5 ms·

This is probably a crazy idea: drink less soda. When it comes to pop, I usually stick to cola - and when it's cola I'll never buy it unless it is made with rea

• sp332 12y ago
  Soda companies are trying to get people comfortable with drinking more soda, not less.
• maelk 12y ago
  its like telling alcoholics to drink less alcohol
  • iLoch 12y ago
    Sugar does not have the same level of addictiveness as alcohol, so not really.
• lfowles 12y ago
  Some thoughts on why drinking water isn't more common: * No water cooler at the office * Tap water tastes funny * "Mocked" for drinking bottled water
  • AlexDanger 12y ago
    >Tap water tastes funny In Australia the tap water has very strict monitoring and is tested often. The water here tastes fine. What is absolutely staggering is that bottled water is not monitored as strictly as tap water, yet costs about 1000x more. All those pictures of pristine waterfalls and bubbling springs are absolute bullshit. You are far more likely to get a hefty dose of chlorine or other containment from bottled water. They are downright evil but kudos to the Coke marketing department. Who was the genius that pitched the idea of selling sub-standard water at 1000x the price of what we get from the tap? I'd have said its a ridiculous idea. Clearly I was wrong. Personally, I use a soda-stream at home if I get a soda craving. Cheap, no health concerns, convenient and less impact on the environment. If I really feel I need some sugar I'll squeeze an orange into a litre of fizzy water. Still a bit of sugar but nothing compared to a coke.
    • itsybitsycoder 12y ago
      Really, in ALL of Australia? Even if you live on a farm or in a rural area? I live in Canada, not Australia, but when I was growing up, most people I knew weren't on some big city water system, but on well water or smaller (neighborhood) water systems. Nobody drank tap water, and it was a regular occurrence to get water quality warnings from the testers. Now that I live in a city I drink tap water nearly every day, and it does taste fine. Australia is a big place so I find it hard to believe that Australia's water quality is really that consistent across the board.
• therealdrag0 12y ago
  It could be argued that the harms of real sugar are more well established than the harms of artificial sweeteners.
  • loco5niner 12y ago
    That's the idea behind drinking less of it.
• psychometry 12y ago
  You're ignoring all the well-known health hazards of consuming sugar/corn syrup that aren't present in zero-calorie substitutes. Do you even understand why the substitutes exist? Your comment suggests you don't.
  • stealthlogic 12y ago
    It is you who is misinformed.
  • libraryatnight 12y ago
    The substitutes are to help sell more soda. To sell the notion that you can drink sweet syrupy drinks without being unhealthy. I think the parent understands. I don't think the comment is directed at soda companies or researchers, but the consumers leery of artificial sweeteners.
    • deleted 12y ago
      [deleted]
    • psychometry 12y ago
      You, too, have ignored my point about sugar being unhealthy. It's not the fact that soda tastes "sweet" or "syrupy"; it's the fact that it's loaded with calories from sugar.
      • pohl 12y ago
        Drink water.
        • coldtea 12y ago
          That's the easy way out.
      • loco5niner 12y ago
        Yes, sugar is unhealthy. Yes, drinking less of it is probably the best option. Oh Hey! that's what iLoch said originally. For me, I drink mostly water and very rarely actually drink soda. When I do, it's the real thing.
• primroot 12y ago
  Easy. Just privatize all drinkable water so that people have to buy it. That way drinking water will provide the same economic benefits of drinking soda.
  • iLoch 12y ago
    Not easy but I'm sure it's being worked on.
    • itsybitsycoder 12y ago
      Absolutely: http://www.globalresearch.ca/the-privatisation-of-water-nestle-denies-that-water-is-a-fundamental-human-right/5332238 http://www.globalresearch.ca/the-privatisation-of-water-nest...
• _JamesA_ 12y ago
  "When it comes to pop, I usually stick to cola..." As someone not from the Northeastern USA what does that even mean? Pop, cola, soda and more regularly "coke" (the word not the brand) are all used to refer to soft drinks in general.
  • jghn 12y ago
    It means the darker stuff which actually looks like coca-cola. The use of "coke" as a generic term is itself a regionalism of the southeastern US. "Pop" has the largest geographical coverage http://images.huffingtonpost.com/2012-11-09-Screenshot20121109at3.05.00PM.png http://images.huffingtonpost.com/2012-11-09-Screenshot201211...
  • skywhopper 12y ago
    In this case, "cola" indicates a particular flavor[1] of soft drink (Coca-Cola and Pepsi being the most popular). [1] http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kola_nut http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kola_nut
    • dbbolton 12y ago
      The kola nut is actually no longer a dominant flavor in modern colas: >Despite the name, the primary modern flavoring ingredients in a cola drink are sugar, citrus oils (from oranges, limes, or lemon fruit peel), cinnamon, vanilla, and an acidic flavorant.[2][3] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cola#Flavorings https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cola#Flavorings
  • Dylan16807 12y ago
    Where are you that "cola" is used as a generic? I've never heard of that one before. Pop, soda, and (sigh) "coke" I've heard of plenty of times.
• skywhopper 12y ago
  Most people don't have your iron willpower or particular sweetener preferences.
  • iLoch 12y ago
    I dunno, I used to drink a lot of pop and juice. The easiest way to stop is to just start drinking something else, since you're usually only drinking pop in the first place because you're thirsty.
  • loco5niner 12y ago
    Do people actually prefer the flavor of artificial sweeteners??? huh...