Soda Drinking Woes: Overhydrated and Underwhelmed

[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...

 

[chefann]

Learn more about Randy Sprecher's gourmet sodas, and his beer, incidentally, at the Sprecher Brewery Website.

Sprecher Root Beer is made with honey.

My sister did an internship there during college. The tour of the facilities is awesome! It's only $2 and you get beer samples (limit 4 per person) and unlimited soda samples. Any unused beer tickets can be turned in for free tour tickets in the gift shop.

Love love LOVE the Root Beer, Cream Soda, Red, Orange Dream, Ginger Ale (super spicy from the real ginger). Whenever we visit my sister, we bring back a bunch of both beer and soda. hmmm... I've got 1 root beer and 1 orange dream sitting in my kitchen right now.

 

[BethCooks4U]

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...

Not KG but I am from South Milwaukee (just north of Kenosha and South of Milwaukee - not the south side of Milwaukee). ...ANYWAY, I never heard of Springtime soda?! I bet it was good. We had an off brand that was REALLY good too (I can't remember the name but it wasn't "springtime"). I'll let you know if I think of it...

 

[DebbieSAChef]

Big RedBig Red is my weakness. But of course with my pregnancy I have cut down dramatically. As crazy as it sounds, I can have a Big Red and skip lunch. It's that delicious to me.
I know it's bad but I love it!!

Debbie

 

[The_Kitchen_Guy]

Not KG but I am from South Milwaukee (just north of Kenosha and South of Milwaukee - not the south side of Milwaukee). ...ANYWAY, I never heard of Springtime soda?! I bet it was good. We had an off brand that was REALLY good too (I can't remember the name but it wasn't "springtime"). I'll let you know if I think of it...

I don't remember Springtime, either, but I do remember Black Bear that was in returnable bottles. We never bought it because it was strictly southside and we lived on the far north side. It is still available in non-returnables.

We also had Graf's and Grandpa Graf's root beer was quite good. The adults used 50-50 for drink mix, but the kids who liked the sour taste drank 50-50 as a thirst quencher before anyone knew what Gatorade was. Graf's also had flavors. They were bought out by someone from Chicago, Canfields, I think.

Waukesha had Bethesda and White Rock. White Rock soda was famous all over the east coast but I don't think they sold it around here at all.

There was a bottling company in Antigo that had flavors, too, and Grandma always had several bottles of it in her refrigerator. Red Cream Soda was my favorite.

As a kid, I also really liked Squirt.

 

[BethCooks4U]

I don't remember Springtime, either, but I do remember Black Bear that was in returnable bottles. We never bought it because it was strictly southside and we lived on the far north side. It is still available in non-returnables.

We also had Graf's and Grandpa Graf's root beer was quite good. The adults used 50-50 for drink mix, but the kids who liked the sour taste drank 50-50 as a thirst quencher before anyone knew what Gatorade was. Graf's also had flavors. They were bought out by someone from Chicago, Canfields, I think.

Waukesha had Bethesda and White Rock. White Rock soda was famous all over the east coast but I don't think they sold it around here at all.

There was a bottling company in Antigo that had flavors, too, and Grandma always had several bottles of it in her refrigerator. Red Cream Soda was my favorite.

As a kid, I also really liked Squirt.

That's IT!! Black Bear!! You should have come down to our neck of the woods! I remember Graf's too and loved that root beer!

 

[The_Kitchen_Guy]

There was (is?) a bottler (Faygo) in Detroit that has Red Pop and Rock-and-Rye brands. One of my firends was just nuts for Rock n Rye and he got me addicted to Red Pop. Every time I went to Michigan or Indiana, I had to bring cases of that stuff back for him.Well, for me, too.

 

[The_Kitchen_Guy]

That reminds me of another childhood adventure - until 1967, it was illegal to sell colored margarine in Wisconsin. Since they weren't able to block the sale of "Oleomargarine" completely, the state outlawed artificial coloring. If you ever saw margarine without color added, you'd never eat that crap. (If you knew what was in it, you wouldn't eat it, either.) It was sold here in one pound bricks and included, this is a riot, a packet of powdered coloring. It was a red powder. You'd leave the brick on the kitchen table and when the block of oleomargarine reached a temperature where you could work it, you'd sprinkle the red powder on the top and mix it all together. Voila! Yellow spread.As a result of the stupid law, people used to go to Illinois, Iowa, Minnesota or Michigan to smuggle contraband oleomargarine into the state.We lived in Grand Rapids for a couple of years when I was a kid, and I remember my brother and I being jammed into the back seat of the family Buick with our luggage because the truck was loaded with cases of oleo that we were smuggling back to my uncle and grandmother.There also used to be a large grocery store in Illinois on Hwy 41, just across the Cheddar Curtain. (I think it's a strip club now.) There used be car after car with Wisconsin plates and, from what I understood, those car owners used to get letters from the state patrol about smuggling contraband into the state.

 

[dollfangs]

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

This is true in the south too. I once dated a guy from NY and asked him to get me a coke and he came back with a coke even though he KNEW I drank diet coke at the time. He was like but you asked for a coke lol

 

[BethCooks4U]

That reminds me of another childhood adventure - until 1967, it was illegal to sell colored margarine in Wisconsin. Since they weren't able to block the sale of "Oleomargarine" completely, the state outlawed artificial coloring. If you ever saw margarine without color added, you'd never eat that crap. (If you knew what was in it, you wouldn't eat it, either.)

It was sold here in one pound bricks and included, this is a riot, a packet of powdered coloring. It was a red powder. You'd leave the brick on the kitchen table and when the block of oleomargarine reached a temperature where you could work it, you'd sprinkle the red powder on the top and mix it all together. Voila! Yellow spread.

As a result of the stupid law, people used to go to Illinois, Iowa, Minnesota or Michigan to smuggle contraband oleomargarine into the state.

We lived in Grand Rapids for a couple of years when I was a kid, and I remember my brother and I being jammed into the back seat of the family Buick with our luggage because the truck was loaded with cases of oleo that we were smuggling back to my uncle and grandmother.

There also used to be a large grocery store in Illinois on Hwy 41, just across the Cheddar Curtain. (I think it's a strip club now.) There used be car after car with Wisconsin plates and, from what I understood, those car owners used to get letters from the state patrol about smuggling contraband into the state.

I remember that too. My family only used butter but we knew people who went to Illinois all the time for their margarine.

 

[The_Kitchen_Guy]

This is true in the south too. I once dated a guy from NY and asked him to get me a coke and he came back with a coke even though he KNEW I drank diet coke at the time. He was like but you asked for a coke lol

A friend of mine from Alabama explained that to me years ago - he told me "Co-cola" came in several flavors there. Orange co-cola, grape co-cola, cream co-cola and even Coke co-cola.

He drank mostly Pabst co-cola anyway.