Please Stop Drinking Poison

Before I get into the main points of this post, I'd like to say my intent is not to judge people who drink soda.  God has put this message on my heart and I feel I have to share it.  At a young age, I learned my body could not handle soda since I felt awful the few times I tried it.  You can read more about this story in my other post, My Aspartame Horror Story.  I count that as a blessing, but I also acknowledge it has made it easy for me to avoid soda, whereas others are addicted and it's hard to stop.  I am not perfect and I have struggles too.  I try to recognize if I'm doing something harmful to my body and work my hardest to stop any bad habits.

So let's get into the reason for this post.  I believe soda is one of the most detrimental things you can put into your body.  It breaks my heart to see people consuming this poison.  People are addicted to soda and diet soda and drink it multiples times daily.  If this is something you do, I'm not trying to call you out.  I passionately care about this issue because I have felt the negative effects in my own body and I hate seeing others struggling with health issues that could be easily resolved just by cutting out this toxic drink.

Recently, I went into a store and looked at the ingredients in Coke and Diet Coke.  I knew it was bad, but the proof right before my eyes was horrifying.  Regular Coke contains high fructose corn syrup and Diet Coke contains the poisonous artificial sweetener, aspartame.  The rest of the ingredients are no better.  It isn't just Coke, but all soda contains harmful ingredients.  These drinks are on the market because the companies are making a LOT of money, so by purchasing them, you're contributing to the problem.

I'd also like to challenge my fellow Christians.  I am shocked by how our culture highlights certain sins and completely ignores others.  Unhealthy food and beverages are often promoted in Christian settings and no one ever questions it.  But I cannot stay silent about this issue.  The Bible says "So whoever knows the right thing to do and fails to do it, for him it is sin." James 4:17  This verse is very clear.  If you know drinking soda is harmful to your body and you don't cut it out of your diet, it is a sin.  You are hurting your body by consuming soda.  1 Corinthians 6:19 says "...your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit within you..." so we should be doing everything we can to make sure we're putting only the healthiest foods and drinks into our bodies.  I am deeply saddened these are not priorities and obesity and poor diet are rampant in many Christian circles.

Whether you are a Christian or not, I am begging you to please stop consuming soda and diet soda.  If you are addicted, try healthier alternatives, such as Kombucha Tea, which has carbonation and flavor, but is low in sugar and has probiotics and other health benefits.  Water is the best drink you can consume, so trying to drink more will help flush the poison out of your system.

P. 41 of The Beauty Detox Foods by Kimberly Snyder, C.N.

22 Ways Drinking Soda is Bad for Your Health is an extremely helpful article about the studies and science of the effects soda and diet soda have on the human body.  There is no controversy and the truth is simple.  At every angle you look at it, scientifically and morally, consuming soda is wrong.  Please stop drinking poison!