The soda habit: Is it really so bad to drink soda? Here's what the experts have to say

How bad is soda for the body? What about diet soda? This subject has been researched for years. For the answers, people look to dentists, dietitians and personal trainers. Their expertise provides facts that people need to make wise, healthy decisions.

What your dentist says about soda

Dr. Ashley Blattner of Bennett Family Dentistry in Cape Girardeau does not hold back when asked how bad soda is: "Horrible," she answers. "It is not a myth."

She explains that about 10 teaspoons of refined sugar are in each regular can of soda, and about 17 teaspoons in a 20-ounce bottle.

"Bacteria in your mouth processes the sugar, which produces acid, and that causes the cavities," she says. Since acid is in the soda already, this all amounts to "demineralization of tooth enamel, and that's what causes the decay," she explains.

As for diet soda, she stresses that it, too, has harmful acid, even though it has less refined sugar.

One concerning trend is the increase in the intake of sports drinks, which, she says, "have just as much effect on teeth as soda."

Another concern is fruit juice.

"I cringe when I see moms giving 3-year-olds apple juice because it does have a lot of sugar in it," she says.

Blattner recommends cutting these drinks out altogether. Her advice? "Drink water."

Acknowledging that drinking soda is a hard habit to break, for the sake of preserving teeth, Blattner advises applying the age-old doctor recommendation: Just as dentists have always said to brush after every meal, she says to brush after drinking.

"But if you can't brush afterward, rinse your mouth with water after to dilute the sugar, or chew gum with xylitol in it," she says. That, she says, helps decrease tooth decay.

What your personal trainer says about soda

Callie Welker, a personal trainer and registered dietitian at Snap Fitness in Cape Girardeau, believes moderation must be employed concerning soda intake.

"Anything can fit into a diet within moderation," she says.

Unfortunately, she adds, people do not drink soda moderately; they drink it every day.

"A 32-ounce soda every day is just tons of empty calories, and over time, that can add to gaining weight," she says.

Soda, according to Welker, has no minerals or vitamins. It has no nutritional value. It is just "empty calories." The sugar breaks down into glucose, which may cause health problems.

"Dumping that much into the body all at once … the pancreas releases insulin. … We then become insulin-resistant," she says, "and that's how diabetes comes about."

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Those who feel the need to drink soda should think of it as an indulgence, the same way they should think of dessert. Maybe they can pare it down to one soda a week, Welker suggests.

Like Blattner, Welker acknowledges that diet soda is not a healthy substitute. If one is trying to lose weight, diet soda is a better option, as it has no calories, she says, but it is still not ideal, and it brings up other issues, such as whether aspartame, an ingredient in diet drinks, is actually healthy.

Welker points out that sweet tea also is filled with sugar, so those who think it is healthier than soda should think again.

Her biggest concern about soda is its effect on weight and health, which, she says, go hand-in-hand.

"It doesn't take long for soda to add up to extra pounds, and with extra pounds comes the risk of cardiovascular disease and diabetes," she says. "Ideally, we would switch everybody to water," she concludes.

What your dietitians say about soda

Janet Anders, a wellness dietitian at Fitness Plus in Cape Girardeau, has been in the business for more than 10 years and does presentations about sugars and sweeteners and their impact on the body. She, too, speaks of moderation when it comes to drinking soda.

"I think of it as the way it was intended, which was in moderation. … Most of us don't do things in moderation, so regular soda is a big contributor to obesity in adolescents and adults," she says.

Anders, like Welker, stresses the empty calories in soda. Because it has no nutritional value, people should look at it as they look at cakes, cookies and candies -- as treats, not as a regular part of a person's diet.

"No more than 10 percent of total calories should come from added sugars," she advises, pointing out that a 20-ounce bottle of soda contains more than your recommended added sugar for the day

Those from the baby boomer, Generation X and Millennial generations -- and generations to come -- are most susceptible, it seems, to an overabundance of soda consumption. Soda was probably more of a treat at the beginning of the baby boomer generation, Anders says, when, unlike now, people indulged "maybe a couple times a week, if they were lucky."

So why the increase?

"I think it's more available. We have more access to vending machines," and people eat out more, particularly in this area, Anders says. Cape Girardeau has a lot of drive-thrus, which, Anders says she learned recently, are not so plentiful in other parts of the country.

Her perspective on diet soda aligns with those of dentists and personal trainers.

"It doesn't do anything for you but give you a little liquid," she says. While there are benefits to a switch from regular to diet soda, it can cause GI and digestive issues. Large amounts of caffeine are therein, and added chemicals make caffeine-free soda a concern.

Her greatest concern with soda, whether regular or diet, is that when not enjoyed in moderation, it replaces nutrition that the body actually needs. When people fill up on soda, they're not filling up on -- or getting enough of -- something else. It may be water or fruit, but something else is missing, according to Anders. And that's a problem.

"We need the nutrition. Our body doesn't really need soda, despite what we feel in the morning," she says.

How to kick the habit

Anders praises water as "the best choice," but she recognizes that quitting soda cold turkey is difficult. For those who want to kick the soda can to the curb, she encourages an incremental approach.

"Caffeine is addictive," she says. "One of the things we encourage is to slowly do it as if you were switching from regular to diet or switching from sweet to decaffeinated tea."

It is important not to just stop drinking liquid.

"We want to make sure there's a good replacement," she says. "Don't cut liquid out, but cut back [on soda] … for something healthier." She adds that "it's a choice you have to make."

To help those who have made that choice, Anders suggests "having one glass of water when they would normally have a soda." It takes 21 days to form a habit, she says. When people look at it in "short windows" like that, they find the difficult task more manageable, rather than insurmountable.

Raina Childers, nutrition services coordinator at HealthPoint Fitness, concurs with Anders' assessment of soda's negative effect on the body. With expertise that accompanies 20 years in the profession, she emphasizes that choosing water over soda "is always a great idea and good for overall health." The "nonnutritive calories" in regular soda and "nonnutritive volume" in diet soda leave "less room in a person's fluid intake for the beverages that contribute to good health," she continues. That principal beverage, she asserts, is water.

Knowing something is healthy does not make it an easy habit to adopt. The transition can be made easier, however, Childers says, because gradual changes may be helpful to the reluctant water-drinker.

"Trading out a non-healthy beverage for a glass of water daily is a good place to start, and then slowly transitioning to more and more water," she suggests.

Additionally, most people are more likely to embrace life changes when those changes appeal to the palate. Adding natural flavors to water will liven up the water-drinking experience, Childers says.

"Using fresh or frozen fruit, cucumbers and fresh herbs can make delicious infused water," she says.