong & Fit program take a look at the details https://www.strong4byv.com/get-strong-fit You can sign up for a call HERE and we can chat to see if it is the right fit for you.