As a kid, I remember liking the famous “I’d Like to Buy the World a Coke” commercial. As a teenager, I remember seeing a series of Coke ads in the summer, with the theme of “It’s too hot, look at these pictures of happy people in the snow, buy a Coke,” and then 6 months later I remember seeing commercials with the theme “It’s too cold, look at these happy people at the beach, buy a Coke,” and I realized the purpose of a Coke ad is not to make the viewers happy, but to make the viewer unhappy, so that we will, in a misguided attempt to get happy again, buy a Coke. My beverage of choice is unsweetened tea. When I do drink a soda, I’m conscious that I am essentially drinking a candy bar.
Knowing full well that I would be destined for a sugar crash and that I would probably be guilted into foregoing my nightly scoop of ice cream to compensate for it, I decided to drink a can of Coke and record how I felt physically while also contemplating the process going on inside my body for an hour afterward —TheBlaze.com
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What’s interesting to me about this article is that even though this “personal diary” entry may be new, the fact that Coke is “bad” for you is most certainly not new. This “news” is, well, “old news”. I’ve seen this infographic filling up my Facebook and Twitter feeds with captions such as: “Oh, I never knew this!?!?”, “Bet you will think twice before the next time you want a Coke!”, or “This can’t be true!? I love Coke!”.
“We” have know for years that a can of Coke contains the equivalent of multiple teaspoons of white sugar – which, alas, is now probably worse since it’s now sweetened with HFCS. I haven’t cut out soft drinks totally from my diet, but I have cut back on them significantly, and started doing so in college. And if I do wish to have a soft drink, it’s always the “real” stuff, not the “diet” – the chemistry behind “artificial sweeteners”, and the term “artificial” instantly turns me off. (Much in the same way that some “mock meats” that vegetarians eat also scare me: how much chemical engineering went into that faux burger or hot dog?). Of course, this is all related to the continued craze of eating “healthy foods”, and having food companies devise “100 calorie” versions of “non-healthy snacks”, well…
*And if you really want bubbles, invest in a SodaStream machine. Carbonated iced/herbal teas are quite refreshing.
**Remember/disclaimer: My mom was a Registered Dietitian for 40+ years. The number of hospital and nursing home patient menus I typed up for her and proofread is staggering.
I drink Diet Coke, which is probably worse. I have cut my consumption of it to one a day, but haven’t been able to quit cold turkey yet. I don’t drink coffee and tea isn’t strong enough. It is addicting and a difficult habit to break.
Brew stronger tea? Let the bag steep longer? I use a family-sized Lipton tea bag in a gallon of water, and usually throw in a single-serving size green tea or some other flavor for variety. It’s a good source of the caffeine without the sugar.
Reading this as I drink a coke
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Unsweetened herbal iced tea (because of its minimal caffeine) is my favorite. I like mixing berry and green teas.
I’d rather eat a cookie than sip my calories… Satisfaction, for me, involves chewing.
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The candy bar metaphor is a good one, and hits on why the pro cyclists drink coke during races: sugar and caffeine do a body good under those conditions.