Soft drinks consumption is soaring for the most part because they taste great, relieve thirst and come in a variety of flavors, sizes and shapes. At the same time, aggressive marketing and promotion from large beverage companies and soft drinks corporations, low pricing and caffeine being one of their main ingredients, has made soft drinks a complement of many foods and, ultimately, an addiction both for children and adult consumers.
However, soft drinks are often the culprit for a large number of severe health conditions associated with their excessive consumption, as a result of high fructose corn syrup, added sugars and high amount of calories contained in them. Scientific studies suggest that the overconsumption of soft drinks can lead to obesity, type 2 diabetes, osteoporosis, high blood pressure, hypertension, tooth problems, bone weakening, bone demineralization, heart diseases, strokes and cancer, among others.
Although cutting back on soft drink consumption is not easy as consumers are addicted to drinking two or more cans of soda per day, reducing the consumption of soft drinks is a vital issue, related to improved health conditions, healthier lifestyle
and an overall change of mentality. To achieve that, an organized effort on a domestic, local and national level is required.
“Barbarism begins at home”
If Americans consumers calculate the gallons of soft drinks they consume per year, it is certain that they will feel both disgusted and scared. Admittedly, the appealing pricing of container sizes in the super market and the 32oz soda in the fast food, along with the good taste of soft drinks are good reasons to prefer soda over water. However, spending nearly $850 per year on soft drinks and consuming on average 1.5 12-ounce cans per day is a scary 2004 statistic. Although consumption of soft drinks has been slightly reduced in 2007 and 2008, a shift of consumer preferences towards a healthier diet is absolutely required, primarily on a domestic level. Parents should guide their children towards drinking milk and fruit juices instead of soft drinks and they should make sure to full their stock with healthy beverages.
“Society is our broader home”
Schools should ban soft drinks advertisements from their facilities in order to protect children from the great impact of those ads on them. Scientific studies suggest that childhood obesity is directly related to soft drinks advertisements. In this context, schools and other pedagogic organizations should stop the promotion and sale of soft drinks and junk foods in their cafeterias and promote alternative, healthier food choices that would contribute to children’s better physical development enabling them to have an improved physical activity.
Similarly, organizations specialized in cancer prevention and anticipation, heart diseases, bone health and so on, should organize campaigns to inform consumers on reducing soft drink consumption.
“Nation can put things in order”
On a national level, the State should require restaurants to disclose the calorie intake of soft drinks on their menu. It is extremely important to mention nutrition information on the restaurant menus so that consumers are aware of the high amounts of sugar they consume every time they drink a 12oz soda can. Also, vending machines should declare the calorie content of each item they offer.
Besides, the State should require large beverage companies to declare on their labels that the overconsumption of soft drinks increases the likelihood of obesity, type 2 diabetes, and tooth decay, while it may displace nutritious foods from a balanced diet, thus resulting to osteoporosis.
U.S Senate is also considering putting a federal tax on soft drink consumption arguing that such a measure would raise $1.5 billion per year and will lower soft drink consumption 1 percent. The revenues from taxes on soft drinks will be allocated towards the promotion of a healthier lifestyle and diet. At the same time, governmental and federal agencies would continue sponsoring medical and scientific research to the further exploration of the impact of soft drink consumption on human health.
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