Soda Drinking Woes: Overhydrated and Underwhelmed

[PampMomof3]

Okay, I'm an avid soda drinker. I prefer Pepsi but will take whatever is on sale. Well, as you know, I've been sick for the past 4 days (as well as my children) and the only thing I drank was H2O and Gatorade. Well, I had to have a soda today since I'm finally feeling better and it tasted TERRIBLE!!! But the kicker is that my mouth is so parched and I've had SO many bottles of water today alone!!

Any advice?? I know to stay away from it now since I have done! Maybe it will take some of this weight off!!

 

[Countrykitchenmichelle]

I met somebody once that was having a toxic reaction to soda (I think it was what's in diet soda), one of its ingredients. Made him very sick and when he finally gave up the soda, all his symptoms disappeared.

 

[jenniferknapp]

I've only had this thing for 2 days, and I already see myself eating less, because I am just not hungary..and food doesn't taste the same to me either! I am going to try and keep it up - I usually snack too much!

 

[PampMomof3]

Weird Jennifer! That's how I am!! I wasn't even hungry for dinner. I mean, today was really the first day that I've been able to eat and stuff tasted yummy but different. (Everything is better than TOAST!!!)

 

[DebbieJ]

I heart Coca Cola.

 

[rebeccastt]

If it tastes bad to you now, don't drink any....that is a good way to give it up. Soda is full of sugar and I've heard that if you stop drinking it, you can really drop the weight. I LOVE Pepsi and try to only drink one a day, but I'm sure if I stopped altogether, I could lose some of this baby weight easier.

Good luck!

 

[janetupnorth]

I love my soda, but I get VERY sick on diet soda too...anything with aspertame or nutrasweet makes my physically ill...shaking, diahrrea (sorry - too much info - HUH?). I also have a lactose intolerance and hate soy so there goes milk.

I like my regular coke, but it doesn't taste right when sick. I can drink plain water when playing softball, but otherwise hate the taste so I drink flavored water when I can... Lemonade or Kool-aid works for me...

(I know, not really healthy...)

So, Kristi, what are you trying to do, keep away from it now?

 

[PampMomof3]

Thanks Rebecca! I need the encouragement. I saw Pepsi signs today saying 4 for $10 and I was like, Hmmm, I need to buy, no you don't. I'm not going to do it!!

Why do you think my mouth is so parched??? Very weird!

 

[PampMomof3]

So, Kristi, what are you trying to do, keep away from it now?

Yup, I'm going to do my best! We'll see how I do!

 

[rebeccastt]

I stay away from all diet drinks and artificial sweeteners. They make me nervous!

 

[CAmomCookin4U]

Thanks Rebecca! I need the encouragement. I saw Pepsi signs today saying 4 for $10 and I was like, Hmmm, I need to buy, no you don't. I'm not going to do it!!

Why do you think my mouth is so parched??? Very weird!

Sounds like some kind of imbalance.
Try gatorade and see how you feel. If not any better I would head to the Dr. you know better safe than sorry. Peter Pan Poisoning oops I mean Salmoneela can linger quite some time and damage kidneys etc.

 

[PampMomof3]

Okay, that would really make me sad. I'll drink some Gatorade tomorrow when I wake. It's almost 11 here so I need to head to bed!!!

 

[speedychef]

I drink WAY too much Diet Pepsi. I gave it up for Lent one year and it was SO difficult for me. I thought maybe I would drink less afterwards, but no! I still drink too much of it! I'm trying to at least drink water every other time and more Crystal Light and the like.

PS Where was the Pepsi sale?! I haven't found good prices on it in FOREVER! We used to have a big "wall of pop" in the garage when there were good sales and now we hardly have any.

 

[BethCooks4U]

Thanks Rebecca! I need the encouragement. I saw Pepsi signs today saying 4 for $10 and I was like, Hmmm, I need to buy, no you don't. I'm not going to do it!!

Why do you think my mouth is so parched??? Very weird!

You are dehydrated from being sick. Your body is telling you it needs water.

You'll be okay in a day or so. Drink all the water you want! ANd by the way we should all drink at least 8 eight ounce glasses of water per day.

Good luck.

 

[PamperChefCarol]

Okay, I'm an avid soda drinker. I prefer Pepsi but will take whatever is on sale. Well, as you know, I've been sick for the past 4 days (as well as my children) and the only thing I drank was H2O and Gatorade. Well, I had to have a soda today since I'm finally feeling better and it tasted TERRIBLE!!! But the kicker is that my mouth is so parched and I've had SO many bottles of water today alone!!

