Some people don’t drink coffee, they just don’t care for it.  Instead they start their morning by downing a can of cola.  Maybe another on the way to work.  By the time they make it home at the end of the day they’ve managed to kill a six-pack of the stuff.

You might be concerned about the amount of sugar in sodas.  You loved it as a teenager, but now you’re an adult and every where you turn you hear about diabetes and you don’t want that.  Maybe you’re a little older and the pounds have started to add up, even though your diet hasn’t changed.  But your body has.

Having trouble sleeping through the night?  The cure might be as simple as cutting back on the soda, or other sugars.  Especially in the evening.

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Cutting Back on Soda

It’s addictive, but you’ve got to do it.  What’s needed is a way to cut back, that doesn’t deprive a person of what they like.  A way to wean a user off their favorite drug so they don’t go into withdrawal.

You could switch to diet soda, but not everyone can stand the taste, or trusts the safety of diet sweeteners.

One way to cut back on soda consumption is club soda.  Take your glass and fill it three quarters full with your favorite soda, then add club soda for the rest.  Try to get a club soda without added sodium, or one that uses potassium for the salt instead of sodium.  Every time you reach for a soda, drink it this way.

After a couple weeks, start mixing it half and half.  I know this one is a big step, but it’s really not that big a change.  At this point, you are going to notice that your “thirst” for soda isn’t intense as it used to be.  This is because your body is getting over it’s liquid sugar addiction.

You’ve been doing this for a while now, one day, just try a glass of club soda.  It’s still has the bubbles, it quenches thirst, and with a splash of lime really quite refreshing.

The final test is, of course, to try a full strength soda after you have been doing this for six months.  You will be shocked by how sickly sweet the soda tastes, you’ll find you don’t even want to finish it.  You’ll reach for the club soda to make it taste better.

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Cutting Back on Salt

Maybe your doctor has told you to cut back on your salt intake.  Maybe your just getting older and want to preempt the doctors orders so they never have to give them, what can you do?

First, there are other ways to flavor foods than just salt.  Switching to using something like cayenne pepper may not be for everyone, but there are several off the shelf alternatives.

Or you can experiment, try several spices and see what works best for you.  Try combining a few to get your perfect blend.  Cayenne pepper, garlic powder or flakes, onion powder or flakes, Parmesan cheese flakes, red pepper flakes, dehydrated and ground tomatoes, curry powder, or even lemon or lime juice.

Secondly, you can try one of the many salt substitutes.  Honestly most do not taste like salt, nor taste very good at all.  However a close match can be had if you look for a salt substitute that uses potassium chloride in combination with a spice like garlic or onion, as it simulates the taste of salt.

When it comes to cooking, is there really a need to pre-salt the food?  Not usually.  Why not let the real flavor of the food come thru?  Only use salt as a topical dressing at the time the food is served.  That way you’re not double dipping the salt dosage in every bite.  It’s not really hard at all to become used to, and even preferring, food seasoning with other seasonings or lemon or lime juice.

There are some really great combos to be had out there.  Popcorn with garlic and butter, french fries with cayenne pepper, broccoli or cauliflower with Parmesan cheese.  Be creative.

Your health will thank you.