Among the tips on how to maintain beauty and health, recommendations to drink more fluids are increasingly heard. Indeed, a person needs to drink 1.5-2 liters of pure water per day for normal life. It is pure, not mineral or carbonated. Juices will not work either. And coffee and tea act completely differently - they remove fluid from the body. But all this is the lesser of evils. Let's talk about the most harmful drinks that flooded store shelves - about soda.

Not so long ago, in all cities there were machines with soda and syrup. Later Pinocchio lemonade appeared in glass bottles. And we did not notice how from these practically harmless drinks we switched to imported "pops" that not only taste good, but also perfectly remove lime on the plumbing. Unfortunately, adults themselves are not averse to treat themselves to such drinks, and their children successfully drink them. Let's try to figure out why carbonated drinks are so harmful.

Is carbon dioxide dangerous?

It is worth noting that not all carbonated drinks have a negative effect on the human body. The fact is that carbon dioxide, all of us favorite bubbles, is not harmful in itself. It is used as a preservative - for better preservation of the drink. However, it can cause discomfort in the intestines and flatulence. Therefore, people who have digestive problems should release gas before drinking the drink. Ordinary mineral or healing sparkling water is not harmful, but even very useful.

Sugar or Sweeteners

What else is added to carbonated drinks? Of course, sugar. In itself, it does not only harm our body. These are pure carbohydrates that saturate our cells with energy. But you need to remember that in large quantities, sugar is harmful. It affects the skin, teeth and contributes to weight gain. However, now rarely find a drink containing sugar. The fact is that manufacturers are much more profitable to use sugar substitutes. They come in many forms, and you can talk about them for a very long time. But if the package contains substances such as cyclamate (E 952), saccharin (E 954), aspartame (E 951) or sucracite, you should not drink such lemonade. Firstly, some of these substances are banned in Europe and America. Studies have shown that they have a negative effect on the liver and kidneys, and also contribute to the development of various diseases, up to cancerous tumors. Secondly, sweeteners cause hunger. Therefore, soda promotes weight gain. Even the so-called "diet cola" is the enemy of our figure, because it improves appetite.

There are drinks where plant components are used as sweeteners - sorbitol, xylitol and fructose. They are absolutely harmless, but very high in calories. Therefore, if you are not afraid to gain excess weight, you can drink lemonades with sugar or natural sweeteners.

The taste and smell of carbonated drinks

Carbonated drinks often indicate codes starting with the letter “E”. Some of them, as we already know, are sweeteners, the rest are flavor enhancers, preservatives, acidity regulators, flavorings and colorings. The more all kinds of "E" in the drink, the more harmful it is. It is also worth paying attention to the item “flavorings identical to natural”. They can only be identical in smell, but they negatively affect the liver. If you are looking for a harmless drink, then it is worth stopping at where the composition contains plant extracts and natural flavors. Such a soda will be more expensive, but it will also bring less harm.

Acids and Caffeine

As acidity regulators, acids are often used - citric (E330), phosphoric (E 338) and malic (E 296). Any acid harms the body - it spoils the tooth enamel, causing tooth decay, and leaches calcium from the bones. An increase in acidity in the stomach can also cause digestive disorders and contributes to the development of gastrointestinal diseases.

Caffeine in carbonated drinks is very harmful. It temporarily leads the body to tone, but this effect passes very quickly, and it is replaced by lethargy and drowsiness. In addition, the frequent use of caffeine means a huge burden on the heart and circulatory system.

As seen, mostly carbonated drinks are unhealthy. Perhaps among the harmless are mineral waters and soft drinks made on the basis of plant components.

Carbonated Beverage Production

At the heart of any lemonade is water. Therefore, during the production of a drink, special demands are made on its quality. World manufacturers make sure that their plants undergo thorough, multi-stage purification. After all, the quality of this liquid affects the taste of the drink, its aroma and, of course, the health of the buyer. First, all small particles are removed from the water. After all impurities are eliminated, it becomes perfectly transparent. This is the first stage of filtering.

