Soft Drink Facts...And They're Not Pretty!

1. The United States ranks first among countries in soft drink consumption. The per-capita consumption of soft drinks is in excess of 150 quarts per year, or about three quarts per week. (Murray)

2. 1/5 calories in the American diet is liquid. In fact, the nation's single biggest “food” is soda, which nutrition experts have long demonized. (Machione)

3. Soft drinks account for 1/4 of all sugar consumed by Americans. (BellyBytes)

4. A study in Florida showed that people who drank a large number of Dr. Pepper or Diet Coke had problems with recurrent kidney stones probably from the phosphoric acid used in the carbonation process (BellyBytes)

5. Americans spend three times the dollars on soft drinks than they do on milk, six times more on alcohol. (BellyBytes)

6. We consume 500 bottles or cans of soft drinks per person per year. (BellyBytes)

7. 40% of ONE TO TWO year olds drink an average of 9 ounces of soft drinks per day! (BellyBytes)
8. Teenagers now prefer soft drinks over milk. 10% of these soft drinks are consumed at BREAKFAST! (BellyBytes)

9. Calcium levels are lower in teenagers due to their soft drink consumption. (BellyBytes)

10. Diet sodas may still be high in sodium. (BellyBytes)

11. Sugar supplies 99 percent of the 144 calories in a 12 ounce Coke. (BellyBytes)

12. If the drink does not say natural sources, it probably contains a color or flavoring that is made from coal tars. (BellyBytes)

13. Dr. Murray points out that "the typical teen consumes approximately two-12 ounce cans of soft drinks per day, containing 300 calories and 20 teaspoons of sugar." (ScienceDaily)

14. According to the Surgeon General, in 2000 the total direct and indirect costs attributable to obesity were estimated at $117 billion (about evenly split among direct and indirect costs). Most of the cost is attributed to type-2 diabetes, coronary heart disease, and high blood pressure.