- Eating organic foods is key to optimal health.
- One of the golden rules for healthy foods is that if the food is processed so not real, then it is not good for you.
- Sodas are not good for you. Many studies have shown they can cause health risks due to the artificial sweeteners, excess amount of sugar and/or high fructose corn syrup they contain.
- Coke Life is Coca Cola’s latest product attempt to bring soda sales back up by marketing to consumers who care about eating and drinking healthy and organic.
- Coke Life is marketed as a low calorie beverage, with the addition of the all-natural sweetener stevia. This product was released in Chile and Argentina, and will soon become available in the U.K.
- Coke Life contains 89 calories per can, which is approximately 50 calories less than a can of regular Coke. However, according to the Guardian, it still contains the equivalent of about four teaspoons of sugar.
- The American Heart Association recommends limiting the amount of added sugars to no more than half of your daily discretionary allowance. This means about 6 teaspoons per day for women and 9 teaspoons per day for men.
- The World Health Organization recently changed their sugar recommendations to no more than 6 teaspoons for all adults.
- Evidence on the negative health effects of sugar and diet soda is mounting up. A new MRI technique confirms that cancer cells feed on sugar.
- Research presented at the American Stroke Association’s International Stroke Conference showed that daily diet soft drink consumption was associated with severe vascular risk factors, including stroke.
- A recent study published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition uncovered some facts that should make us think twice before reaching for diet drinks:
- 1. Drinking diet sodas increases the risk of developing diabetes more than regular sodas sweetened with sugar.
- 2. Women who drank a 12-ounce diet soda had a 33 percent increased risk of developing type 2 diabetes.
- 3. Women who drank a 20-ounce diet soda had a 66 percent increased risk of developing type 2 diabetes.
- Women who drank diet sodas drank twice as much than those who drank regular sodas, showing that artificial sweeteners are much more addictive.
- 4. The average diet soda drinker consumes 3 diet drinks a day.
- “There is no free ride. Diet drinks are not good substitutes for sugar-sweetened drinks. They increase cravings, weight gain, and type-2 diabetes. And they are addictive,” states leading physician and nutrition expert Dr. Mark Hyman.
- Coke Life dons a green label and the cans are green as well. Green is a color that is often associated with organic and healthy foods.
- A 2013 study from Cornell University shows that the color green affects perceptions of healthfulness. When consumers see the color green, they often associate it with organic and health.
- So while the marketing makes Coke Life seem like a healthy alternative, medical studies show that the added sugar promotes adverse health effects. We recommend a healthy homemade ginger ale made with organic foods or a delicious infused water recipe made with organic foods like fruits and herbs.
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- Note: The content on our website is for educational purposes only. Please consult your health practitioner or a qualified expert before changing your diet.
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- For the dangers of Splenda.
- For aspartame the sweet and silent killer.
- For a list of products containing sucralose.
- Diet soda makes you fat.
- For the dangers of high fructose corn syrup.
- For a list of GMO-free food companies.
- For all you need to know about GMOs.
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- REFERENCES:
- 1. “Sugar Makes Cancer Light-up in MRI Scanners.” UCL.ac.uk. University College London, 7 July 2013. Web. 29 July 2013.
- 2. “In Vivo Imaging of Glucose Uptake and Metabolism in Tumors.” Nature.com. Nature Medicine, 07 July 2013. Web. 29 July 2013.
- 3. “Does Green Mean Healthy? Nutrition Label Color Affects Perceptions of Healthfulness.” National Center for Biotechnology Information. Health Communication, 2013. Web. 28 June 2014.
- 4. “Draft Guideline: Sugars Intake for Adults and Children.” WHO. World Health Organization, n.d. Web. 28 June 2014.
- 5. “Coke’s New Low-Cal, Low-Sugar Soda Is Designed to Quiet Critics.” Bloomberg Business Week. Bloomberg, 17 June 2014. Web. 28 June 2014.
- 6. “Coca-Cola Life: Coke with Fewer Calories and Less Sugar to Tackle Obesity.” The Guardian. Guardian News and Media, 11 June 2014. Web. 28 June 2014.
- 7. “Consumption of Artificially and Sugar-sweetened Beverages and Incident Type 2 Diabetes in the Etude Epidémiologique Auprès Des Femmes De La Mutuelle Générale De L’Education Nationale–European Prospective Investigation into Cancer and Nutrition Cohort.” The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition. The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, 30 Jan. 2013. Web. 28 June 2014.
- 8. “Sugar 101.” Heart.org. American Heart Association, n.d. Web. 28 June 2014.
- 9. “Diet Soda May Raise Odds of Vascular Events; Salt Linked to Stroke Risk.” EurekAlert! American Heart Association, 09 Feb. 2011. Web. 28 June 2014.
- 10. “How Diet Soda Makes You Fat (and Other Food and Diet Industry Secrets).” Dr Mark Hyman. Dr Mark Hyman, n.d. Web. 28 June 2014.
