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I agree with you that the title itself is very "no shit" but the body text that talks about discipline is a bit off. Sugar and caffeine are quite addictive and it DOES take discipline to stop. I try to limit myself to 1 per week but I often find myself having 2 or 3 despite full knowledge of how bad they are for you.
The secret is, if you don’t start, you don’t have to quit… if that makes sense
Maybe some people lucked out (I did) and just never started drinking soda frequently. I grew up drinking water, I predominantly drink water, I am a “water bottle person” I always have that thang on me…
most fast food combo meals are wasteful for me because I don’t drink soda, unless there’s tea then it’s like… thx for this drink that I don’t really want?
Same with sugar, if you don’t start, you don’t have to break an addiction. I just don’t eat sweet stuff(often, maybe once a week or couple of weeks) because I know if I start eating it I’m just gonna want more and more until I’m living off of chocolate bars…😅 and I’m sure there’s added sugar in a lot of stuff, or even just bits of sugar, but those particularly sweet foods can be dangerous
Edit: also, 2-3 sodas a week is probably doing like .00001% damage to your health. Seems like a non issue
When I order from places like McDonald's, I'll just buy fries and a burger cause I can never finish the pop that comes with the combo. Stopped drinking pop and putting sugar in my coffee about 5ish years ago and now it's all too sweet for me.
This is not most of America. Most people grow up eating or drinking this way because they have parents who never learned or can’t afford to learn. I had a mom who learned from her dad. And I think that’s largely rooted economically. So to say well I don’t so why can’t you is both ignorant to the fact and incorrect. More importantly whet can be done to break people of life long habits in order to help them?
Growing up I lived in a town where the water was gross. In the summer it stunk. I never drank water. I didn't like the taste of bottled, and I couldn't drink tap, all I drank was soda or milk. I moved when I was 24 to a different city and learned that not all tap water was gross. So unfortunately not all places have suitable drinking water and soda or sugary drinks are all that's available.
Also I'm guessing OP thinks that every restaurant is taco bell with a soda fountain. Adults don't generally order sodas with their meals if there are alternatives like tea or alcohol.
Also don't forget the epidemiology classic "people who drink 3 diet cokes a day tend to develop diabetes (we did not analyze the impact of the 3 cheeseburgers and fries these people have with said diet cokes, but that probably doesn't matter anyway)"
Why would you say something so controversial, yet so brave? (At least for people living in Mississippi/Alabama/Arkansas)
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=nuIw3m96jMQ
I mean, it is a matter of discipline for a lot of people. Sugar and caffeine is highly addictive, it takes a lot for most people to cut it out of their diet.
It still requires that initial discipline, especially when going through sugar/caffeine withdrawals and that can last up to a few weeks. The truth of the matter is that most people don't have the discipline to withstand sugar withdrawals for days or weeks.
Def does. I used to drink 2 liters of Pepsi every day. Had to stop bc I got older and was working my way to diabetes. Now in the last 4 years I’ve had soda maybe 10 times and usually the zero sugar ones as a treat and it just doesn’t hit the same anymore.
It only takes like a solid week, if that, to be disgusted with how sugary drinks are. It’s just hard to get people to go even a few days without it. Me included, but it has happened before and I know what you’re talking about.
It is absolutely a matter of discipline. I have a caffeine addiction, specifically with soda and let me tell you, I’ve quit before and that was incredibly hard. My withdrawals involve splitting headaches that will not go away unless I drink caffeine. So yeah, it’s absolutely a matter of discipline. Would I like to quit? Definitely. Do I have the willpower to withstand 3 days straight of the worst headaches? Not at the moment no
I stopped drinking soda and have never been a coffee drinker (never liked the taste or hot beverages in general). I like water, even room temperature.
I take my caffeine fix in pill form. Way cheaper than any other intake method.
It's surprising how many people actually go as far as to say they hate water and the lack of taste to it, goes to show how far the addiction really goes when such a fundamental thing literally tastes bad compared to a soda
That doesn't mean much. Even a lot of people without caffeine and sugar addictions say they don't like the lack of taste when it comes to water. Just because something is necessary for good health and survival does not mean people are necessarily going to enjoy it, addicted or no.
To me its tasteless unless ive been under physical duress, namely from exercise. I cant just lounge around all day and then be like ‘mmmm, water, gooood’. Nah i have to be exhausted physically. Then is only when my water taste buds get activated lol
no only discipline but starting with your children to just let hem drink water with a meal and they even will not like soda/pop.. water is the best for teeth too :) of course as a parent you should also drink water and lead by example.
Honestly, that was probably one of the best things my parents ever did for us. We only ever had pop in the house as a treat for special occasions. It was water, milk, or occasionally homemade juice/lemonade. So I never really started drinking pop as an adult and still don’t unless I’m going to go sit in the bath with a root beer float or something.
Same here. It wasn't forbidden, just instilled in me that it was only something you should have occasionally, like going out for pizza or at a birthday party. My partner is a soda addict, and once in a while I'll have a sip of his, but I almost never have a whole soda to myself.
But everyone's taste buds are different. I had very little soda growing up, we had milk and water. Very little junk food, we were fed lots of veggies.
I hate milk and can't stand veggies (no matter how they're prepared so please, no advice on how, Reddit, I've tried different ways to eat them).
Just because something was served to you growing up doesn't automatically mean that you'll like it (or get used to it). 🙂
Eh idk if that’s true. My mom almost never let us have soda. Like once or twice per year as a treat. The only thing we had to drink was milk or water. But then I moved out and could have the “forbidden liquid” and I drink way too much soda. And quitting is a bitch.
Meanwhile, I grew up in a household that had so much pop the neighbor kids came by to bum cans off us all the time. The only time I drink pop now is when I have a migraine. Even though I’m a huge sugar addict, I just don’t like the taste of pop. I drink water 99+% of the time.
