Are you a soda drinker?  A tea drinker?  Indulge in the occasional (or not so occasional) alcoholic drink?  Then I’m here to ruin your day!  Ok, not really.  I do strongly feel moderation is the key when it comes to consumption of food and drink, but one question that pops up every now and then is the following, “Which is worse, soda or alcohol?”  I threw tea products in just to make the title catchy.

I’m not going to list out every horrible negative effect of these drinks, most of you know the general reasons why soda and alcohol aren’t good for you.  I’m going to list some of the effects that you may not be aware of.  As for tea, you might be surprised that there ARE possible negative effects.

Ohhh, what-a-rush….of sugar and caffeine!

Let’s start with sodas.  Not only do soft drinks have excruciatingly high levels of sugar and calories that do absolutely nothing but add to fat and lead to insulin spikes.  Chronic elevation and depletion of sugar and insulin can lead to diabetes and diseases.  For growing children, this is especially disruptive and can lead to life-long health problems.  Soft drinks also have elevated levels of phosphates that steal vital minerals from your body.  A severe lack of minerals can lead to Heart Disease and Osteoporosis and many other diseases.  Soft drinks also severely interfere with digestion.  Caffeine and high amounts of sugar can shut down the digestive process.  This results in your body taking in no nutrients from the food you may have just eaten.  Also, consider this; most sodas can remove rust from metal!  Think what it’s doing to your stomach!

So the choice is obviously to go with diet sodas, correct?  Not so fast.  Research is discovering that these diet sodas might be just as bad if not worse!  Most diet sodas use the artificial sweetener Aspertame to achieve the desired sweetness for their drinks.  Aspertame was discovered while working on a drug to treat peptic ulcer disease.  The scientist who was working on the drug licked his finger to pick up a piece of paper and realized it tasted sweet.  And Aspertame was born.  It’s interesting to note that not only does it taste sweet, but it’s also a great ant poison as it is a neurotoxin which kills the ants by interfering with their nervous system.  Mmm, ant poison.  Side effects?  Yup, there’s plenty, depression, balance problems, headaches, seizures, fatigue, sleeping problems, fertility problems, low birth rate….do I need to continue?  I can, have an entire list sitting in front of me.  While it’s called “Diet” soda, research has shown that it actually leads to weight gain.  The artificial sweeteners trick the body into thinking its getting sugar which leads to a sugar craving.  And since that craving isn’t actually being fulfilled, it leads you to reach for a sugar filled snack.  And bam!  The calories you saved on the diet soda have now just been ingested through another source, and possibly at a higher calorie count than regular soda.

Ruin sodas and diet sodas for everyone…check!  On to Alcohol.

We all know that alcohol kills brain cells, numbs the senses, lowers inhibition and effects judgment.  For most, this is WHY they drink.  But there are additional effects to be aware of.  Let’s start with the calories.  Alcohol is 7 calories per gram, second only to fat with 9 (compared to carbs/proteins with 4).  Throw that into a mixed drink and the calorie count sky rockets.  Most beers are around 175 calores per 12 oz. (one bottle).  These are empty calories that provide nothing for the body.  To make matters worse, alcohol damages the intestines which causes the body to be unable to absorb nutrients.  This means that even if you eat healthy food while drinking, your body is unable to make use of it.  So it is then stored as fat.  Be honest though, how often do you seek out broccoli and salad when you’re out drinking?  Yeah, I thought so.  That leads me to the next part, the crap we eat when drinking.  The burgers, the hotdogs, the pizzas…all more calories headed right to the areas you don’t want them to head to!  Another thing many aren’t aware of is that one of alcohols biggest negative effects is a higher risk of stroke, due to the fact that it raises blood pressure.  Alcohol also weakens the immune system, both temporarily while alcohol is in the system and over time from abuse.  Those who drink regularly have a much higher chance of catching the latest cold or flu!  Those who drink heavily on a regular basis damage their immune system, leading to all sorts of diseases and cancers.  Dehydration is another common issue as alcohol (like most non water drinks) is a diuretic.  It can drain you of vitamins that can lead to illness and diseases.  For women, unfortunately this is all compounded for you compared to men.  Alcohol effects women much great than men, its effects are greater and it stays in the blood stream far longer.  Yet another aspect people don’t think about much is the mental side of things.  Many who drink heavily on a regular basis, tend to have underlying issues.  Issues that they are trying to forget or escape from.  Yet the drinking is only a temporary fix that compounds the issue later.  This leads to relationship and professional/career problems.  One bad decision can lead to others, and the downward spiral begins.

