I guess we all know some of the disturbing facts on fizzy drinks, known also as soda, soft drinks or carbonated beverages, but there are times when you just need a cool drink that contains that fizz or pizzazz isn’t there? Somehow, on those occasions, “flat” just won’t cut it!
So what to do?
If you are like me, you spend most of the day sipping on cool water. My stainless steel water bottle contains a built-in filter that can be used with almost any water, anywhere, except for salt. I love my water bottle and won’t go anywhere without it. If I drink it dry I can simply fill up again at any tap, stream or reasonable body of water. I can’t taste any taste whatsoever… it’s just wet the way I like it. Wonderful.
But, sometimes you long for something with that fizz
Most drinks available in the stores contain additives in the form of colour, flavour and preservatives. Almost doesn’t matter what you buy, they will be there.
I never buy drinks in aluminum cans and will do anything to avoid them, owing to the link of aluminum to Alzheimer’s disease. My mum had dementia and it’s not nice I can tell you. My drinks must come in glass. I don’t like the way chemicals leach into drinks that come in plastic bottles. I have to be really thirsty, with no other means of a drink, to ever drink out of a plastic drink bottle.
But what about all those who consume fizzy or soda drinks regularly? What harm are they doing to themselves?
How’s this for some disturbing facts on fizzy drinks?
I took this from Dr Mercola’s site “What Happens to your Body within an Hour of Drinking a Coke” as it tells a real story, doesn’t it. Quite scary.
Did you know that for 20 years or more they have known that carbonated drinks are a major cause of cancer? Really?
They contain:
- High-Fructose Corn Syrup (HFCS)
- Artificial Dyes
- Chemicals for flavour and preservatives
These drinks provide no nutritional value whatsoever, and as you are drinking it instead of a healthy drink, you are robbing yourself of the nutrients you could be receiving.
You may say… “I’m concerned with my weight so I only drink diet drinks!”
Oh really? That’s nice! Not!
Instead of the bad High-Fructose Corn Syrup, now you’re consuming Aspartame! Whoopee! Did you know that Aspartame is no better than a dose of rat poison?
Don’t be fooled by the “diet” label… it means absolutely nothing. They do not look after you at all.
Disturbing Facts on Fizzy Drinks – 10 Reasons to Avoid them
- Obesity
- Cavities in teeth and gum disease
- Diabetes – 1 can = 10 teaspoons of sugar
- Phosphoric acid – Osteoporosis & Softening of Bones. Blocks absorption of nutrients
- High caffeine
- Dehydration – dehydrates rather than hydrates
- Nutrient deficient
- Fructose – mostly from genetically modified corn
- Aspartame – in diet drinks – brain tumours, diabetes, MS, and countless more conditions
- Tap Water – dangers of heavy metals, chlorine, and fluoride
Are Carbonated Beverages Good or Bad for You?
Well, I’m sure we all know that the fizz is created by the addition of Carbon Di-oxide to water, so here are a few of my questions:
“What water are they using?”
- Are they using tap water which contains among other things chlorine and very often, fluoride?
- Is the water filtered or purified water?
- Does it come from a safe source?
- Many times the picture on the bottle suggests the water comes from a high snowy mountain… haha, but is this the truth?
“What sweetener have they used?”
- White Cane Sugar
- HFCS? (Cheap and nasty)
- Aspartame? (Diet and deadly)
“How have they coloured and flavoured the drink?”
- Artificially, using a combo of chemicals?
- Natural fruits?
“Does this beverage build my health or help to bring sickness and disease?”
- If we asked this question each time we consumed a drink, it would help us to make wise choices.
- Does this drink have a nutritional value or just empty calories?
- Consuming empty calories does damage in that we are missing out on the vitamins and minerals we should be receiving.
If you could find the answers to all the above, it still leaves you with:
- Does carbonating the water cause me any harm?
- Does carbonating the water build my health?
That’s a lot of questions. A quick read of the label tells me most of what I need to know (and it’s all bad), and still I have no idea of the quality of the water used. For me it’s easy to make a wise choice as I know instantly that the drink will not build my health, therefore I’m better off without it.
What about Home Made Carbonated Water?
My son recently gave me a Soda Fountain he was no longer using. I wasn’t sure whether to accept it or not and thought some research was in order.