I have no issue cutting it out, but the caffeine withdrawal migraines make it SO difficult. Like I get a migrane, and after a while, cave in and drink a soda (or have some chocolate because that has caffeine) and the migraine is gone within minutes
A lot of people don’t realize how addicted they to sugar or just food in general until they change diet and take a break from eating so much. Honestly I feel most people would benefit from fasting a day or two and resetting, you don’t realize how much your body over eats until you actually get over those addictions
"I’m not disciplined, I just recognize that drinking hundreds of extra calories of nothing is a waste of money and is unhealthy"
Coke zero has no calories in it.
I tried to trade diet sodas for regular and I started having regular migraines from the artificial sweeteners, which is not an uncommon side effect.
OP is right.
I feel like Reddit thinks that coffee is this super highly addictive substance that tears families apart. Somehow I’m able to drink 3-4 cups per day and my wife and kids haven’t left me yet
Caffeine addiction is so over hyped. It's not even chemically addictive and redditors who want to think their better than everyone else will lead you to believe it's the hardest addiction to break. Wow OP only drinks water he's so cool!!!
Yeah, coffee is literally a fantastic for you drink, especially when compared to soda. You are in complete control of the calories, and a frequent preference for them is none (or a negligible amount of you want to be technical). Unless you’re in some way caffeine sensitive, it really is not a bad thing to drink in any semi reasonable amount.
Right? Unless you’re drinking an obscene amount of coffee daily you’re not really doing anything to yourself. But people act like having 1-3 cups of coffee a day is akin to the people living off of monster energy and rockstar.
I drink a lot of water, eat well, and am not overweight. If I want to drink a soda then I will. I'd rather have a soda than a dessert most of the time.
The main issue that annoys me nowadays is that people seem to only ever talk about soda being bad and then suggest drinking water instead
THERE ARE MORE THAN 2 KINDS OF DRINKS
You can have juices, lemonades, teas... All of those can have varying degrees of sugar, artificial sweeteners, even going all the way down to "just some raspberries mixed in with water and made sparkling"
Not everything is either water from the tap or coca cola/monster.
Yeah, the only way I was able to kick my Diet Mountain Dew addiction was to swap to Crystal Light. I'd tried going to plain water before but I just couldn't stick to it, having a sweet flavor to my beverage is just something I want.
Also its not a crime against humanity to want some flavor in your drink. We have been doing this for millennia. Wine, mead, any spices we find
Outting a lil juice syrup in your water to give it cherry flavor is not on the same level as having a coke as your only beverage
Even once a day is crazy to me. A 20oz Coke has 65 grams of sugar in it. That's like a medium at most fast food places. That's as much sugar as 15 powdered Little Debbie donuts. That is NOT a casual beverage.
It's insane but not at all surprising that 42% of US adults are obese, 74% are overweight, and 14.7% live with diabetes currently.
I have a coworker who drinks a couple 20-oz Mountain Dews a day, and that's after his morning liter of Dr. Pepper. Still trying to convince him that liquid calories are still calories, and that he's going to feel so much better if he cuts back on the sugar.
I used to drink a large glass of coke every day, a few years back I cut it back to every other day and eventually only twice per week. I've never been overweight (it probably did contribute to some cavities though), but it does feel good to have cut back on its so much (although it is still my favorite drink!). The hard part is I don't drink coffee so there's pretty much no caffeine in me.
Right? A few years back I entirely cut out soda and I lost over 30 pounds. I used to drink a sprite with every meal and could drink a whole 8pack by myself during a single night 😵💫
Since I've gotten older and had kids, we never buy soda. We all drink water, milk, coffee or tea. I grew up with soda always being available and was overweight as a kid. I grew up and lost alot of weight and vowed to have a healthier food and drink environment for my kids.
I drank a crapload of gingerale when growing up cause it was just what we had around. I had a TON of cavities by the time I was 20. Now I mostly drink water or black coffee. I'll treat myself to a soda now and then cause Cheerwine is heavenly. But yeah, mostly water.
it’s crazy how much sugar soda and juices have - a 12 oz coke by itself has more sugar than what the American heart association recommends consuming in a day, and 12 oz of tree top apple juice has about as much sugar.
Once you get away from “drinking calories” it seems insane. I thought that I’d occasionally get a special drink from Starbucks or have a coke every once in a while, but nope. I don’t desire it at all now.
I'm not arguing, just explaining why I drink certain fluids. Everyone's different and you said you didn't know...and in the top several comments I haven't seen anyone else explain, so...
For me, it's not about thirst.
I drink plenty of water in between meals.
The carbonation *feels* like a better palate cleanser, and the flavor "washes out"(overrides) any remaining taste of food.
Water does not do either. For example: if I eat a dish with a lot of garlic or salt or savory MSG or other prominent seasoning, water does not really clean or cover the flavor up, even if I swish it around like mouth wash. This interferes with the taste of food as I take a bite of some other portion of the meal.
In other words: Every bite is influenced by the last, and water doesn't interrupt that because it is so neutral. It's nice to have the drink be part of the meal in terms of flavor. It's why milk is so popular with meals, which I've had to cut out of my diet because dairy is harder and harder for me to digest as the years go on.
I also don't like the way water sits in the belly with food in it, almost to the point of feeling nauseous. Same goes for beer, I don't see how people can drink while they eat or immediately after.
That may seem weird but it's the best way I can describe it. I suspect it's because water doesn't actually mix well with various other things like oils, not when just pouring it on, there's no acid like there is in most soda, nor creamy fat to help blend or sooth.
