Do you drink Pepsi with your scrambled eggs?

[mary]

Soda growing as breakfast drink
By John Schmeltzer
Chicago Tribune

CHICAGO — It's not unusual for Dee McKinsey to have three cans of Coke before she leaves the house each morning for her job as the regional director of boards and volunteerism at the American Cancer Society in Chicago.

"There is nothing better than the feel of Coke on the back of your throat in the morning," said McKinsey, a morning pop drinker since the 1970s, savoring the cold, stinging sensation that coffee drinkers just don't get.

But these days, more people are enjoying that chilled morning jolt as they increasingly turn to soft drinks instead of coffee.

Consumption of soft drinks at breakfast eaten outside the home has nearly doubled in the past 15 years, while coffee consumption with breakfast outside the home has fallen nearly 25 percent, according to data compiled by New-York based consumer-research firm NPD Group.

The statistics are specific to drinks with meals and do not, for example, address the Starbucks phenomenon.

Breakfast consumers order a soft drink with their breakfast 15.1 percent of the time, compared with 7.9 percent of the time in 1990, said Harry Balzer, an NPD executive vice president who has studied U.S. eating habits for more than 25 years. At the same time, Balzer said, coffee was being ordered 38 percent of the time, compared with 48.7 percent 15 years ago.

It probably is not surprising that soft drinks are a growing choice at breakfast considering that nearly half of the U.S. population older than 4 consumes soft drinks on any given day, according to a one study.

Consumers are drinking soda for breakfast at home more frequently, too, though not in the same numbers.

Balzer said 2.4 percent of the people who ate breakfast at home in 2006 consumed a soft drink with breakfast, compared with 0.5 percent in 1985.

Most morning consumers prefer fully sugared regular pop, but diet-soda consumption continues to grow in the mornings. In 2006, 5.3 percent of those eating breakfast away from home had a diet pop, while 9.8 percent had a regular soft drink. Diet pop accompanied 1.7 percent of breakfasts in 1990, according to NPD.

A typical soft drink contains about 35 milligrams of caffeine per 8-ounce serving, while a similar size cup of coffee has an average of 75 milligrams.

Stephen Shapiro, a motivational speaker and owner of the consulting company 24/7 Innovation, said his morning soda ritual is not just about the caffeine.

"I find that first Diet Coke in the morning is so refreshing," he said in an e-mail, noting he has never worked for a soft-drink company. "I sometimes drink caffeine-free and still get the same feeling."

Copyright © 2006 The Seattle Times Company

[Flacolaco]

Soft drinks are the devil.

An ice cold bottle of water in the morning for me.

[TripleDipping]

I know people who don't drink any liquid other than soft drinks. The scary part is that they drink A LOT of liquid.

[DubOverdose]

I'm trying to cut out on caffinated drinks, but its sooo hard sometimes.

[Windmill360]

I'm drinking my morning coke right now. But that's because i'm in college and I don't have anything else.

[u2sarajevo]

Coffee.

It's not just for breafast.

[kg_veteran]

Interesting article. I drink diet soda from early in the morning until I go to bed at night. Soda goes great with just about anything.

[u2sarajevo]

Originally Posted by kg_veteran

Interesting article. I drink diet soda from early in the morning until I go to bed at night. Soda goes great with just about anything.

So does coffee. I drink decaf now, but I find it goes great with pretty much anything outside of red meat.

[dalmations202]

Originally Posted by u2sarajevo

So does coffee. I drink decaf now, but I find it goes great with pretty much anything outside of red meat.

It goes with Red meat as well, and why are you drinking "unleaded" now?

[Male30Dan]

I only drink water. Oh, and lots and lots of vodka!

[Usually Lurkin]

soda in the morning is weird.
The carbonation bugs me. The sensation (acidity/carbonation) is too strong for anything I have for breakfast, and my chest feels like its full of carbon dioxide for hours. However, if your mouth tastes like crap when you wake up and you don't have a toothbrush handy, a shot of root beer will do wonders.

By lunch time, soda is always good stuff.

[Usually Lurkin]

Originally Posted by u2sarajevo

So does coffee. I drink decaf now, but I find it goes great with pretty much anything outside of red meat.

try cutting it with half a glass of red wine. YUM

[u2sarajevo]

Originally Posted by dalmations202

It goes with Red meat as well, and why are you drinking "unleaded" now?

Because I got on a health kick 2 years back and decided to give up caffeine.

Funny story, and off topic so let me apologize in advance... but I didn't think I was addicted to caffeine because I drank it all the time. I had, on average, a pot of coffee before going to bed and it never kept me from sleeping. Then 2 years ago I decided to try and stop drinking it I went through 2 weeks of hell. Hell like no other breaking the addiction my body had that I had no idea was the case. After that 2 weeks I found myself sleeping better... and another thing is that I started having dreams again. For the past 11 years I never dreamed, and just figured I didn't remember them.... but now I was waking up with full color vivid dreams. That was when I knew I could never go back...

