Sodas

For the most part, soda is not a good source of nutrition – it tends to be high in sugar and calories but low in vitamins and minerals. Refer to the calorie counter below to determine the calories and nutritional information in your favorite soda and soft drinks.

Low Nutritional Value

Soda and soft drinks get most of their calories from carbohydrate, much of it in the form of sugar. These beverages are high in carbs but do not provide much in the way of protein or healthy fats. Soda and soft drinks are also unlikely to be a good source of vitamins and minerals.

High in Calories

While diet soda and soft drinks may contain few to zero calories, most soda and soft drinks are very high in calories. A 12-ounce serving of soda may contain anywhere between 124 and 190 calories. When drinking sweetened beverages it can be particularly easy to overindulge without realizing it. If you order a large soda or soft drink with your meal, you could be adding another 500 calories or more to your meal.

Soda and soft drinks generally do not provide much nutritional value – in fact, they may put you at risk for certain negative health impacts. Refer to the calorie calculator below to determine the calories and nutritional information in your favorite soda and soft drinks.

Danger of Sugar and Artificial Sweeteners

While some soda and soft drinks are made with natural sweeteners like honey or stevia, most commercial soda and soft drinks are made with processed sugar or artificial sweeteners. Processed sugar is high in calories and has the potential to produce dangerous spikes in blood sugar levels. Artificial sweeteners, on the other hand, are often low in or devoid of calories but they are laden with chemicals which can have a negative impact on your health.

Metabolic Syndrome

Drinking diet soda and soft drinks too often may put you at risk for developing metabolic syndrome. The term “metabolic syndrome” refers to a collection of risk factors for serious disease that often occur simultaneously – these risk factors include: abdominal obesity, high triglycerides, low HDL cholesterol, high fasting glucose, and high blood pressure. Though diet soda and soft drinks do not contain calories, a 2008 studied revealed that drinking diet soda was associated with a 34% increase in the risk for developing metabolic syndrome.