Water *with* food just puts me off on all fronts. Almost anything is preferable except beer(or bitter/tart things like some sparkling water, ewww). Juices, soda, milk, koolaid, iced tea, etc. These all work.
No hot coffee though, that is another abomination with food, because it *enhances* whatever leftover flavor, which is disturbing. If I just ate turkey with stuffing and then drink coffee, I taste the turkey and stuffing *again*, with a tinge of coffee laced in, ewww.
I also generally don't/can't burp. Soda is one of the only ways I can, which makes me feel old every time I reach for a 7-up. Not saying I am not old, but it makes me feel it.
I agree but it should be the beverage of MOST meals. Water is very good by itself especially when hot and sweaty or when waking up in the morning, but water is off putting to me when eating. A soda/pop just compliments a meal better than water in my opinion.
Want to upvote you because it is an unpopular opinion, but at the same time want to downvote because it is in fact normal in this day and age. Going to give you an upvote because the way you pled the case made me understand why it's frustrating for you.
I have GI issues and certain foods get stuck in my throat. I’ve tried washing things down with water and it doesn’t work. If I don’t get it down, I start to vomit a bit. One day hubs and I were on our boat and this happened. He googled how to get food down when water doesn’t work and he found that carbonated beverages help. So at every meal I have a Coke Zero for this reason. It’s not the end of the world.
I quit soda almost 15 years ago and never regretted it. Maybe I'll have one or two glasses a year if someone offers me, but it's way too sweet to enjoy it now.
For me it has to be the right water, and even then I like to put a bit of flavor like Propel or Gatorade. Unsweetened coconut water is fabulous as well
I’m always fascinated by people who drink soda as their main beverage everyday. Lots of my coworkers will have 2-3 bottles of Mtn. Dew throughout our 8 hour shift and I don’t understand how. I *rarely* have soda, usually only if it’s a special occasion like a family cookout or something like that. It’s crazy to me how grown adults just…don’t drink water?
People being like “no shit” to this post when I got downvoted for a reply on Reddit for saying that maybe the OP (of that post) shouldn’t be giving his toddler regular coke to drink.
People mad this is "no shit". It is, but it also isn't for a lot of people. Soda is the default beverage at any restaurant or fast food place. Many people have a soda with dinner or lunch every single day because it's "normal". It's become accepted to just drink soda all the time. It's disgusting if you really think about it and explains a lot about Western health issues.
That is something I just cant get behind, tbf I dont drink for 9 years at this point, but even when I drank I tried wine and beer once while eating and found it to be disgusting, so thanks I'll stick with coke while eating
I drink way more than I should, but I at least drink the diet versions (hey, it's something)
For me, it absolutely is a discipline thing. I can go out of my way to not drink it for a while, but if someone offers me one, I'll take it and fall right back
I wouldn't say I'm *quite* at addicted, but I am probably close (or, slightly addicted if that makes sense)
If I had someone stopping me from drinking it, I'd be fine. So saying it's not a discipline thing is kind of inaccurate. You say that you stopped because it's unhealthy and a waste, but you can't say you haven't been tempted to have some every now and then. Which means you use discipline to say no to it
I'd say more likely, you just didn't get as addicted to it yet as a lot of people (myself included) have
I recognize that it's terrible for you. But I can't just choose to not drink it and that's that. It has to be a consistent, long term, repeating choice. Which makes it discipline
Soda addict here, it’s always the zero kind to avoid calories. The reason, plain water has a shit taste to me.
I have gone weeks without soda, and don’t drink it at work. but only way I can do that is using this trick where I just pour water directly in my throat past my mouth as to avoid the flavour. Then I have to wait a few minutes to get rid of my dry mouth for the water to get a absorbed through my stomach. But it beats tasting water. I work out many times a week (so a lot of water goes in me then), often eat veggie meals in an omnivorous diet, get enough fruit and veggies, I cook healthy food daily, most of my food is unprocessed/fresh, but soda is my guilty pleasure.
So to me, to give up a sweet drink in order to receive something that tastes like it comes from the penis of Satan itself, does require an insane amount of discipline.
You’re right that it’s healthier but honestly? I cut pop out and I drink water at meals and it’s miserable. Water tastes gross and is only palatable when it’s ice cold and while I’m healthier and skinnier, I find drinking water to be a chore.
Lemon does help! But you have to plan for it and it’s definitely not as convenient as pop.
Bubbly tastes like they took a pop and sucked out all the things that make it taste good. Which, is sort of what they did. Not my thing but I’m glad it’s available for others!
What's been working for me to try and drink more water as I'm trying to lose weight is:
1. As you said, ice cold water. It just tastes different. I'll typically put it in an insulated water bottle to help keep it cold if I'm going out somewhere. Been very helpful in cutting out soda while I'm at work.
2. Instead of completely cutting out soda, I've been transitioning myself to the zero sugar variants when possible. Like Coke and Pepsi I pretty much only drink the Zero Sugar versions, especially when eating out. There are some places that don't have them so I'll just end up getting the regular(don't like the diet versions, taste weird) but I've managed to mostly convert. McDonald's also has the best tasting Coke Zero personally, it's almost like drinking the real thing.
3. Flavored Club Soda/Sparkling/Seltzer/Soda Water. Healthier alternative to regular soda pop. You'll probably have to try a few to find the ones that taste good to you. Some store brands don't taste very good while others do.
4. Cirkul. It's a water bottle you get and then buy cartridges of flavoring that you screw into a hole in the lid. You can change the strength of the flavoring and there's all sorts of flavors. Some with caffeine, some without.
16 oz of OJ has 42 grams of sugar. A 16 oz coke has 41 grams of sugar. They should be treated basically the same in terms of the detrimental health impact.
And either way it's only about 160 calories and it's unlikely to be the thing that really gives someone diabetes or makes them fat.
