Not hip to sip?

Some hard truths about soda pop:

Charmaine FERNANDO

Water they say is the best and the most popular natural drink globally. More people in the entire world consume more water than any other drink. A healthy person has the ability to drink about three gallons or 48 cups of water per day.

Go gaga over water because that's the best drink by far which you could 'drink and drive' noon or night. Besides look at it from any angle, colour, smell, taste, flavour or aroma, you are bound to understand the underlining neutrality which makes it unassumingly the world's favourite drink. It's this superior quality which helps you mix it with practically anything. Nothing else man made, can match up to the living substance that had stood the test of time. Without it we are dust.

Soda pops health problems

Soft drinks, soda, pop, cola and soft drink, while made up almost entirely of water, also contain caffeine. Caffeine can act as a mild diuretic, preventing water from traveling to necessary locations in the body. You should know how they affect your body so that you can make an informed choice on your own. Soft drinks contain little to no vitamins or other essential nutrients. However, it is what they do contain that causes the problem: caffeine, carbonation, simple sugars or sugar substitutes and often food additives such as artificial coloring, flavoring, and preservatives. Research has found that consumption of soft drinks in high quantity, especially by children, is responsible for many health problems that include tooth decay, nutritional depletion, obesity, type-2 diabetes, and heart disease. Don't tell me you knew that?

Simple sugars weaken immune system

Most soft drinks contain a high amount of simple sugars. The recommended sugar consumption for a 2,000-calorie diet is a daily allotment of 10 teaspoons of added sugars. Many soft drinks contain more than this amount. You might wonder just why too much sugar is so unhealthy. What happens to you as sugar enters your body when you drink sodas that are packed with simple sugars, the pancreas is called upon to produce and release insulin, a hormone that empties the sugar in your blood stream into all the tissues and cells for usage. Over indulgence in simple sugar raises insulin levels. When blood insulin levels rise beyond the normal required levels it can lead to depression of the immune system, which in turn weakens your ability to fight disease.

Isn't it time to consider that most of the excess sugar you consume ends up being stored as fat in your body, which results in weight gain? You need to remember that it also elevates the risk for heart disease and cancer. One research study found that when subjects were given refined sugar, their white blood cell count decreased significantly for several hours. Another study discovered that rats fed a high-sugar diet had a substantially elevated rate of breast cancer in comparison to rats on a regular diet. These point a finger at refined sugar as a substance that pose many health risks. The worst part of the bad news is yet to come. Read on.

Diet soda and sugar-free cola, a myth?

It is disheartening to note that diet or sugar-free soda is trusted as a better choice by the figure-conscious 21st century modern-day man and woman. However, one study discovered that drinking one or more soft drinks a day, diet or regular, it led to a 30% greater chance of weight gain around the belly. You must know that diet soda is filled with artificial sweeteners such as aspartame, sucrose, or saccharin. These artificial sweeteners pose a threat to your health. Saccharin, for instance, has been found to be carcinogenic, and studies have found that it produced bladder cancer in rats. Worried? Then, give up what's harmful.

Aspartame, commonly known as NutraSweet, is a chemical that stimulates the brain to think the food is sweet. Technically speaking it breaks down into aspartic acid, phenylalanine, and methanol at a temperature of 86 degrees, while your stomach is somewhere around 98 degrees. An article put out by the University of Texas explains that aspartame has been linked to obesity. The process of stimulating the brain causes more cravings for sweets and leads to carbohydrate loading. Do look in the mirror and form the right attitude. Now, is the best time to shed bad habits..

Osteoporosis linked to carbonated drinks?

Beverages with bubbles contain phosphoric acid, which can severely deplete the blood calcium levels; calcium is a key component of the bone matrix. With less concentration of calcium over a long time, it can lower deposition rates so that bone mass and density suffer. This means that drinking sodas and carbonated water increases your risk of Osteoporosis. Caffeine usually present in soft drinks, add more trouble depleting the body's calcium, in addition to stimulating your central nervous system and contributing to stress, a racing mind, and insomnia. Convinced? Better be, for your health sake.

Change for the better. Decide now.

Drink Fresh water. Water is a vital beverage for good health. Each and every cell needs water to perform its essential functions. Since studies show that tap water is filled with contaminants, antibiotics, and a number of other unhealthy substances, consider investing in a quality carbon-based filter for your tap water. On the go? Try using a stainless steel thermos or glass bottle, filled with filtered water. Nothing quenches like water. You know it better than me.