Then the water goes through several more stages of purification, until its properties satisfy all the requirements and standards. The very last step is the passage of water through a charcoal filter. This procedure allows you to remove the smallest particles, and even microbes and bacteria. Thanks to it, water acquires excellent taste and aromatic properties. To remove particles of coal that accidentally fall into the water, it is additionally carried out through a polishing filter. After that, water can be used to make any drink.

The next important ingredient in lemonade is syrup. It is he who gives the unique taste and aroma to the drink. Each company has its own unique syrup recipe. World manufacturers, having branches in hundreds of countries, send concentrate in closed containers so that no one can find out the secret formula.

The finished concentrate is mixed with white sugar syrup in the blending compartment. And the finished mixture is sent to the workshop, where the production of lemonade takes place directly. But before that, the syrup must pass a quality control in a specialized laboratory. It must comply not only with the internal requirements of the manufacturer, but also with international standards.

In the bottling workshop, carbon dioxide is injected into the water, mixed with syrup and bottled. After that, all products pass the control system. Bottles with crooked stickers, with underfilling or overflow of lemonade are sent to marriage.

Contraindications for carbonated drinks

Despite all the recommendations, most people in all countries continue to drink. carbonated drinks. But there are groups of people who are contraindicated in soda. You can not drink it for those who have chronic diseases of the digestive system (peptic ulcer, gastritis, colitis, pancreatitis, hepatitis, etc.). The fact is that carbon dioxide irritates the mucous membranes of the internal organs, which can cause an exacerbation of the disease. Even medicinal mineral water can be drunk only after most of the gas leaves it. Doctors recommend not giving sodas to children under 3 years of age, and older people should not drink them. Lemonades are contraindicated in people with obesity, diabetes and allergic reactions. Also, if you have a weak liver or kidneys, you should refrain from soda or you can find a drink made using natural ingredients.

Copyright holder illustration   Getty

Often you can hear warnings about the dangers of excessive consumption of plain sparkling water - supposedly it has a negative effect on the stomach, bones and teeth. Is it really? - the correspondent decided to figure it out.

Everyone knows that the constant consumption of sugary carbonated drinks is unhealthy - a combination of high sugar and high acidity has a negative effect on the body.

If you leave a coin for a night in a glass with cola, in the morning it will be clean and shiny. The reason for this is the phosphoric acid contained in the drink, which dissolves the oxide coating covering the coin.

So it’s more beneficial to drink plain water. But ordinary water does not have a pronounced taste, so many for a change periodically drink soda.

However, it is believed that plain sparkling water is also harmful. Is it really?

Let's start with the stomach. Carbonated water is added by the addition of carbon dioxide (carbon dioxide) under pressure. In fact, water turns into a carbon dioxide solution.

If you drink a glass of such water in one gulp, then in some cases this may be followed by an attack of hiccups or indigestion.

Well, if you drink more slowly and measuredly? Can it be that simple carbonated water also negatively affects the stomach?

It turns out just the opposite. In one randomized, double-blind study in early 2000, patients with dyspepsia or constipation were asked to drink plain water for 15 days.

One group drank carbonated, the other non-carbonated. Then the participants were examined.

It turned out that the condition improved for those who drink sparkling water, while the control group remained unchanged.

The consumption of simple sparkling water in large quantities can lead to bloating, however, Japanese researchers have concluded that this side effect has a positive side.

In a recent experiment, a group of women did not eat anything in the evening, and in the morning they were given the opportunity to slowly drink a glass of either still or carbonated water.

It was found that when drinking only 250 ml of water in the stomach, 900 ml of gas is formed. It is not surprising that women experienced a feeling of satiety, although in fact they did not eat anything.

At the same time, the participants in the experiment did not feel any discomfort. Therefore, plain sparkling water is now recommended as a remedy for overeating.

Harmful to bones?

With dehydration caused by an upset stomach, severe vomiting, or a commonplace hangover, some people let soda water stand before use to let the gas out.