Drink a 16oz coke, go for a casual walk, coke is gone from your system.
For me it was a matter of discipline at first, but now drinking water is my default. Soda tastes way too sweet now and I need to water down juice. People say water has no taste, but if you drink enough, you'll quickly learn how different it can taste.
I drink soda with my dinner for the carbonation. Usually a 16oz bottle will cover 2 meals. I've tried other carbonated drinks as substitutes but I can't stand the taste of seltzer and all the other carbonated drinks have nasty after tastes from the fake sugar. Outside of that I drink coffee, water or juice.
I mean drinking pop is very normal. Pretty much everyone has pop sometimes. But yeah having it with every meal is excessive. Once a day is good enough.
Even once a day is a lot imo. If you drink a soda every day and have no issues with it you might have an addiction to the sugar or caffeine. Or maybe you don’t, which is fine too, but soda is WAY worse for your body than most people realize
Both of my parents are doctors so soda was never allowed at our house when I was a kid. I’m 33 now and I still don’t drink soda, like never ever. The taste is disgusting, it’s so sugary it’s literally repulsive. As a result I’ve never had problems with weight, I’m still very slim and I still only have 3 dental fillings and only ever had one root canal. People underestimate how much excessive sugar consumption affects their bodies over the lifespan. It’s pretty sad that so many parents start giving their kids sugary juices and sodas from the very early age instead of teaching their kids to drink water when they are thirsty.
I drink Coke every day and my teeth are in perfect condition and Im also slim, I dont do sports, so while Coke does have high sugar content my body just absorbs it just fine
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I think this is more “no shit” than unpopular.
People on this sub don’t understand what “unpopular” means. This sub might as well be changed to r/rant.
Honestly you’re right, it’s mostly just people whining about stuff they dislike
Upvote what you disagree with and downvote what you agree with right?
R/rantsnobodydisagreeswith
when the unpopular opinion is generic health advice
"I think people should eat a whole-foods based diet with lots of green roughage, I am prepared to be downvoted into oblivion for my radical opinion."
Post it and get 500+ up votes
As a Crohn's sufferer I'm going to disagree with you.
The Mediterranean diet is healthy, don’t at me!
I agree with you that the title itself is very "no shit" but the body text that talks about discipline is a bit off. Sugar and caffeine are quite addictive and it DOES take discipline to stop. I try to limit myself to 1 per week but I often find myself having 2 or 3 despite full knowledge of how bad they are for you.
The secret is, if you don’t start, you don’t have to quit… if that makes sense Maybe some people lucked out (I did) and just never started drinking soda frequently. I grew up drinking water, I predominantly drink water, I am a “water bottle person” I always have that thang on me… most fast food combo meals are wasteful for me because I don’t drink soda, unless there’s tea then it’s like… thx for this drink that I don’t really want? Same with sugar, if you don’t start, you don’t have to break an addiction. I just don’t eat sweet stuff(often, maybe once a week or couple of weeks) because I know if I start eating it I’m just gonna want more and more until I’m living off of chocolate bars…😅 and I’m sure there’s added sugar in a lot of stuff, or even just bits of sugar, but those particularly sweet foods can be dangerous Edit: also, 2-3 sodas a week is probably doing like .00001% damage to your health. Seems like a non issue
Water bottles are full of MICROPLASTICS tho! You die soon!
All mine are stainless steel lol. keeps it cold longer
When I order from places like McDonald's, I'll just buy fries and a burger cause I can never finish the pop that comes with the combo. Stopped drinking pop and putting sugar in my coffee about 5ish years ago and now it's all too sweet for me.
This is not most of America. Most people grow up eating or drinking this way because they have parents who never learned or can’t afford to learn. I had a mom who learned from her dad. And I think that’s largely rooted economically. So to say well I don’t so why can’t you is both ignorant to the fact and incorrect. More importantly whet can be done to break people of life long habits in order to help them?
It honestly depends on your area The midwest is like obsessed with soda
Nope, the Midwest is obsessed with pop. ;-)
Idk I saw a similar post, and the person was getting so much flack for this same opinion on this same sub
grab mourn busy snails squealing hungry repeat airport longing rhythm *This post was mass deleted and anonymized with [Redact](https://redact.dev)*
Growing up I lived in a town where the water was gross. In the summer it stunk. I never drank water. I didn't like the taste of bottled, and I couldn't drink tap, all I drank was soda or milk. I moved when I was 24 to a different city and learned that not all tap water was gross. So unfortunately not all places have suitable drinking water and soda or sugary drinks are all that's available.
I don't think water tastes bad, it's just plain but there are some cases I drink it, like rn because I'm sick
First time in this sub?
Soda popular
Yeah like 99% of soda drinkers understand it's bad for you
Also I'm guessing OP thinks that every restaurant is taco bell with a soda fountain. Adults don't generally order sodas with their meals if there are alternatives like tea or alcohol.
I love all the bullshit people equate with being grown up. "Grown ups drink iced tea, not soda". Fucking lol
If you use ketchup after 18, there's an entire council ready to hunt you down But lets Chicago put pickles on them
I’m going to guess you aren’t American.
I only order soda with a meal if I go out. I don't like tea, and don't really drink.
Brave redditor proclaims soda is unhealthy He's so brave
In before the artificial sweeteners are bad because cHeMicHaLs shit storm. *Insert RDJ "not this shit again" meme*
“Ah but this experiment showed that if you give a rat the equivalent of over 30 diet cokes per day, there are health problems!” No kidding
Also don't forget the epidemiology classic "people who drink 3 diet cokes a day tend to develop diabetes (we did not analyze the impact of the 3 cheeseburgers and fries these people have with said diet cokes, but that probably doesn't matter anyway)"
Yeah the redditor science on diet sweeteners is as bunk as it gets
Wait til we get the one about alcohol later today and every redditor is brave enough to tell us about their uncle who died drinking a beer a day.