As usual, I found the “for” and the “against”, but I’m used to that on the Internet. Some said it was harmful and others refuted it and claimed carbonating the water caused no harm.
Researching is required
I believe we need to research… read them all and then make up your own mind. Our decision needs to be based on quality research though, and we need to be ready to change if further research brings out findings that maybe not available today.
Three websites I found, among others, convinced me that it was ok in moderation:
Is Carbonated Water Bad for You?
I believe almost anything, over consumed, is detrimental to your health. I think everything should be either taken in moderation or removed from your diet. Drink too much water and it will kill you… really! It doesn’t matter how “good” it is for you, too much of it brings harm. There are many, many “foods” on the supermarket shelves that should be left right where they are, as they contain just about everything you could imagine to wreck your health.
I decided to accept the Soda Fountain from my son because I knew I would only use it a little, usually for my iced tea. I enjoy iced tea and like to add about 1/3rd soda water which I was buying from the shop. As I couldn’t answer the water quality questions I had concerning it, I thought it would be nice to be able to make my own, so then at least I’d know what was going into my drink.
Play around…
Furthermore, I’ve decided I’m going to play around with the carbonated water I make, to see if I can’t make great tasting healthy drinks, using a little natural fruit for flavour (and colour) – it could be sweetened with Stevia if necessary. I’d so much prefer to have a drink like that on hand, in my cool box in the car, rather than buy one of those other fizzy concoctions.
Are there other natural alternatives to store-bought drinks?
Thankfully there is! One of my all time favourite drinks to consume is made from Water Kefir Grains. Have you heard of them? It’s quite fascinating really. Usually when people have never heard of Kefir they say “Er… whata?”
Yes, I understand because I was just the same. A little read in Wikipedia gives you a quick understanding of their origins.
The most wonderful thing about Water Kefir is that it’s full of probiotics. What a great way to add about 10-15 strains of good bacteria to your daily diet by consuming a drink that tastes so good.
(I’d like to add quickly that there are two other drinks which provide even more probiotics than Water Kefir… Milk Kefir and Kombucha. More on them another time.)
Buy the grains from the Health Food Store or obtain from a friend
I received my “grains” from a friend and since then they’ve been gradually multiplying with each batch I make.
Every second day I make a batch, then allow it to “second ferment” for two more days. It’s the second ferment that gives it the wonderful flavour. I’ve been making my own Kefir Ginger Beer; Lemonade; CoolMint; Cherry Cheer; Mango Tango; Blueberry Blush; Exotic Raspberry all come to mind.
After the second ferment it has those wonderful bubbles we all seem to enjoy. This is caused by the microbes feeding on the sugar which produces lactic acid, alcohol (usually less than 1%) and of-course… carbon dioxide. We look forward to a glass each evening to sip with dinner.
And what about Fruit Juices?
So it’s possible to drink the most wonderful beverages made from natural fruit. You use just enough to give it the divine flavour and gorgeous colour. As there are natural vitamins and minerals in the fruit, you are not consuming a useless drink made up of chemical “look-a-likes”.
Please be aware that drinking fruit juice on its own is not recommended. The sugar whack you receive in one sitting is far too much. The little amount of fruit I use in the Water Kefir is minimal, and I generally use the whole fruit rather than just the juice.
We have been designed to eat natural foods
We should aim to do this to the best of our ability. Even the sweeteners should be as natural as possible. Sweeteners such as:
- Raw honey, which is full of amazing benefits.
- High quality sugar such as Rapadura Sugar, raw from sugar cane – use in strict moderation.
- Coconut Sugar , from the Coconut Palm. These are high in vitamins and minerals – use in strict moderation.
- Stevia is not totally natural as it would be green if it came directly from the Stevia plant, but the powder they are able to create gives you a lot of sweet with no calories/kilojoules. When using the liquidised version of Stevia, one drop is all you need in a glass, so it’s very, very economical.
Healthy Alternatives to Refined Sugar
But it’s not very often you can buy a drink sweetened this way… sometimes with honey and added white sugar; and sometimes Stevia.
Although there are some drinks around that are relatively healthy, the greatest majority are absolutely not. If we are at all conscious of our health, we should leave all soft drinks right where they are.
