I was raised in a "we're going to try our damndest to be healthy" household. That meant no "sugared" cereals, no candies or sweet treats and no "real" soft drinks. So I left the house for college with a pretty good handle on beverage consumption - I drank my fair share of milk and water and when I did have a soft drink, it was a Diet Coke.
Fast forward ten years. I'm married, my wife is pregnant and the doc is telling us the aspartame in diet soft drinks could be harmful to the baby and that its better to have one regular soft drink - caffeine and all - once a day. So I get home and clear the fridge of our doomsday-level supply of Diet Coke and replace it with regular Sprite (caffeine free) and some regular Coke.
At first the Coke tasted overly sweet and syrupy. I really didn't like it. Slowly but surely, my taste buds adjusted and trying to switch back to Diet Coke after our daughter was born was like trying to choke down a glass of sewer water. So the "real" Coke stuck around.
So much so, in fact, that I began drinking a Coke in the morning. I didn't (and still don't) drink coffee - I'm from the Coke generation, I reasoned. Just getting a little kick start to my day just like ma and pa did with their Folgers. Before long, I'm having a Coke (or two) at lunch and a Coke (or two) at dinner. Add that to my "starter" Coke and I'm on my way to a six pack a day habit.
Have you ever looked at the nutritional value (I use that term loosely) of a Coke? Check this out. The abridged version:
140 Calories per 12 oz. can and 39 grams of sugar (or high fructose corn syrup). That's right at 10 teaspoons of sugar! That means that the 32 oz. Coke at a fast food joint contains around 300 calories and 24 teaspoons of sugar (leaving room for some ice). And we haven't even gotten to the caffeine yet!?!
Bottom line, I'm probably consuming somewhere between 500-800 calories and 30-50 teaspoons of sugar a day in Coke alone. How I'm not a diabetic yet, I'll never know.
So with all apologies to the Coca-Cola Corporation, it's off with the Coke. Step one on the Rehab Diet.
1 comment:
Try coke zero, it worked for me when I tried to switch from real coke to a diet alternative. By the way do you consume alcohol? Cause I bet you mixed all your drinks with a coke as well. Good luck.
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