Which was a problem because I call coffee the "juice of life". There aren't many options for decaf coffee's.... well, at least not at Starbucks. I started researching and found that you can get many excellent quality decaf "green beans" on several sites online (my favorite is sweet maria's). Of course that means you have to roast them... but let me tell you it's not only easy to do but the coffee is outstanding as a result because there is nothing fresher.

If you are a beginner roaster all you need is an air-popcorn popper and some green beans (and a metal collander). One important thing is the air-popcorn popper must not be vented from the bottom with a mesh screen because those cause fires when you roast beans. look for one that has side vents... and then in 6-8 short minutes be prepared for the best coffee you never thought you would ever make.

[dirt_dobber]

What Happens To Your Body If You Drink A Coke Right Now?

http://healthbolt.net/2006/12/08/wha...oke-right-now/

Have you ever wondered why Coke comes with a smile? It’s because it gets you high. They took the cocaine out almost a hundred years ago. You know why? It was redundant.

* In The First 10 minutes: 10 teaspoons of sugar hit your system. (100% of your recommended daily intake.) You don’t immediately vomit from the overwhelming sweetness because phosphoric acid cuts the flavor allowing you to keep it down.

* 20 minutes: Your blood sugar spikes, causing an insulin burst. Your liver responds to this by turning any sugar it can get its hands on into fat. (There’s plenty of that at this particular moment)

* 40 minutes: Caffeine absorption is complete. Your pupils dilate, your blood pressure rises, as a response your livers dumps more sugar into your bloodstream. The adenosine receptors in your brain are now blocked preventing drowsiness.

* 45 minutes: Your body ups your dopamine production stimulating the pleasure centers of your brain. This is physically the same way heroin works, by the way.

* >60 minutes: The phosphoric acid binds calcium, magnesium and zinc in your lower intestine, providing a further boost in metabolism. This is compounded by high doses of sugar and artificial sweeteners also increasing the urinary excretion of calcium.

* >60 Minutes: The caffeine’s diuretic properties come into play. (It makes you have to pee.) It is now assured that you’ll evacuate the bonded calcium, magnesium and zinc that was headed to your bones as well as sodium, electrolyte and water.

* >60 minutes: As the rave inside of you dies down you’ll start to have a sugar crash. You may become irritable and/or sluggish. You’ve also now, literally, pissed away all the water that was in the Coke. But not before infusing it with valuable nutrients your body could have used for things like even having the ability to hydrate your system or build strong bones and teeth.

This will all be followed by a caffeine crash in the next few hours. (As little as two if you’re a smoker.) But, hey, have another Coke, it’ll make you feel better.

*FYI: The Coke itself is not the enemy, here. It’s the dynamic combo of massive sugar doses combined with caffeine and phosphoric acid. Things which are found in almost all soda.

==================================================

That being said I drink 2 dr.peppers a day.........yeah buddy!

[Usually Lurkin]

wow. if you can drink a pot of coffee and still fall asleep, you are addicted. Congrats, U2 on getting off the stuff.

[u2sarajevo]

Originally Posted by Usually Lurkin

wow. if you can drink a pot of coffee and still fall asleep, you are addicted. Congrats, U2 on getting off the stuff.

I think it had alot to do with all the vivarin that got me through high school and college...

[kg_veteran]

Originally Posted by dirt_dobber

What Happens To Your Body If You Drink A Coke Right Now?

http://healthbolt.net/2006/12/08/wha...oke-right-now/

Have you ever wondered why Coke comes with a smile? It’s because it gets you high. They took the cocaine out almost a hundred years ago. You know why? It was redundant.

* In The First 10 minutes: 10 teaspoons of sugar hit your system. (100% of your recommended daily intake.) You don’t immediately vomit from the overwhelming sweetness because phosphoric acid cuts the flavor allowing you to keep it down.
* 20 minutes: Your blood sugar spikes, causing an insulin burst. Your liver responds to this by turning any sugar it can get its hands on into fat. (There’s plenty of that at this particular moment)
* 40 minutes: Caffeine absorption is complete. Your pupils dilate, your blood pressure rises, as a response your livers dumps more sugar into your bloodstream. The adenosine receptors in your brain are now blocked preventing drowsiness.
* 45 minutes: Your body ups your dopamine production stimulating the pleasure centers of your brain. This is physically the same way heroin works, by the way.
* >60 minutes: The phosphoric acid binds calcium, magnesium and zinc in your lower intestine, providing a further boost in metabolism. This is compounded by high doses of sugar and artificial sweeteners also increasing the urinary excretion of calcium.
* >60 Minutes: The caffeine’s diuretic properties come into play. (It makes you have to pee.) It is now assured that you’ll evacuate the bonded calcium, magnesium and zinc that was headed to your bones as well as sodium, electrolyte and water.
* >60 minutes: As the rave inside of you dies down you’ll start to have a sugar crash. You may become irritable and/or sluggish. You’ve also now, literally, pissed away all the water that was in the Coke. But not before infusing it with valuable nutrients your body could have used for things like even having the ability to hydrate your system or build strong bones and teeth.

