Curbing your caffeine cravings

I work as a waitress part-time.  I am sometimes amazed at the amount of soda people consume at one sitting. 

Yet, I used to be one of those people.  I would drink at least one can of soda a day, sometimes more if I went out to dinner or a movie.  I knew that drinking that much soda wasn't good for my body.  So I decided to stop drinking soda every day. 

The first couple of days were really hard because my body was craving the caffeine that it was so used to getting.  After about a week, I was still craving caffeine. However, I felt a lot better.  I had replaced soda with water and it made my body feel refreshed and not sluggish.  Now, it's water that I crave and I always reach for a bottle of water instead of a bottle of Coke. 

It isn't that you should never drink soda, it should just be consumed in moderation.  There are some people who drink several cans of soda each day.  Many of them don't realize how many calories and sugar they are getting from that one can.  Too much soda can put on the pounds very easily.  A bottle of soda can have as much as 200 calories, which is about the same amount you would get from a turkey sandwich.  Too much sugar can add pounds, too.

So be wise when choosing your beverages.  If you're addicted to the caffeine and sugar, like many people are, then it may be hard to stop.  It can be done, though.  It just takes some serious commitment and will power.  Once you curb your cravings, you will feel a lot better physically and mentally.

Contact Staci Cox at cox152@marshall.edu.