Table of Contents
The Quick Answer
No. Soda is not paleo.
Why Isn’t Soda Paleo?
Soda is not paleo because it’s one of the most harmful man-made foods there is. It causes a range of problems, from insulin resistance to trouble concentrating. Some of the main reasons that soda is not paleo are:
- Soda has an extremely high sugar content and therefore a very high score on the glycemic index. This means it wreaks havoc on blood sugar levels, leading to insulin resistance and other metabolic conditions.
- Soda does not contain any nutrients at all. It offers nothing in terms of vitamins, minerals, protein, or fiber.
- Consuming soda is linked with an increased risks of developing serious diseases such as diabetes, autoimmune diseases, heart disease, and obesity.
- Soda is an extremely well processed food, which contains many artificial ingredients, GMO substances, chemicals, and preservatives, all of which the paleo diet aims to avoid.
Countless studies have shown the negative effects of drinking soda, and yet it remains one of the primary calorie sources in the American diet. In fact, most Americans report that they drink around two cans of soda every day.
Consuming soda has been linked with kidney problems and researchers have found that drinking diet soda is associated with a two-fold increased risk of kidney decline. In one study, kidney function started declining when the participating women drank more than two sodas a day.
Soda also messes with metabolism. Even consuming just one diet soda a day has been shown to give you an increased risk of 34% getting metabolic syndrome. Drinking soda has also been linked to rotting teeth and gums, mental fogginess, feelings similar to a hangover, and cell damage.
Is Diet Soda Paleo?
Diet soda is also not paleo. Here is a full article about diet soda and here is a PaleoFM question about diet soda, if you’d like to find out more about these zero calorie drinks.
The artificial chemicals found in diet soda bring their own set of negatives to soda drinks. Studies have found that the more diet soda a person drinks, the more likely they are to become overweight. The reason? Artificial sweeteners disrupt the body’s natural ability to regulate calorie intake and make us crave more sweets. So even though we skip the sugar by opting for diet soda, we end up consuming sugar in other forms later on.
What Should You Drink Instead of Soda?
If you’re new to the paleo diet and are wondering what you should drink instead of soda, here are some ideas:
- Regular water
- Herbal teas
- Coconut water
- Almond milk
- Coconut milk
- Regular caffeinated tea in moderation (like green tea, white tea, and black tea)
- Plain coffee in moderation
While it’s usually best to make sure that the majority of your liquids come from plain water, if you get bored drinking regular water, there are plenty of other options out there that are paleo and that are much better choices than soda.
Herbal teas (meaning they contain no caffeine) and more traditional teas like green tea, black tea, and white tea, all contain zero calories, carbs, sugar, fiber, protein, or fat, so they are essentially the same as water in terms of the nutrients they provide (although the same cannot always be said when it comes to hydration). Many types of herbal teas, like peppermint, ginger, chamomile, and so on, also have a very long history of being used medicinally to heal the body. This is another reason as to why they trump soda. Green, black, and white teas also have antioxidants to offer.
If tea isn’t your thing, try adding some fruit to your water (orange slices, lemon, lime, or berries) to infuse your water with some extra flavor. Whatever you do, just stay away from the soda.
For more on this topic, see the PaleoFM answer to the question, “what can I drink on the paleo diet?”
Is There Any Confusion When It Comes To Soda Being Paleo?
No. There is no disagreement when it comes to soda being paleo. Everyone (even people who are far from paleo) accepts that soda is a harmful food that is devoid of any nutrients. It’s agreed that soda is one of the first foods that people should try to give up in order to better their health.
So Is Soda Paleo?
No, soda is not paleo. It is a processed food, it’s extremely high on the glycemic index, it’s harmful to the health of humans in many ways, and it does not contain any nutrients at all.
How To Know What Is And Isn’t Paleo
Check out Paleo.io, the mobile app that answers the question, “is __ paleo?” Paleo.io comes with the most comprehensive paleo diet food list out there, so no matter which food you’re confused about, you’ll always be able to find out whether or not it’s paleo.
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