Confessions of a Soft Drink

by Debbie Moody 

(First published in 1986 in Today's Herbs, a newsletter published by Woodland Books with Louise Tenney, editor.  Reprinted about 10 years later in The Enrich Magazine.  Since then it has been reproduced many times without acknowledgment of or permission from the author. This is one of only two Internet sites with authorized permission to reprint this article.) 

Hello.  I am a humble, effervescent liquid.  Humble?  Well, that is debatable.  Actually, I am quite proud of myself.  Allow me to brag a little.

I fizz, sparkle, and bubble my way into thousands of people all over the world, every day.  I HAVE MUCH POWER!  I cause masses of humanity to make beelines for snack dispensers in plush, high-rise buildings.  I stir men, women, and teenagers to dash into their cars late at night to speed to their nearest 24 hour convenience store.

To give me an appetizing brown tint, I contain caramel coloring, which has genetic effects and is a cancer causing suspect.  I sometimes have polyethylene glycol as one of my ingredients.  Glycol is used as anti-freeze in automobiles, and as an oil solvent. 

The bubbles and fizz with which I potently burn human insides is caused by my phosphoric acid.  The phosphorus in the acid upsets the body's calcium-phosphorus ratio and dissolves calcium out of the bones.  This can eventually result in OSTEOPOROSIS, a weakening of the skeletal structure, which can make one susceptible to broken bones.  Also, the phosphorus fights with the hydrochloric acid in human stomachs and renders it ineffective.  This promotes indigestion, bloating and gassiness in many individuals.

I offer a selection of three types of sweeteners, according to the customer's preference.  The sweeteners are:  Saccharin or Aspartame in the diet type, and sugar or corn syrup in my regular drinks.  These substances enhance my appeal and come disguised as 'good' for everyone.  However, tastes can be deceiving!  Let me explain.

SACCHARIN is an artificial sweetener which has raised some concern about cancer in laboratory animals.  There are warning labels on containers in which saccharin is an ingredient.  ASPARTAME,  the more common "diet" sweetener, has been linked to convulsions, depression, insomnia, irritability, weakness, dizziness, headaches, mood changes and mental retardation.  SUGAR and CORN SYRUP can induce both HYPOGLYCEMIA (low blood sugar), and HYPERGLYCEMIA (high blood sugar), in susceptible individuals.  Hypoglycemia has been linked to mental illness and hyperglycemia to diabetes.  Sugar gives you a lift or burst of energy, then sends you crashing down to severe fatigue.  To get another charge, more sugary drinks are consumed.  This pattern exhausts the adrenal glands and leaves a person with a chronic tired feeling.

GORGEOUS!  THAT'S WHAT I AM!  I come dressed in a shiny metal can in various colors and tints.  Sometimes I am silver, sometimes gold, sometimes blue, red, etc.  I beckon and dazzle shoppers as they stroll past me in the supermarket.  On a HOT DAY, I am especially ATTRACTIVE, and hands reach for cases of me to share with friends at picnics and parties.  However, I am very tricky.  My thirst quenching liquid, which is alluringly encased in a the aluminum can, contains traces of the same metal.  The acid in the soft drink eats away the aluminum , which floats around until it is ingested by the consumer.  Aluminum is a very toxic substance and builds up in the human body.  It has a particular affinity for the brain and has been linked to the degenerative senility affliction, ALZHEIMER'S; Disease,

Many times humans think they can LOSE WEIGHT by drinking me in the "diet" form.  NOT SO!

My high sodium content helps them retain water in their bodies, and they become edemic.  The kidneys and bladder do not function properly after a long habit of soft drink intake.  The sugar in me destroys the beneficial flora in the colon and constipation results.  This locks the toxins in the body so they cannot be eliminated properly.  The blood is not pure, as a result, and the cells  are
affected.  In order to lose weight, fat must be flushed from the cells.  The enzymes responsible for aiding the process of fat release are paralyzed when they are poisoned, and so cannot do their job.  People DEFEAT THEIR PURPOSE when they try to lose weight by drinking me.

