Hello! My name is Joe, and I’m a sodaholic. They say that the definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over again, while expecting different results each time.How much product can I get in? This will pick me up this time. I just want the fizz between my teeth for a little while longer.
If there were a meeting for a soda addiction, you might find me there. I moved up to Charlotte some years ago and it was at that point that I discovered even more local soda products that were not available in other parts of the country. This made my soda drinking habits even worse.
I enjoy coffee. I enjoy the pick-me-up. It can be argued that once combined, the caffeine rush with HFCS found in soda gave me the perfect peace of mind I so craved. Does this sound familiar? I will never argue to take away a good cup of coffee. What I will argue against is the experience of walking down the grocery aisle and feeling the craving of something that I would later learn can give me extreme issues with diabetes along with a myriad of other health consequences thanks to HFCS and the byproducts found within soda.
The first step was to take the challenge and admit there was a problem. Thankfully for beginning this challenge, food allergies were nothing new to me. I suffered severe migraines as a kid thanks in part to my addictively overeating a product loaded with preservatives. Still don’t think unnatural, unhealthy and processed food is bad for you?Luckily, I have outgrown most of those issues by this point in my life. The lifestyle I led as a result of those allergies has stayed with me, and forced me to make some changes. Why not turn over a new leaf and take a step against diabetes, obesity, and the bad effects of a sugary crash?
I had already begun the process of eliminating out soda from my life a few years prior. Encouraged by NoFizz Charlotte and the daily reminders via Twitter, along with the support of fellow Charlotte friends, soda and high fructose corn syrup-based products would be a thing of the past in my life.
The simple challenge NoFizzCLT presented to me was not a major lifestyle change. No body is asking me to remove my coffee drinking – simply the byproducts, and unnatural processed chemicals found within soda. The results are another step towards a healthier alternative to living.
There are no sugary crashes during the middle of the day. While I have no scientific proof, since the last time I cracked open a can of soda, even stress levels appear to have subsided. The impacts to my areas of life being a little less stressed have improved. I supplanted soda for water, sparkling cider, and carbonated flavored water mixed with natural juices.
Living healthier is not all or nothing. Making a healthier change is as simple as one step at a time. I encourage all to take one simple step as I did with NoFizz Charlotte and take this challenge!
About the Author: Joe, an avid dog trainer and rescuer, lives and works in Charlotte, North Carolina, and runs the blog Caffeine Central.
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