However, scientists who tested this method on a group of children with acute gastroenteritis did not find evidence that it is effective.

In addition, it turned out that, compared with rehydrating solutions designed to replenish the content of salts and sugar in the body, ordinary carbonated water with gas released from it contains much less sodium and potassium needed by the body.

Well, well, even if carbonated water does not harm the stomach, then perhaps it makes bones more fragile?

There is no scientific evidence unequivocally confirming this statement.

According to a Canadian study published in 2001, adolescents who consume large amounts of sugary carbonated drinks (not plain water) do have a low calcium content in bone tissue, but researchers are not completely sure whether the drinks themselves are the cause, or the fact that adolescents who drink them constantly do not drink milk.

In 1948, the so-called Framingham heart test began in the US state of Massachusetts - a large group of residents of the town of Framingham (several generations — the study continues to this day) underwent medical supervision for many years to identify risk factors that lead to the development of heart diseases .

Now, the descendants of some of these subjects are taking part in the Framingham study of osteoporosis, conducted by Boston University of Tufts.

As part of this study, more than 2,500 participants undergo a comprehensive examination every four years. Among the goals of the 2006 survey was to examine the relationship between bone density and soda consumption.

Scientists analyzed various types of drinks that subjects regularly drink.

They concluded that in women (but not in men) who drink Coke three times a week, the average density of minerals in the pelvic bones is lower than those who do not consume Coke so often.

No effect of consumption of other types of carbonated drinks on bone composition was detected. The authors of the study put forward a hypothesis according to which caffeine and phosphoric acid may be the cause of the decrease in the density of minerals (neither of which contains carbonated water), the mechanism of action of which on the bones is not yet fully understood.

It is possible that phosphoric acid somehow blocks the absorption of calcium by bone tissue, but nobody knows how exactly this happens.

10 years after the announcement of this discovery, there is still ongoing debate about the extent to which a person’s diet can affect the state of his bones.

So, in all likelihood, simple carbonated water does not have any negative effect on the bones and stomach. And on the teeth?

It would seem that any acid, even in a weak concentration, should destroy tooth enamel. However, this is not necessarily the case.

The effect of plain carbonated water on teeth is very poorly understood, but enough data has already been collected on other carbonated drinks.

In 2007, Barry Owens from the Dental College of the University of Tennessee in Memphis conducted a comparative study of different types of carbonated drinks.

It turned out that drinks based on cola are the most acidic. They are followed by diet cokes, and coffee drinks close the list.

Cumulative effect

Owens emphasizes that the important thing here is not the initial acid-base balance of the drink, but how much it retains acidity in the presence of other substances, since in reality there is saliva in the mouth, as well as other foods that can affect the level of acidity.

The ability of the solution to maintain acid-base balance is associated with its so-called buffer capacity.

If you drink through a straw, the drink immediately enters the back of the mouth, and its effect on the teeth is minimal

Cola has the highest buffer capacity (this means that they have the highest acidity), followed by their dietary versions, then fruit sodas, fruit juices and, finally, coffee.

In other words, some of the carbonated drinks can actually harm tooth enamel.

Punam Jain of the University of Southern Illinois University School of Dentistry placed enamel splinters in vessels containing various carbonated drinks for 6, 24, and 48 hours and found that the enamel was indeed starting to break down.

You can find fault with the purity of this experiment, because in real life no one holds a drink in his mouth for so long.

But if the teeth are exposed to drinks for many years, even if each sip takes only a few seconds, the consequences may be the same.

The front teeth of the young man partially collapsed after he drank half a liter of cola every day for four consecutive years, and then - for another three years - one and a half liters per day, plus a certain amount of fruit juice.

However, a lot depends on how you drink it. This patient, in addition to brushing his teeth irregularly, also “delayed each serving of the drink in his mouth for several seconds, enjoying its taste before swallowing.”

Swedish researchers compared five different ways to drink drinks - in one gulp, in slow sips, and through a straw. It turned out that the longer the drink is retained in the mouth, the more significantly increases the acidity of the environment in the oral cavity.

