Every day after elementary school, my friends and I would visit the local deli and walk straight to the back where the carbonated drinks were held. We would gaze up at the refrigerator in awe. Bright colored pink and orange liquids would entice us. Intense graphics and distinguishable logos made us feel cool as we held the can between our fingertips. Plus, the purchase was made easy because soda was cheap compared to other drinks.

A few years later, I switched to drinking diet soda. My family drinks diet so it was just easier. Despite my knowledge, while limited, on the health effects of diet drinks, I consumed them daily.

It wasn’t until about three years later I quit cold turkey on all sodas in exchange for a seltzer substitute. I’m not the only one stopping my soda intake. In fact, soda consumption is at a 30-year low, according to a recent article in Fortune magazine.

Lynn Brann, a nutrition science and dietetics professor at Syracuse University, said this cut is probably attributed to the continuous information that supports the unhealthiness of soda.

“Soda is under the classification of sugar sweetened beverages,” Brann said. “There are no health benefits to drinking soda and there is evidence that these are associated with weight gain. We are still learning about risks of consuming excess added sugars in relation to health outcomes such as disease.”

A regular soda intake can lead to an increased risk of Type 2 diabetes. Your pancreas releases insulin to help you regulate your sugar balance, but too much sugar can wear out your pancreas. A 12-ounce can of Coca-Cola contains 39 grams of sugar, which is about 10 packets of sugar and a glass of water.

With this intake of sugar the consumer might experience a sugar high. A sugar high is when one is momentarily energized but will crash as soon as it wears off.

This decrease in soda consumption could be attributed to the soda tax that has been implemented in a few states to deter people from buying such drinks, or, at the very least, to educate the buyer on the harms of soda.

Soda is also addictive. If you’re hooked to such a carbonated beverage, Brann said there are methods to reduce your soda intake.

“If making a drastic change to cut it out all together at once isn’t an option, and for many people, this doesn’t work, then weaning is a good option,” Brann said. “For example, if a person drinks six cans of soda a day, then they may cut out one can a week until they have eliminated it.”

It wasn’t easy for me to cut soda out of my life. It was just the satisfying bubble of seltzer that really made the change easier for me. I realized I’ve only been drinking soda for the carbonated effect.

Lucky for many, Brann said there are many alternatives to soda that are better for one’s health.

“Most people who enjoy soda enjoy the carbonation,” Brann said. “They could switch to a carbonated water and add some sweetness to it, a splash of 100 percent juice, or could buy the no-calories sweetened carbonated waters.”

Some of my favorite recipes include orange juice with seltzer water. It tastes like a tropical vacation in a cup. I also enjoy seltzer with apple juice. It reminds me fall weather and cold cider.

Soda has been proven to be harmful for one’s health. Instead of buying that can from the vending machine or pushing that button at the dining halls, try a healthier alternative. In most SU dining halls, seltzer water is usually the off-white tab above the soda dispenser.

Isabella Ong is a sophomore television, radio and film major. Her column appears weekly in Pulp. She can be reached via email at iong01@syr.edu or on Twitter @isabella_ong.

Published on April 13, 2016 at 8:56 pm