What would you do without your large Sodas in the USA?

Hi to all,

I would sincerely like to thank you all for your extremely pertinent comments, for which i am happy to see is now turning into a very polite debate... i am jumping literally up on down on my chair waiting to see each persons next post... This is very educational for myself and i am sure it is also very educational for NON USA citizens...

Please keep up this discussion and it would be extremely kind of you all if you could at least flag for the people that will wake up in about 6 or 7 hours so that we can share each and everyones opinions.

Kindest respects

Rodinus

reply to post by tadaman


Hump and Taderman,

I'm just going to grab both of your heads and knock them together like we used to do in the good old days...

I appreciate comments from both of you, but come on, stop slapping each other about...

I ASKED A SIMPLE QUESTION... NO BULLYING TACTICS HERE!

Kindest respects

Rodinus

Originally posted by Rodinus
Hi to all,

I would sincerely like to thank you all for your extremely pertinent comments, for which i am happy to see is now turning into a very polite debate... i am jumping literally up on down on my chair waiting to see each persons next post... This is very educational for myself and i am sure it is also very educational for NON USA citizens...

Please keep up this discussion and it would be extremely kind of you all if you could at least flag for the people that will wake up in about 6 or 7 hours so that we can share each and everyones opinions.

Kindest respects

Rodinus

-We have an Ice Cream place in my city which is "Nationally renown"... They have HUGE Portions and even have these Sundaes which (if you can finish on your own-) you get the sundae FREE and they place your name on the wall.

-As a Child it was such fun to try to eat one of these at the end of summer.. I never was able to and most was "wasted" but it was a tradition in our family. My Family have all been genetically "blessed" to be small people and not eat a ton- Laws like this would eventually outlaw this Parlor and hurt the economy since people come from all around to attempt this feat.

-On the flip side, my best friend is a Large man. He has dieted, avoided sweets- You name it- But genetically he comes from a "big" family.

What is happening here is that we are all being forced to live our lives as the "lowest common denominator" for any and everything. This all goes back to prohibition and the War on Drugs which we silently sat by for... Some people cannot handle Booze, others can- So everyone was denied.

We are at a point in our nation where we either stand up or allow every single thing we do to be regulated because SOMEONE, SOMEWHERE has a problem with it... I have seen people addicted to MMORPG's (there have even been deaths) and I have seen people addicted to adrenalin (likle Skydivers and Mountain climbers) and I have seen people addicted to sugar and I have seen people addicted to Booze... I am addicted to none of the above but I happen to enjoy each thing in moderation which I decide upon (not the Government)

If someone wants to eat themselves to death at Mcdonalds and are happy with that choice- What is it to me? It is NOT my buisness (or anyone else's)

The worse addiction which causes the worst harm is the addiction to money and greed... I think if anything we need to help liberate the greedy ruich from their addiction...For the Children.

Ok, here i go again with some more facts :

The Coca-Cola Company has been around since the 19th century, and the company's signature drink is Coca-Cola Classic, or simply Coke. This sugar-sweetened drink is offered in several different sizes, including a 12-oz. can, 20-oz. bottle and 2 liter bottle. Coke, like many soft drinks, contains a high concentration of sugar when compared to diet sodas and other low-calorie drinks. Sugar contains little nutritional value, which is why the Dietary Guidelines for Americans report recommends limiting the amount of sugar you consume each day to maintain a healthy body weight.

The Facts

A 12-oz. can of Coca-Cola Classic contains 41 g of sugars, according to the Harvard School of Public Health, or HSPH. A teaspoon is equivalent to 4.2 g of sugar, according to the HSPH. This means that a can of coke contains about 10 tsp. of sugar per can. The HSPH labels Coke as a drink that you should only consume sparingly and infrequently because of the relatively high sugar content.

History

Coca-Cola was invented in Atlanta, Georgia, in 1886 by Dr. John Stith Pemberton and soon after was acquired by Asa G. Candler, who transformed the new drink into a business, according to the Coca-Cola Company website. The recipe for Coke was left virtually unchanged for nearly 100 years until 1985 when the company released what is commonly called "new Coke." A short time later, the company re-released the original recipe under the name Coca-Cola Classic.

