I haven’t posted anything on soft drinks for a while, yet they remain popular. If you need more, check out my Page – What’s wrong with soft drinks?
Tony
Category Archives: soda
How soda impacts your body – Infographic
Filed under damaging soft drinks, diet soda, soda, soft drinks, sugary soda
What about those sports drinks?
There are a lot of seductive ads circulating these days encouraging folks who exercise to partake of them. However, I learned early on that there is a basic threshold for using sports drinks. And that is, how much are you exercising? If you are a weekend warrior and go to the health club mainly to socialize and walk on the treadmill or elliptical machine for a half hour while you watch one of the TVs or read, you likely don’t need to use a sports drink and you may be doing yourself some harm if you are.
Sports drinks contain sodium which your body needs to replenish if you have been exercising at least moderately heavily and working up a sweat. In that case, you can be using a sports drink to bring your body’s electrolytes back into balance.
If you have been sweating a lot, getting sodium into your system is a good thing. But, if you haven’t, it isn’t necessarily.
Caitlin Howe, MS, MPH, of the American Heart Association Sodium Reduction Initiative says, “When it comes to winter physical activity, some people feel the need to consume energy and sports drinks during an afternoon walking in the cold air or skating on the lake. Sports drinks were initially designed for elite athletes, so most people can enjoy a winter workout without needing to replenish electrolytes or energy stores. Continue reading
Filed under soda, sodium, sports drinks, sugary soda
Soda Sales Continue Nearly Twenty-Year Freefall
Per Capita Consumption Drops More Than 26% From 1998 Peak
Regular readers know that I feel strongly about the dangers of soda, both diet and sugared. You can check out my Page: What’s Wrong with Soft Drinks? to learn more about it.
I was pleased to read the Center for Science in the Public Interest (CSPI) report that sales are declining.
Americans, eager to reduce their risk of diabetes, heart disease, obesity, and tooth decay are continuing to cut down on their consumption of full-calorie soda, according to new data released by the trade publication Beverage Digest. Based on those data, the nonprofit Center for Science in the Public Interest says that Americans are drinking more than one-fourth less soda than in 1998, when consumption peaked. In fact, Americans are now back to drinking about as much as they did in 1985. CSPI is urging health officials at the local, state, and federal levels of government to enact policies to drive down soda consumption even further, perhaps to levels observed in the 1960s, when soda was an occasional treat served in reasonable portions.
“Drinking nine or 10 teaspoons of sugar makes no sense, and most Americans have wised up to what’s really in a single soda,” said CSPI president Michael F. Jacobson. “The soda industry, which for years has lectured the public about energy balance and moderation, has been marketing excessive consumption, both in terms of frequency and volume. A comprehensive government strategy to drive down consumption further could be a boon to Americans’ health and lower the healthcare costs paid by taxpayers.”
Lawmakers in California are proposing a two-cent-per-ounce health impact fee on sugar-sweetened beverages in that state. In Philadelphia, Mayor Jim Kenney (D) is proposing a three-cent-per-ounce excise tax on sugary drinks to help raise $400 million over five years for universal Pre-K, parks, and other programs. In Congress, Rep. Rosa DeLauro (D-CT) has offered legislation that would institute a tax of one-cent per teaspoon of caloric sweetener. CSPI has estimated that a federal excise tax could raise $10 billion a year for prevention programs.
I don’t share the CSPI’s notion of getting the government more involved in affecting what private citizens eat and drink through raising taxes or any other way. This is still a free country. Let’s keep it that way. It seems like we are off to a good start judging from the fall off in sales in the past 20 years.
Tony
Filed under diet soda, soda, soft drinks, sugary soda
Possible Side Effects of Soda on You – Infographic
I have written repeatedly about the dangers of soft drinks, both diet and sugared. If you want to fill yourself in as opposed to filling yourself up, check out my Page – What’s Wrong With Soft Drinks?
Tony
Filed under soda, soft drinks
What Are Added Sugars?
I have written about sugar content in food numerous times. Here are some: Sugar Overpowers Fat in Cravings Test, Sugar Causes Aging, Why We Crave High-Fat, High-Sugar Foods, What Does Too Much Sugar Do To Me?
Tony
The major food and beverage sources of added sugars for Americans are:
- regular soft drinks, energy drinks, and sports drinks
- candy
- cakes
- cookies
- pies and cobblers
- sweet rolls, pastries, and donuts
- fruit drinks, such as fruitades and fruit punch
- dairy desserts, such as ice cream
Reading the ingredient label on processed foods can help to identify added sugars. Names for added sugars on food labels include:
- anhydrous dextrose
- brown sugar
- confectioner’s powdered sugar
- corn syrup
- corn syrup solids
- dextrose
- fructose
- high-fructose corn syrup (HFCS)
- honey
- invert sugar
- lactose
- malt syrup
- maltose
- maple syrup
- molasses
- nectars (e.g., peach nectar, pear nectar)
- pancake syrup
- raw sugar
- sucrose
- sugar
- white granulated sugar
You may also see other names used for added sugars, but these are not recognized by the FDA as an ingredient name. These include:
- cane juice
- evaporated corn sweetener
- fruit juice concentrate
- crystal dextrose
- glucose
- liquid fructose
- sugar cane juice
- fruit…
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What is a Healthy Way to Handle Food Cravings?
Everyone has suffered from food cravings at one time or another. For some of us the memory lingers on. Let him who is without sin cast the first stone.
Chocolate, carbonated drinks and bread are three examples of food items that spring immediately to my mind.
I certainly know about cravings for chocolate. I am not sure that I have fully conquered mine. I also know that while both men and women crave chocolate, women have it worse. Some 25 per cent of men crave chocolate, while 40 per cent of women do. Anecdotally, I have only met one woman in my life who didn’t.