But if you drink through a straw, the drink immediately enters the back of the mouth, and its effect on the teeth is minimal.

So what about plain soda water?

Katriona Brown from the University of Birmingham conducted an experiment by placing extracted human teeth without signs of caries for 30 minutes in vessels with different types of flavored sparkling water.

Each tooth was pre-varnished, with the exception of a small area with a diameter of half a centimeter.

It was found that drinks had no less, and in some cases more, destructive effects on teeth than orange juice, which, as already established, softens tooth enamel.

The ability of simple carbonated water to destroy teeth is 100 times lower than that of some other types of carbonated drinks

The most acidic were carbonated waters with the taste of lemon, lime and grapefruit - probably because they use citric acid as a flavoring.

Thus, flavored carbonated waters are not at all as harmless to teeth as ordinary water. Can the same be said for non-flavored plain sparkling water?

Research in this area is very small, but in 2001 employees of the University of Birmingham studied seven different grades of plain sparkling water, placing extracted human teeth in them.

It turned out that in these drinks the acid-base balance is 5-6 (that is, they are less acidic than some types of stake in which the acid-base balance can reach a value of 2.5).

For comparison, the balance of plain still water is 7 units, that is, equal to the balance of a neutral environment. In other words, as scientists suspected, simple carbonated waters are weak acidic solutions.

However, their ability to destroy teeth is 100 times lower than that of some other types of carbonated drinks.

Of course, the environment of the oral cavity differs from the environment of a laboratory beaker, but so far there is not much evidence that simple carbonated water is harmful to teeth.

So if you are fed up with plain still water, you can diversify the menu with plain sparkling water. Well, to minimize the risk to teeth, you can drink it through a straw.

Denial of responsibility

All information contained in this article is for general information only and should not be construed as a substitute for the medical advice of your healthcare provider or any other healthcare professional. The BBC is not responsible and cannot be held responsible for the content of external Internet sites mentioned here. It also does not encourage the use of any commercial products or services referred to or recommended on any of these sites. Always contact your doctor if you have any concerns about your health.

I remember that during the Soviet era, a real joy for children was the purchase of Pinocchio lemonade with a recognizable apron label under the neck of a bottle of dark green glass. The hissing drink quickly ended in a half-liter GOST standard capacity, but for some reason parents did not buy this symbol of Soviet childhood for the future.

But today in the vastness of the Motherland you can meet soda of any taste, color and volume. The wealth of brands and recipes, however, converges to a common denominator - all sweet soda contains an excessive amount of sugar.

What harm can harmless lemonade do to the body, and why today they trumpet at every corner about the need to abandon the use of all these gassed syrups? Let's get it right.

Pros or cons?

Since ancient times, healers drew attention to the sources of mineral waters enriched in carbon dioxide, released during the reaction of chemical components dissolved in water. In ancient times, they treated such water, quenched their thirst, and also monitored the effect of such drinks on the health of patients.

It turned out that sparkling water better quenches thirst and invigorates. A drink saturated with carbon dioxide helps people with low acidity of the stomach to provoke the release of gastric juice and food enzymes, exacerbates the feeling of hunger. The richness of mineral salts and trace elements allows you to make up for the deficiency of such compounds in the human body. Minerals such as calcium and magnesium saturate the bones and muscle tissue with the necessary building materials, beneficially affecting the skeleton and helping to keep our teeth, hair and nails in order. Carbon dioxide preserves these reserves in water, preventing them from reacting with each other; moreover, it sterilizes the environment in which it is located, preventing bacteria from multiplying.

