We often focus on the food we should stop eating, but what about the drinks which make about 30 percent of the daily calorie intake? We usually take for granted sweetened drinks, but what most of us know is that high-calorie content is not the real problem, it is something much worse.
We have listed 7 drinks you should avoid, to protect your health and maintain your waist line
1. Soft drinks — Soda, pop, carbonated drinks, fizzy drinks
The list of bad things related to soft drinks is never-ending. These drinks account for more than a quarter of all drinks sold in the US, which makes about a 12-ounce can daily for every man, woman and child. Soft drinks are at least one-third of the problem with obesity in children. In a typical 2-year-old toddler’s diet, carbonated soda pop contains more added sugar than cookies, candies and ice cream together.
Soda and diet soft drinks reach the pH level of battery acid responsible for corrosiveness and erosion of tooth enamel.
Diet soda causes dehydration, weight gain, mineral depletion, diabetes, and of course, caffeine addiction, but researchers have also found that this drink also increases the risk of conditions that affect the cardiovascular system, including stroke, heart attack, and vascular death.
Soft drinks contain artificial sweeteners and they are usually marketed as a healthier alternative to drinks sweetened with sugar, mostly because of the lower number of calories. But, the last research has shown that consumption of such drinks leads to a serious long-term health consequences, because of the high amount of toxic additives and artificial sweeteners like sodium benzoate, aspartame, acesulfame potassium, sucralose, and high-fructose corns syrup.
Men who drink a single 300ml can of soda daily are more likely to undergo a treatment for a serious form of cancer, when compared to men who never consume such drinks. A soda per day raises aggressive cancer risk by 40 percent.
A study that involved 66,000 women found that respondents who drank artificially sweetened soda were 60 percent more likely to develop diabetes than women who enjoyed the regular version of the same drink.
The journal Respirology published another study that found how regular consumption of soft drinks is connected with lung and breathing problems and disorders like asthma and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD).
2. Tap water
If you are still one of those who do not give up on tap water and still drink it, you may not know much about the dangers it provides.
The Safe Drinking Water act has regulated only 91 contaminants, and according to the Environmental Protection Agency, there are more than 60,000 chemicals used within the US.
According to the analysis of the government records by The New York Times, in recent decades many government and independent studies have scrutinized thousands of these chemicals, and they have identified hundreds of them at small concentrations in drinking water, and have associated the chemicals with an increased risk of cancer and other deadly diseases.
Most of you know that fluoride is waste product of the fertilizer industry. It affects environment in the aspect of its disposal. The government came up with a solution and the industry decided to put it in the drinking water.
Many studies have shown that fluoride is able to pull the lead from pipes and add it to the poisonous combination that comes from the taps. This may be the reason why fluoride brings copper and aluminium along with the lead.
Studies involving animals have found that fluoride has toxic effect on brain tissue, leading to brain cell damage, reduced lipid content, increased aluminium uptake, impairment in anti-oxidant defensive systems, and beta-amyloid plaque. These plagues are common indication of Alzheimer’s. This probably explains why dogs often drink from puddles than their own dishes filled with tap water.
It usually depends on the country, but cardiovascular diseases are either number one or two cause of death cases. The Nuclear Medicine Communications Journal published the latest study which confirmed that increased fluoride uptake in arteries is linked to an increased risk of cardiovascular diseases.
As if the fluoride levels were not enough, there is a new proposing that industry should add lithium to tap water.
The Associated Press (AP) did an investigation and revealed that tap water of about 41 million people throughout the US is contaminated with pharmaceutical “goodies.”
Tap water contaminated with perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA) causes serious health risk. In the US, the highest levels of PFOA in human blood, other than factory exposures, are found in people who drink PFOA contaminated water.
Lead pipes were routinely used in municipal systems for water distribution, and they are a great source of dangerous lead contamination. In major cities in Canada and the US, construction crews replace lead pipes, but only partially, and they use brass in conjunction and copper lines. Researchers say that joining old lead pipes and new copper lines using brass fittings leads to galvanic corrosion that significantly inceases the level of lead that is released into tap water.
3. Sport drinks
Sport drinks are getting more popular as consumers do not even suspect of the dangers they cause. This multi-billion dollar industry sponsores some of the most popular athletes, but sports drinks are nothing other than “popular crap.”
Gatorade is as corrosive as coke. A group of researchers at the University of Iowa’s College of Dentistry found that energy and sports drinks like Gatorade and Red Bull can erode the tooth enamel more than soda and fruit juices. The journal Nutrition Research published a 2008 study in which dentists soaked human teeth in different liquids for 25 hours. They later measured the lesions, or the structural changes.
“Power drinks can be quite acidic, usually because there is an addition of citric acid to those to give it tartness that is desired by some consumers,” says Dr. Clark Stanford, the associate dean for research at the University of Iowa College of Dentistry. ” It’s important to look at the label and see if citric acid has been added.” Dentists warn that sports drinks can damage teeth because they are high in acids.
