When needing a little pick-me-up after a hard morning snowboarding, it’s easy to reach for a soda. However, these sugary drinks could be the culprit making you feel sluggish and slowing down your performance after lunch. Today's the day to start a new hydration habit!

Numerous studies now try to educate on the dangers and negative side effects of these beverages. As a result, people are realizing that they are merely a potion of synthetic sweeteners, additives, and preservatives. The consumption of soda dramatically increases your daily intake of sugar which can seriously affect your athletic performance on snow. To optimize your snowboarding, alternatively, reach for some good old H2O or coconut water.

For a sustained boost in the morning and to power you through the lunch energy crash try some Alpha Brain instead.

Play By Play Of Soda In The Body

Consumption - 10 minutes:

You have just pumped more sugar into your body than the recommended sugar intake per day (over 10 spoons). Usually, the body’s response to this kind of overdose would be to gag and vomit, however. The phosphoric acid contained within soda lowers your sense of taste and inhibits vomiting.

20+ minutes:

There are huge spikes in blood sugar and insulin production. Your liver starts to process the sugar, turning it into fat.

40+ minutes:

Caffeine completely absorbs into your system. The sugar and other harmful ingredients, continue to poison your body causing blood pressure to rise. Your liver spews out extra sugar into the bloodstream. The adenosine receptors in your brain also become blocked which stops you from feeling drowsy. 

45+ minutes:

The brain gets signals to produce more dopamine. The harmful refined sugar contained in these soda drinks activates the same addictive regions in the brain that cocaine does.  

60+ minutes:

At this point, there is some seriously funky stuff going on in your lower intestine! The phosphoric acid interacts with compounds in the lower intestine, which reduces metabolism. This can cause fat to build up and severe weight gain. The diuretic property of pop causes you to urinate, which expels minerals out of the body. These minerals are often not adequately replenished, leaving the body depleted. You will also experience a sugar crash and likely become tired/irritable.

Soda’s Shocking Points

Sugary Soda Slowing You Down

• The high sugar content in soda actually causes people to become addicts. The effects of sugar on the brain are similar to that of cocaine in an MRI. Over the years these sugary drinks have become increasingly sweet and now contain over 9 spoons of sugar per serving. Just drinking one a day adds up to 39 pounds of sugar a year.

• As the body experiences a “sugar rush”, it causes a spike in blood sugar and insulin that then leads to a glucose and energy crash in the body. The brain tells you to compensate for this crash in energy by taking in more sugar. The vicious cycle begins.

The infographic below shows the nightmare refined sugar is for your body. 

Facts and Figures

New findings have revealed that drinking soda can actually age you as fast as smoking does. For a long time, the effects of smoking have been known to harm your vital organs like the heart, lungs, bladder, and kidneys. It also causes accelerated damage to the skin and teeth. The American Journal of Public Health has published its research on the effects of sugary drinks. Drinking just one sugary soda causes changes in the body bringing about premature aging and cell damage. The research took 5309 participants aged between 20 and 65 that had no records of heart disease or diabetes (1990-2002). 

• 26% increase in the risk of developing diabetes, in people who have 1 to 2 cans a day or more
• In men, an average of one can a day leads to a 20% higher chance of a heart attack and developing heart-related issues. There is also a similar link with women.
• With women, studies have shown that there is a 75% higher chance of developing gout through drinking one or more a day. Studies also show the same risks with men.

Is Diet Soda Bad For You?

Aspartame is in almost every diet drink as a substitute for sugar. However, this chemical is actually more damaging to the body than first thought. Big manufacturing companies have misled people to believe that these are a healthier option. 'Low calorie’ Aspartame links to numerous health issues, such as cancer, brain tumors, diabetes, emotional problems, seizures, and multiple sclerosis. Consuming diet soda raises the likely hood of metabolic syndrome that then leads to high blood sugar/cholesterol and belly fat.

Drop The Pop To Stop The Cravings

For anyone looking to revitalize their health and change their diet, the elimination of soda is essential. These beverages are an unnatural substance with no nutritional value to the human body. Start drinking over 1.5 liters of water a day instead because you only get one body!