When we become pregnant, we all need to make changes to our diet and lifestyle for the good of the growing baby. These changes may include eating a healthier diet, cutting down on caffeine, quitting smoking and avoiding alcohol. In our quest to give our babies the best start in life, we scrutinize our past food choices.
When you are trying to cut caffeine out of your diet, you need to remember that many brands of soda contain caffeine. Often, women mention caffeine as the reason they chose to limit their intake of soda during pregnancy. This is good since caffeine is a problem, but it’s far from the only problem with drinking soda.
Even if the soda you drink contains no caffeine, it is still not a good choice for you or your baby. Since soda is such a staple of the American diet, pregnant women often keep drinking it. They may switch to a caffeine free brand, thinking they are solving the problem.
Soda has a lot of sugar in it. The average can of soda has about ten teaspoons of sugar in it. This can result in empty calories and excessive weight gain. Drinking just two sodas a day is enough to add a significant amount of weight by the end of nine months. If you are trying to keep a handle on your weight, skip soda and reach for a bottled water instead.
The sugar in soda is very bad for your blood sugar levels, which can increase quickly and crash just as quickly a little later in the day. Artificial sweeteners have not been proven completely safe during pregnancy and most doctors suggest their patients avoid them. This means you should not drink diet soda either.
The carbonated water used in sodas has been shown to have a negative effect on calcium in the body. The phosphate in the soda is responsible for leaching the calcium out of your blood stream and even bones. Your baby needs the calcium to grow strong and healthy. For this reason, replace soda with water, milk and juice.
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