General Dentistry is the peer-reviewed clinical journal of the Academy of General Dentistry. In the May/June issue 2012 you can find a recent study according to which the increased consumption of sports and energy drinks, notably among adolescents, causes irreversible damages to teeth. It was found that high acidity levels erode tooth enamel, which is the glossy layer of teeth.
The US Food and Drug Administration treats energy drinks as dietary supplements, and some experts required for warning labels on all those energy drinks sold in markets.
Sports drinks are packed with petrochemical artificial colors which have the role to give a visually appealing beverage. Artificial colors have no nutritional value, and this supports the assertion by experts that sports drinks are waste of money, not to mention their harmful effect on health.
If you still need some sort of energy drink, try coconut water and its rehydration powder. It is even better than any carbohydrate-electrolyte sports drink.
Bananas have proven to have the same or even more health benefits during heavy workout than high-tech sport beverages.
4. Specialty coffee
This will sure disappoint coffee lovers, but there sure are more responsible ways to enjoy coffee. If you prefer a big brand name specialty coffee, like that of Starbucks and McDonalds, you are not only drinking coffee made from toxic coffee beans, but you also consume lots of calories.
Do you like Pepperming Mocha Frappuccino Blended Coffee? Well, that is 660 calories. And Java Chip Frappuccino Blended Coffee? You are getting 600 calories. Why would you consume artificially liquid creamed coffee, loaded with refined sugar and artificial sweeteners?
Experts recently promoted the benefits of coffee, including its power to fight free radicals, improve memory, diabetes, Parkinson’s, and even reduce the risk of cancer. There are so many studies that confirm the so-called amazing health benefits of coffee. Do you think these claims are true and non-biased, or promoted with ulterior motives? The biggest promoters of these health benefits come from the largest coffee producers, like those in Brazil.
We all love coffee, but not many people stick to bold organic varieties from trusted sources. These types of coffee are not offered at Starbucks, or any popular coffee chain. Major chains offer pesticide-loaded and chemically treated coffee.
Coffee plants are heavily sprayed crop. Coffee is treated with chemicals, pesticides, and herbicides, and we bet that you do not want to ingest such substances. The chemicals leech into ground water and increase the number of diseases in the areas where the coffee is cultivated.
Many chemicals are harmful to the environment and the US and Europe have banned or regulated these, but they are still legal in less-developed countries, including the countries that grow coffee.
Endosulfan, chlorpyrifos, diazinon, disulfoton, methyl parathion, triadimefon and cypermethrin are just some of the chemicals used to grow coffee throughout the world.
Coffee should be brewed in 4-5 weeks after it is being roasted. The standard shelf life is 1 year. More than 70 percent of the coffee importers do not follow the required protocols and exceed the time range for sales and stock.
Look for organic coffee, as it is one of the best choices you can resort to if you are looking for a high quality coffee blends. It becomes the most favorite choice among coffee aficionados, mostly because of its awesome taste and aroma. Coffee lovers who take care of their health believe that this kind of coffee is the most remarkable.
Countless coffee lovers throughout the world prefer renowned coffee beans and brands for organic java. There are many brands that are established in the marked today, including Green mountain: Fair Trade Organic, Sprouts Farmers Market and Tom Thumb (Safeway): O Organic European Blend.
Help the migratory birds by buying Bird Friendly coffee. Bird Friendly coffee is planted under a canopy of trees that provide great habitat for birds, instead of being grown on land that has been freed of other vegetation.
Bird Friendly coffee is shade grown and organic, meaning it is free of all those chemical, pesticides, herbicides, and fertilizers that harm the environment. Kenn Kaufman has something more to say about Bird Friendly coffee on his blog.
The Rainforest Alliance offers a broad social and ecological mandate, covering many sectors, including agriculture. Rainforest Alliance programs target coffee as one of the most popular agricultural crops.
Their coffee certification program ensures that the workers are well paid, respected, and that the coffee crop does not contribute to soil erosion, water contamination and destruction of forest. The Rainforest Alliance seal presents the respect for both social and environmental values.
5. Pasteurized milk
The US is the largest producer of pasteurized cow milk in the world, and interestingly, it is one of the countries where milk is less consumed. The dairy industry eliminates raw milk suppliers from the market in order to increase the consumption of pasteurized milk, which lags behind most kinds of milk throughout the world.
Pasteurized milk is one of the beverages that lack nutrients, and it is misappropriately considered as a “perfect food.” Raw milk lovers have long known that unpasteurized milk is the only milk that is worth of consumption.
Pasteurization processing destroys enzymes, reduces vitamin content, denatures fragile milk proteins, destroys vitamins C, B12 and B6, destroys good bacteria, promotes pathogens, and experts link it to allergies, tooth decay, colic in infants, growth problems in children, osteoporosis, arthritis, heart diseases, and cancer.
All cow’s milk, regular and ‘organic,’ contains 59 active hormones, allergens, fat and cholesterol. Cow milk also contains herbicides, pesticides, dioxins — up to 200 times the safe level, 52 strong antibiotics, or 53 with LS-50, blood, pus, feces, bacteria, and viruses.
