Archive for the ‘Drinks’ Category

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How carbonated beverages can lead to heart diseases

Sunday, February 28th, 2010

Soft drink consumption is generally associated to severe health conditions. Although soft drinks have nutritional value and help the body rehydrate, while replenishing all its vital vitamins and minerals after intense exercising, they are, admittedly, harmful.

Heart diseases are included in the long list of severe health conditions that are associated to the consumption of soft drinks. Scientific research has shown that the added sugars contained in the soft drinks in the form of high fructose corn syrup are responsible for increased levels of both systolic and diastolic blood pressure. According to a 10-week scientific experiment, people who consume sugar-sweetened soft drinks demonstrate high levels of blood pressure. On the contrary, people who consume artificially sweetened beverages exhibit lower levels of blood pressure. (more…)

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Relation between soft drinks advertisements and childhood obesity

Sunday, February 28th, 2010

Advertising is always important when related to influencing consumer preferences. Particularly, when consumers are children, who are more susceptible to appealing advertisements and effective promotion of food products, advertising can have a really direct effect on how children perceive dietary habits, and even worse, on what they consume on a daily basis.

Scientific research confirms that both adults and children, who spend time watching TV exhibit poor dietary habits, decreased physical activity, poor health conditions and obesity. This happens primarily because watching TV is basically a sedentary activity that puts metabolism to sleep thus significantly reducing metabolic rates. However, watching TV is always associated with eating a snack, a pre-packaged meal or a fast food meal and drinking one or two cans of soda; and the consumption of such types of foods increases directly as people get exposed to relevant advertisements. (more…)

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Pros and cons of consuming sports drinks

Sunday, February 28th, 2010

Sports drinks are beverages that contain high amounts of carbohydrates and vitamins to help the body replenish the fluids and nutrients burned during exercising and sporting events. The general notion that sports drinks are only beneficial to our body is wrong, for the most part because the overconsumption of sports drinks can cause real harm to our health.

One of the major advantages of sports drinks is that they replace the fluids we lose while exercising through sweating. Through sweat, we lose a lot of vitamins and nutrients that are vital for the proper functioning of our organism. By consuming sports drinks, we can replenish many of these vitamins. This is the most common reason athletes and active people consume sports drinks. (more…)

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Soft drinks: Ingredients and their nutritional value

Sunday, February 28th, 2010

Although soft drinks are often the culprit for a series of health issues, they are, admittedly, vital vehicles of a balanced diet. After intensive work out, soft drinks are quicker absorbed than water providing to human body hydration and energy, while replenishing all the key vitamins and minerals that the body loses during exercising. Soft drinks typically complement fast food meals or pre-packaged foods, but the can also complement a healthy diet and be real catalysts to health and fitness. Besides, their balanced taste of sweet and acid, matched with their variety of pleasant flavors makes soft drinks appealing to all ages of consumers.

Being well aware of the effect that soft drinks have on consumers and the direct effect of advertising on them, soft drinks corporations and large beverage companies target from elementary school children to elder individuals aiming to meet their tastes and increase their profitability. From their point of view, soft drink corporations have a ‘competitive advantage’ over consumers in terms of being aware of the nutritional significance of soft drinks. Although they often exaggerate in the context of promoting their products and achieve highly profitable operations, still they have a point when they stress the nutritional value of soft drinks. (more…)

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How to cut back on soft drink consumption

Friday, February 12th, 2010

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. (more…)

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Reasons for huge increase in soft drink consumption in US

Friday, February 12th, 2010

According to the National Soft Drinks Association (NSDA), in 2004, Americans consumed on average 1.5 12-ounce cans per day and spent over nearly $850 per household per year for the consumption of soft drinks. By adjusting these figures on a nationwide basis, U.S. consumers spent over $65 billion on soft drinks and consumed nearly 560 12-ounce cans per year. Pretty scary, isn’t it?

It is scary, but it can certainly be explained.

Soft drink consumption in the United States was a widely recognized phenomenon since 1950s. There was no single man, woman or child at a movie theater without a large pop corn and a soda can. Large displays were all over the places showing the famous vintage Coke signs or the Space Age popcorn box of the 1950s; boys with leather jackets drinking coke; girls with colorful outfits and blood-red lips drinking soda. (more…)

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Alkaline Ionized Water: Benefits beyond Health

Friday, February 12th, 2010

Scores of naysayers have said that alkaline ionized water is all quackery and cheap marketing. I don’t agree. I have been drinking alkaline ionized water for about 5 months now and I can really feel the benefits. Here are some benefits that I have personally experienced while drinking alkaline water.