However, increased stimulation of gastric secretion is not suitable for people with peptic ulcer, pancreatitis, gastritis. Any disturbances in the functioning of the gastrointestinal tract leading to an increase in the acidity of the gastric environment place a restriction on the use of any carbonated mixture. For such patients, soda is contraindicated, as it will exacerbate the disease. If you have heartburn or dry mouth, bloating, or pain in your side after drinking soda, you should pay a visit to a gastroenterologist, because it may not be in the disgusting quality of the raw material for an unsuccessfully bought drink, but in the progressive pathological processes of the “fuel system” of your organism.
  Even if you are one of those who can boast of good health, we do not recommend abusing even diet, but carbonated drinks. According to studies conducted in the USA, regular use of sparkling mineral water led to the development of cardiovascular diseases one and a half times more often in those subjects who consumed precisely carbonated mineral water.

So useful or not?

For buyers who do not suffer from indigestion, carbonated mineral water in moderation does not pose a threat, which cannot be said for sweetened carbonated drinks. The main sight of sweet soda is made for children, because children love sweets very much, sugar is the main source of energy for a hyperactive young growing organism. Following what their child is doing, adults include sweet drinks in their diet to the detriment of sour-milk products, which should supply the calcium and potassium so necessary for the young body. You can’t force a child who has used sweet syrup to eat fully.

So he is a candidate for the victims of osteoporosis and diabetes. These terrible diagnoses are facilitated by a whole bunch of stabilizers, which are added to the drink and caffeine, which, although it invigorates, giving strength, but also helps to wash out minerals from the bones, weakening the unformed children's skeleton. In drinks such as the famous Coca-Cola, the formulation contains phosphoric acid, which significantly increases the acidity of the product. Acid contributes to the long-term preservation of goods, which reduces the cost of storage of the drink, but it negatively affects the walls of the gastric mucosa, provoking the diseases that we mentioned above.

White death

Speaking of sugar. On most Coca-Cola bottles you can find information on the amount of “white powder” contained in the drink. Typically, the norm is 9 grams for every 100 grams of drink. This means that in a two-liter plastic bottle of sugar there will be about two hundred grams. This is approximately 32 pieces of refined sugar.

Drinking two liters of Coca-Cola in hot weather is not a problem. All the same, that to drink 8 glasses of tea, in each of which 4 refined sugar cubes were thrown. An ordinary person would feel bad from such a quantity of sweet tea, but when drinking Cola this does not happen due to the additives contained in the drink and the general aeration of the mixture. After all, carbon dioxide adds acidity and blocks taste buds. Only the number of calories consumed does not decrease. After drinking two liters of sweet soda, a person receives almost half of his daily calorie intake. Considering that soda stimulates appetite, it will not be limited to one drink, which means that with regular consumption of cola or another sweet drink, excess unused energy will accumulate and this will inevitably lead to weight gain.

To drink or not to drink?

It will not be superfluous to recall that the presence of acids, together with a high sugar content, negatively affect our teeth. Carbonic and phosphoric acid destroy tooth enamel, and sugar molecules trapped in small cracks and defects become centers of caries development. Overdose of sugar and preservatives, with all the abundance of fluid with which they enter the human body, paradoxically, cause tissue dehydration.

That is why many people notice that you can’t get drunk with sweet soda - no matter how much you consume it, you want more. This is an ideal combination for marketing schemes, but our health with you does not fit into these schemes. But we can remember more about the harm from dyes based on ammonia components added to some carbonated drinks. Interacting with sugar, ammonia produces carcinogenic compounds that provoke the development of cancer cells. Here is a drink that you will not wish for the enemy!

Therefore, if you really care about your health and your loved ones, we recommend that you quench your burning thirst with quenched mineral water or green tea!

Some people claim that they just can’t get drunk with plain water, but sparkling water surprisingly cools in the heat and quenches thirst! Perhaps this is so. But this article is for those who have not yet decided on the question of what they want more: do not feel thirsty or be sure of the benefits of drinking . I am not talking now about sweet carbonated drinks, the harm of which is constantly discussed. Only about clean water with and without gas.

So, what does sparkling water bring to us: quenching thirst and benefit or harm the body. Is gas in water so terrible as they say about it? What is more beneficial to drink: sparkling water or water without gas?

