Reading Room: Are Coca-Cola and Pepsi Guilty?

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Comments

  • Buckwirth
    Buckwirth Member Posts: 1,258 Member
    scouty said:

    Glaceau Vitamin Water Zero
    But be sure and get the zero ones with zero calories to avoid sugar and artificial sweeteners. The others have calories and sugar but not as much as gatorade and some of the others. They use cane sugar, not HFCS.

    I am no fan of HFCS
    But three European countries have higher rates of cancer, and don't use HFCS as a sweetener.
  • CherylHutch
    CherylHutch Member Posts: 1,375 Member
    tootsie1 said:

    Tea!
    Thank goodness I prefer tea!

    *hugs*
    Gail

    Tea!
    Hehehe Gail! But Tea actually has more caffeine than coffee... and of course you have to make tea with water.... and it seems some water supplies are going to be contaminated, so you may be in big doo-doo too

    Cheryl
  • CherylHutch
    CherylHutch Member Posts: 1,375 Member
    scouty said:

    Try vitamin water zero
    that is sweetened with stevia (a plant) that does not spike your blood sugar. I really like it and it isn't bad for you!

    Stevia
    Hey Lisa... just out of curiosity... do you use the white stevia or the green? The reason I ask, most health food stores up here sell the white and I just assumed that stevia, when dried, etc. produced a white powder and that's how I used to buy it. Friends of mine own an organic farm where they produce their own organic alfalfa, stevia and olive plants... and it was from them that I learned about stevia is a green plant but commercial manufacturers bleach the powder so it resembles other sweeteners which the public is more apt to buy.

    You can read about it here... needless to say, my next order I'm going to be putting in for the green stevia:

    All about Stevia

    Of course, for those who have been following healthy trends, there has been a lot written about having an alkaline body because cancer can't survive in an alkaline environment. Because of our Western diets, our bodies tend to be very acidic... and cancer thrives on that environment. I don't know enough about it to have an opinion one way or the other... but I figure, it probably wouldn't hurt to have a more alkaline body, whether it affects the cancer or not. Sooooo, that is why I'm about to put in an order to my friends (their farm is about a 5 hour drive from Vancouver, hence I'll get them to mail it to me) for the alfalfa and stevia. Here's a bit more about an alkaline body:

    Alfalfa benefits

    You can also read about the benefits for organic Olive Leaves as well on the website, if anyone is interested.

    Cheryl
  • CherylHutch
    CherylHutch Member Posts: 1,375 Member
    PhillieG said:

    Not Surprised
    Soon our water won't be safe either. They want to start hydro-fracking in the Catskill Mountains in NY State. This is some of the best water on the planet and it supplies NYC with most of their drinking water. The only thing is that "they" can get natural gas out of the shale by setting off explosives that cause mini-earthquakes. That all releases the gas. Then they pump in a toxic liquid down into the ground which forces the gas to the top. One problem is that there are known carcinogens in the fluid they use and also, it's proprietary which means that like coca-cola, they do not have to divulge exactly what is in there. Some people can actually light their faucets and it's like a flamethrower. This affects people with wells and it would affect the water that NYC gets. They already do this in 16(?) states and it's growing. There is a documentary called "GASLAND" that talks about it.

    We may have to drink our scotch straight up!
    Not good...

    You cracked me up!!
    Ok Phil... that's enough out of you!! I was reading your post and tsk tsk tsking away... when I read your last line... Not good... And for some reason that struck me so funny that I did laugh out loud! This is not good... you are not suppose to be making me laugh

    But thanks anyways :D

    Cheryl
  • Sonia32
    Sonia32 Member Posts: 1,071 Member

    Tea!
    Hehehe Gail! But Tea actually has more caffeine than coffee... and of course you have to make tea with water.... and it seems some water supplies are going to be contaminated, so you may be in big doo-doo too

    Cheryl

    What about things like household products?
    I just wonder if some of them are bad.

