Pop, soda, coke, whatever you call it there are three reasons why we should stop drinking it: Caffeine, Aspartame, and High-Fructose Corn Syrup.
Never having been a coffee drinker, I used to pride myself in not joining the flocking masses waiting in line for their morning fix at the nearest Dunkin’ Donuts. It wasn’t until I started working at one of my clients where they provided all-you-can-drink free soda of your choice that I began my own hook. It was Coke.
At first I drank one a day. It was a nice way to get me over that afternoon slump. Soon after, I added one more in the morning. This felt great for a little while and continued to be the pattern until I switched clients. Unfortunately, I couldn’t carry the free soda machine with me to the new client. My habits, however, did not get left behind.
High-Fructose Corn Syrup
At that time I started reading about the effects of high-fructose corn syrup. High-fructose corn syrup (HFCS) is produced by processing corn starch to yield glucose, and then in turn processing the glucose to produce a high percentage of fructose. It’s essentially a cheap substitute to beet and cane sugar.
Here are some of the side-effects of a diet high in fructose:
- Converts to fat more than any other sugar. This may be one of the reasons Americans are continually gaining more weight not less weight. Dr. George Bray, principal investigator of the Diabetes Prevention Program at Louisiana State University Medical Center told the International Congress on Obesity that in 1980, just after high fructose corn syrup was introduced in mass quantities, relatively stable obesity rates began to climb. By 2000, they had doubled.
- Inhibits copper metabolism. Copper deficiency leads to defects in the connective tissues and arteries, and bone fragility. As one chiropractor observed, “the bodies of the children I see today are mush.” The culprit is the modern diet high in fructose and low in copper containing foods, resulting in inadequate formation of elastin and collagen, the proteins that help hold our bodies together.
After reading about these side effects I stopped drinking coke altogether, but replaced it with something probably worse: Diet Mountain Dew.
Caffeine
About 2 months had passed since I cut out any intake of high-fructose corn syrup. But I noticed something…I had become an addict. It now took about three Diet Mountain Dews spread strategically throughout the day to continue having the same mental benefits I had had before. Anytime I had missed one, I got these nagging headaches and became fatigued. Although I felt alert, it was more difficult to concentrate and the energy I felt was more akin to an unnatural buzz than a true feeling of energy. Again I started to do some research on some of the ill-effects of caffeine. Here is a list of the top 10 caffeine-related health effects from teecino.com (where you can read more details surrounding these 10 points):
- Cardiovascular Problems
- Stress
- Emotional Disturbances
- Blood Sugar Swings
- Gastrointestinal Problems
- Nutritional Deficiencies
- Male Health Problems
- Female Health Problems
- Adrenal Exhaustion
- Aging
So with this new-found knowledge I went cold turkey on caffeine and replaced it with my third and final soft drink:Fresca.
Aspartame
Initially Fresca seemed like a great segue to becoming free of the caffeine addiction. There was no high-fructose nastiness to make myself fat or my bones weak, the caffeine was non-existent and best of all there were no calories thanks to a wonder-drug called aspartame. Things couldn’t have been better. I even found that I enjoyed drinking Fresca more than any of the other previous sodas. I liked it so much I drank 2-3 a day. But after two months, I felt worse than when I was addicted to caffeine. Weird symptoms began to pop up such as blurriness of eyesight and random headaches. I began feeling depressed, listless and was constantly fatigued. It was so bad that I wondered if I had developed Chronic Fatigue Syndrome or Depression. My wife, knowing that I’m normally a very happy and energetic person, noticed that I was becoming irritable and argumentative. It just wasn’t me anymore and I couldn’t understand why I was feeling this way.
Pulling out a notepad I began to do a personal inventory. It seemed that all of my areas of life were generally balanced except for diet. It was then that I questioned some of the ingredients in Fresca and began to study the side effects of Aspartame. There are over 92 different health side effects associated with consuming Aspartame! (For a complete list see, Sweet Poison)
It has been over a half a year since I last had a soda of any kind. I feel worlds better now and would suggest to anyone to detox after they eliminate soda from their diet. The Master Cleanse being one of the best ways. The journey to becoming soda free has been long but well worth it. Since doing this, none of my previous symptoms have returned.
I would worry about the phosphoric acid (rust dissolver).
Left by cyber_rigger on September 17th, 2006
I fully agree with the “addiction” effects as soon as you want to stop drinking coke.
It struck me a lot, as I was proud to be “addict-free”, not depending on any morning coffee or cigarette, etc…
But suddenly I bitterly needed my daily half-liter of coke after lunch, else I felt quite lacking of energy and sleepy…
Thanks for this very interesting research !
(I’ll go on with my attempts to stop with even more determination now !)
Cheers.
Left by another_coke_addict on September 18th, 2006
Maybe you have some unusual sensitivity to aspatame? But doesn’t diet mountaindew also use aspartame?