Any advice?? I know to stay away from it now since I have done! Maybe it will take some of this weight off!!

Now that you are past the hardest part, give it up. You will be doing yourself a big favor, not to mention the calories, and the money, you will save.

Both Pepsi or Coke are horrible to your system. I rarely drink any pop these days. We call soda, pop here in Michigan. Anyway, I actually had a diet canada dry ginger ale tonight. I am always looking for no calorie, no caffine type drinks, so basically just stick to water. There's all sorts of flavored ones out.

 

[jenniferknapp]

I just figure I would rather eat my calories....mmm chocolate!

 

[dannyzmom]

Thanks Rebecca! I need the encouragement. I saw Pepsi signs today saying 4 for $10 and I was like, Hmmm, I need to buy, no you don't. I'm not going to do it!!

Why do you think my mouth is so parched??? Very weird!

Gatorade has a very high sodium content so while it replenishes your electrolytes it somehow actually dehydrates you or makes you REATIN water all at the same time. I went thru a whole gatorade issue when pregnant with my second son. My feet swelled up like balloons and I couldn''t figure out why...til I mentioned to my midwife that I was sucking down 6-8 bottles of gatorade a day - LOL. Stick to water...lots and lots of water.

 

[JaimeQ]

I'm addicted to soda!!! I have cut myself down on how much of it I do drink but I have my days where I slip... I am trying to drink some diet but only after I have caffeine... I can't stand the headaches from withdrawls.... I would love to not drink it so I could loose weight but it is a hard habit to kick.. I have been drinking water with a generic mix from wal mart, fruit punch flavored. It is sugar free and low sodium or no sodium I can't remember which... I'm trying I really am

 

[lisacb77]

You're parched b/c you need more water. Beth is right on that. As for giving up soda, carbonated flavored water is a good substitute. They come in 20 and 34 oz bottles at Wal-Mart & most grocery stores...the 34s are usually about 50 cents!

 

[rebeccastt]

You're parched b/c you need more water. Beth is right on that. As for giving up soda, carbonated flavored water is a good substitute. They come in 20 and 34 oz bottles at Wal-Mart & most grocery stores...the 34s are usually about 50 cents!

I know....I should go to water for sure. But those McDonald's Cokes and Taco Bell Pepsi's call my name! Do you all have Taco Bells? They have the best Pepsi! I have no idea what it is that makes them so good....the carbonation/syrup ratio?!??

 

[BethCooks4U]

Now that you are past the hardest part, give it up. You will be doing yourself a big favor, not to mention the calories, and the money, you will save.

Both Pepsi or Coke are horrible to your system. I rarely drink any pop these days. We call soda, pop here in Michigan. Anyway, I actually had a diet canada dry ginger ale tonight. I am always looking for no calorie, no caffine type drinks, so basically just stick to water. There's all sorts of flavored ones out.

That's right. I drank diet coke for years and then went on a diet and learned that water is what we need and that even diet soda adds to weight. I rarely drink any kind of soda any more. I prefer water!

 

[Ginger428]

You are dehydrated from being sick. Your body is telling you it needs water.

You'll be okay in a day or so. Drink all the water you want! ANd by the way we should all drink at least 8 eight ounce glasses of water per day.

Good luck.

I was just going to post the same exact thing....

 

[yummy4tummy]

My family "resolved" to give up sodas New Years before last and have really stuck to it. I can't say that I have noticed any weight falling off (IF ONLY)but I know that we really don't miss it. H20 is the way to go.

 

[lizcooks4u]

Gatorade...full of Sodium,

Gatorade has a very high sodium content so while it replenishes your electrolytes it somehow actually dehydrates you or makes you REATIN water all at the same time. I went thru a whole gatorade issue when pregnant with my second son. My feet swelled up like balloons and I couldn''t figure out why...til I mentioned to my midwife that I was sucking down 6-8 bottles of gatorade a day - LOL. Stick to water...lots and lots of water.

sodium = salt, it replenishes minerals at times, but since I've switched to flavored waters, and the like I don't much care for reg. coffee or even diet soda's much at all, I do catch myself drinking reg coke though I like Sprite Zero, but not Coke zero I like a lot of Root beers too, but flavored water or plain is best, but I don't care for plain

 

[Kathytnt]

I have to stop drinking so much soda - It's tough to taper off the caffeine I know it is so bad for you but it's so hard to stop. It's like some people that have to have coffee with breakfast. I really like it with a meal

 

[Chef Kearns]

I know....I should go to water for sure. But those McDonald's Cokes and Taco Bell Pepsi's call my name! Do you all have Taco Bells? They have the best Pepsi! I have no idea what it is that makes them so good....the carbonation/syrup ratio?!??