    Hugs
    Sonia
  • coloCan
    coloCan Member Posts: 1,944 Member
    Sonia32 said:

    What about things like household products?
    I just wonder if some of them are bad.

    Hugs
    Sonia

    Yes,most certainly harmful to your health.....most of the
    "air fresheners sold in US for example,have chemical ingredients that are harmful to your lungs. Try pronouncing the names of some of the items listed on labels of household products (orin some processed "foods" for that matter)

    PS: today's email from Dr Mercola's site has a listing of the most commonly used food colorings here (mercola.com)
  • SisterSledge
    SisterSledge Member Posts: 332 Member
    Eating well
    In adulthood, I've always tried to eat well by following a plan of diversity and moderation as my general rules. Thus, there is very little that I actually cut completely from my diet...I just enjoy it moderately. Most of my meals are made of of diverse veggies and things made from scratch. Quality ingredients, local and organic when available and affordable. I have a huge garden and preserve as much as I can to carry us through.

    I think avoiding artificial coloring, sweeteners, processed foods full of chemicals and pesticides is key to good health...that and moderation.
    Janine
  • pete43lost_at_sea
    pete43lost_at_sea Member Posts: 3,900 Member
    i lived on diet coke before cancer
    i have not had diet coke for 8 months since dx.

    i had way too much over the last decade.

    i know its not proven cause and effect, but its a real worry.

    thanks for posting this info,

    Pete
  • pete43lost_at_sea
    pete43lost_at_sea Member Posts: 3,900 Member
    scouty said:

    Our US food is scary!
    It's the reason why we have the highest rates of cancer, heart disease, type 2 diabetes, and obesity (just to name a few) of every other country in the entire world. We also spend 15 times more on prescription drugs then any other country. We are slowly killing ourselves just so some greedy SOBs can make money. It isn't about right or wrong anymore, it about making money and only about making money.

    Only 2 countries import our meat and dairy products, Austrailia and Canada, and it isn't a coincidence that the colorectal cancer incidence rates are twice for the 3 of us then any other country!

    I just read in Women's Health magazine that new studies are showing that pesticides are contributing to the obesity epidemic here since our bodies are so busy trying to get rid of the toxins, we can't metabolize foods correctly.

    Watch out for the new name for High Fructose Corn Syrup, CORN SUGAR. The makers of HFCS have started the process to change the name. Apparently the consumption rates of HFCS had declined 15% in the last few years and they have figured out a way to get their market share back by changing the name of the product and confusing the public. My personal favorite of their commercials is one that says it is made from corn so it can't be bad for you. WELL so is moonshine but it isn't considered healthy.

    If you really want to get scared, write down a few of the ingredient items of things that you can't pronounce from the labels of foods and look them up. Make sure you pick a few from bread so you can see what they use to keep it from molding so quickly (it's a sister of formaldehyde, that smelly stuff used to preserve those frogs we dissected in school).

    I don't see the coke/pepsi news hitting the mainstream news or newspapers since so many are owned by major conglomerates with multiple business interest and sponsors, many feeding us the crap! The only way to change things is going to have to be with our pocketbooks. I've been organic, etc since 2004 now and I can really see a difference in selections and prices so we just need to keep it up.

    In the meantime educate yourself!

    Lisa P.

    our lifestyle is what i see as scary
    and of course food is a very big part of the equation.

    but why do family buy macdonalds because they are wornout and time poor.

    why are they time poor ? need money to pay rent/mortgage etc etc and all the modern junk we can happily live without.

    we have freedom to direct our lives but i see clever marketing guys pulling the strings.

    who has the highest death rate, lets just find the healthiest society on the planet and maybe we could open our minds and learn from them. i suggest their lifestyles will not ressemble modern western life as we know it.

    we have the power of choice but so few use it.

    thanks for the post,

    Peter
  • Sundanceh
    Sundanceh Member Posts: 4,392 Member

    i lived on diet coke before cancer
    i have not had diet coke for 8 months since dx.

    i had way too much over the last decade.

    i know its not proven cause and effect, but its a real worry.

    thanks for posting this info,

    Pete

    Diet Colas of Any Kind
    Pete

    Diet sodas contain ASPARTANE - which results directly in liver cancer. So, there are harms with diet drinks.

