[robbcayman]

The news often discusses how soda is so awful for you. The sugar in traditional soda, awful artificial sweeteners in diet soda. The claims that soda contributes to obesity, decreased kidney function, diabetes, tooth decay, heart burn etc. Some have even argued soda may contribute to heart disease and cancer. Many schools are now banning soda machines.


Do you think people will look back in say 40 years and think of soda as our generation's tobacco? A ubiquitous drink that is widely accepted by mainstream society as pretty harmless.

Is it possible that one day soda will be forbidden to market to kids? Or do you feel the media is on a witch hunt against soda giants like Coke and Pepsi?

 

[janice6]

To some degree everything has a downside and as each thing is addressed, new ones will appear that are considered the new nemesis.

Yes, soda/sugar will be vilified, as are fat and Salt. But people will continue to consume stuff that tastes good and some compromise will be made rather than promote a food revolution. (look at the schools "healthy lunch" promoted by M Obama and students throwing it away).

More significantly, many are more than willing to tell others how to live their life, while others will do a tradeoff of quality for quantity. People are what they are.

Drugs are bad, but they are still being consumed/used.

 

[peng]

There are some interesting parallels for sure. Tobacco is somewhat different in that it is a proven addictive substance, while sugar has no such qualities. It is surely something that is not taken in moderation, and the sweetener used (it does not matter which) can cause all sorts of problems when abused. You could alleviate many of the issues we see by soda over consumption by moderating their use, I don't think the same could be said of tobacco though.

 

[Sharkey]

For the children, we must ban sugar or liberal socialists, I can't remember.

 

[G36's Rule]

Something composed mostly of water compared to a substance known to cause cancer?

All fat was bad, until it wasn't.

Sugar was bad, until HFCS.

...

What will we learn next week?

 

[Huaco Kid]

When I was a kid, one day, Mom came home from grocery shopping...

And she had 2L bottles of pepsi!

Made of glass !

We didn't know that existed!

Or liters!

We drank pepsi, and then had to go outside and play.

 

[Paul53]

Seems like any kind of sweetener is ju ju. All things in moderation, I guess. Even the sun is bad now.

 

[silentpoet]

**** those food nazi hippy bastards who want to tell me what I can eat and what I can drink. Those scumbags exist so Jared Fogle can have somebody to look down on.

 

[Sporaticus]

I guess with obesity the way it is in the US, they have to blame something, and we certainly cannot blame the real culprit, wheat.

Not a big fan of HFCS either.

 

[plp]

I guess with obesity the way it is in the US, they have to blame something, and we certainly cannot blame the real culprit, wheat.

Not a big fan of HFCS either.

Between the two it is hard to say which is worse. Having said that, quantity is the real problem, as small amounts of both combined with regular exercise should not pose a problem.

One of my old GP's once said if you eliminated tobacco, alcohol and overeating from the cultural norm, his work load would drop 75%.

 

[WeeWilly]

I guess with obesity the way it is in the US, they have to blame something, and we certainly cannot blame the real culprit, wheat.

Not a big fan of HFCS either.

Are you doing the paleo thing?

 

[elsolo]

Sugar will be the next food villain, it will replace fat. Soda, and other all-sugar junk foods will be bad.

 

[plp]

Sugar will be the next food villain, it will replace fat. Soda, and other all-sugar junk foods will be bad.

I personally have come to the conclusion it is not sugar that is the problem. HFCS is far, far worse, but is much cheaper to produce, so is the sweetener of choice. And it is better than any of the artificial sweeteners by a country mile as far as carcinogens are concerned.

I rarely drink soft drinks. I had one bout of kidney stones and on the advice of my doctor began eliminating things from my diet, to find the cause. When I quit drinking sweet tea, my migraines reduced in frequency from a couple a week to one every few months. When I quit drinking soft drinks, I never had another kidney stone from 1983 to today. Both may be entirely coincidental but hey, go with what works.

Anyway, when I do drink a soft drink, usually a root beer, I go Mexican and get something in a glass bottle that contains real sugar. The taste is so much better there is no comparison. I feel that one every month or so isn't excessive and will do no harm.

The problem with any caloric intake is there must be a corresponding action to burn off the calories. I know it sounds simplistic, and trust me, have the spare tire to make a hypocrite out of me if I were to preach to anyone about diet, but weight control is all about balance.

The spare tire represents way too much beer and way too little exercise in relation to consumption. I walk for a living and carry at least 20 pounds of gear everywhere I go, sometimes closer to 50 pounds for short distances. I average about 8 miles a day according to one of my cell phone apps. That may give you a clue about how much I like beer.

 

[Sporaticus]

Are you doing the paleo thing?

Not paleo as much as gluten free. Paleo is a somewhat of a guide, but it's the gluten that is making the difference.

Allergies, gone. Blood pressure was never a problem, but even lower. Sex drive in overdrive. Sleeping better, waking up cleaner. Lost about 20 pounds so far, but that isn't a good indicator because I am weight training again, and gaining muscle mass.

Everyone I know who has gone gluten free is loving it and experiencing the same results.

 

[Deltic]

There is no good reason to drink soda. It is all calories and zero nutrition. One or two a month won't do much harm but if you think a liter or two a day is normal you might want to find a source of XXL sweatpants.

 

[Chuck TX]

People will say, "I remember when you could drink coke on a plane and in a movie theater."


Forget gold, I'm stockpiling the pink stuff that causes cancer in lab rats to sell on the black market later.

 

[IvanVic]

No, I don't think so. I don't see soda being regulated the way tobacco is. Not in my lifetime. I never really cared for it myself. I enjoy a root beer float every now and then, but when I'm thirsty the last thing I'm reaching for is 9 teaspoons of sugar in a can.

 

[BradD]

I guess with obesity the way it is in the US, they have to blame something, and we certainly cannot blame the real culprit, wheat. ...

Seems about right. I've been eating by the Paleo Diet on and off for years. It's as simple as this: when grains are in my diet, it's difficult to stay lean and when grains are out, I stay lean without even trying. They're terrible for most of us because people just don't move much nowadays.

 

[Andrewlcox]

I recently gave up sugar. I am 6'00" tall and always thought "my weight" was 180-185 pounds. 3 months after giving up sugar I am now 165 pounds and don't miss the stuff.

 

[BradD]

A huge consequence is permanent loss of tooth enamel. Check out the following.

http://www.sheltondentistry.com/patient-information/ph-values-common-drinks/