I have to agree with you there Rebecca! That is the only time I have pop...when I eat fast food. I figure the food alone is enough to kill me the soda won't do me in I HAVE to have a Pepsi with my Taco Bell...just makes the food taste better! With my McDonald's it is the HI-C Orange-YUMMY!!

But for the most part I only drink water. I rarely have fast food so I feel like I can have that simple indulgence. It is all the other indulgences that will do me in.

 

[luvs2sellit]

That is too funny Rebecca! I love love Taco Bell Pepsi. We have a TB right next to where I work. Even when I bring my lunch I will run through there to get my pepsi. I have even picked up food somewhere else and then gone through TB for my drink. Pretty bad huh?

 

[The_Kitchen_Guy]

When I was in radiation/chemo a few years ago, I absolutely craved a glass of Coke but it was like drinking battery acid. After several months of no Coke, I don't really miss it anymore. Eight years later and I still can't really drink soda because of the citric acid in it. Most sodas also contain caffein. Caffein is an anti-diuretic so it actually makes you retain water. Best to drink an equal amount of water to the soda/coffee/tea that you drink to keep flushing it out.The doc had me on hydrochlorothyazide to regulate hypertension and took me off of it some time ago. My ankles and feet swelled so much (lymphodema) that I couldn't wear my shoes. He put me back on hydrochlorothyazide and I can wear my shoes again. Keep drinkin' that water.

 

[thechefofnorthbend]

I gave it up to lose weight and it has really made a difference. I dont drink diet soda because of the Splenda and the asparteme or all those other un-natural/sweetners (SO BAD FOR YOU). Did you know that over 50% of the population will NEVER process Splenda in their body? It just doesnt break down...ewwww.

 

[ChefBeckyD]

I gave it up to lose weight and it has really made a difference. I dont drink diet soda because of the Splenda and the asparteme or all those other un-natural/sweetners (SO BAD FOR YOU). Did you know that over 50% of the population will NEVER process Splenda in their body? It just doesnt break down...ewwww.

Where does it go then???? That is ....ewwwww!
We try not to use artificial sweetners at all - and I am a fanatical label reader to watch for it! We also don't drink alot of "Pop" (I'm in Michigan!) except as a treat we do buy the Goose Island Root Beer at Costco. It's all natural, made with real sugar - not High Fructose Corn Syrup (Which 99% of 'regular' pop is made with) or artificial sweetners - and it is yummy!

 

[DebbieJ]

If you can find Mexican Coke (like at a Latino market or something), it's also made with real sugar. YUM!

 

[The_Kitchen_Guy]

http://www.sprecherbrewery.com/imgjpeg/rb_n_mug.jpgLearn more about Randy Sprecher's gourmet sodas, and his beer, incidentally, at the Sprecher Brewery Website.Sprecher Root Beer is made with honey.

 

[rebeccastt]

I saw a segment on him on Unwrapped.....I LOVE that show!

 

[luvs2sellit]

Rebecca we could be so be best friends. I love unwrapped. lol. we could pick us up a Taco Bell pepsi and watch it together. .lol.

 

[jwpamp]

Well, it's true that we call soda "POP" here in the Midwest...and I often get into the deep thought discussion as to which is correct:

is 2 cans of "pop" called "POP" or "POPS"?

for instance, if I wanted to grab 2 cans, would I be taking "2 POPS", or "2 POP"?

Hmmm....now can you tell why the cost of living is so much cheaper in the midwest?

LOL!

 

[The_Kitchen_Guy]

Whether you say "soda" or "pop" seems to also revolve around how you pronounce "creek."

 

[thechefofnorthbend]

Where does it go then???? That is ....ewwwww!
We try not to use artificial sweetners at all - and I am a fanatical label reader to watch for it! We also don't drink alot of "Pop" (I'm in Michigan!) except as a treat we do buy the Goose Island Root Beer at Costco. It's all natural, made with real sugar - not High Fructose Corn Syrup (Which 99% of 'regular' pop is made with) or artificial sweetners - and it is yummy!

Ughh....not through our digestive system. It pools in our stomachs because the acids that churn the foods, cannot break down the chemicals that made Splenda (or any artificial sweetners). Ok, sorry, I dont want this to turn into a nutrition class. Just answering some questions...(Dad is a Master Nutritionist for the Military).

