Diet Soda Coda

Once again, I just a little behind the news cycle, but yesterday I was perusing CBS News and came across this article which further articulates the possibility that drinking diet soda does not help one lose weight. Like most weight conscious folks, I have, as a habit, been drinking diet cola for a number of years because I had convinced myself that by ingesting that, rather than "regular" soda, I would be creating a situation by which I could lose weight. I bought into the sales pitch that drinking diet cola would help me lose weight.

Worse than convincing myself that diet cola was somehow "healthy," I now recognize that I have been “selling it” to my kids. I “told” my students that it was good for them, or at the very least better than other products, by always had a soda on hand, awaiting a sip during class. I gave my own children the understanding of its acceptance by complying with their occasional requests for “a soda.”

I am committing to stopping my participation in the machine by drinking healthier alternatives… like tap water, for instance, or fresh fruit juice.

Now, I’m not naive enough to believe that I, nor my children or students, will never, ever drink soda, but I know I can quietly model more appropriate dietary habit, and therefore a healthier lifestyle.

Breathe in, breathe out... YOU AND I ARE ALIVE!