These pictures shocked me. Yes I knew soda/pop/soft drinks, what ever you want to call them contained sugar. But to actually see straight up visual from
sugarstacking.com was a bit shocking.

I gave up soda 6-7 year ago. That summer we were had work
BBQs every two weeks.
Ahh good times. The meal of course came with a soda and I used to sip a can (or very rarely two) the whole afternoon. During my regular check up a few months later the doctor found cavities. I had been free of such things the prior visit. “Cavities” I moaned. But I brush, I floss obsessively and for good measure I use the hated mouthwash. What more is there left to do?

So we tracked the changes in my life the last 6 months. This was pretty easy, my life
wasn’t anymore exciting back then! The big neon light flashed on my soda habit. Not only did I drink in a regular basis but I sipped! Constant sugar in my mouth for hours. This may have a coincidence, I was looking for a cause and this was a good scapegoat. Or at least this is what
Coke’s CEO would like me to believe.

Whatever the truth, I have in most part given up soda. This
article suggests it was a good thing all around. Still I will still sip, yes sip, a soda once in while but that is a pretty rare occasion. Now my drink of choice is water, no ice, lemon if you have it thank you…well except for mornings where I seem to have become a coffee addict…again…but that’s another rant.
In case you don't make it to the full article, here are some highlights from a study done in California...
1. Over 10.7 million Californians over the age of one drink at least one soda a day (or other sugar-sweetened beverage).
2. 41% of children ages 2-11 drink at least one soda or other sugar-sweetened beverage every day.
3. That number goes up to 62% of adolescents ages 12-17.
4. Only 1 in 4 adults drinks pop though.
5. Adults who do drink one or more sodas or other sugar-sweetened beverages each day are 27% more likely to be overweight or obese.
6. Almost half of the additional calories growth in our diet since the 1970’s come from soda.
7. Each American consumes an average of 50 gallons of sugar sweetened soft drinks per year.
8. Soda is the #1 source of added sugar in the American Diet.
9. The average size of a soda increased from 6.5 oz in the 1950’s to 16.2 oz today (149% increase!)
10. Milk consumption, on the other hand has decreased by 33% in the last 30 years.
11. Each additional daily serving of soda increases a child’s chance risk for obesity by 60%.
12. In the last 25 years, the obesity rate in California rose from 8.9% to 24.3%. That’s one in four Californians!
13. The cost in medical and health expenses to the state is estimated at $41 billion.