Water, water every where

We are aware that 70 to 75 percent of the earth's surface is covered with water. Water dissolves more substances than any other liquid. Wherever it travels, water carries chemicals, minerals, and nutrients with it. The same water that existed on the earth millions of years ago is still present today. Much more fresh water is stored under the ground in aquifers than on the earth's surface. The total amount of water on the earth is about 326 million cubic miles of water.

A country like the United States uses about 346,000 million gallons of fresh water every day. Believe it or not, of all the water on this earth, humans can use only about three tenths of a percent of this water. Such usable water is found in groundwater aquifers, rivers, and freshwater lakes.

Intoxicated by water?

By the time a person feels thirsty, his or her body has lost over 1 percent of its total water amount. Did you ever guess that even water can intoxicate you? Yes it can. Drinking too much water too quickly can lead to water intoxication and it occurs when water dilutes the sodium level in the bloodstream and causes an imbalance of water in the brain. Water intoxication is most likely to happen during periods of intense athletic performance. The weight a person loses directly after intense physical activity is weight from water, not fat. While the daily recommended amount of water is eight cups per day, not all of this water must be consumed in the liquid form. Every form of drink and food contain some quantity of water.

Drink Fruit Juice. If you are a juice drinker, try watering down your juice to cut back on the sugar content. Dilute three parts filtered water to one part juice. You will get a subtle sweet taste and the benefit of antioxidants. After a couple of weeks, you will no longer miss the sweetness of sugary concentrated juices. Try it, for goodness' sake.

Drink Tea. Tea gently lifts your energy and has numerous health benefits. Black, green, white, and oolong teas all contain antioxidant polyphenols. In fact, tea ranks as high or higher than many fruits and vegetables on the ORAC scale, the score that measures antioxidant potential of plant-based foods. Herbal tea does not have the same antioxidant properties, though it is still a great beverage choice with other health benefits, such as inducing calming and relaxing effects. If tea doesn't satisfy your sweet tooth, try adding cinnamon or a little honey, which has important health benefits that refined sugar lacks. Look out for a selection of healthy teas that promote total body wellness. Tea must not be diluted or thickened with milk or sugar. Living in the world's favourite tea-country, you can have it morning noon and night.

Some Hard Truths

It's not only soft drinks that are contributing to an increase in tooth decay. Nationwide, students are drinking more sports drinks and fruit juices, which on average, one 12-ounce can of regular soda also contain high concentrations of sugar - contains 10 teaspoons of sugar. In 2004, 57 percent of any given school in Massachusetts had an average sales of sugared sodas, sports drinks and fruit juices. One 20-ounce average bottle contains 16 teaspoons of sugar.

Three sodas a day - aggravates tooth decay

The problem isn't just with the drinks themselves, but also with the frequency risk of dental cavities, by up by 179 percent due to the fact that a child's teeth are exposed to sugar throughout the school day. Children are repeatedly exposing dental enamel to carbonated beverages, and teens who consume sugar-rich beverages at school have a tendency to weaken and may permanently destroy enamel. Even sugar-free soda is harmful to teeth because it contains high amounts of acid-causing decay. Because students typically do not brush their teeth during school hours, their risk of getting cavities increases dramatically.

In addition to their high content of sugar, many drinks found in school vending machines do not contain any vitamins or nutrients compared with milk. Are Sodas and Sports Drinks Big Zeroes? The developed countries have banned soda pop and other carbonated sweet drinks from all school canteens and tuck-shops for no other fancy reason. The big time strategy by the manufacturers and franchisees to catch them young 'when away from the parents care' at school, have evaporated like the soda, pop! That happens in the developed countries where the authorities take quick action to avoid further damage.

Save the sweet-children

Will the emerging countries like Sri Lanka, subjected to being dumping grounds and vulnerable niche markets for anything that has been 'a one-time fad' with the West, continue to withhold action? Will the authorities drag on the big sweet decision to ban carbonated and other concoctions, at schools until our next fun-generation emerges with unimaginably complicated health patterns? Then, isn't it up to the parents to take precautions and necessary action to show their concern?

Save the Sri Lankan smile; save the children.

Born of water, to water we shall return, eh? 'Water is the only drink for a wise man' says a wise man. Depending on your ego, just drink it straight or on the rocks. Cheers!