Are you conscious of what you drink? Do you have any ideas on how to make truly healthy drinks that contain fizz? Would you share them with us? But mainly, what do you think about these disturbing facts on fizzy drinks?
Marilyn Williams
Certified Nutrition & Weight Management Consultant
Marilyn Williams
Hello, Wow great content and information! I am physically active and like to keep it that way. I buy the coco nut oil and use that on in my pan instead of using butter for my eggs in the morning. I been buying the natural peanut butter without the hydrogenated oils. So I was wondering about bottled water, I had always froze my bottles cause I want my water ice cold for when I work out and when its hot, I do reuse them and heard this is not a good thing to do? I had been doing this as long as I can remember. I also try to drink water more often and sometimes I will get a monster ultra zero but not everyday just once in a while. I will stop by and visit again, thank you for your great information and its these things that help me stay on track! Great work!
Best wishes,
Krissy
Hi Krissy, thanks for sharing. It’s great to hear you are on the right track. Like all of us, we are constantly improving what we do as we learn.
I have also heard that reusing the bottles from bottled water is not good. I believe the plastic begins to break down. I will research this particular item and see what I can find out. As you know, I don’t like using them at all. i will think about it and see if I can think of something more suitable than freezing those bottles.
I’m sorry, but I don’t know what a “monster ultra zero” is, but I’m guessing it’s a large bottle of something that contains aspartame! If that is the case, may I suggest that you find something else that will look after your system more than aspartame will. Be very wary of it.
But as I said, it’s just making the little changes along the way… swapping this for that. Each day, just try to make better decisions than you did the day before. 🙂
I have been drinking stuff with natural honey for sweetness in my smoothies, I try to be as healthy as possible and my grandma had dementia too, its so sad. I mostly drink my well water throughout the day. I do not really like carbonated drinks for some reason. This is a very informative article so thanks!
Hi Tammy, thanks for commenting. 🙂
It seems to me that you are definitely on the right track… it’s so good to hear. I want to encourage you to keep making better choices each day which will continue to improve your lifestyle. It’s so easy to be waylaid along the way. Good onya!
Marilyn
This is such an eye opener of a post. I was aware of the negatives that can come from drinking fizzy drinks but this has truly put a light on the topic. Knowing now that just 1 can equals 10 teaspoons of sugar is very alarming. I think from now on I’m going to swapping the fizzy drinks out for something healthier.
Good on you Ben! That’s the way! It’s just a matter to choosing better… little, by little and gradually you’ll look back and realise all the changes that have been made in your lifestyle. Swapping fizz generally for healthier is a great way to go.
Hi Marilyn,
Really informative article. I have my glass water bottle that I take with me everywhere, as well. If I get bored with water I like to make decaffeinated ice-T.
I quit caffeine about 10 years ago and my body thanked me. I had no idea how badly it was effecting me until I quit it. Soda was part of my daily diet before I quit caffeine and my body thank me for removing that as well. There are days that I really miss soda though, I really like your Kefir idea. That sounds really good. I am definitely going to try it.
Thanks for the information.
Gina
Hi Gina! Isn’t it wonderful the way our body talks to us that way? If you have been in the habit of making an unwise choice and then change it for a wise choice, your body will soon let you know it’s smiling! 🙂
Let me know how you go with the Water Kefir… I’d love to hear.
Marilyn
Hi Marilyn,
My friend drinks at least one diet soda a day and has been addicted to that drink for years. She recently went to a massage therapist who demonstrated to her what the diet soda has been doing to her body. It was rather shocking – something to do with “sludgy feet” and it was enough to make me find something else for my 3pm daily slump at the office. The older I get the more I want that is “clean” e.g. water vs. soda, whole foods vs. processed, organic/natural cleaners vs. chemicals etc.
Thanks for the informative article!
Alyssa
Hi Alyssa! Wow, that was indeed shocking to hear! The problem with all these things is that it’s a gradual process. Normally you never experience anything immediately and so people believe they are getting away with what they do.
I’m so glad you are gradually making much wiser choices… little by little. Your body would certainly be telling you “thank you!”
Thank you so much for sharing that with me and everyone else who takes the time to read.
Marilyn
Hi,
After reading some of the scientific facts I was really surprised. Thank god, I stopped drinking carbonated drinks few years back. I used to drink soda every single day, along with junk food. I was addicted to the satisfaction it gave me until I felt the side effects. Thinking back, I used to subject my body daily to these reactions. Thanks for such an informative article, this will be a reminder for me.