In conclusion, I would like to admit there is not a smidgen of humility in me.  I am very EGOTISTICAL!  I am MASTER over much of the decision-making ability of the human race.  HA!  You don't believe me???  Look on school campuses, in city parks, at ball games, in business offices, at street corners...anywhere there are people...SEE YOU AROUND!

Subject: WATER OR COKE ??         

WATER
1. 75% of Americans are chronically dehydrated.
2. In 37% of Americans, the thirst mechanism is so weak that it is often mistaken for hunger.
3. Even MILD dehydration will slow down one's metabolism as much as 3%.
4. One glass of water will shut down midnight hunger pangs for almost 100% of the dieters studied in a University of Washington study.
5. Lack of water is the #1 trigger of daytime fatigue.
6. Preliminary research indicates that 8 to glasses of water a day could significantly ease back and joint pain for up to 80% of sufferers.
7. A mere 2% drop in body water can trigger fuzzy, short-term memory, trouble with basic math, and difficulty focusing on the computer
screen or on a printed page.
8. Drinking 5 glasses of water daily decreases the risk of colon cancer by 45%, plus it can slash the risk of breast cancer by 79%,
and one is 50% less likely to develop bladder cancer.

And now for the properties of COKE  /DIET COKE   :
1. In many states (in the USA) the highway patrol carries two gallons of coke in the truck to remove blood from the highway after a car
accident.
2. You can put a T-bone steak in a bowl of Coke and it will be gone in two days.
3. To clean a toilet: Pour a can of Coca-Cola into the toilet bowl and knobs and let the "real thing" sit for one hour, then flush clean .
The citric acid in Coke removes stains from vitreous china.
4. To remove rust spots from chrome car bumpers: Rub the bumper with a rumpled-up piece of Reynolds Wrap aluminum foil dipped in Coca-Cola.
5. To clean corrosion from car battery terminals: Pour a can of Coca-Cola over the terminals to bubble away the corrosion.
6. To loosen a rusted bolt: Apply a cloth soaked in Coke so acid in Coca-Cola can dissolve the rust.
7. To remove grease from clothes: Empty a can of coke into a load of greasy clothes, add detergent and run through a regular cycle.
The Coca-Cola will help loosen grease stains.
8. It will also clean road haze from your windshield.

For Your Info:
1. The active ingredient in Coke is phosphoric acid. Its pH is 2.8. It will dissolve a nail in about 4 days. Phosphoric acid also leaches calcium from bones and is a major contributor to the rising increase in osteoporosis.
2. To carry Coca-Cola syrup (the concentrate), commercial trucks must use the hazardous material place cards reserved for highly corrosive materials.
3. The distributors of Coke have been using it to clean the engines of their trucks for about 20 years! Now the question is, would
you like a coke or a glass of water?

Please Share This With Others!

Soda Diabetes and Weight Gain

A 2007 study from the Harvard School of Public Health  (reported in the the American Diabetes Association's 64th scientific sessions) found that Women in the study who drank at least one sugar-sweetened soda a day were 85% more likely to develop type 2 diabetes than those who drank less. There are18.2 million Americans — 6.3% of the population — with diabetes in 2002, and it is the nation's fifth-deadliest disease, says the American Diabetes Association.

The same study found that the women most prone to gaining weight had increased their consumption of sugary soft drinks from less than one a week to more than one a day. On average, those women gained 9-10 pounds in a four-year period. But women who cut their intake of soft drinks gained an average of 3 pounds or less.

Soda anyone?