Ingrediants of Splenda:

1. Acetone
2. Acetic acid
3. Acetyl alcohol
4. Acetic anhydride
5. Ammonium chloride
6. Benzene
7. Chlorinated sulfates
8. Ethyl alcohol
9. Isobutyl ketones
10. Formaldehyde
11. Hydrogen chloride
12. Lithium chloride
13. Methanol
14. Sodium methoxide
15. Sulfuryl chloride
16. Trityl chloride
17. Toluene
18. Thionyl chloride

Mmmmmm...LOL

 

[jwpamp]

Whether you say "soda" or "pop" seems to also revolve around how you pronounce "creek."

Exactly!

 

[luvs2sellit]

Throwing out my splenda as soon as I get home. Geez!

 

[rebeccastt]

Rebecca we could be so be best friends. I love unwrapped. lol. we could pick us up a Taco Bell pepsi and watch it together. .lol.

LOL!!!! My family think I am so weird about the Taco Bell Pepsi....they always say, "How can it be so different?". I'm glad you understand me. LOL!

 

[KellyTheChef]

Ughh....not through our digestive system. It pools in our stomachs because the acids that churn the foods, cannot break down the chemicals that made Splenda (or any artificial sweetners). Ok, sorry, I dont want this to turn into a nutrition class. Just answering some questions...(Dad is a Master Nutritionist for the Military).

Ingrediants of Splenda:

1. Acetone
2. Acetic acid
3. Acetyl alcohol
4. Acetic anhydride
5. Ammonium chloride
6. Benzene
7. Chlorinated sulfates
8. Ethyl alcohol
9. Isobutyl ketones
10. Formaldehyde
11. Hydrogen chloride
12. Lithium chloride
13. Methanol
14. Sodium methoxide
15. Sulfuryl chloride
16. Trityl chloride
17. Toluene
18. Thionyl chloride

Mmmmmm...LOL

WHAT?!?!?!?! I thought Splenda was the "more natural" artificial sweetener??!!??!! Ugh! I drink diet pop, but I know that I should just stop alltogether. My little one is almost 2 and I stopped caffiene when I was pregnant with him. I really haven't gotten back on it since then, and now I see I need to stop drinking diets too!

 

[raebates]

Being a diabetic, I don't do regular soda. Hoping to eat as healthy as possible, I try to limit diet sodas to an occasional treat. I drink a lot of soda water. It has the fizzy bubbles that fool my tongue into thinking it's getting something fun, without most of the chemicals in diet soda. I especially like it with a wedge of lemon or lime.

 

[janetupnorth]

Whether you say "soda" or "pop" seems to also revolve around how you pronounce "creek."

KG - Do you remember Springtime soda from Kenosha? We used to always make trips down there to get some...used to like grape...brother like orange...

 

[thechefofnorthbend]

Well, it's true that we call soda "POP" here in the Midwest...and I often get into the deep thought discussion as to which is correct:

is 2 cans of "pop" called "POP" or "POPS"?

for instance, if I wanted to grab 2 cans, would I be taking "2 POPS", or "2 POP"?

Hmmm....now can you tell why the cost of living is so much cheaper in the midwest?

LOL!

My Dad is from Cape Cod and he has called Soda (Pepsi, Coke) "Pop" all his life, and called Ice Cream Floats "Soda's". We have lived on the West Coast for as long as I've been alive and its always fun to watch the waiters and waitresses go

 

[janetupnorth]

Ask for a "coke" in Mexico and they ask "what kind"? Coke is generic there to a soda...

 

[thechefofnorthbend]

For those who want to know. Those who dont...SKIPThis is an article by Dr. Janet Hull. My Dad has used her works on research for diet and nutrition in the Military.

This is kind of on the lines with "Hydrogenated" anything...ONE molocule away from plastic, people...UGH!!!

People may think Johnson & Johnson’s Splenda®, made from sucralose, has “come to the rescue” as the newest chemical sugar replacement “made from real sugar.” People don’t want to hear that it may be just as dangerous as aspartame, and this “white knight” of sweeteners is no improvement.

So, what exactly is Splenda? Splenda is the trade name for sucralose. Johnson & Johnson bought the rights in 1998 to sell sucralose in the United States as Splenda. Its basic characteristics are:

* Its taste is nearly identical to sugar because it’s made from sugar
* Its “trademark” inability to break down in processing or in storage

But Splenda is potentially harmful because it contains chlorine, which is a carcinogen. The Splenda marketers insist the chlorine is chemically “bound” so it cannot be “released” in the body during digestion. I question that, and wonder if this artificial chemical can safely pass through the human body. Wait until you discover what chlorine can do to the body. Then, you decide if you want to ingest this chemical.

