My soft drink consumption has gone up in the last few weeks. Okay, not by a lot, and I don't drink that many to start.
The end of summer contributed to the increase, and yes, stress played a factor. But still, an occasional soft drink can be a nice treat.
Clearly, I stand in a minority as on average, Americans now consume nearly 10% of their calories from soda/pop/soft drinks, according to a report from the CDC.
Long-time readers know I used to live large in this club. The report points out that 5% over the age of 2 drinks 4+ cans of soda every day. Now I didn't do that every day, but did hit that mark on quite a few days. Usually when stress was involved.
During the many years I consumed too many soft drinks to mention, I considered drinking pop to be a right, not a privilege. Many of my peers talk as if soft drinks were a treat growing up. My household saw it as more than a treat, but less than an everyday occurrence.
To paint a picture of how bad the addiction was, even at an early age, I was pressured/encouraged to give up soft drinks for Lent. But I discovered quickly that you were allowed to take Sundays off from your Lenten requirement. So soon after midnight on Saturday, I would have the can open and poured down my throat. All day Sunday, I had a soft drink can or bottle in my hand.
Still, an excess on one day was better off that I was doing, and certainly did most of my adult life. But that one-day tally is still more than I do now.
The funny part is that I drink the vast majority of those soft drinks at home since grocery stores offer sugar-based alternatives to the high-fructose corn syrup options that dominate the market. Very few restaurants offer those choices.
Restaurants, especially fast food outlets, used to be my Achilles heel. "Order a value meal and get the drink virtually free."
This Grist article points out that the USDA adopted a 2002 Institute of Medicine recommendation of no more than 25% of calories from added sugar. However, the American Heart Association recommends only 5% of calories from added sugar. If you consume 2,000 calories per day, this would add up to 500 calories (USDA) or 100 calories (AHA). A 12 oz. soft drink can exceeds the AHA requirement, and about 3 cans for the USDA mark, provided that you had no additional "added sugar" the rest of the day.
Grist also notes that a study last year in the Journal of the American Medical Association found that "nearly one-quarter of all American adults — over 50 million people — already either exceed or are close to the 25 percent limit."
When people are on diets or whatever they are calling them, they understandably complain of being hungry and wanting to eat more food. Drink less pop and you can eat more food; what a great trade.
But as BalanceofFood.com keeps reminding us, having an occasional soft drink as a treat can help psychologically (and taste good). And more people can access some form of soft drink that has sugar or cane sugar instead of high-fructose corn syrup. A soft drink now is a treat for me, and I truly love it when I get a chance. I just don't love it enough to have it all the time.
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