What Happens To Your Body Within An Hour Of Drinking A Coke

By: Source: http://www.mercola.comJanuary 12, 2008

Do you want to be healthy? Drinking soda is bad for your health in so many ways; science can’t even state all the consequences. Here’s what happens in your body when you assault it with a Coke: Within the first 10 minutes, 10 teaspoons of sugar hit your system. This is 100 percent of your recommended daily intake, and the only reason you don’t vomit as a result of the overwhelming sweetness is because phosphoric acid cuts the flavor. Within 20 minutes, your blood sugar spikes, and your liver responds to the resulting insulin burst by turning massive amounts of sugar into fat. Within 40 minutes, caffeine absorption is complete; your pupils dilate, your blood pressure rises, and your livers dumps more sugar into your bloodstream. Around 45 minutes, your body increases dopamine production, which stimulates the pleasure centers of your brain – a physically identical response to that of heroin, by the way. After 60 minutes, you’ll start to have a sugar crash. Sources: Nutrition Research Center October 24, 2007 How many sodas have you had today? How about your kids? As of 2005, white bread was dethroned as the number one source of calories in the American diet, being replaced by soft drinks. The average American drinks more than 60 gallons of soft drinks each year, but before you grab that next can of soda, consider this: one can of soda has about 10 teaspoons of sugar, 150 calories, 30 to 55 mg of caffeine, and is loaded with artificial food colors and sulphites. Not to mention the fact that it’s also your largest source of dangerous high-fructose modified corn syrup. Let’s take a look at some of the other major components of a can of soda: Phosphoric Acid: Which can interfere with the body's ability to use calcium, leading to osteoporosis or softening of the teeth and bones. It also neutralizes the hydrochloric acid in your stomach, which can interfere with digestion, making it difficult to utilize nutrients. Sugar: It is a proven fact that sugar increases insulin levels, which can lead to high blood pressure, high cholesterol, heart disease, diabetes, weight gain, premature aging and many more negative side effects. Most sodas include over 100 percent of the RDA of sugar. Sugar is so bad for your health in so many ways, I even created an entire list outlining 100-Plus Ways in Which Sugar Can Damage Your Health Aspartame: This chemical is used as a sugar substitute in diet soda. There are over 92 different health side effects associated with aspartame consumption including brain tumors, birth defects, diabetes, emotional disorders and epilispsy/seizures. Caffeine: Caffeinated drinks cause jitters, insomnia, high blood pressure, irregular heartbeat, elevated blood cholesterol levels, vitamin and mineral depletion, breast lumps, birth defects, and perhaps some forms of cancer. Tap Water: I recommend that everyone avoid drinking tap water because it can carry any number of chemicals including chlorine, trihalomethanes, lead, cadmium, and various organic pollutants. Tap water is the main ingredient in bottled soft drinks. Clearly, the over-consumption of sodas and sweet drinks is one of the leading causes fueling the world-wide obesity epidemic. One independent, peer-reviewed study published in the British medical journal The Lancet demonstrated a strong link between soda consumption and childhood obesity.  They found that 12-year-olds who drank soft drinks regularly were more likely to be overweight than those who didn't. In fact, for each additional daily serving of sugar-sweetened soft drink consumed during the nearly two-year study, the risk of obesity jumped by 60 percent. Here’s another sobering fact if you’re struggling with weight issues: Just one extra can of soda per day can add as much as 15 pounds to your weight over the course of a single year! Other statistics on the health dangers of soft drinks include: One soda per day increases your risk of diabetes by 85 percent Soda drinkers have higher cancer risk. While the federal limit for benzene in drinking water is 5 parts per billion (ppb), researchers have found benzene levels as high as 79 ppb in some soft drinks, and of the 100 brands tested, most had at least some detectable level of benzene present Soda has been shown to cause DNA damage – courtesy of sodium benzoate, a common preservative found in many soft drinks, which has the ability to switch off vital parts of your DNA. This could eventually lead to diseases such as cirrhosis of the liver and Parkinson's If you are still drinking soda, stopping the habit is an easy way to improve your health. Pure water is a much better choice, or if you must drink a carbonated beverage, try sparkling mineral water with a squirt of lime or lemon juice. There is absolutely NO REASON your kids should ever drink soda. None, nada, zip, zero. No excuses. The elimination of soft drinks is one of the most crucial factors to deal with many of the health problems you or your children suffer.

Darrell Stoddard, Founder - Pain Research Institute  http://www.healpain.net

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