One of the best and simplest steps you can take to lose weight and improve your health is to get soda out of your diet completely. Experts say that no soda is a good soda and zero calorie or caffeine free varieties aren't any better for you. Kicking the soda habit now will put you on the fast track to a healthy lifestyle. In fact, one of the 5 rules of Dr. Oz's Just 10 diet plan is to say no to soda - permanently.

1. Soda does nothing good for you. According to Everydayhealth.com, Keri M. Gans, a nutrition consultant in New York City and a spokeswoman for the American Dietetic Association says, "In my opinion, there's really one major reason to not drink soda. It has absolutely no nutritional value. Soda is filled with sugar and calories and nothing else." Plain water hydrates you, and many natural juices contain essential vitamins and minerals - soda does nothing.
   
   
2. Soda is linked to kidney disease. In a recent study from Loyola University in Chicago, researchers found that women who drank 2 or more regular sodas a day were 86% more likely to show signs of kidney disease than those who had one or none. Study author David Shoham, Ph.D. credits the high levels of sugar and high-fructose corn syrup with damaging the kidneys over time.
   
   
3. Soda can damage your teeth. Just like candy, soda's high sugar content makes it terrible for your teeth. When sugar sits on your teeth, it feeds the bacteria already present in your mouth which produce acids that are the actual cause of cavities. Cavities can lead to all manner of other dental problems like gum disease, not to mention the pain and cost of dealing with them.
   
   
4. Soda may decrease your ability to fight off infections. Having a diet high in sugar can be devastating to your health. According to health.yahoo.net, when simple sugars like those found in sodas are ingested, the pancreas releases more insulin which basically feeds sugar to your tissues and cells to burn for energy. Too much simple sugar can raise your insulin level, which depresses the immune system making it difficult to fight off disease.
   
   
5. Soda can dehydrate you. According to emedexpert.com, the caffeine and sugar in sodas can both cause dehydration. Caffeine is a diuretic which causes an increase in urine volume, and if you don't replace what you send out, you can run out of fluids quickly. Sugar in high concentrations draws off water as your kidneys try to expel the excess sugar out of the blood. Drinking a soda can actually make you thirsty.
   
   
6. Soda is keeping you fat. One can of soda contains about 150 calories, calories you could be using for food that provides your body with nutrition. If you cut 150 calories from your daily diet, in one year you could see a significant weight loss, not to mention you'll feel better when you don't have all of that sugar running through your body.