Okay, no more pop for me...

[elfs]

First, there's a study that shows that the increase in processed carbohydrates, especially those from corn syrup, precisely parallels the growth of type-2 diabetese in this country.

Part of the problem is sheer obesity: between 1980 and 2000 the average American consumed an extra 500 calories per day and 428 of those calories came in the form of corn fructose from soft drinks. But there's also evidence that the insulin spikes caused by high sugar intake can lead to insulin resistance.

Then, this study comes out showing that discouranging kids from drinking carbonated beverages discourages obesity in elementary school children. A group of kids who swore off pop had a 0.2% decline in obesity; the control group had a 7.5% increase.

Omaha and I recently started making lemonade at home rather than buy and drink so much pop. We ran the numbers and discovered that a 12-oz glass of lemonade, if using the recipe recommended in our cookbooks, ran to 116 calories of refined sucrose. That's almost as much as a can of Coke, at 120 calories. In contrast, a cup of coffee (for me) has about 20-30 calories, since I take a heaping teaspoon of sugar in it.

Great Ceasar's ghost, a bottle of Sobe Green Tea has 225 calories of high-fructose corn syrup.

Comments

What do you give kids, though?

[dakiwiboid.livejournal.com]

I remember being a child quite clearly, even though I'm very thoroughly old now. Water gets boring as hell, and milk is never really refreshing on a hot day. Pure fruit juices get expensive, and even they have a fair amount of sugar and carbohydrates. The majority of Celestial Seasoning and Bigelow herbal teas are safe for most kids, but there are herbal teas and blends out there I wouldn't give to a child, either hot or iced, on a daily basis. Then there's the eeeuuucccchh factor. Many kids don't like the taste of herbal teas, even mint or lemon flavors. I hope you aren't going to suggest that tykes be made into little coffee-heads, Elf.

Re: What do you give kids, though?

[elfs.livejournal.com]

Oh, dunno. I don't think "pure fruit juice" is that expensive-- frozen apple juice and orange juice are pretty cheap when I buy them in bulk from Costco. A four-pack of cranberry juice from the warehouse stores is less than ten bucks, and it lasts a month or so.

While I'm trying to give up routine drinking of Coke and Pepsi (both of which are available free at my office), I'm not going to go apeshit healthnut and tell the kids that I'll never make them another Italian cream again. Hey, with 35 calories for blackberry and 40 for kiwi flavor in sugar and 20 in fat per 8 oz serving (which is what I make for the kids), it's not a health food but, wow, it's gotta be better than pop. And they get it about once a month.

The obesity study shows that the dramatic decrease was apparent in the group that gave up the equivalent of one can a day. That's pretty strong evidence that the obesity problem, at any rate, is caused by the ease with which one can overconsume processed sugar. It's so readily available that it's almost an environmental hazard. Early mastery of one's food desires and choices probably gives kids the best chance of growing old healthily.

Have you looked closely at the cranberry juice?

[dakiwiboid.livejournal.com]

You might want to do that. Although some are sweetened with white grape or apple juice, which makes them acceptable, others rely on corn syrup for sweetness, which makes them just as icky as "juice drinks".

Re: Have you looked closely at the cranberry juice?

[elfs.livejournal.com]

Omaha's religious about reading the labels and making sure that it's "100% real juice," no artificial sweeteners (including corn syrup) allowed.

Re: Have you looked closely at the cranberry juice?

[blaisepascal]

Personally, I don't care if the fructose is coming from corn or from white grape and apple juices. I tend to view the huge sugar content to be a problem even if it is "100% real juice".

I've personally noticed that apple juice has an immediate and bad effect on my blood sugars (I can feel my brain fuzzing out in less than a minute or so). I can't imagine that "100% real juice" from fruits that have been bred to be sugar-farms to be any better than the commercially refined stuff.

What I go for when I don't drink tea, water, or milk are flavored seltzers, or water with some lemon juice in it.