Soft
drinks are the most common drinks consume by adults, and children in United
States. It is important to hydrate during the day, what we don’t realize is
that the choices that we are making could be harmful to our body. Take for
example, the first thing that comes to mind for most people during a hot summer
day, is a cold soft drink. We even share it with our own children. Sport drinks, juice boxes are the solution at
hand, but what about water, what if we take a closer look to the ingredients,
and preservatives that we are taking in. People are always looking for a
different option than just drinking water, and assumed that fruit juice, diet
sodas or sports drinks are a better option [1]. However, a typical 20-once soda contains 15 to
18 teaspoons of sugar that equals to 240 calories. A 64-ounce fountain cola
drink could have up to 700 calories with no nutritional value. Other people
suggested replacing regular sugary drinks with low calorie or diet sodas would
make the difference. However, recent studies showed that alternative sugars
could potentially contribute to weight gain, and one major concern was the
effect of the body’s ability to gauge how many calories are being consumed
[2].
In conclusion, diet soda may not be a healthy
substitute for sugary drinks. If we look at different clinical studies the use
of soft drinks is refer as to any beverage with added sugar or other alterative
sweetener. In this category we have sodas, fruit punch, lemonade, ice tea,
sweetened powered drinks, and sport energy drinks. Studies also suggested that
people who drink sweetened beverages whether is a low calorie or not, there
dietary quality is lower than those drinking water [3].
Take
for example, an orange fruit juice it does contain vitamins, minerals and
antioxidants but lacks on fiber content, and is loaded with sugar. Therefore,
calorie for calorie it lacks of nutrients compared to a whole orange. In other
words the main problem is that drinking orange juice from a box is the same or
even worse than drinking a soda. Another example is Coca Cola non-diet soda, it
has a 140 calories with 40 grams of sugars, which equals to 10 teaspoons of
sugar compare to an orange juice box that has 165 calories, and 39 grams of
sugar, which equals to 9.8 teaspoons of sugar [3], not much difference of the
sugar content when we compare apples to apples.
One
of the most common drinks in the market is the sports drink. Unfortunately,
here is another misconception about the health benefits that many people have
about sport drinks. Let’s take a look at the ingredients of Gatorade. Gatorade has
dedicated a huge amount of money in advertisement, and marketing as an ultimate
sports drink that not only is optimal for proper hydration among athletes but it
is also very tasty, and delicious. It advertised as a sweet tasty vitamin
enriched sport drink made for rehydrating sports men. It replaces electrolytes
used during exercise and workouts, appropriate for athletic and non-athletic
people [4].
Unfortunately,
if we take a closer look to the ingredients of Gatorade, it is less than
optimal is if not taken within limitations. The drink has about12 ingredients,
8 more ingredients that a sport drink should have. Let’s take a closer look to
the real ingredients of Gatorade.
Sucrose Syrup- is made from table sugar or
sweeteners. This is high in empty calories, low in nutritional value and cause
tooth decay. The Mayo clinic reported
that is taken frequently it is likely to cause obesity [5].
Sodium- Potassium Chloride or salt is an
ingredient in Gatorade. It is used
for better taste by regulating the body’s fluid balance [5].
Sucralose- it is an alternative to sugar and
is know as Splenda. The sucralose consumed in the body does not stay in the
body; this is because most of it is excreted through urine [5].
Citric Acid- This is a natural preservative. It
is a natural acid found in citrus fruits such as limes and lemons [5].
Sodium
Citrate- This is a safe and widely used substance in processed
foods. It helps to control the acidity of foods and
keeps it in the proper pH range over time. It also contributes citrus flavor
and electrolytes [5].
Natural Flavors- This is an artificial taste that is
added to improve the taste of the drink.
Sucrose Syrup- This is a high empty calories
sweeter made from liquefied table sugar. The Mayo clinic suggested that if
taken regularly it is likely to cause obesity, type 2 diabetes, high blood
pressure and coronary artery diseases [5].
Brominated Vegetable oil- Is a type of oil
obtained from soybean- this ingredient hinders the rise of the oils to the
surface and stabilizes the flavor mixture [5].
Artificial
Colors or Red 40- Red 40 is not as dangerous as other food colorings. Those to avoid
include: Blue 2, Green 3, Orange B, Red 3, Yellow 5, and Yellow 6. Artificial
colors come in different shades tagged with numbers [5].
High Fructose Corn
Syrup- It is use as preservative for some foods, and
it is made up of two or three carbohydrates. It is a source of glucose, sucrose
and fructose found in sports drinks [5].
Monopotassium
phosphate- this is simply a compound made of potassium and
phosphorus, two minerals important for critical physiological processes, like
muscle contractions, fluid electrolyte balance, and cell metabolism. It is the source
of potassium in Gatorade [5].
Glycerol Ester of
Wood Rosin- It is consider safe for human
consumption by the National Institute of Public Health and it is used as an
emulsifier to keep oils suspended in water.
Despite a wide variety of
available nutritious foods, people fail to eat the recommended amounts of
nutrients in their food. Typically this misconception of what to eat, and what
not to eat is cause by the misrepresentation of food marketing and lack of
understanding on how to read food labels, ingredients, preservatives, sugars,
filers and additives of the food that people consume. As a practitioner this
information would help me to guide my clients to be more aware of the foods,
and drinks that are available to them. It is crucial to understand food labels,
and the ingredients in the food that we consume every day. I would use clinical
research data to guide, and inform my clients with the correct information that
food marketing fail to inform them on the foods, and drinks that they consume
on a daily basis.
1. Marketing unhealthy food. Bulletin
Of The World Health Organization [serial online]. December 2016;94(12):865.
Available from: OmniFile Full Text Select (H.W. Wilson), Ipswich, MA. Accessed
August 3, 2017.
2. Jonas S. On the Regulation of
Nutritional Supplements. AMAA Journal [serial online]. Fall2010
2010;23(3):4. Available from: OmniFile Full Text Select (H.W. Wilson), Ipswich,
MA. Accessed August 3, 2017.
3. Farley T, Halper H, Carlin A,
Emmerson K, Foster K, Fertig A. Mass Media Campaign to Reduce Consumption of
Sugar-Sweetened Beverages in a Rural Area of the United States. American
Journal Of Public Health [serial online]. June 2017;107(6):989-995.
Available from: OmniFile Full Text Select (H.W. Wilson), Ipswich, MA. Accessed
July 31, 2017.
4. Robertson B. Q: What Do Energy
Drinks Do To Your Body?. Science & Children [serial online].
December 2013;51(4):72-73. Available from: OmniFile Full Text Select (H.W.
Wilson), Ipswich, MA. Accessed August 3, 2017
5. Med-Health.net, Health News Written
by Medical Doctors. Gatorade Side Effects. Web site. http://www.med-health.net/Gatorade-Side-Effects.html Last Update August 02, 2017. Accessed August
3, 2017.