Splenda (sucralose) is created in the lab, using a complex process involving dozens of chemicals you and I can barely pronounce - let alone consume. Basically, the chemists force chlorine into an unnatural chemical bond with a sugar molecule, resulting in a sweeter product, but at a price: a huge amount of artificial chemicals must be added to keep sucralose from digesting in our bodies. These toxic substances prevent (hopefully) the dangerous chlorine molecules from detaching from the sugar molecule inside the digestive system, which would be a carcinogenic hazard.

To illustrate the alarming “chemical soup” required to create sucralose, I have listed here the actual process for producing this sweetener. I highlighted the chemicals in bold type for emphasis.

According to the Splenda International Patent A23L001-236 and PEP Review #90-1-4 (July 1991), sucralose is synthesized by this five-step process:

1. sucrose is tritylated with trityl chloride in the presence of dimethylformamide and 4-methylmorpholine and the tritylated sucrose is then acetylated with acetic anhydride,

2. the resulting TRISPA (6,1',6'-tri-O-trityl-penta-O-acetylsucrose) is chlorinated with hydrogen chloride in the presence of toluene,

3. the resulting 4-PAS (sucrose 2,3,4,3',4'-pentaacetate) is heated in the presence of methyl isobutyl ketone and acetic acid,

4. the resulting 6-PAS (sucrose 2,3,6,3',4'-pentaacetate) is chlorinated with thionyl chloride in the presence of toluene and benzyltriethylammonium chloride, and

5. the resulting TOSPA (sucralose pentaacetate) is treated with methanol (wood alcohol, a poison) in the presence of sodium methoxide to produce sucralose.

The Splenda marketers stress that sucralose is “made from sugar but is derived from this sugar through a process that selectively substitutes three atoms of chlorine for three hydrogen-oxygen groups on the sucrose molecule.” While this is true, it is a deceptively simple description, implying that sucralose is just a benign sugar with a touch of chlorine, and thereby, safe for consumption. According to research on the hydrolysis of sugars, just the process of inserting chlorine into the sugar molecule (hydrolysis means breaking it into smaller molecules) ultimately allows these chemicals to penetrate the intestinal wall.

So sucralose becomes a “low-calorie” sugar with a complicated process that results in Splenda’s chemical formula: 1,6-dichloro-1, 6-dideoxy-BETA-D-fructofuranosyl-4-chloro-4-deoxy-alpha-D-galactopyranoside.

This is Splenda. They say it is a perfectly safe sugar molecule.

Sucralose is patented as a manmade “chlorinated sucrose sweetener” and it is registered as “chlorinated sucrose.” Chlorinated sucrose is not found anywhere in nature, like real sugar (sucrose) that is extracted from sugar cane and sugar beets. Chlorinated sucrose exists because of man.

The FDA states in their Final Report on Splenda that sucralose is “produced at an approximate purity of ninety-eight percent.” The other two percent does not have to be reported to the FDA, nor listed as added ingredients. So what’s in the other two percent? The chemicals used to synthesize sucralose in the five-step process:

1. Acetone
2. Acetic acid
3. Acetyl alcohol
4. Acetic anhydride
5. Ammonium chloride
6. Benzene
7. Chlorinated sulfates
8. Ethyl alcohol
9. Isobutyl ketones
10. Formaldehyde
11. Hydrogen chloride
12. Lithium chloride
13. Methanol
14. Sodium methoxide
15. Sulfuryl chloride
16. Trityl chloride
17. Toluene
18. Thionyl chloride

Although manufacturing guidelines specify limits on these veiled substances, there are no assurances these limits have been met since they do not have to be reported. In addition, the FDA does not presently require an Environmental Impact Statement for sucralose, so it’s open season for the rules, at present.

Now you can see why I do not recommend sucralose for pregnancy or for children, especially after reading this list.

It’s time to admit that there is no free ticket to eating all the sugar-free products you desire without paying the high price of harming your body in the long run. The “technology of foods” (artificial sweeteners and manmade foods) has gone too far, and will not secure eternal health, beauty, slimness, or youth. Laboratory chemicals are not the answer.

 

[The_Kitchen_Guy]

Um, Darby, thanks for posting this but it's really difficult to read with you SHOUTING at us.

I just wanted to say that.

 

[thechefofnorthbend]

I get a little carried away woth the BOLD option sometimes...

I'll tone it down a little...LOL

 

[jwpamp]

Ask for a "coke" in Mexico and they ask "what kind"? Coke is generic there to a soda...

Ok, scared me there for a minute....glad you added the last line!

 

[thechefofnorthbend]

Ok, scared me there for a minute....glad you added the last line!

LOL...me too

I knew things were done differently down there, but that would be a bit over the top...