Move over white bread. Soda and sweet drinks are most Americans’ single largest source of daily calories. Ouch! But then again, we already knew that, right? All we have to do is look around us, on any given day, in any given place, and we’ll see throngs of folks mindlessly chugging down empty-calorie, sugary concoctions.
But what we witness on a daily basis is now being confirmed by reputable researchers from Tufts University, who unveiled preliminary findings and are preparing a more comprehensive paper, to be released soon.
Odilia Bermudez, Ph.D., M.P.H., an assistant professor of Tufts University’s Friedman School of Nutrition Science and Policy, painstakingly analyzed data about the self-reported diets off a large nationwide sample of American adults participating in the 1999-2000 National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES).
More than two thirds of those surveyed ‘fessed up that soda and/or sweet drinks –which are our nation’s largest single source of fructose corn syrup–made up the bulk of their daily calories–more so than any other food.
That’s not all. On average, the sweet-drinks guzzlers were fatter than those who drank low-fat milk and orange juice.
“The results are startling,” Bermudez told ScienceBlog.com. The researcher said their paper will take a close look at how sweet drink consumption is related to obesity.
The news that soda has become the largest source of calories for many Americans is “a sad commentary on the state of America’s health,” bemoans outspoken soda opponent Dr. Joseph Mercola.
“This is particularly tragic as soda is one of the easiest things to eliminate from your diet,” adds the author The No-Grain Diet head of www.mercola.com.
I couldn’t agree more. But, if you’re entrenched in your soda habit, you might yearn for nurturing and encouragement from those of us who’ve already kicked the stuff. Let us help you stomp out your soda addiction. Join my free Yahoo KickSugar support group now.
One thought on “Sweet Drinks Top the Consuming Charts”
Many eating disorder clinics in Canada refuse to categorize refined sugar an addictive substance. Now correct me if I am wrong but sugar is known to stimulate the pleasure center of the brain, not unlike opiates. There is even a study, forgive me if I don’t have the reference on hand, where rats prefered to die rather then step on an electricly charge platform to access food, but they willinging hopped all over that platform and endured unspeakable pain in order to get their pleasure centers zapped ! Conclusion: Addiction is stronger then the will to live !!!! Is that surprising??? For those of use who carry the equivalent of an extra human being on our frame because we can not do without sugar and starch, it definitely does not come as a surprise. We women especially, having complained of all the side effects of carrying a baby to term, and rejoice after the last baby, that they will never have to go through that again, but subsequently start piling 30,40, 50 ++++ pounds. Personally, I’d rather be pregnant for the rest of my life the live with then to be morbidly obese.
Francine
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