The Filipino Friends Blog

Drinks & Diet

More stuff for you to read…they do make sense….of course, hubby sent it…here you go!

Soda. Making up for 10 percent of the average American’s caloric intake, soda is at the top of the beverage blunder list. Research has shown that soda consumption is directly linked to weight gain. In addition to offering large quantities of calories, soda’s high concentrations of sugar and starch often contribute to overeating. Walking off one 12-ounce can of Coca-Cola Classic (which has 143 calories and 39.9 grams of sugar) will take 27 minutes.

Coffee Drinks. One cup of black coffee can be a relatively healthy morning eye-opener at only two calories per cup. Unfortunately, many people partake in less healthy forms of caffeination. One of these less desirable coffee choices is Starbucks’ venti 2 percent Peppermint White Chocolate Mocha. With 660 calories, 22 grams of fat (14 grams, saturated), and 95 grams of sugar, this caffeinated catastrophe can wreak serious havoc on your diet.

Energy Drinks. Often used as an alternative to drinking coffee or for a late night jolt, energy drinks are becoming an increasingly popular choice. Sales for these beverages have reached upwards of $3.4 billion a year. However, top-selling Red Bull shows 27 grams of sugar are contained in one 8.3-ounce can. Such high levels of sugar can have an adverse effect on your metabolism. Because much of your morning drowsiness is derived from dehydration, if you’re looking to get a good morning boost, reach for a glass of ice-cold water.

Soda

I’m going to copy and paste an email that hubby sent to me…about Soda, Soda Pop … since we’ve been changing our lifestyle by eating healthy he has always been adamant that the soda we drink whether it by the bottle, can or fountain…not really good for you…so here it is and maybe we can bring back healthy stuff back to the schools – just to show you how old I am – when i was in school….we got milk to drink! 🙂

Read the below email from Eyebee…

Children sip it, college students crave it, and adults gulp it to get through the workday. But according to a growing body of research, America’s favorite fizzy drink isn’t just a harmless vice—it’s a genuine health hazard that can cause obesity, bone loss, and tooth decay. Some studies even suggest that soda can increase your risk for diseases such as diabetes and cancer. Read on to get the real story behind these sparkling soft drinks.

Here, the top 10 reasons why you should put pop to a stop.

1. It makes you gain weight. According to a 2005 study conducted by the University of Texas Health Science Center, drinking one to two cans of soda a day increases a person’s risk of being overweight or obese by 32.8 percent. And if you think diet soda is a better option, think again: The researchers found that those who drank one to two cans of diet soda per day were at an even higher risk (54.5 percent) of being overweight or obese.

2. It increases your disease risk. A 2007 study published in the American Heart Association’s journal Circulation found that people who drink soda every day, whether regular or diet, were 44 percent more likely to develop metabolic syndrome—a condition that greatly increases your risk for heart disease and diabetes.

3. It has no nutritional value. A 20-ounce bottle of cola contains nearly 250 calories, but take a look at the label, and you’ll see that it has virtually no vitamins or minerals. In fact, the only things soda is packed with are sugar and caffeine—two ingredients for which FDA has no recommended daily allowance.

4. It doesn’t satisfy your thirst. When it comes to quenching your thirst, water is the gold standard, but herbal tea and fruit juice are also good options. Soda, on the other hand, is likely to make you thirstier because caffeine is a diuretic and sugar interferes with the body’s absorption of fluids.

5. It’s bad for digestion. Soda’s effects on digestion are a source of ongoing debate, but some experts believe the phosphoric acid these beverages contain may disturb the acid-alkaline balance of the stomach. As a result, they believe, soda drinkers may develop digestional distress, acid reflux, stomach inflammation, and intestinal erosion.

6. It can be addictive. A 2000 study published in the Archives of Family Medicine revealed that soft-drink manufacturers add caffeine to soda for one reason only: to get consumers hooked. Although this type of addiction may seem benign, experts are quick to point out that caffeine is a stimulant, and once you’re addicted, going cold turkey can create withdrawal symptoms, including fatigue, depression, irritability, tremors, sleep deprivation, and headaches.

7. It’s not eco-friendly. Believe it or not, many people still don’t recycle their bottles and cans. In fact, it’s estimated that some 50 billion aluminum cans and plastic bottles from soft drinks get thrown into landfills every year.  Even if you recycle, the containers are still energy-intensive to mine, produce, and recycle.

8. It’s bad for your bones and teeth. According to a recent Tufts University study, women who drank three 12-ounce colas a day had 5 percent less bone density than women who drink less than a serving a day. As the researchers explained, the phosphoric acid in cola prevents calcium from being absorbed by the body. Not surprisingly, soda is also damaging for teeth: A 2006 study, published in General Dentistry, reported that the citric and/or phosphoric acid in soft drinks can be harmful and corrosive to a healthy smile.

9. It may cause cancer. Although still controversial, some scientists believe that soda can increase your cancer risk. A 2006 study from Sweden’s Karolinska Institutet supports the theory: Study subjects who drank high quantities of fizzy or syrup-based soft drinks twice a day or more ran a 90 percent higher risk of developing pancreatic cancer than those who never drank them.

10. It costs a lot of money. Compared to fruit juice or milk, soft drinks may seem inexpensive, but when you consider the lack of nutritional value, soda seems like a rip-off. And keep in mind that the costs of soda can quickly add up. The average 12-ounce can of soda costs about $1 from the vending machine, so if you drank two a day for a year, you’d spend a whopping $730 on pop every year.

Greek Pasta Salad

Okay, hubby found this recipe and its really quick and easy to prepare and its a delish meal to have! We were going to Pajama Party and we needed to bring a dish of some sort for nibbling – it was also a wine tasting party in our pj’s…so hubby search and found this recipe…its really tasty and yummy and let me know what you think?