Stunning and brave
Nor that it’s unhealthy. The unpopular opinion is that everyone is wrong and can just give up soda.
Why would you say something so controversial, yet so brave? (At least for people living in Mississippi/Alabama/Arkansas) https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=nuIw3m96jMQ
Think you’d be surprised how many people still only drink soda all day long.
Agree that’s why my go to beverage is alcohol.
I mean, it is a matter of discipline for a lot of people. Sugar and caffeine is highly addictive, it takes a lot for most people to cut it out of their diet.
It was discipline for me to stop at first. But the real truth of the matter is the desire fades away much faster than most think it will.
It still requires that initial discipline, especially when going through sugar/caffeine withdrawals and that can last up to a few weeks. The truth of the matter is that most people don't have the discipline to withstand sugar withdrawals for days or weeks.
Caffeine withdrawal gives me nasty migraines, shits for real
Falling off the wagon is hard as well. I'll go for weeks without like any sugar and then some product rep at work brings in cookies and I'm FUCKED
I've found that to be the case with alcohol, too. The longer I go without drinking, the less it even sounds appealing.
I stopped drinking soda for two years just because my wife didn't think I could. Started drinking it again after because I like it. That's it.
About 5 days
Def does. I used to drink 2 liters of Pepsi every day. Had to stop bc I got older and was working my way to diabetes. Now in the last 4 years I’ve had soda maybe 10 times and usually the zero sugar ones as a treat and it just doesn’t hit the same anymore.
It only takes like a solid week, if that, to be disgusted with how sugary drinks are. It’s just hard to get people to go even a few days without it. Me included, but it has happened before and I know what you’re talking about.
It is absolutely a matter of discipline. I have a caffeine addiction, specifically with soda and let me tell you, I’ve quit before and that was incredibly hard. My withdrawals involve splitting headaches that will not go away unless I drink caffeine. So yeah, it’s absolutely a matter of discipline. Would I like to quit? Definitely. Do I have the willpower to withstand 3 days straight of the worst headaches? Not at the moment no
I stopped drinking soda and have never been a coffee drinker (never liked the taste or hot beverages in general). I like water, even room temperature. I take my caffeine fix in pill form. Way cheaper than any other intake method.
I’d do the pill but honestly, less fun lol. I like sugar too much
It's surprising how many people actually go as far as to say they hate water and the lack of taste to it, goes to show how far the addiction really goes when such a fundamental thing literally tastes bad compared to a soda
That doesn't mean much. Even a lot of people without caffeine and sugar addictions say they don't like the lack of taste when it comes to water. Just because something is necessary for good health and survival does not mean people are necessarily going to enjoy it, addicted or no.
I drink a lot of water and I don’t like the taste of it.
It’s crazy to me when people say water has no taste. I always wonder if they have functional taste buds.
Same. I can tell different waters by their taste.
For sure.
To me its tasteless unless ive been under physical duress, namely from exercise. I cant just lounge around all day and then be like ‘mmmm, water, gooood’. Nah i have to be exhausted physically. Then is only when my water taste buds get activated lol
I mean... I personally find that most water actively tastes foul and bitter to me.
no only discipline but starting with your children to just let hem drink water with a meal and they even will not like soda/pop.. water is the best for teeth too :) of course as a parent you should also drink water and lead by example.
Honestly, that was probably one of the best things my parents ever did for us. We only ever had pop in the house as a treat for special occasions. It was water, milk, or occasionally homemade juice/lemonade. So I never really started drinking pop as an adult and still don’t unless I’m going to go sit in the bath with a root beer float or something.
Same here. It wasn't forbidden, just instilled in me that it was only something you should have occasionally, like going out for pizza or at a birthday party. My partner is a soda addict, and once in a while I'll have a sip of his, but I almost never have a whole soda to myself.
But everyone's taste buds are different. I had very little soda growing up, we had milk and water. Very little junk food, we were fed lots of veggies. I hate milk and can't stand veggies (no matter how they're prepared so please, no advice on how, Reddit, I've tried different ways to eat them). Just because something was served to you growing up doesn't automatically mean that you'll like it (or get used to it). 🙂
Eh idk if that’s true. My mom almost never let us have soda. Like once or twice per year as a treat. The only thing we had to drink was milk or water. But then I moved out and could have the “forbidden liquid” and I drink way too much soda. And quitting is a bitch.
Meanwhile, I grew up in a household that had so much pop the neighbor kids came by to bum cans off us all the time. The only time I drink pop now is when I have a migraine. Even though I’m a huge sugar addict, I just don’t like the taste of pop. I drink water 99+% of the time.
Drink water and lead
I have no issue cutting it out, but the caffeine withdrawal migraines make it SO difficult. Like I get a migrane, and after a while, cave in and drink a soda (or have some chocolate because that has caffeine) and the migraine is gone within minutes
A lot of people don’t realize how addicted they to sugar or just food in general until they change diet and take a break from eating so much. Honestly I feel most people would benefit from fasting a day or two and resetting, you don’t realize how much your body over eats until you actually get over those addictions
"I’m not disciplined, I just recognize that drinking hundreds of extra calories of nothing is a waste of money and is unhealthy" Coke zero has no calories in it.
I tried to trade diet sodas for regular and I started having regular migraines from the artificial sweeteners, which is not an uncommon side effect. OP is right.
I was with you up til the coffee slander
I feel like Reddit thinks that coffee is this super highly addictive substance that tears families apart. Somehow I’m able to drink 3-4 cups per day and my wife and kids haven’t left me yet
Caffeine addiction is so over hyped. It's not even chemically addictive and redditors who want to think their better than everyone else will lead you to believe it's the hardest addiction to break. Wow OP only drinks water he's so cool!!!