What about red wine, a glass a day is good for you, right?  Good for the heart?  Well, yes and no.  A glass of wine at night can be beneficial, but it has nothing to do with anything other than the fact that any type of alcohol can relax a person and make them feel better, help remove the stress from the day.  Assuming its just one glass.  A beer will have the same benefits.  Some claim the resveratrol in red wine is heart healthy and the reason red wine is good for you.  But the research on resveratrol and its anit-aging benefits, are reserved for the mice they were tested on and it doesn’t transfer to humans, at least not in the small amounts that are in red wine.  As for why it tends to be wine that brings about the benefits more so than beer?  How often do you have a glass of wine with a hotdog and chili fries?  Yeah, didn’t think so.  The wine tends to bring about healthier food choices than beer.  That’s basically it.

For the tea teetotalers…

By and large, green tea is good for you.  At least for now, science is always flip flopping, but as it stands, green tea is one of the only drinks outside of water that is worth consuming.  However, that doesn’t mean it’s free and clear of negative effects!  Tea contains caffeine, fluoride and tannin.  Most know the side effects of caffeine, sleeplessness, stomach aches, and headaches just to name a few.  Plus its very habit forming leading to possible withdraws.  In one cup of tea, however, it’s quite a small amount.  Especially compared to coffee, as there is less tea leaves needed to create a cup of tea.  However, drink multiple cups a day, and there may be an issue.  There is decaffeinated tea, but this may raise the levels of fluoride in the tea due to the water filtration used to decaffeinate the tea.  As for fluoride, excessive fluoride may cause browning of the teeth and brittle bones.  However, note that there just isn’t that much in a cup of tea that will cause this.  However, if you drink a considerable amount of tea each day and use tap water (which also contains fluoride), then an issue may arise.  And then there is tannin.  Tannin slows the absorption rate of important minerals, such as calcium and iron as well as causing constipation.  Most healthy people don’t have to worry much about this, but if you have an iron deficiency, you should cut down on the consumption, especially during meal time.  One last thing about tea is pesticides.  While the tea leaves used are quite small, there is still a possibility of having pesticides since it isn’t possible to wash and clean the leaves of it.  To avoid this, stick to the high quality teas.  Many of these are grown in areas where pesticides aren’t used.  By and large, when it comes to tea, just don’t guzzle it.  A couple cups a day isn’t going to be an issue whatsoever.  Do make sure to drink plenty of water with it though, as tea is a diuretic and can dehydrate you.

So which is worse for you?  Soda or Alcohol?  I’ve taken part in this debate a few times among friends.  In my opinion, you have to look at the extremes.   A person who drinks soda all day long versus a person who drinks alcohol all day long.  While the soda drinker is far from healthy, they can still function fairly well and may well live a long life, albeit filled with illness and possible disease.  For the alcoholic though, it’s a little more grizzly, illnesses, diseases are a guarantee.  Quality of life is quite low.  Careers and relationships lost.  Life expectancy, not so good, typically 20-30 years shorter than a non alcoholic.  I’m not going to say soda wins, but alcohol definitely loses this battle.

Ok, so that is a lot of negatives listed there.  Sorry.  I’m really not trying to tell everyone to stop consuming these drinks…I haven’t.  My goal is to instill knowledge.  The more you know about something, the better chances you’re going to make the correct decisions for your physical and mental health.  Don’t forget, life is about moderation.  By no means do I feel people should avoid soda, alcohol, teas or juices.  There is a time and a place for all of them.  I’ve had clients come to me struggling to lose weight.  They work out every day, they eat right and they just can’t lose weight.  Then I ask, about their drinking habits.  Nine times out of ten, their drinking habits are the culprit, be it either soda or alcohol and in some cases, juice.  Knowing what you’re ingesting is absolutely crucial to your health.