Often a craving for chocolate is a result of a deficiency in levels of the trace mineral magnesium.
FITDAY says, “Eating chocolate makes you feel good, because it increases levels of serotonin in your brain. Serotonin is the neurotransmitter that is responsible for feelings of well-being and enhanced mood. Many women experience lowered serotonin levels in the 7 to 10 days prior to their menstrual periods, which is one reason why premenstrual women often have powerful cravings for chocolate.
“High levels of stress can also make women and men crave chocolate, since increasing serotonin levels can also lead to significant reductions in anxiety. Chocolate is a popular comfort food. It is chosen by emotional eaters, since eating it can raise serotonin levels and help comfort eaters forget about emotional or other problems, low self-esteem or mildly depressed mood.”
Chocolate also contains trace minerals, including magnesium, which are often deficient in women around their menstrual cycles. So, instead of seeking solace in a Hershey bar, munching on some nuts, or leafy green veggies might restore magnesium levels in a healthier way.
Similarly, a lust for sodas and carbonate beverages can be linked to a low calcium supply. Again, dump the diet soda and get into some green veggies, like broccoli or kale.
While I don’t share the carbonated beverage craving, I will confess that some breads are absolutely magnificent to my taste buds. But a bread craving can also trace back to a shortage of nitrogen. Legumes, cauliflower and spinach are super sources.
So, if you find yourself on the wrong end of a craving, instead of just digging in, there may be a far healthier alternative. Don’t cave in to the cravin’.
Tony
Filed under food cravings, soda, soft drinks, weight control
Tweaks to Clean up Your Diet in 5 Weeks – Infographic
Practicing the ‘one step at a time’ method can help you start eating right and getting healthy.
Tony
What Are The Long Term Effects of That Fast Food Meal? – Infographic
For specifics on some fast food meals, check out my Page: Fast Food Nutritional Information.
In case you missed the final sentence – a diet rich in whole foods beats a fast food diet any day for health and longecivty.
Tony
Filed under fast food, McDonald's, soda, weight control, weight loss
Rules for Healthy Living
I ran across these on Pinterest and thought you might enjoy them. The only one I would like to add is: Less Driving, More Biking.
Tony
March 14, 2014 · 7:17 am
Soda Sabotages Your Diet
Regular readers know that I feel strongly about the damage sodas do to our bodies. So, I was pleased to see the item By Jennifer Gruenemay, ACE-Certified on Lifescript, a website for women’s healthy living.
“Fifteen pounds in one year. That’s how much weight you could gain by drinking just one regular soda every day. Sodas have around 150 calories each and no nutritional value whatsoever. So they should definitely be classified in your book as a “once in awhile” treat, not an everyday indulgence. Not only is your waistline at risk if you have a soda obsession, but your health is too.”
That is a fact worth noting. Many folks indulge in ‘just one’ soda under the illusion it is harmless. It ain’t.
The item continued, “According to a Nurse’s Health Study of more than 50,000 women, those who had one or more sodas every day not only gained extra weight, they also raised their risk of developing type 2 diabetes by 83%.”
Those are some compelling reasons to avoid soda. Strangely, the Lifescript piece concludes with the recommendation – “If you must indulge in a daily soda, try diluting your regular soda with diet soda and then moving over completely to the diet soda side. Or, fill up on water flavored with a squeeze of fresh lemon juice. It’s the best drink available for your body, and it’s free.”
I am totally behind the water and/or fruit juice suggestion, but diet soda?! No way, Jose. There is a good chance that diet soda is more damaging than the sugary kind. I had a friend who drank a lot of diet soda every day. One of his complaints was that he was “always hungry.” That is just one of the reasons to avoid these chemical concoctions. The ingredients in diet soda depress your satiety response and you can feel always hungry no matter how much you eat.
Please check out my Page – What’s Wrong with Soft Drinks? which gives chapter and verse on why you are well advised to avoid both.
Tony
Filed under calories, diabetes, diet soda, fruit drinks, Lifescript, soda, soft drinks, Weight, weight control, weight loss
Sweetened Drinks Linked to Depression, Coffee Tied to Lower Risk
Love it! I am a coffee drinker and don’t touch soft drinks.
I have posted on the danger of soft drinks. Check out my Page – What’s Wrong With Soft Drinks?
Tony
New research suggests that drinking sweetened beverages, especially diet drinks, is associated with an increased risk of depression in adults while drinking coffee was tied to a slightly lower risk. The study was released today and will be presented at the American Academy of Neurology’s 65th Annual Meeting in San Diego, March 16 to 23, 2013. “Sweetened beverages, coffee and tea are commonly consumed worldwide and have important physical—and may have important mental—health consequences,” said study author Honglei Chen, MD, PhD, with the National Institutes of Health in Research Triangle Park in North Carolina and a member of the American Academy of Neurology.
The study involved 263,925 people between the ages of 50 and 71 at enrollment. From 1995 to 1996, consumption of drinks such as soda, tea, fruit punch and coffee was evaluated. About 10 years later, researchers asked the participants whether they had been diagnosed with depression since…
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Filed under coffee, soda, soft drinks, sweetened drinks
Diet Soda: Cause for Concern?
Please check out my Page – What’s Wrong With Soft Drinks? – to read further on this subject.
I love the cartoon at the bottom …
Tony
Too much sugar’s bad for us, but sugar-free soda could be even worse. It’s not proof positive, but new research raises concern about diet soda. Studies find higher risks for stroke and heart attack among people who drink sugar-free soda every day versus those who drink no soda at all.
The findings should be “a wakeup call to pay attention to diet sodas,”
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Wellness Secrets of a SuperAger 