To the origins of sparkling water

Back to the story. The secret to making sparkling water was discovered as unexpectedly as many other great discoveries. In 1767, the English scientist Joseph Priestley himself made a bottle of the first sparkling water. The fact that he lived near the brewery and his curiosity attracted bubbles that beer emits  during fermentation. A scientist placed a container of water over brewing beer and soon discovered that water has absorbed gas and has an unusual pleasant and pungent taste. For this discovery, Priestley was admitted to the French Academy of Sciences and was awarded the Royal Society medal. And sparkling water began to be sold in pharmacies.

Sparkling water has taken root and gained popularity. Gas began to be added to sweet drinks. In 1833, the first carbonated soft drinks appeared on sale in England. In the 1930s, Schwepp founded a company in England producing lemonades and other sweet fruit water, which flourishes to this day.

Prohibition in the USA in 1920-1933 - gave impetus to the development of carbonated drinks production, as now consumers were forced to replace wine and whiskey with non-alcoholic drinks.

Production of soda. It's all about gas.

So, back to our time.

Sparkling water is water saturated with gas. Usually used for aeration carbon dioxide (CO2)which is highly soluble in water. By itself, it is harmless and even helps keep water fresh longer, and on the label it is indicated as E290. But the effect of this gas on the stomach, not even the gas itself, but small bubbles with it, stimulates the secretion of the stomach, and this leads to increased acidity and bloating.  Also, carbonated water stimulates the secretion of gastric juice, which causes a feeling of hunger. People who are prone to obesity are contraindicated to drink sparkling water.

Carbon dioxide simply stretches the walls of the stomach, causing belching. Acid is thrown from the stomach with gas into the esophagus, and this can lead to very negative consequences.

Who to drink, who not to drink ...

To summarize the above, then we can conclude: sparkling water is harmful for those who have problems with the stomach and intestines - ulcers, gastritis, colitis or acidity.

But in general, if you have no problems with the gastrointestinal tract, you can drink sparkling water, but not every day in small quantities.

Let me remind you again that this does not apply to sugary drinks with gas, which are contraindicated even for healthy people.

If you shake a bottle of sparkling water and leave it open for a while, you can get rid of the aggressive effects of gas bubbles or significantly reduce it.

Regarding Mineral Water, the principle remains the same. All the same carbon dioxide, and the irritating effect of the bubbles, which can always be shaken and a little "blow off".

But actually, at least carbonated water without additives will not bring harm, and it really is refreshing, and even for some people it may be useful, a drink is better than simple purified water has not yet been invented. Read an article about healing with water here.

Summary: the harm and benefits of sparkling water

The benefits of sparkling water

- Sparkling water refreshes and quenches thirst.

- For people who suffer from low acidity, doctors recommend drinking carbonated water, as it improves the secretion of gastric juice.

Harmful sparkling water

- Small bubbles of soda stimulate the secretion of the stomach and as a result, acidity increases and bloating occurs.

- Sparkling water increases appetite and is harmful to overweight people.

- Soda is harmful to pregnant women as it interferes with the normal functioning of the intestines.

About 20% of people in the world suffer from obesity, every second person on the planet experiences problems associated with overweight. Today it is fashionable to conduct discussions on a healthy lifestyle, it is fashionable to play sports, it is fashionable to follow a diet, monitor your own diet, but for some reason most people in the pursuit of healthy food forget about healthy drinking. While it is drinks that can make up about half the calories of a daily diet, cause metabolic diseases, cardiovascular diseases, hypertension, skin, respiratory tract diseases and so on.

According to the UN, along with the way living standards around the world are growing and the number of people who are lacking in food is decreasing, the number of people with obesity is growing, scientists are especially worried about the problems of overweight in children and adolescents. Science has established a direct connection between an increase in the standard of living of the population and an increase in the number of people with obesity in this country. What is the reason for this?

There are two most likely causes of weight gain in modern people: 1. People began to move less, energy costs decreased, 2. People began to eat more or began to eat more high-calorie foods.

