Cola (sugar) Addiction

They don't generally add sugar to orange juice. If they do they loose their exemption for the sugar tax.

Peter said:

You have to sieve it multiple times at which point its about the same as the juice you buy from the shops, only fresher.

Also without all the artaficial additives and sugar - a win-win I would say.

You have to sieve it multiple times at which point its about the same as the juice you buy from the shops, only fresher.

You can also go through a bag (if you Google how to make nut milk you'll see the kind) if you want it thinner than a sleeve

Then you just pour it through a sieve into a glass and out come the bits - simples,

Peter said:

I can’t tolerate bits in my juice

Texture it’s totally a Texture thing. Should also point out that when I’m drinking fruit juice I have to have a smooth version. I can’t tolerate bits in my juice.

I had an addiction to it in mu youth. I used meridian tapping to help curb it

Peter said:

I got sent an article today about how fruit juice is supposed to be really bad for you. Smoothies I can't tolerate, cordials ... I've no idea aren't they full of sugar? I don't like herbal tea any better than regular tea. Flavoured water ... the only ones I've found I like have added sugar. I mean it's not repulsive its just mostly as boring as regular bottled water

There is fruit juice you buy packaged (most has sugar an preservatives added) and juice done in the blender or juicer - make your own with fresh fruit.

It has sugar, but it is natural sugar which is better for you than the processed ones in cartons. In moderation it is healthy (not weight loss "healthy") and tasty.

What is it about smoothies you cannot tolerate? Taste, texture or the reaction?

I think most smoothies have milk added but I just put chunks of pineapple in the blender witha cup of water, give it 30 seconds and sweeten if needed then it is ready and is about 2 big glasses of high fibre goodness.

Flavoured water - make you own by adding lime or lemon juice and a little sucralose based sweetener - it is like old scool lemonade.

I like fruit water best because of the extra flavour. I guess it's my sweet tooth, that's why I grew to love the cola so much. I despise hot drinks it feels like my mouth and throat are on fire when I have hot drinks.

I don't think people realise how little 'healthy' fluid is out there if you exclude coffee, tea and tap water. Or how expensive and boring it is surviving off bottled water, possibly with a microscopic dash of some fruit flavouring in.

That's the trouble, everything else is horrible. Lol.

I went through a period where cola was all I drank. Squash made me sick once, think it was an IBS thing actually but I blamed the drink at the time so went to cola. At one point I was having about 7 cans in a day and it was wrecking me. Lol. I was getting nausea, acid reflux, abdominal pain, dizziness and tiredness all day every day. Sleep was an issue at the time as well despite me being so tired. My bowels were also a wreck. TMI! 

I cut down gradually and managed to get away from the toxic cola and started drinking more water. Now I feel healthier, I don't get acid reflux and I sleep properly. Coca cola is evil lol. Take it steady and cut down to maybe like 3 cans a day, see how it goes and go at your own pace. You can do it though and trust me you'll definitely feel healthier after.

I got sent an article today about how fruit juice is supposed to be really bad for you. Smoothies I can't tolerate, cordials ... I've no idea aren't they full of sugar? I don't like herbal tea any better than regular tea. Flavoured water ... the only ones I've found I like have added sugar. I mean it's not repulsive its just mostly as boring as regular bottled water.

Peter said:

there aren't much in the way of health alternatives though are there?

There are fruit juices or smoothies that you can do in the blender and tweak to your own tastes. Most juices that come in packs are not much good compared to fresh ones.

There are cordials you can dilute.

Teas come in herbal formats and can be quite nice.

How about fizzy water? There are also flavoured waters but you can make your own more easily with mixing small amounts of cordial.

Just about any kind of fizzy drink is bad for you as almost all have high potassium levels and many have high sugar levels,

In your situation I would avoid anthing with caffaine in it too - really bad for your health when taken regularly.

There are plenty of options if you are serious about trying.

there aren't much in the way of health alternatives though are there? If you can't stand tap water, tea or coffee. And bottled water is just dull. Pepsi max is full of caffeine and diet coke just tastes plane bad.

I worked for Coca Cola at one of their bottling plants and you got trained on how to handle the syrup concentrates - including lots of warnings about how dangerous they were for health.

Needless to say not many people working for the company were buying much for themselves, even at the price of a few pence per can for the "part fills" (slighly uderfilled cans that Quality Assurance rejected due to being a few grams underweight).

If you can, get off it for a healthier alternative and ditch the sugar and caffaine laden stuff.

Yeah I used to drink loads and loads of coca cola. After a few years I'm now down to one a day. 

M said:

I'm not sure whether to cut down or cut it out completely and just go to water.

I'm with TriS on this - a controlled phase out is the best way to manage it without adverse effects - your body will be able to cope with the changes in sugar and caffeine quite easily.

IF you get any headaches, they are transitory so take a paracetaemol and carry on.

Remeber to keep your hydration up with water so your fluid intake remains about the same.

With the caffeine and sugar spikes out of your system you will find that the absence of these stimulation spikes will make you feel a lot more balanced, but the part of you brain that handles the craving for highs will want something else - try to stay the course and ignore the cravings as best you can and they will pass before you know it.

Allow yourself some cola once in a while but not regularly - it really is not a healthy drink unfortunately, but it can still be a pleasure if you like it that way.

Maybe keep a mental focus on the health benefits to get you through the "withdrawal" phase - remind yourself how much poison is in it and it should help with the cravings.

Aspartame, an artificial sweetener, has been very recently linked to cancer, I think the WHO have listed it as such recently. It is in many fizzy drinks, not just the low or zero sugar ones. I wouldn't recommend switching to diet coke, for that reason. All forms of coke contain phosphoric acid, which, if you drink a lot of it, can leach calcium from the bones, potentially leading to osteoporosis. 

One of the least harmful things to drink that is similar to fizzy drinks, is fruit juice diluted about half-and-half with sparkling water. 

Cutting down with a target of cutting it completely would probably be smartest. You're taking in a lot of caffeine every day, and like most drugs your body won't like going from tons to none in a day. 

If 6 is the fewest you're having per day, then a start would be just sticking to that but never going above that limit. Then after a week or two reducing that to no more than 5 and so on. Work out how much money you're saving on coke and use that money to get yourself some kind of reward for your work. 

You can do this!