Thursday, September 17, 2009

Demon Soda

I don't smoke.
I'm not much of a drinker.
I was never much of a recreational narcotics enthusiast (and I knew lots of them).

But sugar is my crack habit.

Over the last year, I've given up sodas.  I was a serious Dr. Pepper addict all of my life; love the stuff.  Now, no more.  I sometimes think soda was more of a habit than a craving.  Amazingly, I don't miss it.  I still put a front-end-loader's worth of sugar in my tea, so I haven't really shaken off that monkey.
This study of the impact of sodas from California is quite an eye opener.  My doctor always said we could cut our national health care expenses in half if we all just dropped the soda habit.  He may be right.  Each can contains 17 teaspoons of sugar; that's even more than I put into my iced  tea (about 10 teaspoons; hey, I'm an addict).  Soda may well be the main culprit in obesity, especially among kids.  I'm amazed at how many of these things people will drink sometimes; 5 or 8 a day.  At my worst, I never drank more than 2 a day in the summer.  

Hell is a sugar shack.

7 comments:

June Butler said...

I rarely drink sodas, maybe one every few months. I see them as the sugar water with fizz that they really are, and I don't even want them.

Now a Klondike bar is a whole other thing.

David G. said...

C'mon Grandmère, not even Sweet Tea?!?
Than a true southerner you're not!!

Or those pesky Mint Juleps?

Brad Evans said...

Arghhhhhhhhhhhhhh!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
That Mountain Dew monkey!!!!!!!!

susan s. said...

We only have artificially sweetened sodas here. I particularly like Tonic Water with Fresh lime juice. It's a lot cheaper than soda because I am satisfied by the generic store brand. My husband drinks Diet Mountain Dew because of the caffeine. He doesn't like coffee. Lattes are my downfall!

Counterlight said...

susan s.

I too am not much of a coffee drinker. Don't hate it, just never liked it much. Tea remains my downfall. I've even cut back on ice cream (I may be healthier for it, but maybe not happier).

God bless the Muslims of Central Asia. Tea for them is practically soup; chai with milk, cardamon (sp?), and lots and lots of sugar.

Göran Koch-Swahne said...

This has been known for years...

susan s. said...

Yes, Goran, but we all have to learn it for ourselves. And apply it to our lives. It can take a long time!