DRINK. YOUR. WATER. There is no single measure that you can take for your health and well being that is more effortless and beneficial than this one. Drink water. That’s it. Not 8 cups a day, or a ratio of your bodyweight or your body mass times the square of the root of the metabolic synthesis aspect blah blah blah… Just drink plenty of water. It doesn’t have to be more complex than that.

I’m not going to explain all the health benefits of cutting back on soda and consuming more water. That sort of figures and number-crunching rarely actually causes one to change. And besides, there are many other places where you could discover the advantages of water. But I am going to mention a few reasons you should look at putting down the soda and drinking more water, some that perhaps you haven’t considered.

What would you think of someone who ate nothing but candy? Irresponsible? Immature? So what do you think you’re pouring down your gullet all day long? Soda is liquid candy. It has no more health benefits to your body – especially the diet sodas with the artificial sweeteners – than candy. And like candy, it’s okay to drink one every now and then, but a steady diet of the stuff is ruinous to your health. Just as it’s necessary to fill your food diet with primarily nutritious food, your liquid diet should be mostly water.

It’s what a 5-year old would do. Left to their own pre-kindergarten devices, a child would live off of candy and sweet soda. Just watch the film Big for conclusive proof. You can’t blame a 5-year old for that kind of choice since they don’t know any better. They don’t fully grasp consequences, they can’t educate themselves, and they don’t have control over their urges. You’re not 5 years old. If you’re old enough to drive, you’re old enough to recognize consequences, can educate yourself, and should have the ability to think past the pleasure centers of your brain. To put it bluntly, grow up.

Would you feed your dog nothing but soda? Even caffeine-free soda. What would you think of someone who fed their dog soda instead of water? If you’re an average person, you’d want to report them to Animal Control. It’s cruel. Inhumane, even. So what makes you think it’s okay for you to do it? (hint: It’s not. At all.)

We are made to drink water. Did you see that Discovery Channel show where they talked about how for 99% of human evolution the planet was covered with Dr. Pepper, and that humanity evolved to consume nothing but soda? Yeah, I missed that, too. We weren’t designed to live on syrup and carbonation. Other things we evolved not to do: Drink arsenic, hang by your feet all day, and impale ourselves with javelins. Would you do those other things just because it tasted good?

If you don’t make yourself drink water, your kidneys will. Let’s face it, we take a lot of crap into our bodies on a daily basis. It’s unavoidable, and our food isn’t getting any healthier. You know what happens when you don’t flush all that processed food and salt out of your body? It collects in your kidneys. As someone who had a kidney stone a year ago, trust me, that’s not something you want, and flushing out all that crap with more crap isn’t the answer. Take it from personal experience, drink water and clear your pee before you find out what it’s like to have a 2-foot stent pulled out of your urethra by a nurse named Louise who is ambivalent to your pain.

Needless to say, the above experience changed the way I put fluids into my body forever. These days, I drink nothing but water (with some coffee and tea thrown in) all day long during the week, and allow myself as much soda as I want on weekends. And here’s what I can tell you: It’s so much better this way. I don’t miss it at all during the week and you know what? It tastes a thousand times better when I have it. It makes the weekends that much nicer. And something else? I don’t want it as much. Often times, I don’t even finish one bottle. Just a little bit is all I need. I enjoy it more, and it’s a nice treat at the end of a long week.

I won’t say it’s easy, it’s not. Especially if you drink it all the time right now, your body will have a major modification to pass through – and your tastebuds will need to recover from the countless amount of acid you’ve washed over them. But it’s worth the effort. In a million ways, it’s worth it. And the withdrawal passes speedily, probably in lower than a week. You’ll get accustomed to it and then you won’t want it any other way. And you’ll feel so much greater. Healthy practices have a tendency to do that.

Enjoy more of Seth’s unique perspective on oral health issues at Cankerboy.com. Stop by and find out how you can beat canker sores and live pain free.

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