People didn’t move less

According to the results of studies conducted by specialists from the University of Aberdeen (Great Britain) and the University of Maastricht (Holland), it was found that over the past 20 years, people have not spent less energy on their daily affairs. The energy consumption of people of the twenty-first century practically does not differ from the energy consumption of people of the end of the twentieth century, when for many cars were a luxury and not a means of transportation, and modern household appliances was only a pipe dream of most housewives.

People haven't eaten anymore

Russian doctors unanimously say that the culture of food consumption in the country is growing, more and more people prefer healthy food, but the same doctors say that in Russia the number of children with obesity is growing. It is known that the problem of childhood obesity is a family problem, which means that the whole family leads an unhealthy lifestyle. The main cause of obesity is an increase in the calorie content of the daily diet due to food and drinks.

Hot dogs, hamburgers, french fries, chips, chocolate bars and sugary drinks made fat and sick just under half of the inhabitants of developed European countries and nearly 2/3 of Americans. In Russia, the murderous achievements of Western civilization have passed only the stage of formation - everyone is accustomed to what they are. But if the vast majority of Russians (about 80%) are aware of the dangers of fast food products, then only about 15% of people consider sweet carbonated drinks to be no less dangerous. 99% of compatriots consider the use of juices and non-carbonated drinks to be absolutely safe.

Modern people have replaced water with food

Over the past 30-35 years, the number of calories from drinking liquids has doubled. According to a recent opinion poll, today American teens consume an order of magnitude more soda than their peers ten years ago. So, 84% of teenagers drink pop every day, thereby receiving an additional 356 kilocalories.

In Russia, there are no such statistics yet, but the authorities are fully aware of sugary drinks, so in 2006 the RF Ministry of Health and Social Development banned selling chips, caramel and sugary sodas in schools. They have been replaced by products that are healthy for children — primarily milk, kefir and bottled water.

The fight against sweet drinks is carried out all over the world. Most European countries and the United States have introduced prohibitions on the sale of sugary drinks in schools. Many scientists believe that prohibitions cannot solve the problem, other methods are needed. So, in the UK they tested the method of persuasion in children. Special lessons were held with children 7-11 years old, at which the nurse urged them to reduce the use of carbonated drinks. This request was constantly repeated by teachers. The other 14 classes did not receive special recommendations. All the children themselves chose what they would eat and drink, but at the end of the year, researchers found that children who received special recommendations for proper nutrition reduced their consumption of carbonated drinks by 60%. In this group, by the end of the year, the percentage of obese children increased by only 0.2%, while students who did not receive individual recommendations at the end of the year consumed 20% more carbonated drinks and the percentage of obese children rose by almost 8%.

Manufacturers of soft drinks initiated a series of studies, thanks to which it was supposed to rehabilitate sugary drinks. These studies are not about proving or refuting the harm of carbonated sugary drinks, they are trying to prove that if people deprive people of sugary drinks, they will still get better, because instead of the usual glass of Cola, for example, they will eat a couple of hamburgers. The conclusions of these studies suggest themselves: it is better for a person to drink a glass of standard Coca-Cola, the calorie content of which is only (total !!!) 158 kcal, than to eat two hamburgers 230 kcal X 2, total 460 kcal.

Meanwhile, Russian researchers say that modern people have long been accustomed to accept the signal of the body's thirst for the signal of hunger. Hence the overeating, overweight, and digestive problems. Which not only do not disappear, but are also aggravated by the fact that the body begins to expend precious water to produce additional amounts of saliva, instead of using it to remove acid.

What to do?

So, we have found out that in order to maintain our shape and health it is not enough to follow what we eat, it is necessary to pay attention to what we drink. In order not to perceive the signals of thirst of our body as signals of hunger, you need to drink water. So that food is better absorbed, and saturation is faster, it is very important to drink a glass of water 20 minutes before a meal and a glass of water after a meal. As is known, many actresses and ballerinas use such simple measures to maintain their shape.