    Just an Fyi...Craig
  • scouty
    scouty Member Posts: 1,965 Member

    i lived on diet coke before cancer
    i have not had diet coke for 8 months since dx.

    i had way too much over the last decade.

    i know its not proven cause and effect, but its a real worry.

    thanks for posting this info,

    Pete

    Me too Pete
    I never liked coffee so I drank coke and then diet coke for caffeine. Depending on what was going on at work I had am many as 6 a day! One of many things I did that made my body make cancer feel comfortable.

    I haven't had one in 6 years and 4 months! My withdrawal headaches were so intense I couldn't read or watch TV for 2-3 days. That in itself scared me enough to never want one again.

    Lisa P.
  • CherylHutch
    CherylHutch Member Posts: 1,375 Member
    scouty said:

    Me too Pete
    I never liked coffee so I drank coke and then diet coke for caffeine. Depending on what was going on at work I had am many as 6 a day! One of many things I did that made my body make cancer feel comfortable.

    I haven't had one in 6 years and 4 months! My withdrawal headaches were so intense I couldn't read or watch TV for 2-3 days. That in itself scared me enough to never want one again.

    Lisa P.

    Me three!
    I was never a Coca-Cola (regular) addict... I found it too syrupy and sweet. BUT, I was totally addicted to Diet Coke, full caffeine!! I also fell for the marketing... 0 calories, sweetener not sugar! Gee, it was almost like a free ticket to drink as much as you wanted. Back then (when I was soooo addicted) I didn't think about the consequences of artificial sweetener... let's face it, the diet industry had drilled it into us that Sugar = BAD, artificial sweetener = GOOD. But it doesn't take a rocket scientist to figure out... other than the lack of calories, what could possibly be good about artificial sweetener? It's all chemicals... there's no such thing as an artificial sweetener tree or bush ;)

    Over time, not because I became smarter... I just started weaning myself off. I'm not completely off. Because I'm not a big drinker of alcohol (the occasional glass of wine, but that's about it... especially since I'm usually driving)... so, I will usually have a diet soft drink rather than an alcoholic drink. Of course, now they have confirmed that a glass of wine/day is actually GOOD for you, so I guess I better start working on drinking wine again ;)

    Cheryl
  • thxmiker
    thxmiker Member Posts: 1,278 Member

    Dark sodas
    Any soda that has colour, in particular the dark colours, use the caramel colouring and have from the beginning of time. The only "sodas" that don't use it are your totally clear, non-coloured sodas.

    But as Lisa said... it is not just the caramel colouring that is the problem. Like everything else, you would have to consume gallons of it per day for it to really be of concern. But add this to any store-bought food item that isn't a whole "fresh" food, then you are putting chemicals/pesticides/poisons in your food cycle.

    To isolate one or two items is silly and won't help with any health concern if you eliminate them from your diet. Western diet is based on processed foods... for convenience, for laziness and for the taste we have become accustomed to, starting when we were children and that's what parents feed children. 30 years later, to say you are going to change your diet/tastes, good luck... chances are it will be a lot harder than just going to fresh produce markets, or organic meat farms. Your taste buds are now acclimatized to what you have grown up with... and yes, it is easy to change for the short term... but 97% of people who attempt will always fall back to that which they are used to... with every excuse in the book (the kids won't eat it, I have to prepare meals for me and meals for them, etc. etc)

    So, yes, caramel colouring in sodas are not good for us. But then, neither is the corn syrup, or the extremely high salt content (especially in the colas), or the artificial sweeteners in the diet sodas... in other words, sodas are not healthy. So many say they will quit them... and instead of sodas go for fruit juices. They are just as bad because of the sugar/sweetener/salt content. So then you suggest organic, fresh squeezed or fresh juiced organic veggies/fruit juice... and those who have had a lifetime of sodas/commercial fruit juices now don't like the taste. They'll drink it for the short term because they know it's healthier, but most fail with sticking to them because they just don't like them... and back they go to their old ways.

