Are Flavored Waters the Same as Soft Drinks?
by Shereen Jegtvig
When I walk through the beverage aisle at the grocery store, it looks like about one-quarter of the shelf space is devoted to bottles of water. Quite a change from when I was a kid. Back then there were a few gallon jugs of distilled water, and the only reason my mom bought those was for use in the iron – we didn’t drink it.
Getting enough fluids every day is important and the bottled-water industry has done a great job pushing their products. They’re convenient, possibly better than some tap water, but they still taste like water and not everyone likes the taste of water. So between the bottles of water and soda, you’ll see several brands of flavored water. If water is good for you flavored water must be good too. But isn’t that the same as a soft drink? Read more
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Staying Awake with Energy Drinks
by Shereen Jegtvig
You’ve probably seen beverages like Red Bull, Monster, Rockstar and other energy drinks. They’re hard to miss – in their brightly colored, hip’n happening cans – usually sold close to the check out lanes or prominantly displayed at gas stations and convenience stores. They promise to keep you awake, alert and energized so you can live a high energy life and feel like a rock star or an athlete. So what makes them so popular? Probably great marketing to be honest, but they’re really not any better than a cup or two of coffee…maybe even worse?
Energy drinks are usually heavily caffeinated, just as much or more than coffee. They often contain herbs such as ginseng or guarana, and sometimes a combination of B vitamins and amino acids such as taurine. And sugar, usually lots of sugar or artificial sweeteners. The caffeine is a strong stimulant and is the main reason energy drinks will perk you up. The vitamins aren’t any different than what you’ll get from your foods and the dosage of herbs may not be strong enough to do anything. The reason for using taurine in Red Bull escapes me completely – it’s actually more of a depressant than a stimulant in larger doses – so it probably doesn’t do anything at all. Read more
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What Does a Sports Drink Do?
by Shereen Jegtvig
When I was a kid (way back in the 1970s), my friends and I drank Gatorade. It was supposed to be good for hydrating the body, which sounded like it must be very important after a long bike ride. And, it tasted kind of good. As I recall, Gatorade was really the only sports drink available back then (and in only one flavor). It was a simpler time, I guess.
Today, there’s a few more sports drinks available (and lots of energy drinks – I’ll save that discussion for my next post). You can still buy Gatorade (in several flavors), but you’re probably going to see Powerade displayed quite prominently in the cooler section of grocery and convenience stores. So what’s so special about sports drinks? For most of us, most of the time, nothing. Read more
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Soda Tax Set To Fizz Or Fizzle?
Would an extra tax influence your decision to avoid sodas and other sweetened beverages?
A new federal excise tax on most sugared beverages is currently being considered by the Senate Finance Committee. Taxed beverages would include most non-diet sodas, sports and energy drinks, with a three cent increase on each beverage tipped to generate around $24 billion in the next four years (Political Hotsheet, 2009). While some states already have small taxes on sugared beverages, the proposed taxes would be larger and more widespread.
Proponents for the new tax, such as Dr. Kelly Brownell and Thomas Frieden (the City health commissioner) argue that the introduction of a “soda tax” would be beneficial in a number of different ways (Brownell,Frieden, 2009). Firstly, by discouraging consumption of sodas, Brownell and Frieden suggest the tax alleviate some strain on the health care system by reducing risk of dental problems, obesity and obesity-related chronic diseases, such as diabetes and heart disease. Secondly, any revenue earned from the tax would contribute to the administration’s proposed $trillion-plus universal health care scheme. Read more
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