{"id":422168,"date":"2025-12-03T16:41:10","date_gmt":"2025-12-03T16:41:10","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/422168\/"},"modified":"2025-12-03T16:41:10","modified_gmt":"2025-12-03T16:41:10","slug":"quitting-diet-coke-soda-and-how-to-make-it-happen","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/422168\/","title":{"rendered":"Quitting Diet Coke, soda and how to make it happen"},"content":{"rendered":"

Soda isn\u2019t great for us. That\u2019s not breaking news. Sugars and artificial flavors lack quality nutrition<\/a>. So, many people reach for diet soda<\/a>. But that\u2019s not so healthy either. Recent research found that even just one can of diet soda<\/a> can contribute to liver<\/a> disease. Regular soda, too.<\/p>\n

Yet, many Americans are addicted to fizzy drinks. And for those who wish to stop, cutting soda cold-turkey might not be a good idea \u2014 as some USA TODAY journalists recently learned <\/a>when we tried it.<\/p>\n

\u201cPeople are struggling to stop even though they really want to,\u201d explains Ashley Gearhardt, professor of psychology at the University of Michigan. \u201cYou go through withdrawal.”<\/p>\n

That\u2019s because soda appeals to our brain\u2019s instinctual desire<\/a> for sugars<\/a> and fats that help us survive \u2014 and our bodies adapt to increasingly high exposure to these ingredients over time, raising tolerance and making quitting painful, Gearhardt explains. You may get headaches, irritability<\/a> and anxiety, she says.<\/p>\n

\u201cYou have to think about it as if you were quitting smoking,\u201d Gearhardt says. \u201cYou need to know what are your cues? What are your triggers? What emotions set you off? Certain times of day? Certain people? \u2026 Then you can come up with plans for a replacement.\u201d<\/p>\n

The alternative that\u2019s right for you has a lot to do with why you\u2019re drinking soda in the first place.<\/p>\n

Here’s how to get startedThe best soda alternatives<\/p>\n

\u201cIf people want caffeine, switching to coffee without sweetener is much healthier,\u201d Gearhardt says, but she gives one warning: \u201cGetting caffeine through soda gives energy much faster. You may not get as intense of a caffeine hit from coffee, so there might be a little bit of grieving \u2026 but that\u2019s because we weren\u2019t supposed to be getting that in the first place.”<\/p>\n

Morning headache? You can also try over-the-counter medications that contain a bit of caffeine<\/a>, says Jennifer Temple, director of the Nutrition and Health Research Laboratory at the University of Buffalo. If you\u2019re using soda to address a chronic medical issue, such as migraines<\/a>, it\u2019s a good idea to consult your doctor.<\/p>\n

Tea is a good option<\/a> for a later-in-the-day caffeine boost<\/a> as it generally contains less caffeine than coffee. And if you can\u2019t stand the taste of coffee or tea, remember there are many varieties and flavors to try \u2013 and either of these beverages with a bit of natural sweetener or milk<\/a> is going to be better for you than soda.<\/p>\n

If you love carbonation<\/a>, Gearhardt says to try seltzer or non-sweetened sparkling water<\/a> “in the periods you would be going for a soda.\u201d<\/p>\n

If you love soda for the taste, Temple suggests making \u201cspa water\u201d flavored with lemon, cucumber<\/a>, ginger<\/a>, mint, basil or other fresh ingredients<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Electrolyte powders, juice<\/a> and kombucha also substitute sweetness and quench thirst<\/a>, but be careful of sneaky high sodium amounts or other additives<\/a>, Gearhardt says.<\/p>\n

When soda is your best bet<\/p>\n

Soda is OK to use as an alcohol replacement because most people usually only drink alcohol at certain times or in certain settings anyway.<\/p>\n

\u201cIf it\u2019s an occasional thing, there is flexibility,\u201d Gearhardt says. Like we do with alcohol, set up \u201cno soda zones,\u201d such as your work area to reduce the number of hours and places you could potentially drink a soda.<\/p>\n

If you want to swap out soda at your next happy hour, check out mocktails<\/a>, zero-proof beer<\/a> and wine<\/a> or alcohol-free liquors, Temple says.<\/p>\n

If you can’t quit soda…<\/p>\n

When in doubt, Gearhardt says use your common sense: What is the lowest-sugar option you have at any place and time?<\/p>\n

And when stopping soda has you feeling down, Gearhardt says to remember this is about prioritizing wellbeing. It\u2019s not \u201cquitting,\u201d she says, it\u2019s \u201cgetting healthier.\u201d<\/p>\n

If you\u2019re not ready to ditch soda altogether, that\u2019s OK. Eliminating just one soda per day can make a major health impact, Temple says: \u201cView it more like a treat than a daily habit.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Soda isn\u2019t great for us. That\u2019s not breaking news. Sugars and artificial flavors lack quality nutrition. So, many…\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":422169,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[11],"tags":[647,931,347,14087,5350,17546,28575,990,26036,210,22184,22191,425,993,6930,214,942,50,1182,1539,450,950,14081,70483,70486,22185,67,132,4280,96196,11285,68,11331,33306,3149],"class_list":{"0":"post-422168","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-health","8":"tag-affiliate","9":"tag-and","10":"tag-article","11":"tag-article-plus","12":"tag-at","13":"tag-buffalo","14":"tag-drinks","15":"tag-food","16":"tag-graphics","17":"tag-health","18":"tag-image","19":"tag-image-topper","20":"tag-local","21":"tag-local-affiliate-food","22":"tag-local-affiliate-health-and-wellness","23":"tag-michigan","24":"tag-neutral","25":"tag-news","26":"tag-nutrition","27":"tag-of","28":"tag-overall","29":"tag-overall-neutral","30":"tag-plus","31":"tag-soft","32":"tag-soft-drinks","33":"tag-topper","34":"tag-united-states","35":"tag-unitedstates","36":"tag-university","37":"tag-university-at-buffalo","38":"tag-university-of-michigan","39":"tag-us","40":"tag-usat","41":"tag-usat-graphics","42":"tag-wellness"},"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/pubeurope.com\/@us\/115656634255430777","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/422168","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=422168"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/422168\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/422169"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=422168"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=422168"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=422168"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}