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.” Soda pop was just “the stuff” of our childhood.
WHAT WE KNOW TODAY ABOUT SOFT DRINKS
Today, sugary soft drink consumption is the leading cause of obesity in America.
According to the WebMD, almost one-third of Americans drink at least one sugar laden soda or juice every day. These drinks promote obesity, heart disease and Type 2 diabetes. See, “1 in 3 Americans Drink Sugar Soda or Juice Daily, by Steven Reinberg, February 25, 2016, www.webmd.com.
Individuals age 18 to 24 consume at least one sugary drink a day. According to Reinberg, studies show that other high consumers of one sugary drink per day include men, Blacks, unemployed adults and those who have less than a high school education. Id.
Teens tend to drink a lot of soda and consume a lot of sugar. Sugar makes up about one-quarter of the calories teens eat and drink a day. For example, 20 oz. of Coke contains about 16 tsp. sugar. Some energy drinks, which many teens mistakenly believe are good for them, not only contain high jolts of caffeine but at least one drink contains 54 grams of sugar (about 12 tsp. of sugar), the equivalent of about 200 calories. Juices that are called “juice drinks” also tend to be high in calories and sugar. A popular bottled green tea was noted to have 61 grams of sugar, as much as a same size cola drink. So, it is important to READ THE LABELS. See, WebMD Slideshow: “Sugar: The Other Teen Drinking Problem,” reviewed by Dan Brennan, MD on May 16, 2016.
Skeptical readers or frequent drinkers may scoff and say, “Really, how bad can one soda a day be for you!?” Well, according to statistics:
- One epidemiologist, Hannah Gardener, PhD, of the University of Miami, found that her early research findings showed that there was a 48% increase of heart attack and stroke risk among daily diet soft drinks, compared to those who did not drink diet sodas every day or not at all. However, Gardener cautioned that these were preliminary findings.
- New York University professor of nutrition and food studies, Marion Nestles, has stated that there is plenty of evidence that sodas are contributing to the girth of Americans, especially children. Nestles, who treats overweight children, states that many children take in 1,000 to 2,000 calories from soft drinks. Some of them are drinking soda all day long.
- Many of the 30 studies published in 2006 by researchers at the Harvard School of Public Health showed that overweight children and adults drink more sugary drinks than “normal-weight” children and adults and that the more people drank the more likely they were to becoming overweight.
- Another study found that people ate more calories on days they drank more sugary drinks and that soda drinkers tend to be heavier than non-soda drinkers.
- There is an association between high soda consumption and the risk of fractures;
- Researchers at Tufts University, studying several thousand men and women, found that women who regularly drank cola-based drinks (three or more a day) had almost a 4% lower bone mineral density in the hip.
- Because liquid sugar is absorbed faster (in as little as 30 minutes) than a candy bar, leading to spikes in blood sugar that the body is not well-equipped to handle, sodas are uniquely harmful. These spikes can lead to the transformation of sugar into fat in the liver, which contributes directly into the development of Type 2 diabetes. Drinking one or two drinks a day increases the risk of Type 2 diabetes by 26%. After 6 months daily consumption increases fat deposits in the liver by 150%, leading directly to Type 2 diabetes and heart disease. Diabetes can lead to such complications as blindness, amputations, kidney failure, heart attack, liver disease, strokes, cancer and death.
When it comes to soda and sugary drinks, we need to get a firm grip and simply put them away!
WHAT TO DO and DRINK
Some of the solutions to “kicking the can” or reducing soda and sugary drink consumption include “retraining your palate,” learning new drink habits and simply not stocking sodas and sugar drinks at home. Some tips include
- Drink more water;
- Drink unsweetened teas;
- Drink flavored water (e.g. adding lemon, lime, oranges, strawberries, cucumbers, mint, or other fruit to water)
- Drink low-fat milk, skim milk, soy or almond milk, or 100% juice, with no added sugar. Just control the portion size of juice, because too much juice can also add calories.
PUTTING AWAY HARMFUL AND CHILDISH THINGS
Sometimes harmful and “childish” habits slip into our adult lives. As a result, we often fail to model good behavior in front of children or others. What is a childish thing? Perhaps it is simply refusing to “grow” in Christ (e.g. not reading the WORD of GOD). Or, not growing in faith. Or, not asking for help (i.e. praying). Perhaps it is giving up too quickly and simply just wanting to pack it all in (take all your “toys” and leave) when things don’t go our way on the job, in our homes or at our places of worship. Or, not loving or “playing” well with others. Or, getting discouraged because you’re not where you think you ought to be—not feeling “grown up yet” and feeling discouraged that life has somehow “short-changed” you (i.e., feeling that life has dealt you a bad hand) as opposed to everyone else. Just as we can’t always “see” our growth “as children” we also can’t always “see” our growth “as Christians.” We simply have to learn to trust GOD. We have to let go of childish ways, thoughts and attitudes of what we think life “should be” and cling to GOD, the AUTHOR of our faith. HE knows exactly what we need to be and become, not us. If we want to live more abundantly we have to let go and just cling to HIM. (See, John 10:10).
Today, pray for the wisdom and strength to put away “childish things.” Pray one for another.
Eat and drink wisely and BE BLESSED!
