Soda, Pop, Soft Drink or Coke?
All of the above refer to a carbonated beverage, an effervescent drink that releases carbon dioxide that was added under pressure.
The pop that occurs upon opening a soft drink container is the sound of carbon dioxide bubbles being released as the gas creates a bubbling, fizzy drink.
Sweetened and flavored carbonated drinks contain sugar (commonly corn syrup) or sugar substitutes. These sugary "liquid candy" drinks became popular starting with flavors of lemon-lime, grape and orange.
In 1886, John S. Pemberton, an Atlanta druggist seeking a headache and hangover remedy, added kola nut extract to coca extract and produced Coca-Cola. A pharmacist named Hires invented root beer in 1893. No matter what your taste preferences, sparkling beverages come in many forms, including regular, low-calorie, no-calorie, caffeinated and caffeine-free.
Today, heavily sweetened, carbonated drinks - soda, pop, soft drink, canned drink or Coke -- all familiar nicknames depending on the area where you grew up -- are among the most popular beverages in the world. In the last two decades, the introduction of diet drinks containing artificial sweeteners has increased sales of carbonated beverages. Coca-Cola's annual sales alone total more than a billion dollars, and sodas account for 25% of the annual sugar consumption in the U.S.
Carbonated beverages contain other additives besides sugar, including sodium bicarbonate, sodium chloride, sodium phosphate, sodium citrate, and sometimes flavoring and coloring.
Even though you can't taste it, this sodium content contains salt. Though soda drinks do not contain large amounts of salt, you still need to consider this in your daily eating so you don't consume too much. Consuming too much salt can cause water retention and even lead to ongoing (chronic) health problems.
Too much sodium can contribute to certain illnesses such as stroke, heart attack and kidney disease according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. One 12-oz. can of soda alone won't contribute a large amount of sodium to your diet. But, if you drink several a day, these beverages add excess sodium. Find a brand that is sodium-free as a healthier choice.
Frequent consumers of soft drinks may also be at a higher risk of kidney stones. Kidney stones are one of the most painful disorders to afflict humans and one of the most common disorders of the urinary tract. Cola drinkers who reduced their consumption of soft drinks to less than half their usual levels were almost 33% less likely to experience recurrence of kidney stones; that's 1 in 3 not having a repeat of an extremely painful condition.
Coming at the problem from another angle, researchers had subjects consume large volumes of cola drinks for one to several days. The next day, the subjects' urine showed chemical changes that could cause kidney stone formation. While more research needs to be done to prove the cola-stone connection, National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive Diseases (NIDDK) recommends that people trying to avoid more stones should limit their consumption of cola beverages, coffee and tea.
Frequent consumption of soft drinks may also increase the risk of osteoporosis-especially in people who drink soft drinks instead of calcium-rich milk. Dentists urge people to drink fewer soft drinks, especially between meals, to prevent tooth decay caused by the high sugar content and dental enamel erosion caused from the acids.
To learn more about the nutritional content of soft drinks, read the product label. The amount of calories widely varies in soft drinks whether they are sweetened with sugar, or a sugar substitute known as "sweetener." A non-diet soda pop contains about 15 teaspoons of refined sugars.
Spoon out 15 teaspoons of sugar to see how much sugar
(high-fructose corn syrup) is in a 12-ounce can of regular soda. Spoon out 17 teaspoons for a 20-ounce bottle. Can anyone imagine consuming that much sugar at one time?! To burn-off the 250 calories in a 20-ounce bottle of non-diet soda pop, a 135-pound person would have to walk three miles in 45 minutes, play vigorous basketball for 40 minutes or bike vigorously for 22 minutes.
Remember to check portion size. The soft drink industry has steadily increased container sizes. In the 1950s, Coca-Cola's 6½-ounce bottle was the standard serving. That grew into the 12-ounce can, and now that is being over-ruled by 20-ounce bottles and gigantic products like the 64-ounce "gulp" drinks popular at convenience stores. The larger the container, the more soda you are likely to drink, and you may often assume you are buying a single-serving size, when in reality there are many servings in that cup you are holding.
Therefore, soft drinks can be a problem not only for what they contain, but for what they push out of someone's diet. Many people consume great quantities of soft drinks, but only meager amounts of the nutrient-rich foods . The empty calories of soft drinks are likely contributing to health problems, particularly becoming overweight or obese. Some studies suggest that soft drinks are directly related to weight gain. Weight gain is a prime risk factor for type 2 diabetes, which is now a problem for teens as well as adults. As people get older, excess weight can also contribute to heart attacks, strokes, and cancer.
Numerous factors-from lack of exercise to eating too many calories to genetics-contribute to obesity. Soda pop adds unnecessary, non-nutritious calories to the diet. Nutritionists and weight-loss experts routinely advise overweight individuals to consume fewer calories, especially from such nutrient-free foods as soft drinks. The National Institutes of Health recommends that people who are trying to lose weight or control weight should drink water instead of sugar-containing soft drinks.
An occasional can of soda isn't likely to harm your health, but you should try not to drink it on a regular basis or in excess. Why? Because soft drinks contain NO significant amounts of vitamins and minerals which equals ZERO nutritional value.
Try replacing your usual "Coke" with sparkling water flavored with fresh lemon or lime juice or a splash of 100% cranberry, orange or grape juice to get a similar flavor to soda without harmful sugar content. For your very lowest sugar and sodium beverage option, enjoy plain water flavored with fresh fruit or fresh juices (not the popular juices sweetened with corn syrup).
Smoke Detectors.....quiet and in the background, the smoke detector is one of the most important pieces of equipment for crew safety. Case in point, when a galley fire started on one of our vessels, the smoke alarm went off as designed, alerted the sleeping off-watch and brought them to action.