The food industry says that as the world’s population increases, the food production and distribution is balanced against the needs to ensure the chemical and microbiological safety. Scientists also believe that all foods must be irradiated, pasteurized and sterilized in order to protect public health.
Pasteurization not always kills bacteria for Johne’s disease held as responsible for causing Crohn’s disease, and most confinement cows are infected with it. Commercial milk is ultra-pasteurized in order to eliminate heat-resistant bacteria and provide a longer shelf life. Ultra-pasteurization is quite violent in which milk goes from a chilled temperature to above the boiling point within two seconds.
Propylene oxide is used in one of the pasteurization methods. It is highly flammable and toxic chemical used in thermobaric weapons. Canada, Mexico, and the EU, are some of the world powers that have banned foods treated with this chemical.
Marco Torres addressed a quite interesting point, wondering why do we actually need milk of any kind from species other than our own?
Today, people choose coconut, nut and seed milk. Brazil nuts, almonds, hazelnuts, walnuts, pecans, and hemp seeds give nutrient dense, delicious milk. They are all made in the same way, and you can make each of these without any modern equipment.
6. Processed fruit juice
The so-called “fresh” orange juice sold in markets is one of the largest scams of the industrial food producers.
Have you ever wondered why the popular orange juice, including premium “100-percent pure” brands, tastes the same every time you buy it, but is nothing similar like a freshly peeled orange?
You can be sure that there is much more than simple squeezing of citrus fruits. During the mass-production process, popular brands like Tropicana, Minute Maid, Simply Orange, and Florida’s Natural prefer adding artificial flavor so the juice can taste consistent from carton to carton, and gets an orange-like taste.
“It really rocks people’s world to learn that most orange juice is not a fresh product,” said Alisa Hamilton, author of “Squeezed: What You Don’t Want to Know About Orange Juice”
Pasteurized orange juice takes up a lot of space. To protect it from spoiling and safe from chemical preservatives, companies “deaerate” the juice, or strip the oxygen out. Are you surprised? Wait for this one. Deaerated juice usually sits in million-gallon tanks for about a year before it is sold in markets.
Another shocking investigation also found that the best known apple juice brands are packed with arsenic.
Commercial American apple juice is made from apple concentrates, and 60% of the concentrates are imported from China. Many countries use pesticides that probably contain arsenic. It is a heavy metal that causes cancer and heart diseases.
Consumer Reports did an investigation about arsenic and lead level in apple and grape juice, and the devastating findings made the organisation ask for government standards that will limit the exposure to these toxins.
Fruit juices are not 100% juice, and the additives that extend their shelf life can severely harm your health.
7. Any artificially sweetened drink
Producers still use aspartame and sucralose in the production process of hundreds of artificially sweetened drinks, like cocktails, milk, juice, ice coffee, and soda. If you see any of these substances on the label of your drink, please do not drink it. These both are two of the world’s most toxic sweeteners.
Monsanto created Aspartame, and it knows everything about its health-threatening effects, but it funds the American Diabetic Association, the Conference of the American College of Physicians and Congress.
When ingested, aspartame breaks down into many poisonous substances. The intact aspartame molecule, and the diketopiperazine form are worse than any other poisons that arise from it during the digestion process, and the liver processing of digestive blood, which is brought to the liver through the portal vein.
The other poisonous substances are hazardous, but Aspartame in gums is the worst. Even the smallest amount of Aspartame in chewing gums has destructive and damaging effect.
During digestion, Aspartame is made into ten other poisonings, and except for that which goes directly to the pancreas, the others are delivered to the liver through the portal vein, and they are later partially reprocessed. Lesser concentrations of the poisonings are sent throughout the whole body, and eventually reach the brain, of course, in much lesser concentrations.
According to the report of a group of scientists at the Duke Unversity, Splenda and its main component sucralose are a serious threat to its consumers.
As the US Food and Drug Administration said, the body absorbs 11 to 27 percent of the sucralose we ingest (FDA 1998). The manufacturer of sucralose (Roberts 2000) published a research in which 8 healthy men were given sucralose (1mg/kg), and they absorbed about 10.4 — 30.6 percent of the amount they received. In addition to this, 1.6-12.2 percent of the sucralose later accumulates in the body.
Splenda/sucralose is actually chlorinated sugar, or a chlorocarbon. Chlorocarbons include carbon tetrachloride, trichlorethelene and methylene chloride, and each of these is deadly. Chlorine is highly excitable and ferocious element that is used as a biocide in bleach, disinfectants, insecticide, WWI poison gas, and hydrochloric acid.
In laboratory animals the consumption of Splenda resulted in swollen liver, same as all chlorocarbon poisons do, and it also calcified the kidneys, as shown in toxicity studies.
These chemicals affect the brain and the nervous system. They also affect other bodily systems, including genetics and immunity. Chlorocarbon poisoning may be the root-cause of cancer, birth defects, and damages to the immune system. These are some of the well known effects od Dioxin and PCBs, known as the most deadliest chlorocarbons.