Significance

Consuming too much sugar can have a significant impact on your health. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, sugar-sweetened drinks, such as Coke, are a contributing factor to obesity in adolescents. Being overweight opens a whole new bag of potential health risks, such as increased risk of heart disease, stroke, Type 2 diabetes and high blood pressure.
Size

Size definitely matters when it comes to the consumption of sugar-sweetened soft drinks, such as Coke. A 12-oz. can of Coke contains 146 calories from sugar, according to HSPH, and these calories can really add up when you consume multiple cans per day. Twenty-oz. bottles of Coke contain even more sugar, so you're actually drinking close to 250 calories from sugar alone. These empty calories contain little or no nutritional value, so they often get stored as fat in your body.

Misconceptions

People may not realize that the sugar content of a nutritional label can sometimes be misleading. The reason is because sugar can go by several different names on a nutritional label, so sometimes when you think that you're not drinking a sugar-sweetened drink, you actually are. The CDC points out that the following ingredients make a drink sugar-sweetened: high fructose corn syrup, fructose, syrup, corn syrup, sucrose and dextrose, among others.

References

Harvard School of Public Health: How Sweet Is It?
The Coca-Cola Company: Heritage Timeline
CDC: Overweight and Obesity
CDC: Rethink Your Drink


Read more: www.livestrong.com...

Kindest respects

Rodinus

Originally posted by Rodinus
Ok, here i go again with some more facts :

The Coca-Cola Company has been around since the 19th century, and the company's signature drink is Coca-Cola Classic, or simply Coke. This sugar-sweetened drink is offered in several different sizes, including a 12-oz. can, 20-oz. bottle and 2 liter bottle. Coke, like many soft drinks, contains a high concentration of sugar when compared to diet sodas and other low-calorie drinks. Sugar contains little nutritional value, which is why the Dietary Guidelines for Americans report recommends limiting the amount of sugar you consume each day to maintain a healthy body weight.

The Facts

A 12-oz. can of Coca-Cola Classic contains 41 g of sugars, according to the Harvard School of Public Health, or HSPH. A teaspoon is equivalent to 4.2 g of sugar, according to the HSPH. This means that a can of coke contains about 10 tsp. of sugar per can. The HSPH labels Coke as a drink that you should only consume sparingly and infrequently because of the relatively high sugar content.

History

Coca-Cola was invented in Atlanta, Georgia, in 1886 by Dr. John Stith Pemberton and soon after was acquired by Asa G. Candler, who transformed the new drink into a business, according to the Coca-Cola Company website. The recipe for Coke was left virtually unchanged for nearly 100 years until 1985 when the company released what is commonly called "new Coke." A short time later, the company re-released the original recipe under the name Coca-Cola Classic.

Significance

Consuming too much sugar can have a significant impact on your health. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, sugar-sweetened drinks, such as Coke, are a contributing factor to obesity in adolescents. Being overweight opens a whole new bag of potential health risks, such as increased risk of heart disease, stroke, Type 2 diabetes and high blood pressure.
Size

Size definitely matters when it comes to the consumption of sugar-sweetened soft drinks, such as Coke. A 12-oz. can of Coke contains 146 calories from sugar, according to HSPH, and these calories can really add up when you consume multiple cans per day. Twenty-oz. bottles of Coke contain even more sugar, so you're actually drinking close to 250 calories from sugar alone. These empty calories contain little or no nutritional value, so they often get stored as fat in your body.

Misconceptions

People may not realize that the sugar content of a nutritional label can sometimes be misleading. The reason is because sugar can go by several different names on a nutritional label, so sometimes when you think that you're not drinking a sugar-sweetened drink, you actually are. The CDC points out that the following ingredients make a drink sugar-sweetened: high fructose corn syrup, fructose, syrup, corn syrup, sucrose and dextrose, among others.

References

Harvard School of Public Health: How Sweet Is It?
The Coca-Cola Company: Heritage Timeline
CDC: Overweight and Obesity
CDC: Rethink Your Drink


Read more: www.livestrong.com...

Kindest respects

Rodinus

Coca Cola used to also use Cocaine as its "secret ingredient"- Hence the name (really) and surprisingly we had less a problem with "drug addicts" than we do today.