As for sweet drinks, it is better to exclude them from your diet, especially for carbonated drinks. In addition to excess calories, sweet drinks contain many different substances that are not harmful to the body. One of the most famous is aspartame - a food supplement, a sweetener that is used for so-called diet drinks. Aspartame is 200 times sweeter than sugar, but does not contain carbohydrates. This sweetener is allowed in more than a hundred countries of the world, Russia among them. It is believed that the daily dose is 40 mg per 1 kg of weight is absolutely safe (in one glass of soda contains 50 mg of aspartame). All other carbonated drinks contain sugar. A small bottle of Pepsi-Cola contains 8 pieces of sugar (58 kcal / 100ml). As you can see, it’s harmful to drink both regular soda and diet soda, and there are no exact studies on what causes more harm to the body sugar or aspartame.

The next hazardous substance often found in sugary drinks is that it is referred to as a mild stimulant of the nervous system. Children who consume a lot of caffeine are more restless, fall asleep badly, and often suffer from headaches. Their ability to concentrate attention may be impaired. In addition, caffeine increases urinary calcium loss.

Dyes also contain dyes, most often in fizzy drinks use dye "yellow-5". It can cause various allergic reactions - from bronchial asthma to urticaria and rhinitis.

And finally, carbon dioxide, the presence of which in water stimulates gastric secretion, increases the acidity of gastric juice and provokes flatulence - an abundant release of gases.

Carbonated drinks have a number of contraindications

In no case should you give sodas to children under 3 years old. People with chronic diseases, for example, allergies, overweight, stomach diseases, diabetes. The substances contained in carbonated drinks can worsen the well-being of chronic patients or even provoke another attack. For kidney diseases, doctors, prescribing a diet to patients, must note that carbonated drinks are strictly contraindicated. Doctors suggest that phosphoric acid, used as an acidifier, is to blame for the formation of kidney stones. To full people or those who want to lose weight, carbonated drinks are generally not recommended. There are studies by American experts, thanks to which it was proved that sweet carbonated drinks increase the likelihood of obesity by almost a factor of two. Of course, one cannot assume that completeness depends only on the use of soda, but this is one of the important factors.

In addition to all of the above, sugary carbonated drinks can cause illness in quite healthy people. First of all, it is caries. Refined sugar in soda contributes to tooth decay. Secondly, such drinks can trigger the occurrence of osteoporosis. This remark is primarily related to children and people after 40 years. Elderly people, especially women, always suffer from calcium deficiency, so doctors, already in 38-39 years old, often recommend taking calcium tablets. The excretion of calcium in the urine is facilitated by caffeine, which we talked about earlier.

As for teenagers. From 9 to 18 years, the body is actively accumulating. Sweet carbonated drinks not only contribute to the elimination of calcium, in the diet of children they often constitute an alternative to milk, which is a source of calcium. Calcium deficiency in childhood leads to stunting and a high probability of osteoprosis in adulthood.

It is necessary to pay attention to the fact that sweet sodas in the diet of both adults and children can be replaced only with milk, tea - with herbal or green, kvass, freshly squeezed juices without added sugar and water. Water in this series is beyond competition. Firstly, because it is an ideal solvent for food. Secondly, the human body needs water and food for normal functioning, and according to experts, our body perceives all drinks except water as food. And finally, the main advantage of water is the lack of calories in it.

Replacing sweet carbonated drinks with non-carbonated drinks is pointless. Drinking too much juice, according to scientists, can also cause obesity, growth retardation, digestive problems and tooth decay. Even if the juice is rich in minerals and vitamins, it also contains a lot of sugar.

Many people call the use of sweet soda addiction, citing the fact that it is difficult to refuse. To learn how to drink plain water, we recommend using our tips:

1. Refuse sweet soda is better gradually. It is easier to start with sparkling water. Carry a bottle of soda mineral water with your familiar Coke. Try to alternate these drinks, giving preference to unsweetened water.

2. As you know, in order to change your habits you need strong motivation, therefore, before giving up sweet soda, find more information about its harm, use the information from the label for this purpose.

3. Experiment with different brands of water until you find the one you like best.