Before you reach for that can of soda, here are some fact you should know about what you're drinking.
If you think it's just the sugar in soft drinks that's bad for you're okay because you drink "diet soda" instead, think again. More and more research is coming out linking soft drinks to more than just obesity. Here are some "Scary Truths" about soft drinks that you may not know.
Let's start with sugar. The average 12 ounce soft drink contains 35 to 40 grams of sugar. If they put that figure in "teaspoons" instead of grams I doubt there would be as many people buying. That's because when it comes to sugar, 35 to 40 grams is between 8 and 10 teaspoons of sugar.
Think about it... when's the last time you sat down with something and added 8 - 10 teaspoons of sugar? And that's just a 12-ounce can of soda. Most soft drinks are sold in 16 to 20 ounce bottles. And a lot of people get "Super Big Gulps" from convenience stores that more than triple that.
If you're one of those that tries to live on the "lighter side" of life and always choose "diet" that uses aspartame as a sweetener you might be surprised to know that research has shown that aspartame - the artificial sweetener used in soft drinks - was linked to weight gain.
Once aspartame enters the digestive tract, it breaks down into its constituent parts - methanol and the two amino acids, phenylalanine and aspartic acid. Phenylalanine blocks the neuro-transmissions to produce seratonin which, among other things, tells the body it's full or doesn't need to eat. Researchers at Purdue University actually found that rats gained on average 20 percent more weight with artificial sweetener than with natural sugar.
Aspartame is widely considered a neurotoxin by most researchers because of the way it breaks down once it has been consumed. That methanol we mentioned earlier? It is converted to formaldehyde, a known carcinogen. You can find a neurologist's review of Aspartame here - it's eye-opening: http://suewidemark.com/blaylock.htm
Phosphoric acid is a key ingredient in soft drinks - it's what gives sodas their "zing." Phosphoric acid is also used to remove rust.
There has been link between phosphoric acid and bone loss. Calcium neutralizes phosphoric acid which means that it robs the body of what it needs to maintain healthy bones and teeth. The link between tooth decay and soft drinks is often assumed to be a result of sugar - but the phosphoric acid in sodas is now recognized as being partially responsible.
Adolescents who consume soft drinks on a regular basis are close to four times more likely to suffer bone fractures.
Here are some quotes from heath professionals about the effects of soft drinks on our bodies:
From Michael Murray ND and Joseph Pizzorno ND
Encyclopedia of Natural Medicine, Revised Second Edition
"Many general dietary factors have been suggested as a cause of osteoporosis, including: low calcium-high phosphorus intake, high-protein diet, high-acid-ash diet, high salt intake, and trace mineral deficiencies. It appears that increased soft drink consumption is a major factor that contributes to osteoporosis.
"Soft drinks have long been suspected of leading to lower calcium levels and higher phosphate levels in the blood. When phosphate levels are high and calcium levels are low, calcium is pulled out of the bones. The phosphate content of soft drinks is very high, and they contain virtually no calcium."
"Soft drink consumption in children poses a significant risk factor for impaired calcification of growing bones."
"Of the fifty-seven children who had low blood calcium levels, thirty-eight (66.7 percent) drank more than four bottles (12 to 16 ounces per bottle) of soft drinks per week, but only forty-eight (28 percent) of the 171 children with normal serum calcium levels consumed as much soft drink. These results more than support the contention that soft drink consumption leads to lower calcium levels in children. This situation that ultimately leads to poor bone mineralization, which explains the greater risk of broken bones in children who consume soft drinks."
Marion Nestle author of "Food Politics: How the Food Industry Influences Nutrition and Health (California Studies in Food and Culture)" writes: "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 this is just plain scary - a quote from Carol Simontacchi's book "The Crazy Makers: How the Food Industry Is Destroying Our Brains and Harming Our Children": "One liter of an aspartame-sweetened beverage can produce about fifty-six milligrams of methanol. When several of these beverages are consumed in a short period of time (one day, perhaps), as much as two hundred fifty milligrams of methanol are dumped into the bloodstream, or thirty-two times the EPA limit."
Aspartame was initially rejected by the FDA as being safe for consumption - then it was "mysteriously" approved later, despite opposition from researchers. It was so controversial that it was featured on a segment of the CBS news program 60 Minutes. You can watch that here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yCoBuTr0Or0
Water is your best choice for hydration and quenching thirst. Water rehydrates the cells of your body and helps flush toxins that interfere with blood oxygen levels and proper organ function.
Ionized alkaline water is restructured at the molecular level making it easier for the body to absorb. Ionized alkaline water also contains powerful antioxidants to boost ionized water's ability to flush toxins from the system.
