The Truth About Soda

UP Beauty Online

“I don't know too many parents that want to feed their kids soda, but high-fructose corn syrup is cheap. The price of soda in 20 years has gone down 40 percent while the price of whole foods, fruits and vegetables, has gone up 40 percent & obesity goes up right along that curve.” 

                            ~ Tom Colicchio

The soda debate rages on, and it’s not about whether or not to personally drink it or not, but whether it should be a banned substance, period. And then there is the pathetic joke that is calls itself diet soda, possibly worse than the high-fructose corn syrup saturated, diabetes causing ‘real’ soda version. You may not be able to find more harmful chemicals in a Federal research lab than you can in a diet soda, with the aspartame sweetener at the top of the list. At least regular soda doesn’t hide behind the ‘diet’ mask.

Look, every once in a while I drink half a can of Coke, just for the nostalgia of it, but long ago I kicked my Pepsi/Coke habit. And I certainly did have one, just as way too many of us now do. I finally realized, and I hope this might help someone out there, that I was as much addicted to the bubbles, or carbonation, as anything else. I found that substituting any non-carbonated beverage left me feeling well, pun-intended, flat. I discovered that mixing Pomegranate juice (1/3) and fizzy water (2/3) gave me the fix I needed, in a much healthier bubbly cocktail than soda could provide. And yes, that combination is a more expensive alternative for sure, as most healthy options unfortunately turn out to be.

Studies, Studies, Studies

I browsed through more studies than you’d care to know about, and what I found out is that based on WHO sponsored the study, and perhaps what the MONEY people wanted to find out, the results were conflicting at best. So let’s consider a few undeniable facts. The American Medical Association suggests no more than 45 grams of sugar per day for males, 30 grams for females. One 12 oz. can of Pepsi contains 41 grams of sugar. You do the math. In addition, we all know the best sources of our daily sugar quota should be natural if possible, as in from fruits.

We also know, unquestionably, that sugar cravings increase exponentially as we ramp up consumption. For example, if you start out with a high sugar (or high carbohydrate, as processed carbs turn to glucose in the bloodstream similarly as quickly as pure sugar) breakfast, inevitably your glucose level spikes, and then crashes soon after, accelerating cravings for more (sugar or carbs) in order to alleviate the crash feeling. When this spike/crash, spike/crash scenario is repeated day-in and day-out, our insulin levels, as well as our weight and cravings, rage out of control. Obesity and diabetes, along with many other conditions inherent in overweight individuals such as hypertension, heart disease and strokes, all can be a side effect of abusing this sugared up beverage.

The toll on our kids may be even worse, as many are poisoned both by the sugar and the subsequent habits/cravings formed before they have the power to think for themselves. Pediatricians who treat overweight children claim that many of their child patients take in 1,000 to 2,000 calories a day from soft drinks alone. A New York University professor of nutrition and food studies, Marion Nestle, PhD, says, “Some children drink sodas all day long. They are getting most if not all of the calories they need in a day from soft drinks, so it’s no wonder they are fat.” If not bad enough, these calories come with absolutely no nutritional value, the very definition of ‘empty’ calories.

Look Better, Feel Better, Live Better

Regardless of whether soda ends up like the cigarette as a legal but socially unacceptable habit, or if it continues to be available as an acceptable addiction to those who choose it, for now, like it is with all things, personal responsibility will dictate what place soda plays in your and your families lives. Maybe more importantly than what place soda plays in your life, please think about the ramifications for your kids. Bad habits ingrained during the formative years are a bear to break later in life.

“According to the USDA, 16% of calories in the typical American’s diet come from refined sugars and half of those calories come from beverages with added sugar. Sodas used to be an occasional treat, but now they are part of the culture.”

                         ~ Michael Jacobson, PhD

 

PS: Knowledge is power, but only when action is taken along with it!