1 Corinthians 13:11 - It's like this: when I was a child I spoke and thought and reasoned as a child does. But when I became a man [a woman] my thoughts grew far beyond those of my childhood, and now I have put away the childish things. [Living Bible translation]
SODA/POP "back then"
If you are like me, you probably recall drinking a lot of soda as a kid. In fact, soda, especially in the summer time, was a common household beverage. Every member of the household had their favorite soda. You may have memories of going to the neighborhood store to buy a soda (or of taking the empties back for their deposit, if you are a bit older), or stopping by the store after school to get a soda, or loading down the grocery cart with the weekly "six pack" or 'case" or "carton."
Perhaps you can still remember what kind of soda you drank or your parents drank or your siblings drank when you were kids. Back then, no one gave much thought to the nutritional value of drinking soda. We just drank it.
WHAT WE KNOW TODAY ABOUT SOFT DRINKS
Today we know that soft drink consumption is the leading cause of obesity in the United States.
According to the National Soft Drink Association (NSDA), consumption of soft drinks is now over 600 12 ounce servings per person per year.
Since 1978 soda consumption in the US has tripled for boys and doubled for girls. Young males age 12-29 are the biggest consumer of over 160 gallons per year-that's almost 2 quarts per day. At these levels, the calories from soft drink contribute as much as 10 percent of the total daily caloric intake for a growing boy.
See, Global Healing Center, www.globalhealingcenter.com.
In fact, in 1998, in a press conference, CSPI set up 868 cans of soda to represent the amount of soda the average young male consumed during the prior year.
According to the Center for Science in the Public Interest (CSPI), "In 1977-78 boys consumed more than twice as much milk as soft drinks, and girls consumed 50% more milk than soft drinks. By 1994-96, both boys and girls consumed twice as much soda pop as milk? By substituting soft drinks for milk, today's children are lowering their intake of numerous vitamins, minerals and dietary fiber."
In Bubbling Over: Soda Consumption and It's Link to Obesity In California, by Susan H. Babey, Malina Jones, Hongjian Yu and Harold Goldstein, September 1, 2009, these UCLA researchers found that in California 62% of adolescents ages 12-17 and 41% of children ages 2-11 drink at least one soda or other sweetened beverage every day. Adults who drink soda occasionally (not every day) were 15% more likely to be overweight or obese. Adults who drank one or more sodas per day were 27% more likely to be overweight or obese than adults who did not drink soda at all. Among adults who drank, soda was associated with increased risk of Type 2 diabetes.
In the same article, these researchers noted that in California, one out of every four adults (24%) drank at least 1 soda per day (6.4 million California adults). However it was noted that the consumption among adolescents ages 12-17 was much higher than among adults or children. For adolescents, 12-17, over 2 million teens, drank soda every day and that 13%, over 400,000 teens, drank 3 or more sodas every day. On average, California adolescents consume 1-2 sodas every day. Assuming that one soda---a 12 ounce can---contains 10 teaspoons of sugar, this means that the average California adolescent consumes the equivalent of 39 pounds of sugar every year from soda and other sweetened drinks. And, this is a conservative estimate since many sodas are not 12 ounce cans.
A 1994 report published in the Journal of Adolescent Health summarizing a small study (76 girls and 51 boys) concluded that "The high consumption of carbonated beverages and the declining consumption of milk are of great public health significance to girls and women because of their proneness to osteoporosis later in life. See, "Soft Drink-American," by Judith Valentine, PhD, CNA, CNC.
The following are just some of the health problems associated with sugary soft drink consumption:
- High risk of obesity;
- Diabetes and other blood sugar disorders;
- Tooth decay (loss of enamel on the front teeth and yellowing);
- Osteoporosis;
- Bone fractures;
- Nutritional deficiencies;
- Heart disease;
- GI distress (increased stomach acid levels, seen often in teenagers);
- Food addictions and eating disorders;
- Neurotransmitter dysfunction from chemical sweeteners
- Neurological and adrenal disorders from excessive caffeine.
Soda has often been called "liquid candy." According to Judith Valentine, PhD, CNA, CNC, in "Soft Drinks-America," the ingredients in soft drinks can be likened to "a witch's brew." Valentine mentions the following:
High Fructose Corn Syrup – now used in preference to sugar, is associated with poor development of collagen in growing animals, especially in the context of cooper
deficiency;
Aspartame - used in diet sodas, is a potent neurotoxin and endocrine disrupter. A neurotoxin is a substance that causes damage to nerves and to nerve tissue;
Caffeine - stimulates the adrenal gland without providing nourishment. In large amounts, caffeine can lead to adrenal exhaustion, especially in children;
Phosphoric acid - added to soft drinks to give them that "bite." It is associated with calcium loss;
Citric acid – often contains traces of MSG, a neurotoxin;
Artificial Flavors – may also contain traces of MSG;
Water – some water used by the beverage industry contain high amounts of fluoride and other contaminants.
See,"Soft Drinks-America," by Judith Valentine, PhD,CNN. According to Valentine:
The alarm has been sounded! Are you listening? I strongly encourage all who
are concerned about the health of their families to consider the debilitating consequences of drinking soft drinks. How many more studies and reports need to be published before we notice the tsunami lurking ahead? In the 1970's we finally recognized the risks of smoking. In the 1990s, the problem of teenage drinking became widely known. The new millennium is the time for awakening to the risks of soda consumption—America's other drinking problem.
Giving Up Childish Things
All of us should search for those "childish things" within us that we have been holding onto, despite their detrimental effects on our physical or spiritual health. Let us all pray and ask GOD to help us to identify and give up long-held and deep-seated harmful habits. Let us all look for anything that may adversely affect our relationship with GOD. Let us search for fear, anxiety, self-centeredness, unwillingness to forgive, mean spiritedness, general contrariness and other "child-like" traits. See if, like children, we have allowed things, people or situations to "bully" our spirit or limit our spiritual "joy." Let us turn all of these things over to GOD.
Today, let us pray and ask GOD to help us "put away childish things!"
Let's consider what kinds of drinks we serve at home, at holiday gatherings and at our churches. Let's pray for change as well as role model the change we want to occur.
Enjoy the day----eat raw, drink wisely, pray, grow in Grace and BE BLESSED!