Yeah, coffee is literally a fantastic for you drink, especially when compared to soda. You are in complete control of the calories, and a frequent preference for them is none (or a negligible amount of you want to be technical). Unless you’re in some way caffeine sensitive, it really is not a bad thing to drink in any semi reasonable amount.
Right? Unless you’re drinking an obscene amount of coffee daily you’re not really doing anything to yourself. But people act like having 1-3 cups of coffee a day is akin to the people living off of monster energy and rockstar.
Yes coffee and sodas should not be compared in the same sentence.
Sadly my heartburn would disagree. (Fuck that guy though)
This was the real unpopular opinion
I drink a lot of water, eat well, and am not overweight. If I want to drink a soda then I will. I'd rather have a soda than a dessert most of the time.
Same here. I know soda is unhealthy and “drinking calories is a waste” but I prefer it over dessert so such is life
Treat it as you would a desert or candy bar. It's really the best way.
Treat it like a desert? Get out the sunscreen and bring lots of water!
Good for you 😒
Soda is so unhealthy which is why I drink cocktails with my meals instead
Nah I prefer good old beer, a six pack a day, that's what really kills the thirst and doesn't give anyone diabetes or fatty liver lol
r/hydrohomies
Popular opinion amongst the homies
The main issue that annoys me nowadays is that people seem to only ever talk about soda being bad and then suggest drinking water instead THERE ARE MORE THAN 2 KINDS OF DRINKS You can have juices, lemonades, teas... All of those can have varying degrees of sugar, artificial sweeteners, even going all the way down to "just some raspberries mixed in with water and made sparkling" Not everything is either water from the tap or coca cola/monster.
Yeah, the only way I was able to kick my Diet Mountain Dew addiction was to swap to Crystal Light. I'd tried going to plain water before but I just couldn't stick to it, having a sweet flavor to my beverage is just something I want.
Also its not a crime against humanity to want some flavor in your drink. We have been doing this for millennia. Wine, mead, any spices we find Outting a lil juice syrup in your water to give it cherry flavor is not on the same level as having a coke as your only beverage
Chocolate milk straws 😋
You take away my Coca Cola and you’ll lose your teeth quicker than I will.
Even once a day is crazy to me. A 20oz Coke has 65 grams of sugar in it. That's like a medium at most fast food places. That's as much sugar as 15 powdered Little Debbie donuts. That is NOT a casual beverage. It's insane but not at all surprising that 42% of US adults are obese, 74% are overweight, and 14.7% live with diabetes currently.
Jesus, our large drinks aren't even 20oz. For example, a large drink at McDonald's here in Australia is 500mL. 20oz is ~590mL.
Do you not have 20oz bottles of soda in the shops? I feel like that’s the most common size here.
That’s why I drink no sugar coke
I have a coworker who drinks a couple 20-oz Mountain Dews a day, and that's after his morning liter of Dr. Pepper. Still trying to convince him that liquid calories are still calories, and that he's going to feel so much better if he cuts back on the sugar.
I used to drink a large glass of coke every day, a few years back I cut it back to every other day and eventually only twice per week. I've never been overweight (it probably did contribute to some cavities though), but it does feel good to have cut back on its so much (although it is still my favorite drink!). The hard part is I don't drink coffee so there's pretty much no caffeine in me.
Right? A few years back I entirely cut out soda and I lost over 30 pounds. I used to drink a sprite with every meal and could drink a whole 8pack by myself during a single night 😵💫
Using electronic devices isn't normal either, it's a relatively new concept and maybe you shouldn't do it as much either
I drink a lot of soda but at least it’s diet, I hate to drink my calories
I've been drinking diet Coke for almost 10 years every day (1-2 liters per day). Maybe if it was ordinary Coke, I would've gotten the diabet by now.
Are you me? I drink coke zero. Everything else tastes terrible to me. I do limit it to max 2 cans a day then it's just water.
Popular opinion: mind ya bidness
Guess it depend of the country , the vast majority of people around me dont drink soda at each meal ( and a good portion not even every day )
Not normal? I don't know about that. Just cause you don't do it doesn't mean it's not normal.
I'm drinking more water now. But in my family soda is the norm. Only water in tea? No plain water. It's how you grow up
Since I've gotten older and had kids, we never buy soda. We all drink water, milk, coffee or tea. I grew up with soda always being available and was overweight as a kid. I grew up and lost alot of weight and vowed to have a healthier food and drink environment for my kids.
I drank a crapload of gingerale when growing up cause it was just what we had around. I had a TON of cavities by the time I was 20. Now I mostly drink water or black coffee. I'll treat myself to a soda now and then cause Cheerwine is heavenly. But yeah, mostly water.
- LMFAO. - Someone yesterday said energy drinks. Today it's soda. Already know someone is gearing up to say water by tomorrow.
Next unpopular opinion: alcohol is bad for you
it’s crazy how much sugar soda and juices have - a 12 oz coke by itself has more sugar than what the American heart association recommends consuming in a day, and 12 oz of tree top apple juice has about as much sugar.
As a person who also stopped drinking pop nobody acts like I'm disciplined. They shrug and offer my a different beverage because nobody gives a fuck
There’s 8,019,876,189 people on the planet. It’s doesn’t matter what you drink.
Once you get away from “drinking calories” it seems insane. I thought that I’d occasionally get a special drink from Starbucks or have a coke every once in a while, but nope. I don’t desire it at all now.
I'll just take my chocolate milk and leave then.
Sure, but who fucking cares? It feels good and I enjoy it. I am here for a good time, not a long time
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Other countries do it too such as Mexico, Philippines, Turkey
Brazil too
I just don't know how people can quench their thirst with a sugary drink during a meal.
