Regular Soft Drinks – What to look for?

There is a minefield of information out there on the perils of carbonated soft drinks and what one should be concerned with…the list is long and includes; calories, sugar, colors, additives, high fructose corn syrup, and aspartame. It is quite an emotional field with a vast range of opinions and studies. This is not surprising considering the size of the soft drink market, the money involved, and the fact that one of the target markets is our youth.

The consumption of soft drink is a big issue. But there is some consensus on the things you should keep an eye on when purchasing soft drinks.

• Volume – try to limit how much you consume. Do you really need 64oz?

• Sugar

• Colors & Preservatives

• High Fructose Corn syrup (controversial)

Foodessentials Regular Colas list

List of low sugar regular colas

List of colors in regular colas

List of preservatives in regular colas

(click on the label to see which preservatives are present)

Resources to help you find your way:

To help you to navigate the debate surrounding soft drinks we have included some of the more recognizable and credible sources below:

WebMd – Soft drinks up calorie counts: A solid and objective article that presents both sides of the argument stating the perspectives of the soft drink industry. As per usual, packed with information and represents the debate and issue very well.

Center for Science in the Public Interest – Liquid Candy, how soft drinks are harming America’s health: A really informative article that provides a wealth of facts and figures on the issue as well as market information and rounds up with some recommendations. Not a particularly objective article though with only one perspective represented.

ChetDay.com – Soft drinks, hard facts: not a well known or particularly credible resource but a very thorough piece of work with information relating to the possible implications of over consumption such as obesity, tooth decay, diabetes 2. Good as a starting point or overview of the issues.

Weston A. Price – Soft drinks, America’s other drinking problem: A very well researched article extensively referencing the potential implications of over consumption in detail and analyzing the particular ingredients and nutrients that should be considered.

Nationmaster.com – A graph showing the average consumption of soft drink for each country per person per year. The US is number 1 consuming 216 liters.

High Fructose Corn Syrup: (update)

As highly requested, we have gathered some information on the controversial ingredient high fructose corn syrup. As per usual there is a wealth of good and bad information out there.  For this controversy we have stayed with WebMD for a reliable perpective on the issue.

WebMD – Fructose: Sugar’s Dark Side: An early article, published in 2007, that raises the issue and discusses the results of a University of California study that showed that test subjects who had consumed drinks with high fructose corn syrup in them were at a higher risk of heart disease than those that  did not.  These results were delivered after only an 8 week period.

WebMD – High Fructose Corn syrup – the new bad boy in town: This is why we like WebMD so much – on the same issue they have information relating to both sides of the argument.  In this article, Elain Mcgee (registered Dietitian), casts a more doubful eye on the debate, referencing a recent study that concluded that there was no link between consumption of HFCS and increased satiety.  However, she does go on to say that there are other studies that claim they found compounds in HFCS that can be linked to diabetic complications.  In the end she reponsibily recommends consumption in moderation.

Huffington Post – Mercury found in HFCS, and the FDA has known for years: This is a recent development.  And will require more research and probably a dedicated post on HFCS.  For the time being we’ll leave you with this link to judge for yourself.

Foodessentials.com
Search our database of foods and compare products by nutritional, additive and allergen properties to better find the products that best suit your family’s dietary requirements.

When consuming soft drinks what’s the most important nutritional / ingredient property you are concerned with?

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