-But again, it matters not whether it is healthy or not and obviously Soda is not healthy...But neither are most things which are good. =P

-I will use "smoking" as an example here... I lived at one time near Zug Island which was the most polluted sq, mile on the Planet... Great Lakes Steel Plant was right there with 1000 Smokestacks spewing smoke everywhere, along with "red dust" and fly ash... All surrounded by neighborhoods in a place called River Rouge and Del Ray.

I recentrly visited some friends and we hit a bar there... And had to smoke outside... I LOL'd so hard because the smog was so thick from the steel plant that a cigarette wasnt jepordizing ANYONE'S health who chose to have a Beer in that bar.

-Here are pictures from the canadian side of Zug Island www.google.com...=tMih qmOk8FCHlM%3A%3BrZP_7IwG08cMvM%3Bhttp%253A%252F%252Fweinterrupt.com%252Fwp-content%252Fuploads%252Fzugisland.jpg%3Bhttp%253A%252F%252Fweinterrupt.com% 252F2012%252F04%252Fmysterious-hum-in-windsor-on-traced-back-to-zug-island-michigan%252F%3B1600%3B1482
EDIT: My Father has worked there his entire life and made a fantastic living- He is also nearing 70 and is healthy... He smoked (quit about 10 years ago) and drank soda as well- AND even played with GI Joes and Plastic Army men. =D

-And yet...My Cigarette is a problem?
And Soda? LOL-

Originally posted by txinfidel
reply to post by Rodinus

 

By the way this:

12-ounce cup (child size): 23 grams sugar and 95 calories
16-ounce cup (small): 31 grams sugar and 128 calories
21-ounce cup (medium): 44 grams sugar and 180 calories
32-ounce cup (large): 65 grams sugar and 267 calories

is wrong.

We Americans take pride in our overindulgence. A Large Soda is 64 ounces, Thats a big gulp. and it goes down great with a bucket of popcorn and some sugary snacks.

edit on 12-3-2013 by txinfidel because: (no reason given)

I keep seeing the word "sugar" being bandied about but I got news for you.Ain't no sugar in that big gulp. Its HIGH FRUCTOSE CORN SYRUP. People from other countries, wanna know why Americans are so fat? Its all the chemicals the government lets the companies put in our food! Americans don't eat real food its a chemical cocktail we eat. Oh yeah and we also don't want the government deciding what we eat and drink. Yea I know that last statement is irony.

Originally posted by ohioriver

Originally posted by txinfidel
reply to post by Rodinus

 

By the way this:

12-ounce cup (child size): 23 grams sugar and 95 calories
16-ounce cup (small): 31 grams sugar and 128 calories
21-ounce cup (medium): 44 grams sugar and 180 calories
32-ounce cup (large): 65 grams sugar and 267 calories

is wrong.

We Americans take pride in our overindulgence. A Large Soda is 64 ounces, Thats a big gulp. and it goes down great with a bucket of popcorn and some sugary snacks.

edit on 12-3-2013 by txinfidel because: (no reason given)

I keep seeing the word "sugar" being bandied about but I got news for you.Ain't no sugar in that big gulp. Its HIGH FRUCTOSE CORN SYRUP. People from other countries, wanna know why Americans are so fat? Its all the chemicals the government lets the companies put in our food! Americans don't eat real food its a chemical cocktail we eat. Oh yeah and we also don't want the government deciding what we eat and drink. Yea I know that last statement is irony.

edit on 12-3-2013 by ohioriver because: content

YOU are correct.
It USED to be Sugar.

Anyone try Pepsi Throwback? Made with real Sugar and hard to find and its goooooooooood. Very good.
Mexico still uses real sugar and (i think) most nations other than the USA as well.

en.wikipedia.org...(drink)
This stuff is the bomb...Whenever I see it (wjhich is extremely rare) I buy every case at the store- it lasts me a long time since I am not a huge Soda drinker- But man...Good stuff.

reply to post by Rodinus


that was a great post. Very eye opening.

In the end I see nothing wrong with informing people so they can better decide. If at the end of the day and after having all the information at their disposal they still choose to do bad things, it is their choice. That should be respected.

reply to post by DarKPenguiN


Thanks for your reply Dark...

