Sugary Soft Drinks

[Midpack]

Recently I've been reading a lot about (added) sugar in foods and it's impact on health/obesity. While I know many/most here know all about the health risks of too much sugar (fat, carbs, calories) etc. - when I actually looked at how much sugar (sucrose, HFCS) is in soft drinks, I was more than a little surprised. Pepsi is by no means the worst, but would you have guessed there are 5.75 tablespoons (or 3/8ths of a cup) of sugar in a 20 oz Pepsi? Way more than I thought.

Put 6 tablespoons of sugar in a glass and look at it. Or better yet, then add water to bring it to 20 oz, stir and taste it. WOWZA!

And not that I believe it's as simple as calories in & calories out (metabolism isn't that simple), but one 20 oz Pepsi per day equals 26 pounds/year! Many people drink more than one a day.

I am not a regular soda drinker, but I may swear off them altogether.

And no, artificial sweeteners don't appear to be a solution from what I read.

 

[Jack_Pine]

No surprise there.

Worked for them for 22 years and we called it the sugar water business.

 

[steelyman]

I use stevia, and only a couple of spritzes a day in coffee (when I drink it).

 

[W2R]

I don't even know anybody who drinks sugary soft drinks any more. I haven't had one for at least 15 years. From what I understand, they are not a healthy choice for something to drink.

I don't even drink diet sodas very often. Maybe once every two or three weeks, at a restaurant, as a treat. Mostly I drink plain water, which not only quenches my thirst best, but which is FREE! What a perfect beverage for a member of this forum.

 

[Sue J]

I haven't had pop/soda for many years. I just enjoy water, sometimes with lemon. We also have a simple ice tea brewer that makes excellent tea. Our son has a SodaStream. I LOVE the plain carbonated water from that.

Pop/soda costs a lot, in money and in calories. No calorie sweeteners taste like chemical poison to me so it's nice that I enjoy plain water.

 

[Brdofpray]

I have a set rule. No soda, pop, soft drink, period!

Unless there is rum involved!

 

[Major Tom]

Like others here, I don't drink soda, and haven't in years. I do drink tea and coffee, but with no added sugar. I don't even have any sugar or other sweeteners in the house.

You're right Midpack, there is a lot of sugar in these drinks. Some people have no idea how much sugar they are consuming.

 

[RAE]

I haven't had a pop/soda (either regular or diet) for years, and don't intend to ever have one again. There is no doubt in my mind that the stuff is a big contributor to obesity and a whole host of related health issues. Keep your sugar intake low if you want to stay healthy (and that includes foods that are immediately converted to sugar after you consume them, such as most processed grain products). And read labels on the items you buy to look for hidden sugar content. For example, most low-fat yogurt is loaded with sugar, as is most ketchup.

 

[KB]

Another non soda drinker here. I drink water, coffee, wine and tea with nothing in it. I've been eliminating food with ingredients I can't identify too. Trying to grow my own and cook from scratch as much as possible.

 

[RetireAge50]

I drink coke everyday. I like the sugar, caffeine, and that burning feeling. Hope I do not get thrown off this site. I do try to keep it to one can (140 calories) and I stay fit with exercise and semi decent food.

 

[Walt34]

I'm with RetireAge50. Rarely drink coffee, one Coke in the morning is my "wakeup" drink. I figure one a day won't kill me or make a significant difference in longevity.

 

[Leonidas]

Every time I am at the grocery store I see people with a half-dozen (or more) 12-pack cartons of soda. Most everything else in their cart comes in a box as well. That's not real food - it's just stuff masquerading as food.

 

[Chuckanut]

The last time I had a sugary soft drink it was a rum and coke. Probably had it sometime last year.


Sent from somewhere in the world with whatever device I can get my hands on.

 

[Telly]

One 12 Oz. can a day for me. And three cheers for Brominated vegetable oil! I don't want my citrus oils floating around in globules!

I will not drink ANY artificially-sweetened pop/soda/coke/fizzy. To me, they are like licking the drippings from some pipe in a chemical plant. mmmmmm!

- Sent from my IBM PC jr via a 2400 baud modem -

 

[Amethyst]

I gave up sugar-sweetened drinks when in my teens, to help control acne and weight.

Also gave up fried food for the same reasons, and in later years, I wondered how I had ever brought myself to eat it. The smell of vaporized grease makes me sick.

