Don’t drink soda (pop/cola/whatever you call it). Especially diet soda. And parents, please please please don’t feed it to your kids.
I couldn’t think of any nice way to intro this topic. I know I might get a lot of flak for this post, but I truly believe soda is one of the worst things a person can possibly ingest. I even submit that we should seriously consider regulating soda like tobacco — don’t feed it to kids under 18. Strong measures, I know, but do you know what is in that stuff? And what it can do to you?
I’m gonna break it down here, and I’ll try to keep it concise (because I could go on and on about this stuff).
High fructose corn syrup (HFCS): Used because it is cheaper than sugar and it can extend the shelf life of soda (not because it tastes better or is better for you). The form in which you get it in your soda (and ketchup, and juice, and crackers, and cereal, and most other processed and packaged foods — check the label, I dare you), has been chemically altered from its original state to change the types of sugars. Most likely, it is made from genetically modified corn and genetically modified enzymes are used to break it down and change its structure!
Fructose doesn’t register in the body the same way as glucose and sucrose, and instead of satisfying your sugar craving, it can leave you wanting more. All fructose must be metabolized in the liver, which is very hard on the liver. Tests have shown high amounts of fructose can cause anemia, high cholesterol, heart hyperactivity/heart disease, liver damage, delayed testicular development, and can interfere with a female’s ability to reproduce. And don’t forget about obesity! Childhood obesity has grown exponentially in tandem with the increased use of high fructose corn syrup in our “foods”.
Phosphoric acid: Used to acidify your soda (as opposed to citric acid from lemons and limes), phosphoric acid decreases bone density by displacing the calcium in your bones. This can lead to fragile bones and osteoporosis. Phosphoric acid may also lead to immune impairment, fatigue, high blood pressure, and kidney stones.
Caffeine: I know you need your caffeine. But do you know what it’s doing to you? It messes with your adrenal glands, increases your heart rate, and dumps sugar into your bloodstream (on top of that HFCS you’re also ingesting). It can cause headaches, restlessness, irritability, sweating, insomnia, anxiety, and elevated heart rate and blood pressure (on top of the heart problems the HFCS contributes to). Oh yeah, and it’s a diuretic and can make you dehydrated. And the blood sugar problems you get from ingesting all this over time can lead to chronic fatigue, dizziness, depression, allergies, and behavioral disorders. Excessive caffeine intake has also been linked to miscarriages and low birth weight babies.
Aspartame: If you skipped the part about HFCS above because you only drink diet soda, well don’t worry — there is plenty of bad news about your sugar substitute. In fact, Aspartame (Nutra-Sweet) is associated with 92 different side effects! Basically, if you can think of some bad health effect, Aspartame can cause it. For example, asthma, anxiety, depression, chronic cough, death, bloating, diarrhea, dizziness, hair loss, impotency, nausea, panic attacks, vision loss, and weight gain. I could go on and on, but I’m tired of typing health problems.
And the point is???
So caffeine makes you thirsty and HFCS makes you want more sugar, so you grab another soda. And another and another. And you just get fatter — even if you’re drinking diet! And your health problems multiply!
If you just skimmed over the last few paragraphs, at least make sure you read the parts in bold. My biggest point is about the children. All those health problems! If someone were to ask you if you would give your kid something that could make them obese, have heart problems, headaches, impair their reproductive system, liver, and kidneys, and give them all kinds of emotional and behavioral problems, you would not want that for your child. So why give them soda?
Quite a few years ago, I was drinking a soda on my break at work, for lack of other options. I’ve never liked soda because it always makes my nose burn and my eyes water, and another woman in the room noticed and laughed at me. Then she said something that almost had me scraping my jaw up off the floor: “You look like when you put soda in a baby’s bottle and they crinkle up their nose when they drink it. It’s so cute!” . . . WHAT?!? I can’t comprehend why you would ever put soda in a baby bottle. Even then, I was shocked, and I didn’t know as much about soda then.
Soda is one of the worst things you can ever ingest. If you are well-informed and want to do that to yourself anyway, fine. Drink a soda, smoke a cigarette. But you would never give a cigarette to a child. Please don’t give your children sodas. Let them wait until they can understand the dangers of drinking soda and make that decision for themselves.
