My husband and I have recently given up soda - this has not been pretty. I had a two can a day habit and love my diet soda more than chocolate. I have always known this is not the healthiest habit, what with the increased likelihood of cavities , links to obesity and cancer - but I did feel as though it was an acceptable vice. The turning point and final straw for my husband and I was the recent study which links artificial sweeteners to cancer - not exactly new information.

The real turning point for me was awhile ago when my son in the car one day exclaimed “I don’t drink soda because it’s not healthy for me, but you do because it’s good for grown-ups”. His sense of logic of course was impeccable since my husband and I both enforce the ideas of healthy eating. We go to great lengths to explain why cookies and candies are treats for once-in-awhile only, while fruits and vegetables are good for growing bodies. In the car on the fateful day, I had to spend several minutes explaining how soda is not healthy for anyone, and - oh the hypocrite that I am - how adults sometimes did things that weren’t healthy just because they could. At this point, I realized I had set up a double standard, and I knew my can-popping, fizzy drink-enjoying days were numbered.

Before this crucial moment, I would have said we were doing very well modelling good eating habits for our son. We don’t really discuss or make any kind of big deal about our likes and dislikes; we eat a wide variety of foods (though I conveniently forget to cook green beans), and we only ask that Jaden taste everything at our mealtimes without fuss if he eats it or doesn’t. Furthermore, we don’t eat a lot of junk food - at least not in front of our son - with the exception being diet soda.

I’m happy to report that I’ve had one soda in the nearly three weeks that we’ve given it up. We’ve explained to our son that soda is a treat for grown-ups, and like candy and cookies it’s just something we have on the rare occasion. I can’t say that I miss soda too much, truthfully other beverages are much more refreshing - though I do feel a slight hint of jealousy when I know my husband has had a can at work on a particular day (this hasn’t happened often for him either). So for my tip today, I’m going to recommend good old fashioned brewed iced tea, unsweetened. Here’s how you do it:

Iced Tea

We’ve been using 4 fruit flavoured tea bags in a pitcher, I’m still experimenting with flavours but so far we love Celestial Seasonings Tangerine Orange Zinger and Country Peach Passion. Steep the four bags with about 3 cups boiling water for about 4-6 minutes and then fill the pitcher with cold water. Refridgerate until icy cold. The nice thing about the fruit flavours is that they don’t seem to need to be sweetened. So we end up with a beverage with zero calories, zero artificial sweeteners and no caffeine. An added plus - this is cheaper than buying soda.