What Kind of Soda Is Best?

Answer: NONE!!!

Why is this even a question today? The dangers of soda consumption have been known and documented many times over. Want to know why soda is still one of the most consumed beverages on the market? Because of the billions and billions of dollars spent selling it to you on the tube, on radio, through subliminal placement spots in TV shows and movies, etc.

Let’s break it down to pros and cons:

Pros:

1. Soda tastes good… sometimes.
2. The caffeine provides a short-term boost in energy levels.
3. It’s cheap… more on this one later.

Cons:

1. Soda is extremely acidic. With a pH of around 2.5, it is roughly the same as vinegar. Why do you think it’s so effective cleaning off battery terminals? And you want this stuff in your body?
2. Soda leads to osteoporosis. Due to the high amounts of phosphorous, this leads to calcium leaching from the bones… hence, weaker bones. I just read a study reporting that 95% of their subjects with pathological stress fractures were regular soda drinkers.
3. The sugar from one soft drink is able to damage white blood cells’ ability to ingest and kill bacteria for seven hours.
4. Sugar and acid levels in soda dissolve tooth enamel.
5. Soda makes you fat. The relationship between soft drink consumption and body weight is so strong that researchers calculate that for each additional soda consumed, the risk of obesity increases 1.6 times. And NO… diet soda is NOT any better. In fact, the latest research says the risk for obesity may be worse with diet sodas!
6. Children who drink soda are three to four times more at risk for breaking bones.
7. Think diet sodas are better? Nope… worse: Aspartame-sweetened beverages can produce about fifty-six milligrams of methanol. Methanol toxicity leads to what?… Oh, yeah… Multiple Sclerosis and Systemic Lupus. That’s nice.
8. Saccharin, which is a noncaloric petroleum derivative, has demonstrated carcinogenic effects in the bladder and other sites, particularly female reproductive organs, with as little as one or two diet sodas per day.
9. With diet soda, you’ve gone from high calories to poisonous levels of methanol and an increased chance of developing cancer. Not a very good trade.
10. Those consuming at least one cup of a caffeine-containing beverage per day, such as coffee, tea or soft drinks, were more prone to PMS. And the more caffeine they consumed, the more severe their PMS symptoms.
11. Trying to get pregnant? Just one caffeinated soft drink per day was associated with a reduced monthly chance of conception of 50 percent.
12. Sodium benzoate, a preservative used in soft drinks (and a ton of other stuff), reduces the availability of potassium in the body leading to rash, asthma, and eczema.
13. Diet sodas actually make you crave carbohydrates and leads to weight gain.
14. High fructose corn syrup adds little or no nutrition, but lots of calories.
15. Many of the chemicals used as ingredients in soda must be transported as Hazardous Waste… and you want to drink this stuff?
16. Remember #2 in the “Pros” list? Check #10 and #11 in the “Cons” list… and add to that the fact that caffeine is addictive, and caffeine-withdrawal symptoms include not only headache, but also fatigue, mild depression, muscle pain and stiffness, flu-like feelings, nausea and vomiting.
17. Remember #3 in the “Pros” list? Cheap? Compared to what? This country went bonkers over the past summer because gasoline was around $4.00 per gallon. Right now, the cheapest you can buy a gallon of Coke or Pepsi is about $5.50. However, that 20 ounce Coke you got at McDonald’s (that’s about 50% ice) that cost you $1.25… equates to spending $8.00 per gallon, and that’s with 50% ice so call it $16.00 per gallon. Cheap?

Look… I’m not going to lie and tell you I don’t have a soda once in a while, but let’s face it: The stuff is crap for you. You can’t expect to keep putting crap in your body, and not have your body turn into crap. You are what you eat… so eat good.