I drink 4 diet cokes/day, and have for years — with no ill effects whatsoever. Calorie free joy brotha! Also they give me a nice pep in the mornings.
To each his own.
Left by Will on September 18th, 2006
I used shove a gram and a half of cocaine up my nose EVERYDAY along with about 15 bottles of Budwieser. I drink diet Coke now and go to therapy (probably for the rest of my life). Try to quit everything? jeesh give a man something! I don’t smoke either…..you guys are pansys….your gonna die of something!!!!!!!!!!!! might as well enjoy your life………idiots. I would suggest your in just as much trouble breathing teh toxic air you do in the lousy city you live in…..or all the preservatives in our food….or the nags who proclaim everything is “unhealthy”. A s far as the list of things refering to why Apertame si harmful, some items contradict each other…..your gonna suffer and die from something or other….get a frickin life while you can. Winy crybaby.
Left by bumpy187 on September 18th, 2006
If you’re worried about the phosphoric acid then you might be worried about the gastric acid in your stomach, which is more acidic than coca-cola.
Naw I’m still more concerned about the copeous amounts of sugar and caffine in sodas than the diluted acids.
Left by Jared on September 18th, 2006
[...] Zadnja leta je tudi v slovenskih trgovinah mo? opaziti poplavo ueber “zdravih” živil; za?elo se je že pred leti s Coca-Colo Light… danes pa je že skoraj vsak jogurt brez maš?ob (kako jim to uspe?) in seveda z milijardami nekih bakterij, vsaka pija?a brez sladkorja in skoraj brez kalorij… pa meso z manj maš?obami, pivo z manj kalorijami, sladoled je naravnost neverjetna zbirka zloglasnih E-jev… In potem v še v Gr?iji ješ grški jogurt, ki ima natanko isti okus in barvo kot tisti iz Ljubljanskih mlekarn. Thanks a lot! No, da je coca cola velika svinjarija, sem vedel. A ?e je vsaj polovica stvari, ki so jih tukaj zapisali o umetnem sladilu aspartam res, se ne dotaknem nobene nizkokalori?ne, nizkoenergijske, nizkomaš?obne, nizko…. stvari ve?. Raje z Drnijem pe?em kruh. (Še brez glasov) Loading … Objavi na slovenskem Redditu · Permalink · Natisni ta članek [...]
Left by Drugi dom » Dajte mi maš?obo nazaj v jogurt! on September 18th, 2006
Bumpy, I used to smoke a fair amount of meth back in the day and let me tell you it’s a far cry from coke buddy. You think snorting blow is rough buddy, try binging on tweak and crack for weeks, stealing from your friends and parents and anyone you know. I’ve switched over to diet pepsi because it has far less sugar, and so far the transition hasn’t been too bad.
Left by Frank on September 18th, 2006
[...] LifeTraining - Online » Blog Archive » Why I stopped drinking coke and why you should too Les dangers du soda (tags: santé nourriture) [...]
Left by Grandes Poches » links for 2006-09-19 on September 19th, 2006
is there a “light” or a “slave” cleanse? i think it’s a good think, but don’t think i could do the full monty. please advise.
Left by R. Summers on November 23rd, 2006
Asking Jared who submitted a message above:
Isn’t the gastric acid in your stomach neutralized by the mucus that is lining the inside of your stomach? If the acidity increases far too much, the mucus might not be alkaline enough to neutralize the acidity in the stomach. By the way, I rarely drink carbonated drinks except when at fast food restaurants, which is usually decided by my family.
Left by theworldisquiethere on December 14th, 2006
Interesting post but it is full of bogus information. The list of health problems caused by Aspartame is ridiculous. The FDA data sited about aspartame is self-reported by people with little to no scientific training. The data is not supported by any peer reviewed research and is without merit.
And taking the anecdotal advice of a chiropractor is just ridiculous. Why not check and see what “real” doctors and scientists have to say?
Caffeine is really not that bad. The website you reference is biased against caffeine. In fact they state “…Both decaf and regular coffee increase your cholesterol and homocysteine, the biochemical that science has linked to increased risk for heart attack…” Since decaf (no caffeine) and regular have the same effect, it would suggest that it’s not the caffeine in coffee that’s responsible for increased heart attack risk but something else.
No, the gastric acid is not neutralized by the mucous membrane. The body needs the acid to help breakdown your food.
I really enjoy your site and quote it often. But an article like this that only propagates bogus science is disappointing.
Incidentally, I’m not advocating soda drinking. The extra, empty calories are not good and should be spent on healthier alternatives. But don’t use junk science to support a valid position. It underminds the whole notion.
Left by Perry on December 18th, 2006
Hello- I am a ND student and I have to verify some things. I personally spoke with a gentleman from one of the soda companies and he told me that they bring in these barrels of ingredients and that they have even had a skull and cross bones on them. These ingredients indeed are considered toxic and they are diluted down to 15 percent.