For info, a 2 Litre bottle of (snip) Cola in France has the follow

I think the answer to all food and drink intake is moderation. All the health gurus tell you to eat a balanced diet but what's right for one person is completely wrong for someone else. I have a Mate who could eat Mcdonalds, KFC
all day every day and never put on an ounce of weight. Yet other people look at a Big Mac and gain 3 pounds thats
probably due to their metabolism or some other unknown illness such as celiac disease.
I know as I am a celiac, and since I stopped eating gluten and my body has got healthy I've put on about 10kg's.
As far as the Soda drinks go, everywhere you go they advertise it.
If I go in to a 7/11 to get a drink I have to
physically drag myself away from the Coke cans. What do they put in that stuff to make it so addictive?
And i agree about the Nanny State situation, here in Australia we aren't allowed to think for ourselves.
New Laws are brought in everyday to control every facet of our lives, even at work we have adopted the 5S system
a more controlling system in the workplace you will never see.

reply to post by kudegras


Much aprreciated post :

Remember this film about living on a certain brand of Fast food for a month? :



That was the trailer... for those who have not seen, here is the film :



Chills down the spine for those who eat and drink regularly there!

With my wife and children we go once a month to the cinema and also to the same fast food place to keep the kids happy... (THE STAFF ALWAYS ASK IF WE WANT THE EXTRA LARGE MENU FOR 50 Centimes MORE!)... 15 minutes into each cinema sequence i am already asleep and 30 minutes later still feeling hungry!... Luckily we always take along a couple on bananas or pears or a packet of sweets... AND water as we are always thirsty after eating in that particular McD... erm Fast food outlet... Too much salt methinks in order to slush more soda down our throats!

I have American and French friends who work from home and constantly have a massive bottle of soda next to them... some drinking from 2 to 6 litres per day... the majority of these friends are all overweight! (apart from the odd one or two who have the courage to do a little sport)

Brainwashed... people are methinks!

Kindest respects

Rodinus

Preventable death ... Now there is an oxymoron for ya.

You're going to die, I'm going to die, everybody in this thread is going to die.

So, you eat healthy, drink water, jog and stay fit. You get into your car to drive to work, Some guy named Bob makes a mistake, runs a red light and smashes into the drivers side of your car ... It didn't matter how many Polar Pops you didn't drink. You are dead.

Death is not preventable, it is inevitable. It does not matter what you do, what you drink or what you eat ... You are going to die.

Banning sodas is ridiculous, may as well ban vehicles and swimming pools, one could debate they injure and kill more people then sodas. Can even take it a step further, how can we ban sodas and not cigarette's or alcohol? When does that even begin to make sense?

Besides, who are we to tell someone else how to live their life, if they want to drink sodas, eat Twinkies all day and blow money on health care that is their choice ... who are we to judge them? How does someone sitting at a computer all day drinking a liter of Mountain Dew effect your life?

obvs i'm not from the states.... but really - why bother to ban something when someone can just buy a bottle of pop (soda to you merkins), a bucket and a straw, thereby making the ban seem like an ass?

it's a great point too that aspartame and acesulphame (sp?) are far far far (repeat) worse for you than sugar.

however, on the few occaissions that i go to the movies and have a bucket of (non-diet/full-fat) fanta and barrel of pop corn, i do get the shakes and need help crapping for the next couple of days.

not good

reply to post by Tazkven


Thats true, I knew a champion water skier years ago. Absolute fitness fanatic, didn't drink or smoke only ate healthy foods. While skiing on the Murray River in Victoria OZ he hit a partly submerged tree and was in a coma for six months.
They eventually turned off his machine. We could get hit by a truck tomorrow and it wouldn't matter how much junk you did or didn't consume.
I think whatever floats your boat, if you want to eat and drink junk it is your life, if you want to eat healthy so be it.
The problem is obesity is killing people or at least hospitalising people which puts a strain on the health care system which is why they are pushing so hard for health reform.
By the way here in Oz, a packet of smokes sets you back about $20 and we have an alcopops tax on alcohol, basically put the government is taxing these products to try and put them out of reach of people.
As I said earlier, we have a Nanny state as we are too dumb to make our own decisions.

