As much as we love our soda, the effects of all the harmful ingredients which make up a can of “pop” can contribute to our aging faces! Many soda drinkers crave the bubbly beverage with ferocity, but what we don’t realize is all of the things we are putting into our bodies, and the outcome we’ll have later on. There is a great site (www.Oleda.com) which listed all of the ingredients found in soda. Check them out:
“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.”
As you can see, there are many reasons why we should cut down on our soda intake. There was one blog that commented that she had been a heavy soda drinker for over twenty years and continuously had eye twitches. One person suggested to her that the twitches could be from a build up of Phosphoric Acid from all of the soda. The person then suggested that she cut out all of the colored soda from her diet. After she cut out the colored soda, she was free from eye-twitching!
Research has shown that sugar attaches to proteins in our bodies, which then can damage surrounding proteins. This, in turn, deteriorates the collagen ( the protein that keeps our skin elastic and taught). Not only are we left with wrinkly, sagging skin, it is also dull and less vibrant. Think about that the next time you order an icy cold soda!
So, it doesn’t mean that if you have a cold soda every once in a great while that you’ll end up with a wrinkle for every ounce of soda, but it does mean that you’re more likely than a water drinker to develop wrinkles. I bet you’re asking yourself “so what do I do?” Here’s your answer: Replace. If you are highly addicted to soda, make a list of how often you drink soda and how much. Start by replacing one soda per day or per occasion with water or flavored, no sugar added, water. Work yourself down to having all of your sodas replaced with water. You can also try Crystal Light flavored powders. They are tasty and add that flavoring that we all like. Also! If you like lemon or lime you can throw that into ice water. It’s a great, refreshing taste.
It’s amazing when we fully concentrate on cutting the bad things out of our diets how much our skin and body functions improve. Let us know how you improve your skin by cutting out the sodas!
The first rule of thumb is to stick with well known and established products. Get whatever samples you can. Some creams are very heavy and not suitable for use in hot and humid weather and you might not like the feel of them on your skin. Ask if you can use the product for 30 days with a money back guarantee if you don’t see results. Don’t believe the claim that you have to use a company’s entire product line to see any results. Most companies have made a fortune with “add-on” products like cleansers, toners, and serums. The moisturizer and the serum are usually the highest priced products. Buy only the moisturizer. You will get the best bang for your buck from the moisturizer as it is used over the entire face as opposed to the serum, which is generally only used on trouble spots such the area around the eyes and lips. If you find you like the moisturizer then try the cleanser, and so on. Read up on the product. There is a wealth of information on line and many sites such as consumerhealthdigest.com have already done a lot of the work for you by evaluating many wrinkle creams to see if they live up to their claims.