Soda is around 100,000 times more acidic than the water we put in our bodies and that out bodies should be.
Disease loves an acidic environment.
I also had a student who was the nurse that aided a study on artificial sweeteners. I am afraid to tell you they are actually worse than they tell you. She stated that she will not touch any of them now.
This is really simple- this stuff is highly acidic -
( this is not a comparison to the hydrochloric acid in your stomach- that is supposed to be there and its molecules are different)- Yes you need that acid, but not teh acid in your can. BIG difference.
Cancer cells are metabolized by sugar- period.
As far as caffeine is concerned, yes it can be harmful- many Americans have put a large strain on their adrenal glands through the regular use of caffeine. Many de-caffeinated coffee use chemicals to make them that way- so be aware they may not be good either. Cocao and other things that contain xanthine (pronounced- zan thine) are actually biochemically different form regular caffeine and do not appear to tax the body in the way that caffeine can if consumed too much.
A great article for this can be found here-
“stereo-chemical and clinical work on xanthines in the last couple of decades have shown that, though similar in structure, the members of this class have widely varying pharmacology” (Daniel Mowry, Ph. D) Yerba Mate (Ilex Paraguariensis) Does Yerba Mate Contain Any Caffeine?
However, even in moderation this stuff is what it is folks.
Left by Dianne Irene on October 23rd, 2007
i ws nt aware about the ill effects of caffeine….. bt m glad tht i got to knw about the same….
Left by maggie on February 6th, 2008
Was that guy up there serious about blowing coke once a day? wtf is he doing on a website like this. i hate junkies.
Left by Dave on November 23rd, 2008
He’s a bit confused…
Left by Erich on November 24th, 2008
It’s all really about will power and your ability to control your body with your mind. I drink coca cola every so often. I enjoy the taste and I don’t get caffeine withdrawal or anything. I don’t suffer from loss of calcium, which is possible if you over indulge. I don’t suffer from weight gain of any of that. It’s just keeping in mind that you should be drinking more water than anything else throughout the day. Soda is for casual enjoyment for me!
Left by Launster on March 24th, 2009
hello there i found your piece interesting.
i recently read an article on the web about a guy and he was saying he had 3 cokes and he started to trip out and getting into severe hysterics also something similar happend to me but i only had one coke i was wondering if you could tell me what you think it might have been
many thanks zero
Left by zero on April 19th, 2009
I’ve been living on bread and water on a self impossed diet for 15 years now and i had my first coke the other day and it never harmed me mind you the other day i was sitting down and passed wind and some one else said it was unhealthy.
What do you make of that am i being paranoid or should i never drink coke again?
Please help me!
Left by Just admit it on April 19th, 2009
Oh puhleeeze. You people will believe anything. Yea, I work for the soda company. We secretly put rat poison in soda, because… because… uh, because we can! Yea, that’s it. It’s extra tasty and the customers all get addicted, just like with cheese.
The real danger out there is all the di-hydrogen oxide. It permeates most foods and soda, coffee and most alcoholic drinks are full of it! Farmers spray it all over their crops and even the bottled water companies use it. If there’s any one thing you should avoid, that’s the one.
Left by Dr. Soda on July 20th, 2009
That’s funny, Dr. Soda…dihydrogen oxide. Which is essentially otherwise known as H2O. Even though it would technically be dihydrogen monoxide. Witty.
I think this article has merit for my own personal reasons, one being that its happening to me now.
Typically a very outgoing and energetic person, I have regressed into a highly negative and confrontational person. My weight has slowly risen over several years (even though I exercise regularly), my joints ache bad enough that I went to take tests for arthritis at 37 years old, my knees feel like cantaloupes after a mile of running, and lately my idea of a good weekend activity is sitting on the couch all day playing XBox.
So I recently married an incredible woman and she told me I should try this “lemonade diet cleanser”. Which led me to this site…where I saw the article about kicking the Coke habit.
I always knew I had to get off the Coke, but the headaches brought me back. Being in the military, I was in Iraq 18 months ago and squashed the habit because of massive intakes of water, (its 130 degrees and the Coke just wasnt cutting it).
But, it wasnt long after I returned to the states that I fell back into the habit. As of now, I drink 5-6 twenty ounce bottles of Diet Coke a day. I hardly take in any water, other than the water that is in the bottle of Diet Coke. I hope to God that this lemonade diet can kick some of that crap out of my system and I can get off the habit again.
So…Lemonade Diet, here I come.
Left by Diet Newb on September 2nd, 2009
Yay!! Hi-five!
I never drink coke or similar softdrinks too! =D
Left by David on October 8th, 2009
[...] new environment it will come across new stimuli which set off emotional reactions and stresses. …Why I stopped drinking coke and why you should tooLife Training - Online: The Source for Personal Development and Excellence Training … Emotional [...]
Left by emotional disturbances on March 4th, 2010