Benefits of Alkaline water

  1. My acid reflux problem is gone. I’ve been taking all kinds of medication for my acid reflux which could have been caused by a variety of reasons, one of them is stress. Though the stress is still there, I no longer have acid reflux problems. My working habits have not changed and my business is just as beset with the same birth pains as when it did first started late this year, but drinking the alkaline water has given me one less problem to worry about.
  2. My bowel movement has become more regular. With a fairly acidic diet and coffee every 15 minutes, my movement has become less regular and sometimes I would go for days without needing to go to the toilet. Alkaline water has restored my regular trips to the bathroom and this takes away another set of pills from my medicine cabinet. My doctor would always say, the fewer drugs I take, the better.
  3. Alkaline water tastes better than purified water. Thus I tend to drink the advised eight glasses a day, sometimes more. It’s ionized like ionic drinks that we buy in the market. Most purified waters tend to have this “hard” taste when it’s not cold. There are usually changes in taste when the temperature changes, but alkaline water does have change in taste. In my experience, whether it’s ice cold or at room temperature, alkaline ionized water tastes the same. (more…)

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BOTTLE TOP–CHANGES YOUR CAN INTO A BOTTLE

Friday, February 12th, 2010

BOTTLE TOP & ALUMINUM CANS

Don’t ya wish for the original thought that would result in a product that is useful, reusable, a “going green” aid to “save the planet” and cheap to boot?!
WOW!!! It’s the BOTTLE TOP that does all that! It’s an As Seen ON TV Winner!
I wish I was smart enough to think of this one, ‘cause it’s a winner! This little flexible but semi-rigid gizmo snaps over the top of aluminum cans turning it in to a re-sealable bottle. The end result is that you drink your favorite canned beverage from the bottle neck that you can securely recap. Once the Bottle Top is placed and capped, you can turn the can upside down…no leaks. It takes a little oomph to remove the Bottle Top, so your little grand kid won’t be able to easily take it apart and spill the cola on the carpet.
Just think of WHEN THE BOTTLE TOP WOULD COME IN HANDY:

  • You’re half way done with a soda and the little lady reminds you that #2 on your honey-do list is due now! So, you cap the BOTTLE TOP, stick it in the fridge ‘til later. The Bottle Top provides an air tight seal so your drink will be as freshly carbonated and fizzy as when you opened it!
  • Great portability for canned drinks! Anytime you open a canned beverage and have to reseal it for drinkability later, the BOTTLE TOP is your key to retaining freshness. Ideal for canned energy drinks at the gym or to slip into your bike’s drink holder.
  • Do you have little kids or grand kids? Ever notice the hard time they have drinking from cans? Just snap on the BOTTLE TOP and give them an easier port to drink from… plus the ability to recap prevents spills! The six different colors lets them choose their favorite color so there’s no arguments about which belongs to who.
  • The BOTTLE TOP is a reusable gizmo too! Just wash with hot water and soap, and it’s ready to reseal your can again. The AS SEEN ON TV video didn’t say if it was dishwasher safe, so you’re on your own there.
  • “And just how does the BOTTLE TOP support the “save the planet” and “going green” movement”, she asked? Well, the BOTTLE TOP provides all the benefits of a plastic bottle without the recycling problems created by plastic. So, in BOTTLE TOPPING your aluminum can, you get the benefits of aluminum over plastic, i.e., your beverage is cheaper per ounce to purchase, it stays colder, it’s recyclable and we don’t litter our planet. Cool, huh! (more…)

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Soft drinks: The effect of soda on our teeth and bones

Friday, February 12th, 2010

Very few people drink soda because they believe it is good for them. In majority, people love soda because it is tasteful, quenches thirst and comes in all shapes, sizes and colors. However, there is an increasing concern in the scientific world in regards to the harmful effects of soda on human health. And this is because, in numerous experimental studies, intake of soda was associated with condensed bone mass, reduced calcium levels in the blood, and increased fracture risk. Besides, soda consumption is a key factor in the occurrence and prevalence of dental caries. SO, even if people do not realize the harm they do by consuming soda on a daily basis, still the harm is done.

Scientific evidence has shown that excessive consumption of soda is responsible for a variety of severe health problems. In effect, the high amounts of soda contained in soft drinks can increase the risk of muscle dysfunctions, bone softening, bone demineralization and tooth problems. Excessive soda consumption may also lead to hypokalaemia, in which the blood potassium levels decline to such an extent that cause an adverse effect on vital muscle functions. According to a clinical study published in the International Journal of Clinical Practice, people who consume two or more liters of soda per day are more likely to exhibit one of the above severe health conditions. (more…)

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Healthiest Energy Drink

Wednesday, January 27th, 2010

I like to think of myself as a pretty active person. I played college tennis at The University of Georgia and tried my talent at the professional level. I did okay but had trouble making ends meet. Anyways I like to stay in shape, but it’s tough after a long day at work or in the classroom to go and get a work out in. For me I normally need something that is going to give me energy to hit the gym or go for a run. I found at most convenient stores and grocery stores the only type of energy drinks that they sold were filled with sugar and caffeine. They weren’t something that would be good for my body to drink on a daily basis.

So I did some research on what is the healthiest energy drink. What came up was a company called Vemma who makes an energy drink called Verve. I looked in to it and saw that it contains 25 mg of mangosteen, aloe vera and green tea. It also gives you all your necessary vitamins and minerals that is liquid based. For me it was more than I needed for an energy drink. So I gave it a shot and ordered a couple samples. It tasted great and it gave me the energy I needed for my workouts. (more…)

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