Monday, August 26, 2013

Don't Put That In Your Mouth!
Drinks The Kids Shouldn't
 

Is it convenience or surrender? We let our children consume whole lakes of this stuff every year.


Energy/sports drinks. Tooth Decay. Destruction, really.
40 percent of teens consume energy drinks. Over 50 percent consume sports drinks every day.
A dental study demonstrated that enamel damage is apparent after only five days exposure to energy and sports drinks. Tooth enamal damage is irreversible. Damaged enamel can't protect teeth. Think cavities. High acidity and plenty of sugar are a bad mix for teeth.
Want your offspring to eventually spring off on their own? Teeth and employment here.
Addition 8/29/13  Teeth and success again, here.



 The American Academy of Pediatricians recommends that children never consume energy drinks.
Energy ("energy"?) drinks contain caffeine and substances like ginseng, carnitine, taurine, guarana and yohimbe. These chemicals increase heart rate and blood pressure. They also appear to effect coronary artery dilation. So rate goes up, pressure goes up, but what should happen-- arteries enlarging to accomodate greater blood flow-- does not. The heart works harder with less oxyen supply.


Gatorade. Because this, that's why.
 
The original experimental  Gatorade was apparently not sugar laden. It was meant to essentially replace sweat, and it tasted like...sweat. It became a mixture of salt, sugar, and water, with a citrus-based flavoring and food coloring added. (side note: until this year Gatorade contained brominated vegetabe oil-- Yumm!)
When Susie and Sam are pouring sweat on the youth soccer field, like the athletes for which these rehydrants were originally intended, replacing electrolytes is a fine idea. In the school cafeteria or in front of the TV, they are only adding unnecessary salts and sugars.
It isn't just grandaddy Gatorade. Others are salt and sugar heavy as well.



Fruit juice has become something a whipping boy lately.
They give lots of sugar with little to none of the fiber of the fruit.

 
Two points from here:
One, when you eat fruit the bulk is filling. When you drink fruit juice it is not filling.  Hence you can easily overconsume sugars.
And two, fruit juice is sold by the idea natural is good. Unless you squeezed it yourself, don't think the juice is natural. The juice industry is selling a highly processed product. 
Shall I ruin store bought OJ for you? Some might be suspicious from the start that Coke and Pepsi are big players in US OJ. Try this link.
Excellent quote from the comments of the above link:  "While orange juice sounds healthy, it's really just a concentrated dose of flavored sugar as far as your pancreas is concerned."
 

Soft drinks are hard core.
Obviously there's the sugar. And acidity.
Nutritional Facts of Popular 12-Ounce Soft Drinks456
Brand NameSugar (grams)CaloriespH Level
7-Up41.461453.202
Cherry Cola44.421542.522
Coca-Cola Classic40.741502.525
Diet Coke14.7003.289
Dr. Pepper40.341552.899
Mountain Dew46.68803.229
Pepsi Cola42.111502.530
Diet Pepsi9.5203.031
Sprite40.101553.298

OK. Obesity, diabetes, tooth destruction.
But how about behaviour problems? Soda consumption tied to kid's behaviour problems here.
And as to bone health? Caffeine and phosphorous in soda can cause release and displacement of calcium. Soda and osteoporosis here.


 
Sugar and flavoring added, pasteurized, canned. Not really fresh anymore, is it?

Iced tea.
The store bought bottled ('round here can buy it in gallon milk jugs) stuff is typically sugar laden.
So, the sugar thing again.



Flavored milk.
Dyes-- do you really want your kid eating dyes?-- may cause hyperactivity or allergic reaction, may not. Good bit of contention there. Certainly not going to improve their health.
And, of course, more sugar.

Now that you've read a page largely beating up on sugar you may want to read this quick series of quotes on "Why is too much sugar bad for you?"
Sadly only small mention is made of inflammation. That can be found here, and here.

Bonus link: Wonderful piece on America's other drinking problem.
 

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