To be honest, as a non-American individual it is always interesting and a bit funny (no offense) to see the opinions of Americans.

One thing I personally like in EU, compared to USA is the fact that most substances that are really unhealthy or may cause cancer are banned even before they are actually proved to be bad for health, just in case. In USA there is always such a debate for it and before the final decision is made, many people may already have cancer or suffer consequences from it.


I personally support such laws. Even when I personally would suffer sometimes from some law, I would understand that overally it would be better for the society.


Let us be honest, average person has not much self-control and they tend to do anything that is legal, even when it is unhealthy. Overall societal attitude towards health influences a lot of people, including our children. I would not like my child to be in a classroom full of overweight children. I know he/she would be influenced by their friends. It may be the fault of the other parents, who made such choice. Although their choice also affects my childs life. I would not like to live in a society, where being overweight or having some bad habits would be considered normal, average.

Some people are strong-willed, some people are weak-willed. I personally believe in having naturally strong skill at anything, comes with a responsiblity. Most people believe in individuality. They take it as being punished for being stronger. I believe that stronger ones should help weaker ones, instead of a situation where the weak ones are being used by the stronger ones in order for the gap between them to become even bigger. Even though my salary is much higher than the average, I would be happy if I would be taxed more than the person. It is not about me being punished. I was lucky to be born in a family who supported education, who put me in good schools. I was lucky to be born with higher IQ, better genetics than the average person. I may drink lots of alcohol sometimes, I can eat whatever I want. I do not get addicted fast, I do not get overweight. But the fact is many people where not so lucky and unfortunately many people with similar "luck" like me try to use them, profit from them and it is often not their fault. Most on a persons psychological profile comes from environment and genetics, so often the people do not have much control over there lives. That is why I believe that they should be controlled and such laws are necessary. I am personally happy to sacrifice some bad habit which I personally have under control in the benefit of many others, who were not given much willpower.

I am always happy when a bike road is built, even though I never drive a bike and my hard-worked taxes were used to build it.

I am always happy when a new public stadium is built, even though I would never use it and my hard-worked taxes were used to build it

I am always happy when some health law is taken or some unhealthy food I like is put under tax or banned.

Overally it always goes to individual freedom vs. benefits society and at least for me in such matters society should always win

I did not mean to judge or insult anyone with this post. Sorry, if any sentences can be taken so, no offense

PS. Somebody mentioned about Carribbeans using lots of sugar. As far as I know, they use more natural sugar, which is much better for health (sometimes even good for health) than the artificial ones used in sodas

Originally posted by skalla
obvs i'm not from the states.... but really - why bother to ban something when someone can just buy a bottle of pop (soda to you merkins), a bucket and a straw, thereby making the ban seem like an ass?

it's a great point too that aspartame and acesulphame (sp?) are far far far (repeat) worse for you than sugar.

however, on the few occaissions that i go to the movies and have a bucket of (non-diet/full-fat) fanta and barrel of pop corn, i do get the shakes and need help crapping for the next couple of days.

not good

Hmmm.. Sphincter problems?... Thats old age mate!!

They say a full thrown colostomy bag is good for that kind of ailment (even keeps you warm at night after a decent curry.. ahem ahem)

Must admit i miss Dandilion and Murdock pop back in the old days!

Anyway, on a more serious note :

I need to look up the last works on Aspartam, there was an article not long ago on sweetners and how they damage your health.

Kindest respects

Rodinus

I dont drink soda or coffee. But if I want one, I have one...but certainly never..EVER...a large anything. I wasnt always this way....but have been the last 10-15 years...longer without coffee....

