North America is quickly adopting a soda-free lifestyle and soda companies are finally feeling the pinch. As a matter of fact, the decline of big soda is the single largest food shift that has these companies sweating. Obesity levels are also on a sustained decline with direct links to lowered soda consumption.

A healthy lifestyle which involves little to no sugar seems to be the way to go, as the New York Times reported. While soda companies still score big points in preventing soda tax, the actual consumer attitude against soda spell trouble for these companies. To put it into perspective, there has been a 25% drop in soda sales in past 20 years.

The substantial reduction in calorie intake via sodas is welcome news to proponents against the carbonated drink. Preference of water, flavored water, and sports drinks is the biggest North American consumer shift when it comes to food. The Gallup report shows that a solid two out of three Americans would avoid sugar in their diets. Nine out of ten also try to include fruits and vegetables in their diets.

The changes are most evident in Philadelphia. Teenagers are a group closely tracked by federal researchers and, according to their data, their consumption of carbonated sugary drinks dropped by 24 percent. The city's Department of Public Health also reported that a sustained decline in childhood obesity was observed over the past seven years.

This massive shift to healthier options from consumers has put a dent into soda companies' sales which, for the longest time, seemed invulnerable to pro-health efforts. Gothamist reported that the average American buys 35 gallons of water every year and 40 gallons of soda. In 2000, an average of 15 gallons of water and 50 gallons of soda was the norm.

These companies are now struggling to keep up with the changes. For example, Coca-Cola rolled out 700 individual product offers this year. Compared to just 400 in 2004, this paints a clear picture that the company is trying to experiment with products they can still produce which the market will embrace.

But most people are just not buying into it anymore. Lowered sugar intake has been observed even in areas where health initiatives are not actively promoted.

How much soda do you still consume? Do you think these health initiatives are good for you too? Share this article if you support a low-sugar diet!