Keep up the good work,
Cheers,
Abdul.
Thank you Abdul for the encouragement! You have certainly done the right thing giving up some of your old habits.
The lovely thing is that when we give up things that’s potentially causing harm to our body, our body is able to gradually renew itself again and build back health.
I wonder how much we would really give up if we could actually see/feel the immediate results of the things we do?
Thank you so much for sharing that with me.
Marilyn
you are absolutely right, there are so many things we consume today that we have no idea what would be the long term affects. at least we know about these drinks.
Thanks for the info
Take care
cheers 🙂
You’re welcome Abdul! If we’re looking for energy, best we consume those drinks that are building our health at the same time… then we sill have true sustained energy all the time. Appreciate your comments. Marilyn
I like your website, it’s cheerful, so it relates well to your niche on healthy lifestyle.
I find it is easy to read your blogs. The paragraphs are short n to the point
Though most of your blogs are lengthy, it’s interesting to read on. The headings or bold text give a flow to your content. Personally I prefer paragraphs with subheadings to chunks and chunks of writing.
On the whole, I sense the writer is an unassuming, generous and ready to share your knowledge. Cheers to that.
Thank you Cheng! You have offered me solid advice on the writing of my blog. I’m happy to know you found it an easy read. I agree, chunks and chunks of writing is very hard to concentrate on. I’ve seen pages in books where every line has been taken up in one solid paragraph! It just about crosses my eyes! So hard.
Thanks again,
Marilyn
Wow, that’s a lot of information that you have provided us with there. I had heard that drinking fizzy cans of drink was pretty bad but I didn’t know just how bad. I never really drink anything like that anyway but I was amazed to hear that there are 10 spoons of sugar in a can of coke! Surely its time that something was done about the amount of sugar that goes into everything?
I agree with you that it’s way past time for something to be done. Unfortunately I can’t see anything happening in the near future. People are too much in love with the taste, and are completely unaware of what they are consuming. Many wouldn’t care anyway. But we who are aware can stop consuming it… that we can do… thankfully! Nobody makes us drink coke or any other beverage.
Thanks for commenting Andrew!
Thank you for this great article.
I stopped drinking fizzy drinks 10 years ago when I learned how damaging they are to the nervous system and bone tissue. Also, drinking anything cold can have an adverse effect on your digestion, so I almost always drink room temp water or hot water. The exception is when it gets very hot in southern California. I’m looking forward to more on Kombucha. Hopefully, you’ll share your recipes? 🙂
Hi Jackie, thanks for the comment. It’s so good that you stopped drinking those drinks that are so potentially harmful. Good onya! I believe as we become more discerning with what goes in through our mouth, the better off we will be in the long run. Sometimes it’s so easy to think of the “now”, but if we learn to think more long term we’ll have better health.
Yes, I rarely drink a very cold drink… as you say, a very hot day can be the exception. OK… I’ll see what I can do re the Kombucha as it’s a great drink.
Marilyn
Hi there Marilyn, this is a very interesting post on the dangers of fizzy drinks.
You are correct of course in that if only people knew how to enjoy things in moderation, we wouldn’t have half the health problems so prevalent in society today.
I really like the sound of the Kefir.
Where can I find some beans for myself?
Thanks for the info,
Kris
Yes Kris, Kefir is pretty special. There are two types… milk kefir and water kefir. The milk kefir contains more health benefits but the water kefir is just so yummy! The grains are different for both types and I’m not sure where to direct you except you could ask at a local health store… or I guess, you could buy them online. I think they are usually dehydrated when sold online… but once you start with them you’ll soon have enough to give to a friend… and so it goes on.
Thanks for commenting and I’m happy you are interested in Kefir as it’s a great addition to the diet.
Please let me know how you get on as I’d love to hear.
Warm regards
Marilyn
Hi Marilyn,
I really have to say that you’ve done the amazing job with this article! Fortunately for me, I hate all those drinks, and I have never drunk them in my life. Of course, I tasted them but never actually liked any. I just can’t stand that unnatural flavour. And I’m also controlling my carbohydrate intake, so these are unacceptable anyway… I also like your ideas of making natural drinks, but I don’t think that I’m going to make them. I’m perfectly fine with water 🙂
Thank you for your effort!
