You rush into a convenience store, make your way to the back freezer, dig for the coldest can of soda you can find and hurry back to the cashier. In hopes of quenching your thirst and getting an instant jolt of energy you flick the can open, tilt your head back, close your eyes and indulge in your first artificial sip of sodium benzoate, phosphoric acid and high fructose corn syrup.

Sounds delicious — I’m salivating.

If you are a regular soda consumer, you are either in denial that its toxic contents will eventually catch up to you or are under the impression that it’s the only beverage worthy of your attention.

Whatever the reason, it wouldn’t hurt to remind you of some activities your habit will eventually deprive you from:

Hiking, jogging and biking.

Studies found an association between phosphoric acid that soft drinks contain and an increased risk of osteoporosis (loss of bone density). Keep overindulging on soda and you will end up indulging on treatments to prevent your bones from deteriorating further. Too much of that acid reduces essential vitamins in your body and may increase the risk of fracturing a bone.

Eating ice-cream without cringing from every bite.

Soda destroys the protective layer of your teeth by slowly dissolving enamel over time. If you seldom go for dental check-ups, the enamel continues to deteriorate with no attention paid to it, thus creating sensitive areas in your mouth and causing excruciating pain from cold, hot or sour items.

Furthermore, your soda-drinking habit plays a dangerous game of chicken with your kidneys, skin, lungs, reproductive organs and heart.

While I might have overdramatized the effects of soda on your body, the fact remains the same:

soda = sugar = zero nutritional value = obesity = diabetes.

Skip the soda and try choosing a healthier alternative next time.