Amethyst

 

[Katsmeow]

I haven't had a soft drink with sugar in years, many years. I was drinking Cherry Coke Zero but gave that up awhile ago (replaced it with iced green tea with no sugar). I do sometimes have a Coke Zero when I'm out but that's it.

 

[jollystomper]

I cut way down on any drinks other than water about 2 years ago, and it was a major factor in me dropping 25 pounds. I'm not a soda "teetotaler", but I limit myself to perhaps 3 12 ounce cans a week, only Cherry Coke Zero or Sprite Zero. When eating out, I NEVER drink anything other than water.

 

[audreyh1]

No surprise there.

Worked for them for 22 years and we called it the sugar water business.

+1

We've been reading the grams of sugar drink on labels for years. Super high.

Cut out soft drinks decades ago.

Juice is just as bad.

Sparkling water goes a long way if you want some carbonation. A tiny splash of juice and you have something very refreshing with very little added sugar. But I usually just drink it straight.

I have to say I've always been amazed at USA's love affair with soft drinks. "Big Gulp" OMG!

 

[Richard4444]

No more sugar drinks in this house; water at home and occasional club soda at a restaurant to 'live big.' I'm not sure about some sugar decreasing longevity, but it certainly causes inflammation and with it comes disabling diseases including diabetes, cardio-vascular plaques, arthritis and its uncomfortalbe joint inflammation, etc. It's about quality, not necessary quantity of time remaining. QTR !

 

[Midpack]

I don't even know anybody who drinks sugary soft drinks any more. I haven't had one for at least 15 years. From what I understand, they are not a healthy choice for something to drink.

I don't even drink diet sodas very often. Maybe once every two or three weeks, at a restaurant, as a treat. Mostly I drink plain water, which not only quenches my thirst best, but which is FREE! What a perfect beverage for a member of this forum.

I've heard you say that before. I drink water often, but want something else too. Not soda often, but juice even though I realize that can be almost as sugary. I also wanted to believe that sugar was better than HFCS, but I no longer believe that at all - both equally bad except in very small quantities. Looks like I should be more like you - really.

Stupid but it took me converting to tablespoons/cups and seeing that much in a glass to get my full attention. Again, I was shocked.

I have a set rule. No soda, pop, soft drink, period!

Unless there is rum involved!

That's pretty much my rule, have soda on an exception basis, rum and coke once in a while.

I drink coke everyday. I like the sugar, caffeine, and that burning feeling. Hope I do not get thrown off this site. I do try to keep it to one can (140 calories) and I stay fit with exercise and semi decent food.

That's still more than our ancestors took in 100 years ago. Lots of articles making this argument these days Adults should cut sugar intake to less than a can of Coke a day, says WHO | Life and style | The Guardian.

 

[Corporateburnout]

I used to drink a bottle of soda occasionally but I completely stopped all sugary drinks since October when I was diagnosed with type 2 diabetes. I drink water instead and no added sugar in my coffee or tea.

The combination of a low carb diet, reduce sugar intake and increased exercise helped me lose 27 Lbs and dropped my glucose levels to non diabetic.

 

[Greencheese]

I drink soda with Rum or if I'm at a restaurant. That way I still get my delicious sugary drinks but keep consumption low to avoid the obese thing.

 

[donheff]

Fruit juices are nearly as bad -- tons of sugar. Eat an apple a day but don't drink a glass of apple juice. Same goes for many low fat processed foods - sugars (and other carbs) are added to increase palatability after the tasty fats are removed.

 

[Wishing]

I'm a recently admitted carbohydrate addict. I haven't had a non-diet soft drink in decades. I'm a distance runner and thought I was eating relatively healthy. I blamed my age for my weight gain and inability to take if off in spite of dieting and a lot of exercise. I whined to my endocrinologist who handed me his diet for overweight diabetics. The diet essentially cuts out all sugar and most fatty foods. I've dropped 15 pounds in the last 6 weeks without a second thought - no obsessing over calories. It's amazing how much sugar is in processed foods. I only get 1 piece of fruit/day, so I'm eating mostly vegetables and meat. I have oatmeal with Splenda for breakfast. There are some wonderful protein bars with a gram or less of sugar that get me through the afternoon.

 

[RetiredAndFree]

Water, wine (or beer, depending), and coffee. That's about all you need, as my DD's boyfriend once wisely said.

(And yes, absent the way eating healthy vs not healthy makes you feel/impacts health, it really is as simple as calories in vs calories out . . . track both diligently and I'm confident you'll quickly see for yourself. )