E-Weekly-3/3
Green Earth Movement
An E-Newsletter for the cause of Environment, Peace, Harmony and Justice
Remember - “you and I can decide the future”
A ‘FASHION’ AMONG YOUTH
Soft drinks are today's trend or much better, you
can call them 'fashion' especially among the
youth. Do you know that this colorful liquid does
not do a bit good to you? Instead, they add up
dangerous toxins to your body.
Soft drink (also called soda,
pop, coke, soda pop, fizzy
drink, tonic, mineral or
carbonated beverage) is a
beverage that typically
Contains water (often, but not always
carbonated water), a sweetener, and a
flavoring agent. The sweetener may be sugar,
high-fructose corn syrup, or a sugar substitute
(in the case of diet drinks).
A soft drink may also contain caffeine, fruit
juice, or both.
Examples of beverages not
considered to be soft drinks
are: pure juice, hot chocolate,
tea, coffee, milk, and
milkshakes.
Beverages like Gatorade and
Powerade may meet the
definition of a soft drink but
Are usually called sports
Drinks. Red Bull (and variations) also may meet
the definition, but are usually called energy
Drinks.
WHY CALLED SOFT?
Soft drinks are called "soft" in contrast to "hard drinks" (alcoholic
beverages). Small amounts of alcohol may be present in a soft
drink, but the alcohol content must be less than 0.5% of the total
volume if the drink is to be considered non-alcoholic.
Widely sold soft drink flavors are cola, cherry, lemon-lime, root
beer, orange, grape, vanilla, ginger ale, fruit punch, and sparkling
lemonade.
Soft drinks may be served chilled or at room temperature. They
are rarely heated.
THINK BEFORE YOUR DRINK
Soda Soft drinks are become part and
parcel of the Indian lifestyle. Be it children,
the college kid or the middle aged Indian,
soft drinks are enjoyed by one and all.
Today there are people who enjoy
Soft drinks with almost every meal that one
has outside his/her home. Despite several
issues that crept up regarding the
ingredients used behind the manufacturing
of soft drinks the market remained stable.
Soft drinks do not only rule the urban
markets they have successfully managed to
penetrate the rural areas as well.
But the truth is, perhaps you know, that the mouth watering soft
drinks you guzzle aren’t healthy. See why you should THINK BEFORE
YOU DRINK THE SOFT DRINKS!
Weight Gain & Obesity
Drinking a single 330 ml can a day of
sugary drinks translates to more than
1 pound (0.45 kg) of weight gain every
month. The relationship between soft
drink consumption and body weight is
so strong that researchers calculate that for each
additional sugar-sweetened soft drink consumed,
the risk of obesity increases 1.6 times. According to
researchers, the likely reason for weight gain in
people who consume calories in sugar-sweetened
beverages is failing to adequately reduce their
intake of calories from other sources.
Sodas affect Kidneys
A three year study of over 1,000 men with a history of
kidney stones showed that there was a clear-cut difference
in the group's experiences, with much less renal colic in the
men who had avoided soft drinks. Soft drinks acidified with
phosphoric acid were the worst offenders. Colas of all kinds,
of course, are well known for their high phosphoric acid
content.
Dental Decay
A large number of soft drinks are acidic
and some may have a pH of 3 or even
lower. The acidity can dissolve the
mineral content of the enamel, making
the teeth weaker, more sensitive, and
more susceptible to decay. Drinking acidic drinks over a long
period of time and continuous sipping can therefore erode
the tooth enamel. Drinking through a straw is often advised
by dentists as the drink is then swallowed from the back of
the mouth and does not come into contact with the teeth as
much. Also, it is suggested that brushing teeth right after
drinking soft drinks should be avoided as this can result in
additional erosion to the teeth due to the presence of acid.
Sodas affect Liver
According to a new Israeli medical study, drinking
soft drinks can cause damage to your liver.
Scientists from Israel found that people who drank
a litre of fizzy drinks were five times more likely to
develop fatty liver
disease. Even drinking
a couple of cans of fizzy
drinks a day raised the
risk of liver damage in
addition to causing
diabetes and heart
damage.
Can lead to Alzheimer
Soft drinks are extremely acidic, so much so that they can
eat through the liner of an aluminum can and leach
aluminum from the can if it sits on the shelf too long.
Alzheimer patients who have been autopsied, all have high
levels of aluminum in their brains. Heavy metals in the body
can lead to many neurological and other diseases.
Cause Sugar Crash
The high amounts of sugar in soft drinks cause your
pancreas to produce an abundance of insulin, which
leads to a "sugar crash". The "sugar crash" is
evidenced by lethargy, loss of interest in work tasks
and even sleepiness. Chronic elevation and depletion
of sugar and insulin can lead to diabetes and other
imbalance related diseases.
This is particularly
disruptive to growing
children which can lead
to life-long health
Problems.
Weakened Bones and Risk of
Osteoporosis
Frequent consumption of soft drinks
may also increase the risk of
osteoporosis, especially in people
who drink soft drinks instead of
calcium-rich milk. High soda
consumption in children poses a
significant risk factor for impaired
Calcification of growing bones. There
is a statistically significant inverse
relationship between consumption
of carbonated beverages and bone
mineral density in young girls, which
places them at increased risk of
suffering fractures in the future.
Increased Blood
Pressure
Experts have reasons
to believe that over
consumption of
fructose (a form of
sugar found in sweetened soft drinks)
leads to an increase in blood pressure.
Increases Dehydration
Most soft drinks are
diuretics, meaning they
Squeeze liquids out of
the body, thus
worsening dehydration
instead of correcting it.
A considerable amount
of water is required
just to process the high
levels of sugar in soft
drinks. To replace what is stolen, you need to drink 8-12
glasses of water for every soft drink that you consume.
No Nutritional
Value
Unless fortified, soft
drinks contain little
to no vitamins,
minerals, fiber,
protein, or other
essential nutrients.
Soft drinks may also
displace other healthier choices in people's
diets, such as water, milk, and fruit juice.
Switch on to diet soft drinks?
Switching from regular soft drink to diet soft drink,
thinking it saves on calories and sugar and can still give
you the caffeine boost and beverage variety you're
looking for might not help. Some recent studies say that
diet drinks might not be
much better for your
health. Diet soft drinks
Contain Aspartame,
which has been linked
to depression, insomnia,
Neurological disease
and a plethora of
other illnesses.
Here are some suggestions for kicking the soda
habit
Replace the soft drinks with water.
► If it's hard to get used to plain water, use bottled water
with a squeeze of lemon or lime for a while.
► If it's carbonation you crave, drink sparkling mineral water
instead.
► Keep bottled water or sparkling mineral water on hand so
when the urge for a soft drink hits, you'll have a healthy
alternative handy.
► Be prepared for a sugar let-down in the first few days of
kicking soft drinks if you've been drinking regular soft drinks.
Stick with it.
► Take this little, but valuable tips; you will surely suggest
others to avoid fizzy drinks after seeing your results.
►
This Presentation was produced by Green Earth
Movement (GEM) Team,
c/o St Xavier’s Community Centre, Panvel,
Tel: 2745 5556
Other GEM PowerPoint Presentations are:
1. Zero Garbage
2. Nobel 4 India
3. Solar Energy
4. Junk Food
5. Plastic – a boon or bane
6. Green Passion.
7. Twenty Tips To Save Nature
These PPP CDs (editable) may be downloaded from our website:
www.stfrancisxavierpanvel.in – refer GEM section
Or contact : gemenewsletter@gmail.com,
panvelchurch@gmail.com