General Discussion
Related: Editorials & Other Articles, Issue Forums, Alliance Forums, Region ForumsSugar low: Big Soda is losing the battle for American hearts and bellies
from Grist:
Sugar low: Big Soda is losing the battle for American hearts and bellies
By Tom Laskawy
Dont tell the Coca-Cola Corporation, but according to a major new study, kids today are drinking less soda. And thats not all. Theyre drinking less sugary drinks overall a category that includes sports drinks like Gatorade and Powerade, flavored waters like Vitaminwater, and fruit drinks. Huzzah!
It probably has something to do with public ad campaigns like this latest from New York City:
Indeed, NYC Mayor Michael Bloomberg has styled himself the Great (anti-)Soda Satan and he is probably pleased as punch about this latest news, despite the fact that his proposed ban on supersized sodas has been stopped, for the moment at least, by a beverage industry lawsuit.
The links between soda consumption and health risks like diabetes continue to grow stronger. This recent study from the U.K. found drinking one soda a day increases your diabetes risk by 22 percent. And of course, theres plenty of evidence linking soda to obesity in general. So the drop in soda consumption here in the U.S. is likely a significant factor in the current slowing of the obesity epidemic, especially in cities that have put serious resources behind combating it. ...................(more)
The complete piece is at: http://grist.org/food/sugar-low-big-soda-is-losing-the-battle-for-american-hearts-and-bellies/
graham4anything
(11,464 posts)xchrom
(108,903 posts)In_The_Wind
(72,300 posts)ProdigalJunkMail
(12,017 posts)for more than the coke was in the first place...
it's a racket.
sP
Lurker Deluxe
(1,039 posts)I don't know about the rest of you but the soda today does not taste good.
I still drink a soda every now and again, I consider it a treat and will very well drink 4-6 sodas a month. However, I drink the Coca-Cola from Mexico which contains real sugar. Not always the Coca-Cola brand either, the spanish branded sodas have better flavors and to me have a far better taste than any of the "normal" products you think of.
That, and they are generally in a long neck bottle with a cap which requires a bottle opener, adding the the "special" part of the treat.
I think with the better tasting flavored waters, and many more options at the convenience store which include iced coffee and the fruit juices (snapple et all), people try different products and then when returning for that HFCS infested drink they just realize that it just does not taste good, they are simply conditioned to drink it.
kestrel91316
(51,666 posts)sodas (with real sugar) they carry at BevMo. I found a bottle of MOXIE there once!! But even those are a rare treat.
I prefer to flavor my own water or use the little packets of powder and I just dilute it way down. I won't pay for any bottle beverage if I can avoid it.
Fawke Em
(11,366 posts)soda almost exclusively, I even find the real sugar kind too sweet.
I do, however, meander over to the "Mexican" section of the supermarket where I can find the real sugar Cokes and purchase a couple for my kids on rare occasions.
They mostly, however, drink water.
Marrah_G
(28,581 posts)WovenGems
(776 posts)The only way to know if kids are consuming less sugar would be replace all HFCS with sugar. The sad truth is that youngsters today have no clue what a rum and coke should taste like because coke is now trash.
BrotherIvan
(9,126 posts)I get what you mean though. Good Caribbean rum has a very high sugar content, almost like brown sugar. Add real coke or Mexi coke and it tastes great. I don't drink them anymore because I quit sugar completely (and feel fantastic by the way) but I wonder why Coke didn't try what Pepsi did with their throwback items. Sugar is far more expensive than HFCS so it probably didn't make their profit margin. Here in SoCal, they can't keep the Mexi Coke in stock. Add to that HFCS is now all GMO so it's like drinking poison.
NiteOwll
(191 posts)for many years, drinking at least 4-5 glasses a day. I drank it first thing in the morning to wake up and late at night to stay awake. After reading all the articles about HFCS and phosphoric acid I knew I couldn't go on like that. It's been just over a year now since I gave it up. I never, ever thought I could give it up because I was so addicted but it can be done. Now it tastes horrible to me. I can't see how I was so addicted to something that doesn't even taste good.
I switched to drinking Sierra Mist Natural when I have to drink something sweet. Still not ideal, but at least it's made with real sugar and no phosphoric acid or caffeine. I can't believe how much better I feel now. I would have never believed it a year ago.
Whisp
(24,096 posts)Congratulations to you are in order.
We have soda in our house very rarely and I do like it for a treat once every couple months or so. But water (and our tap is really good) is delicious and I'm glad we slugged it out and got over that addiction to soda too. And we've changed some other people's minds too on how much soda they drink.
Kber
(5,043 posts)Serious diet coke ex-addict here.
Found that when I finally gave it up, my taste for other sweet food like fresh fruit was restored and processed sweets and candy have lost their appeal.
Best thing, though, was kicking the caffeine addiction. I fast once a year for religious reasons and by 5:00 in the evening I'd have a screaming headache from caffeine withdrawal. Now my only caffeine comes from green tea, which is fairly minimal, and if I can't get a cup of tea for some reason or another, it's no big deal at all.
I don't buy soda for my kids, but I don't "forbid" it either. I'm afraid that being on the "no-no" list will make it seem more attractive than it should be. Interestingly enough, they gravitate to seltzer, "fizzy water", or iced tea (sweetened with sugar if at all).
Maybe kids these days are just smarter that we were.
arely staircase
(12,482 posts)i buy the mexican cokes because the actually do use cane sugar.
closeupready
(29,503 posts)I WILL indulge and have one, but not if it contains HFCS, or other kinds of anagrammed ingredients. If it has sugar, fine - I actually enjoy Coke with regular sugar.
Root beer, also - orange and 7-up type sodas, too.
My dietary rule of thumb is, I look at the list of ingredients - if there is anything dodgy in the list (things sourced in China, HFCS, nitrites), it goes right back on the shelf. Most people don't care, though. Most people are overweight, though, too - whereas my BMI is 21. So, I think I'll continue caring about my health and diet, thanks.
taught_me_patience
(5,477 posts)It's probably better to drink a coke than a sugared out frappucino from starbucks.
I own a coffee shop and am constantly shocked at how much sugar people put into their drinks.
BrotherIvan
(9,126 posts)The American taste for sweetness is out of all proportion. Try a European dessert or hot chocolate and it has about a third of the sugar. And yes, I do see tons of teenagers walking about with gigantic frappucinos and think, "that's not good." For many high school age kids, that's their lunch. No nutrition, just caffeine and sugar.
bhikkhu
(10,725 posts)and only rarely drink soda. On trips we like to bring Hansen's ginger ale, which uses cane sugar.
Of course there are trade-offs - we drink lots of bottled water, which I know is silly (water from the tap is fine), but the kids like it better.
Blue Owl
(50,547 posts)Fawke Em
(11,366 posts)After my generation and the following one drank sodas in place of water for decades, we realized the expense and discomfort in rotting teeth and painful (and sometimes fat) bellies and refuse to purchase this swill for our offspring.
We only have sodas in the house on special occasions. If my children are thirsty, there's filtered cold water available with a touch of a button on the outside of the fridge. Easier, cheaper, healthier.