Smoking is “the leading cause of preventable death and disease in the United States,” according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Smoking…

• Is 2 to 6 times more likely to suffer a heart attack than non-smoking women (risk varies by number of cigarettes smoked per day)
• Shortens your lifespan – smokers get heart disease at a younger age than non-smokers, and that affects the total lifespan
• Increases risk of stroke
• Increases risk of lung cancer – death rate from lung cancer for women is now higher than the death rate for breast cancer
• Increases risk of other types of cancer – mouth, urinary tract, kidney, and cervix
• Causes most cases of chronic obstructive lung disease – includes bronchitis and emphysema
• Endangers people around you for all the same things through secondhand smoke – a risk if you smoke indoors or in your car
• Harms infants and children – causes breathing problems, ear infections, asthma attacks, and sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS) – that’s from secondhand smoke
• Interferes with lung growth, causes respiratory illness, increases risk of heart disease and cancer in young smokers

If the health concerns don’t scare you, maybe the vanity concerns will stop you.

• Bad breath
• Bad taste – it’s true – kissing a smoker is like licking an ashtray
• Yellow teeth
• Smelly clothes
• Smelly house and furniture
• Greasy windows in your car

There is simply no safe way to smoke. Low-tar and low-nicotine cigarettes do not lessen the risks of heart disease or other smoking-related diseases. The only safe and healthful course is not to smoke at all.

Want your kids to choose fruit juice or water over soda? The best way to make it happen may be to model that behavior. Researchers have found that the more soda parents drink, the more their kids reach for the sugary drinks, too! While soda isn’t completely responsible for the skyrocketing rates of childhood obesity, it does play a role.

Help your kids kick the pop habit by not keeping soda in the house. Instead, keep healthy thirst-quenching alternatives such as cold water, cool herbal tea, and 100 percent fruit juice on hand.

Keep a few slices of citrus fruit, cucumber, or berries ready to drop in a glass of water or tea.

Talk with your children about why soda is bad for their health and their teeth, and get involved to make sure school vending machines offer your kids healthy options.

Diet sodas are not the answer – while they lack the sugar and calories, they are filled with chemicals that neither you nor your kids need. Choose water, herbal tea, or 100 percent fruit juice. The whole family will be healthier!

Photo by Martin Walls