Hard on Soft Drinks

A recent proposal to push for taxes on soft drinks was rejected on 11/14/06 by the American Medical Association.  The initial proposal was an attempt to combat the obesity epidemic in the United States.  Instead, the nation's most influential doctors' group voted in favor of a proposal for a broader-based effort to combat obesity, the Associated Press reported.

If you drink more cola than anything else, you're not alone.

Soft drinks currently account for 7 percent of the calories in the typical American diet, which makes them the leading source of calories.

For some tips on how to ease off the cola,

• If you drink it for the fizz then switch to seltzer water and mix your own juice in.
• If you drink it for the caffeine then try drinking tea (or even coffee) instead.  Juice is OK, but can likewise be high in sugar and should not be your only beverage.
• If you drink it because it is always there then start stocking your fridge with other alternatives.  At work, ask whoever handles the food situation to have more non-cola alternatives available.
• If you drink it because it's diet then you should know that the artificial sweeteners raise red flags in terms of many health concerns (experts are still figuring out how our bodies deal with artificial sweeteners) and the high acidity (diet sodas are more acidic than regular) can erode your teeth.
• If you drink it because you just thought it was healthy then you couldn't be more wrong.  If you want healthy, drink a glass of milk or water.

Fit's Tip:  I am not sure the war to tax soft drinks is over, so you might as well wean yourself now for your health and your wallet.