Top 3 reasons why it is hard to give up soda

Are you addicted to soda? Are you trying to give it up? Do you wonder as to why you are constantly hooked on it? Let us look at these soda companies and see how they seduce consumers into buying their product.

Everyone knows that they should not be drinking Soda like Coca Cola, Pepsi, Mountain Dew etc.

• Too much sugar
• Bad for your teeth
• Commonly linked to obesity etc, etc…

Despite all this awareness, these products are obviously doing very well. Why are so many people unable to kick the habit? Here are the top 3 reasons why it is so hard to give up soda:

1. It is everywhere

It is present everywhere - stores, ball parks, theaters, offices, vending machines, checkout counters everywhere. So, it becomes acceptable. But how? The Coca Cola Company is more than 100 years old, with all the distribution and bottling factories set up for a long time.

Do you realize the infrastructure it takes with trucks, retail partnerships, restaurant partnerships to have the product everywhere? It is already established (in US) and rapidly expanding in other countries.

All the company needs to do is sell, sell, sell. And it does that, very effectively. When you see it everywhere, you are more likely to accept drinking it as the norm.

2. You vs marketing geniuses

Top beverage companies spend millions on marketing campaigns using celebrities (music sensations, top actors, etc) . What chance does the regular consumer have against these influential campaigns?

Ask yourselves 2 things –

1. Do celebrities really consume these products?
2. How does a company that produces a product costing a dollar afford these celebrities?

I am sorry, unless they follow a very strict diet, they are not going to look their awesome best. Beyonce and Deepika all follow super strict diet regimen, so while I love them both, I will buy their music and movies not their product endorsements.

Coca Cola has a return on equity of over 20% consistently. That company is doing very well. But if you think of the product itself, the recipe has not changed for years, maybe even a century.

So, if they are not reinventing the product and use really cheap ingredients (Carbonated Water, High Fructose Corn Syrup, Caramel Color,Phosphoric Acid, Natural Flavors, Caffeine), a good portion of the revenue they generate pretty much goes for marketing and getting movie stars and music icons to sponsor their product. It is pretty much the same marketing philosophy like selling a perfume.

Now think of companies who have good products and are constantly developing their products – Google, Tesla, Toyota, facebook. They rarely need any celebrity to speak on behalf of their product. The product speaks for itself.

3. You are addicted to its taste (not your fault)

The pH of coca cola is 2.5 (very acidic), and a 12 oz can contains 39g of sugar (9 teaspoons).The sugary, mouth-puckering taste is the sweet spot that people crave. Have you tried drinking water with 9 teaspoons sugar in it? – disgusting. But, Coca Cola has that perfect craving trap – sweet + acidic + caffeine

It is also the best environment for food preservation. Bacteria does not like to grow in low acid, highly sweet environment. This combination with canning technology helps Coca Cola stay for 9 months or more without expiring.

So, what can I do about it?

1. Drink water – Rolling eyes, I know. When I was trying to reduce my tea addiction, if one more person came to me and told me to drink water instead, I wanted to punch them in the face. Point is, everyone knows, water is the best beverage. But once your mind is fixated on a habit, it is hard to turn it off. My recommendation – take incremental steps over time.

When my daughters used to beg my husband for soft drink along with a Chipotle burrito, he came up with an idea to take some lemon slices and water and four packets of sugar (Whoa!!) to keep them happy. Four packets = 4 teaspoons, not great, but better than 9 teaspoons in coke. We are now trying to get it down to three and so on…

2. Try awesome new alternatives. These may not have the brand name as Coke and Pepsi, but are run by fantastic entrepreneurs with brilliant healthy beverage ideas. Both these companies offer carbonated beverages that are flavored with natural essential oils. I have no association with either company, I am just recommending based on their ingredient list and their product story.

• Hint Water – Hint water is a great success story of a women entrepreneur developing the product to kick her soda habit.
• La Croix – La Croix is this runaway success company that has fans who swear by it.

3. Have you tried the fruit in the water idea? You chop pieces of strawberry, blueberry, orange or lemon in the water and drink it. It adds a mild, sweet flavor to your drink, which tastes quite refreshing.

4. Drink coconut water – again this has about 14g of sugar, not better than zero, but better than 39g of sugar.

5. Here’s a don’t -> Do NOT drink fruit juice instead. Fruit juice, as Yoni Freedoff (see below), puts it, “is a Gateway drink to Soda.”

Additional Notes

This blog post is dedicated to my good friend, Monica, who is trying to kick her “Monster” drink habits. I wish her my very best. Have you tried to kick your soda habit? What has your experience been? Please share with us.

Also check out Coca Cola Now vs then-

This link is from a wonderful anti-obesity doctor I follow, Yoni Freedoff. He adopts one of the most brilliant, practical approach to fight obesity.

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