40 days or forever……

So lent is now upon us and everyone is proudly posting what they are going to give up! For anyone who doesn’t know what lent is, Lent starts on Ash Wednesday and its observance lasts for 40 days(not including Sundays) mirroring the 40 days that Jesus spent fasting.

Now I am Catholic and I’m ashamed to say I have never given up anything for Lent, but this year I have decided to give up Diet Pepsi (Hi, My name is Jenna and I am addicted to diet Pepsi.) I can go days without drinking any water, only diet Pepsi !!!

Now, this might not seem like it will be a hard thing to do for some people but I do crave it and have been looking into the health risks of diet sodas.

1. caffeine and aspartame are highly addictive, hence why it’s going to be hard to give up!
2. I suffer breakouts often, Diet soda can dehydrate the skin!
3. A Study shows women who drank diet soda had significantly lower bone mineral density than those who abstained. Low bone mineral density can set you up for osteoporosis later in life – Now I have an app on my phone that links to my scales and my bone density has a sad face beside it meaning its low!
4. According to a study from the University of Miami, regularly drinking diet soda can significantly escalate your risk of a heart attack. I do often get heart palpitations and wonder if its all that diet Pepsi I’m drinking!
5. It’s very bad for your teeth and discolors, and I wonder why I struggle to keep my teeth white!

The sad thing Is I probably knew the above without needing to research it and still drink it on a daily basis knowing what it’s doing to my body! I am looking forward to seeing the benefits and I’m sure my purse will also see a benefit.

I will not be switching to an alternative fizzy drink and after 40 days I plan to only drink fizzy juice in moderation, water only for me!! (luckily I drink Vodka, Soda water & lime then)

Are you giving up anything for Lent?