By Sheila Kun RN, BSN, MS, CPN, FCCP

I have a confession to make. The sin was committed last week. It was the sin of omission. Last week in our discussion about the benefits of water, I pointed out that beer and alcohol should not be counted as part of the daily liquid intake. However, I forgot about a very important liquid that we should absolutely avoid at all cost: Soda. Let us review the data from the Wellnessmama.com write up on Soda. Then you can make your own conclusion.

An average American drinks approximately 56 GALLONS of soda a year

Facts to consider:

• A single can of soda contains the equivalent of 10 teaspoons of sugar. This amount of sugar, especially in liquid form, skyrockets the blood sugar and causes an insulin reaction in the body.
• Soda contains phosphoric acid, which interferes with the body’s ability to absorb calcium and can lead to osteoporosis, cavities and bone softening. Phosphoric Acid also interacts with stomach acid, slowing digestion and blocking nutrient absorption.
• In diet sodas, aspartame is used as a substitute for sugar, and can actually be more harmful. It has been linked to almost a hundred different health problems including seizures, multiple sclerosis, brain tumors, diabetes, and emotional disorders. It converts to methanol at warm temperatures and methanol breaks down to formaldehyde and formic acid. Diet sodas also increase the risk of metabolic syndrome, which causes belly fat, high blood sugar and raised cholesterol.
• Harvard researchers have recently positively linked soft drinks to obesity. The study found that 12 year olds who drank soda were more likely to be obese than those who didn’t, and for each serving of soda consumed daily, the risk of obesity increased 1.6 times.
• Sodas contain High Fructose Corn Syrup, which obviously comes from corn. Most of this corn has been genetically modified, and there are no long term studies showing the safety of genetically modified crops, as genetic modification of crops has only been around since the 1990s. Also, the process of making High Fructose Corn Syrup involves traces of mercury, which causes a variety of long term health problems.
• Drinking soda regularly causes plaque to build up on the teeth and can lead to cavities and gum disease.

From Reader’s Digest:

Plastic soda (and water) bottles contain a toxic chemical called bisphenol A (BPA) that can leach from bottles into soda…into you. Emerging evidence links BPA to a myriad of maladies, including immune system depression.

Diet soda actually contributes to weight gain. A study of 1,550 people concluded that people who drink diet soda have a 41 percent increased risk of being overweight or obese-for every can or bottle they drink per day! Turns out, any sweet taste signals body cells to store fat and carbohydrates, which makes you hungrier. Sweet tastes also promote insulin release, which blocks your body’s ability to burn fat. The hard truth: No published study has ever proven that drinking diet soda will help you lose weight.

Conclusion:

There is absolutely no nutritional value in soda whatsoever. Not only are there many harmful effects of soda, but there are not even any positive benefits to outweigh them.  Soda is an unnatural substance that harms the body.

There are many preservatives and chemicals in your soda to make the color attractive and the taste appealing. The chemicals are very potent. Try putting a penny in a glass of one of the brand name of cola. The next morning, it will shine like a star. Think about what these chemicals do in your intestines. I remember going on a cruise. One of the health promotion tag line reads: it takes 14 days to flush the toxins from your soda drinks. All I could say was “Wow”! If I knew sodas were so bad, I would have stopped much sooner.

Your homework assignment from the Care Ministry this week: Let us take a pledge: Goodbye Soda!

The Care Ministry welcomes your comments/suggestions: kunlouis@gmail.com