Half of Americans sip sugary drinks daily

[The Northerner]

(CNN) -- When it was first invented, soda pop was a treat most people had once in a while for special occasions.

Now it's a daily fixture in American life -- in bright containers glowing inside vending machines, chugged from 32-ounce bucket-like containers at self-service stations and served as the default beverage in fast-food meals.

In today's carbonation nation, half of the U.S. population over age 2 consumes sugary drinks daily, according to a report released by National Center for Health Statistics.

The sugary drinks include sodas, sweetened waters, and energy, sports and fruit beverages. Not included in the total were diet drinks, 100% fruit juices, sweetened teas and flavored milk. The report states that sugary drinks have been linked to "poor diet quality, weight gain, obesity, and in adults, type 2 diabetes."

Male teens are the most frequent consumers and guzzle about 252 to 273 calories every day from various drinks, the report says. Their one-day consumption is more than half the weekly intake suggested by the American Heart Association, which recommends no more than three 12-ounce cans of soda in one week (equivalent to 450 calories).

Read more: http://www.cnn.com/2011/08/31/health/soda-drinking-habits/

[sufrommich]

1. I confess I hate pop so this doesn't effect me, but I

worked with a guy who drank 8 bottles of pop every day and probably still does. He used to point at my coffee cup and tell me "that stuffs not good for you, you know".:crazy:

[seabeyond]

2. i allow two 20 oz sodas a week. monday and friday. but there is the other drinks....

kids do drink mostly water though. and milk with meals.

me... coffee, water adn fresca in evening.

[Aerows]

3. I drink unsweetened iced tea

I have never been able to stomach sweet drinks. Soft drinks make me gag they are so sweet. My sister and brother-in-law drink a 3 litre of Diet Pepsi in a day. It can't possibly be good for them - and both of them have weight problems. I've never had a weight problem in my life, and I'm pushing 40.

[KansDem]

8. Me, too

Iced tea brewed with Honeybush is delicious!


And I contrast this with flavored seltzers...:9 (ice cold!)

[Aerows]

19. Yummy

I like Perrier on occasion, but when I'm dying of thirst, nothing like iced tea :). I drink the Luzianne decaffeinated. It's strong, delicious, and it just wets my whistle.

[Silent3]

14. (deleted)

(duplicate post -- DU was acting funny as tossing up all kinds of server error messages when I tried to post)

[Silent3]

15. That's my beverage of choice

With diet cola and flavored-but-unsweetened seltzer water up there in my top three. I sometimes add one packet of sugar to my iced tea if it has a bitter edge, but that doesn't happen often.

I was raised on sweet tea -- with the sugar added while the water was still hot so lots of sugar would dissolve into it -- but I lost my taste for it over time. Now it tastes sickeningly sweet to me.

[Aerows]

20. I consider tea

defiled if sweetener has been added to it. I brew a gallon a day. I've drank tea since I was a kid, but I switched to decaf tea about 4 years ago. I was having issues keeping weight on, and had to drop the caffeine. I LOVE tea.

[Aerows]

22. When I was a kid

I used to go to family reunions and get sick as a dog. The reason? Caffeine withdrawal, I know now. I can't drink tea with sugar, it's as bad as a Coca-Cola. Once I discovered I could at least get a cup of coffee, the severe headaches and nausea from caffeine withdrawal passed. Yes, I'm that addicted to tea, and have been since I was a child.

I've gotten away from coffee, but I still love it every now and then, black and strong.

[NeedleCast]

4. Delicious sugary drinks

I drink way more than 252-273 calories of them a day! Yummy.

[shanti]

23. you might want to rethink that line of thought

i used to drink a lot of sugar/hfcs sweetened sodas a day.....until i developed diabetes, which doesn't run in my family. i drink diet soda now, but should cut down on those too. there are healthier ways of getting your calories than guzzling 10 teaspoons of sugar (per can). you may as well inject the sugar directly into your veins, it works that fast. :eyes:

[mike_c]

5. not me!

I rarely drink commercial "soda pop" type beverages, and on the odd occasions when I do, I prefer diet sweeteners because I can't stand the cloying sweetness of corn syrup or even sucrose. But my average consumption is probably about 16 oz a week or less. I MUCH prefer carbonated mineral water with a slice of citrus, or just plain cold water. Or coffee.