    The soda companies, etc. are not going to deviate far from their recipe. Why? The bottom dollar. Corn fructose is much much much cheaper than sugar and even more cheaper than organic raw sugar. If they used these products, your $1.50 bottle of coca cola would cost around the $5.00 mark... and no one is going to pay $5 for a bottle of coke when they can get one for under $2.

    I think we can all agree... the "majority" of the public will talk the talk about eating more healthy until they realize just how expensive it is to eat healthy. If you are currently spending $100/week on your family's groceries, are you willing/able to spend $400/week for the same amount of groceries? When your kids/family are healthy now... are you willing to tell your kids they are going to have to eat foods they don't like so that they don't get sick? How many have the energy to fight with them over every meal? I feel it's just not feasible... and no matter what the intention, it's not doable for most families.

    I grew up in a 2-parent family with 4 of us kids. A family of 6 where my father was the breadwinner, my mom was a stay-at-home mom and she had to make the grocery dollar stretch to feed her family of 4 growing kids. Back then, it was not unheard of to have high carb meals... white bread, mac and cheese, hot dogs, ground beef meals, the occasional chicken meal. Yes, she did try to serve veggies or a salad with dinner but none of us kids would eat it, nor would my father, so only she ate the fresh stuff. That was just the way it was in the 60s... and no one had the energy to fight with kids every meal and say you will sit there until you eat your salad.

    Of the 6 of us, my mom who loved her fresh veggies is the only one who is not alive today... so really, how does one explain that to the kids of today? I don't think it's a generational problem... I think its a problem since the beginning of time... well, the beginning of when food has been prepared commercially.

    Cheryl

    Well Said!
    My wife had severe allergies. We took her to an Allergist whom had her on shots for 10 years. The allergies subsided but never went away. I told her to start a diary of what she ate and maybe we could isolate a problem food. We started eating at home more and her allergies subsided. She read an article that said Soy is the 8th most common allergy.

    Soy is in almost everything commercially produced! It is used as a flour, fat, MSG, and oil. Wally world's Milk and Butter have SOY added. (I always thought dairy came from cows, but not at Wally World.)

    We stopped all boxed, and most canned food. If you check the international brands that are made in the USA a lot of them are chemical and soy free. We stopped all Fast Food, and all National Restaurants. We found a few Locally owned restaurants that made their own food. Within 6 months she lost 30lbs and 4 sizes. I lost 40lbs and 4 pant sizes! (I went from a tight 40 to a 35.)

    We are even careful when joining friends for dinner at their homes. We ask politely to be careful about the soy. (Don't even get me started on High Fructose Corn Syrup!)

    It is the best change we could have made for our health.

    Best Always, mike
  • lizzydavis
    lizzydavis Member Posts: 893

    Me three!
    I was never a Coca-Cola (regular) addict... I found it too syrupy and sweet. BUT, I was totally addicted to Diet Coke, full caffeine!! I also fell for the marketing... 0 calories, sweetener not sugar! Gee, it was almost like a free ticket to drink as much as you wanted. Back then (when I was soooo addicted) I didn't think about the consequences of artificial sweetener... let's face it, the diet industry had drilled it into us that Sugar = BAD, artificial sweetener = GOOD. But it doesn't take a rocket scientist to figure out... other than the lack of calories, what could possibly be good about artificial sweetener? It's all chemicals... there's no such thing as an artificial sweetener tree or bush ;)

    Over time, not because I became smarter... I just started weaning myself off. I'm not completely off. Because I'm not a big drinker of alcohol (the occasional glass of wine, but that's about it... especially since I'm usually driving)... so, I will usually have a diet soft drink rather than an alcoholic drink. Of course, now they have confirmed that a glass of wine/day is actually GOOD for you, so I guess I better start working on drinking wine again ;)

    Cheryl

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