And, no. I never drink energy drinks ever...

reply to post by Rodinus


i was going to post some info regarding my sphincter dilation but decided against it, i have reasonable instincts on the TnC's we can just leave it to "i'm vegetarian, like curries, and have an 'adventurous' outlook"

as for Dandelion and Burdock, i may never speak to you again now

and diet soda (yeah, i'm over the D&B thing already, i'm just fickle) - nasty, nasty and freaking bad for you.

gimme a ribena anyday

It should not matter whether you drink pop or not. I don't want to drive a ridiculous looking cube. However, I would never support the government banning your right to do so. I don't want to drink store bought milk. I prefer the raw natural kind I produce for myself. However, the government doesn't want me to drink that either. Hell, they don't want me to drink my own water either. They can suck it. I will drink raw milk, well water and all the Mountain Dew my system can hold. Frankly it is none of their business. It's not like I am going to anyone's home and forcing them to drink it. I'll drink antifreeze if I damn well feel like it for that matter. Again, no one's business but mine. I smoke too. Long as I'm not blowing it in your face what do you care? I have one word for the "ban happy" liberals...PROHIBITION. Look it up, it didn't work out so well.

Originally posted by Rodinus

Much agreed that you should be allowed to choose your own poison, BUT...

I can sum up the difference for you - in America there are is no "but" in the sentence. We do not want or need the government to make our health choices for us.

Originally posted by Rodinus
the figures according to the USA center for disease control and prevention states that over 37.5% of adults are either overweight or obese

First of all if one is a fat fatty and still pumping down full calorie soda the faster they exit the gene pool the better. Second - the weight tables for healthy weight are based on data from the 50s. According to that data my ideal weight is 160 pounds (est. 80kg for you); I have not weighed less than 160lbs since I was 16. Always been a rather athletic kid and rather muscular. It came from being raised on hard work in a rural setting I guess. The Army weight standards allow 185 for me based on an allowance for aging and weight gain.

Modern men - especially if one works out at all or has a large frame will never make those farcical weights. I do not want to look like Justin Bieber.

I do not put much stock in the figures they use to determine who is obese and who is not.

Anyway, I had my BMI done at my last physical. 31 - Obese. I laughed a little with the Doctor as did he... I am one of those measured 37.5% I would wager.

I am 5'9" and weigh about 205lbs. As a retired Army Officer I still take (self administered) Army Physical Fitness Test (APFT) 2 times a year for my personal assessment of health.

I am 46 (almost 47) and can do 80 push-ups in 2 minutes (which is the max score for a 21 year old), 84 Sit-ups and run two miles in just over 14 minutes. I also do an annual ruck march which was required for Special Forces Soldiers - I can make 6 miles with 55lb ruck in 65 minutes. Has age taken its toll sure - when I was in my 20s I could do the run in 12 minutes and the ruck in (best time ever) 46 minutes.

As the Doctor said - if you are obese I'll take it...I wish all my patients were as healthy as you.

No professional football player is going to ever make a BMI check under 30 I bet.

I drink Pepsi; it is my vice - I drink a 6 pack or more every single day. I would be their spokesman if they'd sponsor my habit...

I don't smoke, I chew tobacco every once in a while (when Mrs. Golf is not looking), I have a beer here and there and a shot of tequila every once in a while. I eat a crap ton of red meat and potatoes - I raise my own beef. I can't remember the time I last drank water by itself. Also being a dairyman I drink about 32oz of whole raw milk every day.

I feel fine.

Originally posted by Rodinus
leading to obesity-related conditions include heart disease, stroke, type 2 diabetes and certain types of cancer, some of the leading causes of preventable death (I have not yet found figures for children yet but will try my best)

I have high blood pressure - Doctors say it is the hereditary type rather than lifestyle so I take a medication for that.

As an American I don't want or need the government to decide what is best for me regarding food intake. I don't begrudge people their fat asses. Some have a genetic issue (thyroids, whatever) and others are just slovenly gluttons who can't stop eating. Who cares if they die. If parents can't stop their fat ass kids from eating too much who cares - not my problem. Those kids will be a statistic, they will make less, be less successful and die early.

Hell, I’d actually be for a parenting license before a soda ban. Some people should simply not procreate – period. Talk about saving tax money, how much to the kids of the stupid, lazy and the poor cost us every year? My guess is these kids are the fat ones anyway – we could kill two birds with one regulatory stone.

Do I wish I didn't have to underwrite these fat asses with my insurance premiums and tax money - sure I do. However, everyone has some kind of medical issue that is why we buy insurance. My issue is blood pressure. Someone else’s might be that they are mentally weak and unable to stop eating.

We all have our issues - we will all die from something.