[geardaddy]

6. The only drinks I have with sugar are alcoholic ones

Beer, wine, gin, etc.

[KansDem]

11. Have you tried "Three Vodka?"

Distilled from soy:


http://www.3vodka.com/

Drank it for awhile and found it quite tasty. My regular liquor store stopped carrying it and I can't find it anywhere else here in the KC area...:(

[geardaddy]

27. Nope, never heard of it.

If I see it, I'll definitely give it a try.

[geardaddy]

26. wrong place

[marions ghost]

7. the hummingbird diet

works for them not for us.

[Dawgs]

9. Low sugar gatorade and juice for me. Mostly drink water. Stopped drinking soda years ago. n/t

[Romulox]

18. Gatorade is pretty much bunk. nt

[Dawgs]

28. Based on what? n/t

[Romulox]

33. Based on the fact that most people don't need carbs/electrolytes unless they are sweating HEAVILY

and the fact that the same results can be had by mixing salt into kool-aid, or, much better still, OJ. It's expensive stuff that doesn't help much. The Sugar-Free varietals don't even make any sense--the whole idea is carbs and salt. :shrug:

[immoderate]

10. I switched to seltzer.

For me ... it's the bubbles! :)


--imm

[geardaddy]

39. I love seltzer

with a wedge of lime. Yum.

[KansDem]

12. I drink Brawndo

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-Vw2CrY9Igs&feature=related

It's got electrolytes...

[Chipper Chat]

13. I confess I drink Pepsi and Dr. Pepper.

But only when I can find it with sugar instead of corn syrup. I buy Mexican Coke once in a while from the supermarket - still made without corn syrup which is nasty stuff.

[sammytko]

29. not all mexican coca-cola is made with cane sugar

check the label.

[Chipper Chat]

30. I do.

And I especially like it when it contains original cocaine (gogtta love those Mexicans)
:) :evilgrin: :party:

[Avalux]

16. I drink coffee and water during the day, that's it. Alcoholic beverages every now and then.

Sometimes unsweetened iced tea too; but I stay away from the sugary (or artifical sugary) stuff. I think not drinking that stuff helps me stay at a normal weight and healthy.

[Romulox]

17. Sincerely doubt that "SUGAR-y" drinks are the problem. "Corn syrup-y" drinks is more like it. nt

[krabigirl]

31. Yep.

[Lyric]

21. I drink a lot of sugar-free koolaid and sugarfree "Arnold Palmer" iced tea/lemonade mix.

On the rare occasion that we can afford them these days, I also like the Aquafina FlavorSplash sugar-free grape-flavored bottled water.

Sugary stuff leaves me with a sour mouth, and I have enough health problems as it is. I don't need to give myself diabetes on top of everything else.

[RebelOne]

24. I never drink sugary drinks or any sodas.

And I do not use sugar, only artificial sweeteners. There is enough sugar in our foods anyway. The only flavored milk I drink is soy milk.

[shanti]

25. no hfcs or sugar drinks cross these lips

in fact, just whipped up some homemade limeade with splenda, delish!

[hobbit709]

32. 8-oz of orange juice has more sugar than 8-oz of soda.

[Romulox]

34. Natural fructose vs. industrially produced High Fructose Corn Syrup

May be the difference between "healthy in moderation" and "now found to greatly contribute to obesity and diabetes." :shrug: Plus juice often has important nutrients that pop almost never has (e.g. Potassium in O.J.)

[hobbit709]

36. Same count back when they still used real sugar.

Or in a Pepsi Throwback.

[Romulox]

38. Right, but tell it to your body--your body metabolizes different sugars differently.

A calorie of one may not be metabolized the same as a calorie of another. Plus, you avoided the issue of nutrients. If one dislikes bananas (as I do,) there are few better sources of Potassium than OJ. Certainly, Coca Cola doesn't figure.

[City Lights]

35. I drink coffee, Guinness, watered-down Gatorade, and water.

Not necessarily in that order.

[stuntcat]

37. I sure used to

I loved Coke, and Mellow Yellow and Mountain Dew, omg nothing but HFCS, and I'd drink them all day.. so bad for me.
I stopped it though, since about 2002 the sweetest thing I drink is sweet tea.
Mostly I just drink water with a little grape or orange juice added for flavor, I feel great about it! :D