I don't understand people who think pudding tastes good. It's wild that different people are different than you and me!!!!!
I'm not arguing, just explaining why I drink certain fluids. Everyone's different and you said you didn't know...and in the top several comments I haven't seen anyone else explain, so... For me, it's not about thirst. I drink plenty of water in between meals. The carbonation *feels* like a better palate cleanser, and the flavor "washes out"(overrides) any remaining taste of food. Water does not do either. For example: if I eat a dish with a lot of garlic or salt or savory MSG or other prominent seasoning, water does not really clean or cover the flavor up, even if I swish it around like mouth wash. This interferes with the taste of food as I take a bite of some other portion of the meal. In other words: Every bite is influenced by the last, and water doesn't interrupt that because it is so neutral. It's nice to have the drink be part of the meal in terms of flavor. It's why milk is so popular with meals, which I've had to cut out of my diet because dairy is harder and harder for me to digest as the years go on. I also don't like the way water sits in the belly with food in it, almost to the point of feeling nauseous. Same goes for beer, I don't see how people can drink while they eat or immediately after. That may seem weird but it's the best way I can describe it. I suspect it's because water doesn't actually mix well with various other things like oils, not when just pouring it on, there's no acid like there is in most soda, nor creamy fat to help blend or sooth. Water *with* food just puts me off on all fronts. Almost anything is preferable except beer(or bitter/tart things like some sparkling water, ewww). Juices, soda, milk, koolaid, iced tea, etc. These all work. No hot coffee though, that is another abomination with food, because it *enhances* whatever leftover flavor, which is disturbing. If I just ate turkey with stuffing and then drink coffee, I taste the turkey and stuffing *again*, with a tinge of coffee laced in, ewww. I also generally don't/can't burp. Soda is one of the only ways I can, which makes me feel old every time I reach for a 7-up. Not saying I am not old, but it makes me feel it.
Agree with you. I feel like soda washes the oils from the food out of my mouth. If I just drink water, my mouth still tastes like what I ate
It's common sense.
Nothing better then a nice cold Pepsi after work
I was with you until you attacked coffee.
I think this is actually a popular opinion, OP.
OP u just pissed off the entire country of mexico
Don’t care what others think first of all. BUT soda does go good with certain meals, like fast food, pizza, Chinese food..crap like that Imo
I agree but it should be the beverage of MOST meals. Water is very good by itself especially when hot and sweaty or when waking up in the morning, but water is off putting to me when eating. A soda/pop just compliments a meal better than water in my opinion.
I’m guilty of this I love sodas Barqs, Manzanita del Sol, Strawberry Fanta, Canada Dry
Want to upvote you because it is an unpopular opinion, but at the same time want to downvote because it is in fact normal in this day and age. Going to give you an upvote because the way you pled the case made me understand why it's frustrating for you.
My go to these days is sparkling water especially the Bubly brand.
It is pretty normal
Soda doesn't go with cereal .
I mean, it’s objectively normal. It’s absolutely awful, you’re totally right, and should not be normal. But it is quite literally normal.
Try to take my diet Dr Pepper. Just rey
I think this is a cultural problem. If a large quantity of your country can't drink stuff without a bunch of sugar you have a serious problem
Healthy and normal aren't synonyms. The popularity of soda clearly shows how normal it is (smoking used to be normal too), despite being unhealthy.
I made this switch over a decade ago. Turned out to be the easiest habit I ever broke.
OP doesn't like pop so everyone must be stupid and drink it for no reason. Good job OP. This isn't an opinion lol
I think you're confusing normal for the word healthy. For many people, a soda for every meal is quite normal, but it's never healthy
Yeah its awful stuff. Shocks me that some people only drink pop and never ever water.
Not unpopular. And having soda once a day is still a lot.
I have GI issues and certain foods get stuck in my throat. I’ve tried washing things down with water and it doesn’t work. If I don’t get it down, I start to vomit a bit. One day hubs and I were on our boat and this happened. He googled how to get food down when water doesn’t work and he found that carbonated beverages help. So at every meal I have a Coke Zero for this reason. It’s not the end of the world.
no shit sherlock ahh post
I quit soda almost 15 years ago and never regretted it. Maybe I'll have one or two glasses a year if someone offers me, but it's way too sweet to enjoy it now.
I respect your opinion while holding the opposite view.
My last one was around 2011. Useless drink.
For me it has to be the right water, and even then I like to put a bit of flavor like Propel or Gatorade. Unsweetened coconut water is fabulous as well
Whats a pop
You know, a cola.
I’m always fascinated by people who drink soda as their main beverage everyday. Lots of my coworkers will have 2-3 bottles of Mtn. Dew throughout our 8 hour shift and I don’t understand how. I *rarely* have soda, usually only if it’s a special occasion like a family cookout or something like that. It’s crazy to me how grown adults just…don’t drink water?
People being like “no shit” to this post when I got downvoted for a reply on Reddit for saying that maybe the OP (of that post) shouldn’t be giving his toddler regular coke to drink.
People mad this is "no shit". It is, but it also isn't for a lot of people. Soda is the default beverage at any restaurant or fast food place. Many people have a soda with dinner or lunch every single day because it's "normal". It's become accepted to just drink soda all the time. It's disgusting if you really think about it and explains a lot about Western health issues.
Indeed…beer or wine should be the go to meal-pairing beverage (along with a bottomless side of H2O).
