Bad Soda!

People always say that soda is bad for you. And while I believed them, I also thought that soda is everywhere; it can't be that bad for you if you can get it anywhere you go.

I was wrong. According to the article, "Nutritionists: Soda making Americans drink themselves fat," soda contributes up to 10 percent of the daily caloric intake in the American diet. In a 32 oz. cup of Coke, there is around 400 calories--nearly 25 percent of a womans daily caloric needs.

The most interesting part, however, is how the body responds to soda. The body releases a hormone called ghrelin that tells the body to be hungry and to eat. If you eat a meal, the levels of ghrelin would drop for a while. When you drink a soda, however, that does not happen. So you could eat a whole meal plus the 400 extra calories from the soda and not know the difference.

Some soft drink companies, like Pepsi, are making an effort to make their products better. They also have a program for teens called "Get Active, Stay active" which, as a consumer, shows me they care about the health of their customers. Check out the nutrition facts for Pepsi products and see if you can change how you look at soda.