Is Soda Really Bad For You?

What the quickest, easiest way to give yourself Type 2 diabetes (or make it much worse if you already have it)? Just drink a soda every day. Seriously. Research recently published in the medical journal Diabetes Care (November, 2010) found that drinking just one or two sugary drinks per day increases your risk for diabetes by a whopping 26%! This was a big study, too -- involving more than 300,000 people. You might be surprised to learn that this risk increased even in soda-drinkers who weren't overweight. This is further proof that being overweight isn't the reason people get diabetes -- which I'll explain in more detail in a future issue. Suffice it to say that not all overweight people will get Type 2 diabetes -- and not all slender folks are immune. The damage sodas do: The real damage that diabetes does is at the metabolic level where you can't notice it until too late. Here's what happens... 1. Sodas and sugary drinks enter the bloodstream through the small intestine causing an immediate spike in blood sugar (or glucose). 2. This triggers the call for insulin to remove the excess glucose. 3. Insulin removes this glucose from the bloodstream by turning it into fat (called triglycerides). 4. These fats clog up the insulin receptors on your muscles and cells. Result? They can't respond to insulin properly (the condition called insulin resistance) so excess glucose remains in your blood. 5. Responding to your still-high blood sugar levels, your pancreas pumps out more insulin. Over time this causes Type 2 diabetes. 6. Eventually your pancreas "burns out" and can no longer produce any insulin (Type 1 diabetes). 7. Now you must take insulin injections for the rest of your life -- or else glucose can't enter your cells and brain, resulting in diabetic coma and death. It only takes one or two sodas a day to sink you! (And we all know people who seem to be sucking on a soda constantly.) If that's not enough to get you off soda and sugary drinks, here's more of the serious harm they do... Their high sugar content makes these drinks extremely inflammatory. This means they damage the delicate lining of your arteries as if tiny shards of glass were scratching it. This causes plaque build-up, heart disease, and eventually heart attack or stroke. Along the way, sodas also cause hypertension, liver problems, Alzheimer's, and even cancer (because all that insulin and glucose in your bloodstream is carcinogenic. I'll explain the sugar-cancer link in a future issue.) "Diet soda" isn't any better for you -- and may be worse! According to the just-published Northern Manhattan Study, people who drank just one diet soda per day experienced a 61% higher risk of heart attack or stroke compared to those who drank none. What's more, these diet drinks contain artificial sweeteners that have been linked to cancer and other serious health problems. Artificial sweeteners also have been shown to stimulate appetite centers in the brain that make you overeat and become obese. So can the sodas, please, because... There are plenty of yummy, healthful beverages that will satisfy your thirst without upsetting your blood sugar. In fact, the drinks below possess beneficial compounds that will actually help heal your blood sugar so you can get off all medication you may be on. Here are my 10 favorite diabetes-friendly beverages... 1. Accessorized water. If plain water is too boring, add slices of your favorite fruits and veggies (lemons, oranges, watermelon, cucumber, mint or limes). Always carry your own supply with you in a glass bottle or stainless steel container. Never drink from a plastic bottle because some plastics (like PBA) actually cause diabetes or make it worse! 2. Soda spritzer. If going cold turkey is too scary, retreat from your soda habit gradually by diluting your favorite soft drink with 1/2 to 2/3 sparkling water. Graduate to just a splash of soda in sparkling water. One day you'll wonder why you should bother at all. 3. Chilled green or black tea. Both are loaded with antioxidants that help repair the cellular damage done by diabetes and inflammation. Sweeten with a little no-cal stevia or xylitol and flavor with lemon and/or ginger. 4. Iced ginger or herbal tea. Add a tiny bit of stevia or xylitol and/or unsweetened pomegranate juice to taste. 5. Milk. Studies show that the calcium in dairy products helps you lose weight. You might also purchase whey protein powder (a byproduct of the cheese-making process) and mix it with flavored water. BTW ... Swedish researchers discovered that when whey protein is consumed with a high-carb meal, insulin production is naturally increased by between 35% and 57%, helping to lower glucose. 6. Iced coffee. Real coffee is beneficial for both diabetes and heart disease. But that doesn't mean a 16-ounce Starbucks Iced Caffe Mocha with Whipped Cream (330 calories)! Instead, brew strong black coffee for its healing antioxidant and caffeine benefits. Mix with a splash of milk and pour over ice. 7. Fruit spritzer. Mix ¼ unsweetened pomegranate or blueberry juice with ¾ sparkling water. Garnish with lemon or lime. 8. No-cal lemonade. Squeeze fresh lemons into water or mineral water. Sweeten with a little no-cal stevia or xylitol. 9. Soy milk. Be sure to check the sugar content of soy milk brands, and choose the lowest you can find. Soy protein powder (again, read the labels to avoid high sugar content) can be added to water for a tasty and nutritious drink. Not everyone believes soy is healthful -- but it is fine in moderation. (Talk to you doctor first if you're on any cancer treatment because soy contains natural estrogen.) 10. Unsweetened fruit smoothies. Mix a few frozen berries with unsweetened yogurt, whey protein powder, ground flaxseeds (called flaxmeal), and a splash of pomegranate or cranberry juice in the blender. It's a meal in a glass! Now, how easy is that? In fact, one the fastest, easiest ways to reverse your diabetes (so you can get off all those nasty meds) is to... Quit consuming the foods and beverages that gave you diabetes in the first place -- and switch to the Diabetes Healing Superfoods described in detail in our bestselling book, The 30-Day Diabetes Cure. Want a free glimpse at some of these incredibly healing foods right now? Just click on this link and watch a fascinating brief video... www.30daydiabetescure.com

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