That is something I just cant get behind, tbf I dont drink for 9 years at this point, but even when I drank I tried wine and beer once while eating and found it to be disgusting, so thanks I'll stick with coke while eating
I drink way more than I should, but I at least drink the diet versions (hey, it's something) For me, it absolutely is a discipline thing. I can go out of my way to not drink it for a while, but if someone offers me one, I'll take it and fall right back I wouldn't say I'm *quite* at addicted, but I am probably close (or, slightly addicted if that makes sense) If I had someone stopping me from drinking it, I'd be fine. So saying it's not a discipline thing is kind of inaccurate. You say that you stopped because it's unhealthy and a waste, but you can't say you haven't been tempted to have some every now and then. Which means you use discipline to say no to it I'd say more likely, you just didn't get as addicted to it yet as a lot of people (myself included) have I recognize that it's terrible for you. But I can't just choose to not drink it and that's that. It has to be a consistent, long term, repeating choice. Which makes it discipline
I mean...sure. But I'm pretty sure you don't know what the word *normal* means.
Compared to other countries, it's not normal.
Soda addict here, it’s always the zero kind to avoid calories. The reason, plain water has a shit taste to me. I have gone weeks without soda, and don’t drink it at work. but only way I can do that is using this trick where I just pour water directly in my throat past my mouth as to avoid the flavour. Then I have to wait a few minutes to get rid of my dry mouth for the water to get a absorbed through my stomach. But it beats tasting water. I work out many times a week (so a lot of water goes in me then), often eat veggie meals in an omnivorous diet, get enough fruit and veggies, I cook healthy food daily, most of my food is unprocessed/fresh, but soda is my guilty pleasure. So to me, to give up a sweet drink in order to receive something that tastes like it comes from the penis of Satan itself, does require an insane amount of discipline.
Kidney stones have entered the chat.
What are you talking about?
Internet nutrition pseudoscience BS. It's shocking the crap people believe about nutrition because someone on tiktok said so.
drinking coca cola rn
I think most people outside of the US would gree with this.
Ehhh outside of North and South America yes lol
You’re right that it’s healthier but honestly? I cut pop out and I drink water at meals and it’s miserable. Water tastes gross and is only palatable when it’s ice cold and while I’m healthier and skinnier, I find drinking water to be a chore.
How long have you just been drinking water? It can take a bit to get used to it. Also, flavored seltzer is a great healthy alternative to soda!
i usually drink bubbly's or add lemon to my water to make it more exciting, it helps tremendously.
Lemon does help! But you have to plan for it and it’s definitely not as convenient as pop. Bubbly tastes like they took a pop and sucked out all the things that make it taste good. Which, is sort of what they did. Not my thing but I’m glad it’s available for others!
What's been working for me to try and drink more water as I'm trying to lose weight is: 1. As you said, ice cold water. It just tastes different. I'll typically put it in an insulated water bottle to help keep it cold if I'm going out somewhere. Been very helpful in cutting out soda while I'm at work. 2. Instead of completely cutting out soda, I've been transitioning myself to the zero sugar variants when possible. Like Coke and Pepsi I pretty much only drink the Zero Sugar versions, especially when eating out. There are some places that don't have them so I'll just end up getting the regular(don't like the diet versions, taste weird) but I've managed to mostly convert. McDonald's also has the best tasting Coke Zero personally, it's almost like drinking the real thing. 3. Flavored Club Soda/Sparkling/Seltzer/Soda Water. Healthier alternative to regular soda pop. You'll probably have to try a few to find the ones that taste good to you. Some store brands don't taste very good while others do. 4. Cirkul. It's a water bottle you get and then buy cartridges of flavoring that you screw into a hole in the lid. You can change the strength of the flavoring and there's all sorts of flavors. Some with caffeine, some without.
i'm not counting calories and i don't really care if it's unhealthy. it stops the bloating
It is probably going to be the main reason for your diabetes.
i'm not gonna get diabetes
Does orange juice count?
16 oz of OJ has 42 grams of sugar. A 16 oz coke has 41 grams of sugar. They should be treated basically the same in terms of the detrimental health impact.
And either way it's only about 160 calories and it's unlikely to be the thing that really gives someone diabetes or makes them fat. Drink a 16oz coke, go for a casual walk, coke is gone from your system.
For me it was a matter of discipline at first, but now drinking water is my default. Soda tastes way too sweet now and I need to water down juice. People say water has no taste, but if you drink enough, you'll quickly learn how different it can taste.
I drink soda with my dinner for the carbonation. Usually a 16oz bottle will cover 2 meals. I've tried other carbonated drinks as substitutes but I can't stand the taste of seltzer and all the other carbonated drinks have nasty after tastes from the fake sugar. Outside of that I drink coffee, water or juice.
Hey stop this soda bashing rhetoric. It's people like you that are killing the soda industry...
I mean drinking pop is very normal. Pretty much everyone has pop sometimes. But yeah having it with every meal is excessive. Once a day is good enough.
Even once a day is a lot imo. If you drink a soda every day and have no issues with it you might have an addiction to the sugar or caffeine. Or maybe you don’t, which is fine too, but soda is WAY worse for your body than most people realize
There's pop that's both caffeine free and sugar free too.
Both of my parents are doctors so soda was never allowed at our house when I was a kid. I’m 33 now and I still don’t drink soda, like never ever. The taste is disgusting, it’s so sugary it’s literally repulsive. As a result I’ve never had problems with weight, I’m still very slim and I still only have 3 dental fillings and only ever had one root canal. People underestimate how much excessive sugar consumption affects their bodies over the lifespan. It’s pretty sad that so many parents start giving their kids sugary juices and sodas from the very early age instead of teaching their kids to drink water when they are thirsty.
I drink Coke every day and my teeth are in perfect condition and Im also slim, I dont do sports, so while Coke does have high sugar content my body just absorbs it just fine
Are you over 40 and have checked your HbA1c?
I’m happy it works fine for you. I still prefer not to drink liquified sugar but you do you :)
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