Thanks Julius for leaving such a good positive comment. Much appreciated. It’s amazing that you’ve never bothered with fizz, even as a kid, but how wonderful for you… I bet your body is saying “thank you!”
Yes, water is really cool but I do find for myself that sometimes I need something different, but if that’s all you want I think that’s fantastic too.
Looking after your carbohydrate intake is also very smart as long as you get plenty of the good carbs your body needs. It seems to me though you would be right on top of that.
Thanks again.
Warm regards, Marilyn
I never drink fizzy drinks, I am a water drinker or tea drinker almost exclusively. Herbal teas that is, no caffeine natural tea healthy for you.
I had a very bad experience with fizzy drinks, they bother my tummy very much. My digestive system was all messed up from them when I was young, now I have not had any in years my digestive system is finally starting to feel better again.
All those preservatives, artificial colors and flavors are not good for your system.
Yes you are quite right, it can do awful things. I know a young man who simply doesn’t like it because it gives what he describes as a slimy feel in his mouth. Ugh! I remember thinking to myself that he was lucky really as at least he’ll stay away from it.
I try to stay away from anything with preservatives, artificial colours and flavours – at least as much as possible.
I really do appreciate your comment and I’m so glad you are doing better now that things have settled down for you.
Hey there, what an eye opening article, I have always known that carbonated drinks are bad for you.
With that said, the tremendous list of downers these things provide, it’s like drinking poison and expecting to live.
I only drink water now, distilled albeit from a plastic bottle. There simply is no glass bottle variants at work excluding perrier which I hate.
Gonna have to find a way to acquire a glass filtered bottle like you have done and go from there.
Thanks for this article!
You are a wise man Patrick! Of-course it’s not the actual bubbles that are the problem but what they do to make it happen… and all the “stuff” they add into them.
Water is good (as long as it’s not filled with chlorine and fluoride and, and, and…) but yes, a good system you can refill with ordinary tap water is a great way to go. My water always tastes good. I hate drinking water that tastes like it came out of a swimming pool!
Thanks for those remarks. I’m sure if you look around you’ll find just the right kind of container to keep your water pure.
Marilyn
I stopped drinking soda over 25 years ago, but I still miss carbonation from time to time too. I remember reading that carbonation also leaches calcium from the bones, but later found out that it isn’t the carbonation that leaches calcium. Sodas use phosphates to make the fizz. Phosphorus then binds with calcium. If there’s no calcium in the drink, then phosphorus will leach calcium from the bones. Either way, no bueno. Thanks for the post. It was a great read!
Hello again Jackie! The carbonation you receive from Water Kefir really hits the spot! I make enough of this to give us a really nice drink each evening with our meal. One of our favourites is the addition of fresh ginger juice… the results… just the same as a true ginger beer. Yum!
Thanks for sharing that information as I’m sure it will help my readers to understand how it works a lot better.
Marilyn
Thank you for your informative post, I have never heard of the Kefir water thingy before and after I write here i am off to check it out. I was always a lover of my grandfathers home made ginger beer as a child and your article has prompted me to investigate making my own. I know I am a big drinker of coke zero at 3am at work, it is at this time nothing else will quench my thirst for some reason. I might have to try a sparkling water or something see if this works. I did not realise it had aspartame in it. YUK! Thanks again for the info, I really enjoyed reading.
Hi Jodes, if you enjoyed home-made ginger beer, you will also enjoy the Water Kefir just the same… especially if you juice some fresh ginger and add it to the second fement. But that is only one flavour… there are myriads of other flavours that will make you go “Yum!”.
Yes, Coke Zero is one that catches out a lot of people, I’m sorry to say. Yes, please do find something else to drink that will build your health in a positive way.
Thanks for sharing and please let me know how you go with the Kefir. If you have any questions concerning it don’t hesitate to ask.
Marilyn
I gave up drinking fizzy drinks about a month ago and definitely feel quite a difference from drinking more water. I really love this site!
How interesting that is Patrick! Thanks for sharing.
Hello. I have checked your mouthfulmatters.com and see lots of valuable information. I’ve just bookmarked your website and will be spending some time in it. thanks for taking the time to share this information.
Thank you Katrina!