Home    Back to Articles

Think Twice about Pop

Has pop become its own food group?  A trip to the grocery store would have you believe it, as this ‘non’ food has managed to get its very own aisle.  Its status has made its way to the top of the priority list and receives as much attention and display area as whole grains, fresh meat/poultry/fish, fresh produce and dairy. 

In one can of pop, you can be consuming as much as 12 teaspoons of sugar or approximately 150 calories.  That alone doesn’t sound too bad, but an extra 150 calories per day adds up to approximately 7 pounds of weight gain per year.  That is significant weight gain, especially for kids who start drinking pop at a young age.  By the time a child reaches teenage years they have potentially become up to 50 pounds overweight before they even reach highschool.  For those who drink more than one can or pop per day, those numbers increase accordingly.  Refined white sugar, the main ingredient in pop, creates what’s called a nutrient debt in our body.  Vitamins, mineral and some fats and proteins are necessary for the body to convert and utilize sugar.  When we consume large amounts of sugar in the absence of these other nutrients, the body must pull these nutrients from tissues elsewhere in the body in order to continue its metabolic process.  It's also important to know that excess sugar in the blood is very dangerous and therefore quickly gets removed and converted into fat for storage.  To cut to the point:  Pop provides absolutely nothing that our bodies require nutritionally; what it does provide is a negative stress and nutrient depletion.

What about diet pop?  Years ago saccharin was used as a sugar substitute.  After many years of consuming this product it was pulled from the shelves and listed as a potential carcinogen – a cancer causing agent. Today there is a controversy over Aspartame and its effects on the brain.  Whether Aspartame or some new sugar substitute finds its way onto the market as a better choice, it still does not change the ‘nutrient debt’ syndrome.  Pop, no matter what sweetener is used will always have a negative nutritional affect on our bodies.

Phosphorus is another ingredient in pop that has its consequences. In the form of phosphoric acid, it is the ingredient in most sodas to keep it bubbly.  Phosphorus plays an essential role in bone health in two ways:  Too much phosphorus will block the parathyroid hormone which activates vitamin D to assist in the absorption of calcium.  Phosphorus will also bind itself to calcium in the digestive tract and prevent any absorption and hindering our ability to build strong bones.  Calcium also plays an essential role in maintaining the proper pH level of our blood.  If our blood becomes too alkaline or too acidic, disease and infection can result.  Pop will create an acidic environment due to its lack of nutrients and negative stress.  If calcium is not absorbed through diet or blocked by excess phosphorus, then the body will draw calcium from the bones to maintain an alkaline blood level.  

Drinking pop regularly will increase your risk of osteoporosis, obesity, diabetes, heart disease…..and all the subsidiary health issues that develop from these conditions.

Think twice about pop!