The Healthy Way

Thursday, June 01, 2006

355 ml of pop may lead to 355 health issues

Q: I am a 39-year old female and I have always loved soft drinks.

I drink at least three cans of pop a day. On the weekend I usually finish at least eight, sometimes 12.

For the past few years I have switched to diet drinks because they have fewer calories.

I have tried to cut down because many people have told me it isn't good for me, but I become so agitated and tired if I don't have it.

Am I really harming my body?

If so, what else can I drink to give me the same type of energy?

Signed, Pop-Aholic

A: I am sure you have heard the saying "you are what you eat."

In your case, you are what you drink.

Just read the ingredients of your pop. The more there is on the label, the worse it is for you.

Here are some examples:

  1. Soft drinks steal water from the body. To replace the water stolen by soft drinks, you need to drink 8-12 glasses of water for every one glass of soft drinks that you consume!
  2. Soft drinks never quench your thirst, certainly not your body's need for water. Constantly denying your body an adequate amount can lead to chronic cellular dehydration, a condition that weakens your body at the cellular level. This, in turn, can lead to a weakened immune system.
  3. The elevated levels of phosphates in soft drinks leach vital minerals from your body. Soft drinks are made with purified water that also leach vital minerals from your body. A severe lack of minerals can lead to heart disease (lack of magnesium), osteoporosis (lack of calcium) and many other diseases.
  4. Soft drinks can remove rust from a car bumper or other metal surfaces. Imagine what it's doing to your digestive tract as well as the rest of your body.

The reason you are agitated and tired when you go off them is because you are going through a withdrawal reaction not dissimilar to that of drug withdrawal.

You need to slowly replace your soft drinks with pure water.

Try to alternate for a day or so, then cut down even further. Increase your water supply.

I always give my patients abundant adrenal support. After you have been on the "high" you will feel tired when cleansing. An adrenal extract will help give you some energy back.

Frequently I will use an alkalizing solution. Your body is extremely acidic and by drinking alkaline water you will restore your balance quicker.

If you are nutritionally depleted, often I give vitamin injections. They work faster and have a more profound effect on the body.

Read next week's article for more reasons to avoid soft drinks.

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Dr. Elena Krasnov is a registered Naturopathic Doctor and Clinic Director of the Toronto Naturopathic Clinic. Submit your questions online here