This will all be followed by a caffeine crash in the next few hours. (As little as two if you’re a smoker.) But, hey, have another Coke, it’ll make you feel better.

*FYI: The Coke itself is not the enemy, here. It’s the dynamic combo of massive sugar doses combined with caffeine and phosphoric acid. Things which are found in almost all soda.

==================================================

That being said I drink 2 dr.peppers a day.........yeah buddy!

I got off of regular soda about 4 years ago (and started exercising more and eating better) and dropped about 50 lbs.

I agree with the "makes you pee" stuff. I hit the toilet regularly.

u2 - I thought I was doing good when I went off of regular soda. I completely understand the hell you went through quitting coffee, because I've gone off of soda for a couple of days at a time before, and it really sucks.

[capitalcity]

Experts are finding that "high-fructose corn syrup" (HFCS) is making us fat. Scientists at nutrition research centers are saying that it's a huge problem.

Exactly what is "high-fructose corn syrup"? Well, it's not the same thing at all as the natural, healthy fructose in honey and fruit. "High-fructose corn syrup" is a highly refined, artificial product. It is created through an intricate process that transforms cornstarch into a thick, clear liquid. White sugar and "high-fructose corn syrup" are not the same. Industry advocates for corn growers say that they are the same. But nutritional science studies say that there is a big difference between the two. They say that "high-fructose corn syrup" is worse than sugar.

This manufactured fructose is sweeter than sugar in an unhealthy way, and is digested differently in a bad way. Research has shown that "high-fructose corn syrup" goes directly to the liver, releasing enzymes that instruct the body to then store fat! This may elevate triglyceride (fat in blood) levels and elevate cholesterol levels. This fake fructose may slow fat burning and cause weight gain. Other research indicates that it does not stimulate insulin production, which usually creates a sense of being full. Therefore, people may eat more than they should. Indications also are that the important chromium levels are lowered by this sweetener which may then contribute to type 2 diabetes. Obesity is a contributor too.

Many older Americans are overweight. As we age, our taste buds don't work as efficiently, prompting us to eat more of everything that tastes sweet. "High-fructose corn syrup" is in almost everything.

The dangers of white sugar have been known for a long time. But now the evidence seems clear that "high-fructose corn syrup" is an even more dangerous consequence for our love of sweets. Dietary experts are singling out this fake syrup as one reason for the startling rise in obesity in America and related increase in diabetes.

"High-fructose corn syrup" is not the corn syrup you buy in a bottle at the supermarket to use for baking. It's an artificial additive that's cheaper and easier for manufacturers of sodas and fruit juices to use. If you read labels, you'll find this additive in such products as pizzas, sweetened yogurt, baby food, ketchup, cookies, beer and alarmingly in most manufactured foods. If the artificial additive "high-fructose corn syrup" is added to an otherwise healthy food, is it still healthy? If you add a speck of poison to vitamins, are they still good for you? After all, just a speck of poison probably won't hurt you on the spot, but accumulative amounts most probably will. 30 years of these accumulative affects of "high-fructose corn syrup" is evident in the obesity and health problems we have today.

Manufacturers of food products began substituting "high-fructose corn syrup" for white sugar in the 1970's. A red flag went up in my mind when I read these facts. I remember distinctly in the 70's when this happened. I was in the habit of drinking one Coca Cola every day since the 1960's. I never put on weight with only one coke per day. I clearly remember when this fake corn syrup replaced the sugar in sodas. The cola's didn't taste as good, and I began to put on weight. I remember that I knew it was the Cokes, but couldn't figure out why. I never made the connection between my weight gain and the change from sugar to "high-fructose corn syrup".

I believe that there's something meaningful in the fact that the increase of the use of "high-fructose corn syrup" in the 1990's, coincides with the obesity epidemic. This coincidence cannot easily be explained away. Annual consumption of this artificial sweetener today is more than 60 pounds per person. It was only about 1/2 pound per person in 1970. The U.S. Agriculture Department reports that Americans consume more "high-fructose corn syrup" than white sugar.

"High-fructose corn syrup" is highly valued by food manufacturers. It's easy to transport in tanker trucks. It isn't susceptible to freezer burn, as is sugar. It has a long shelf life and keeps foods from becoming dry. It gives bread and baked products a wonderful color. It's also cheaper than white sugar, partly because of generous federal subsidies and trade policies that encourage farmers to grow more corn. Fast food chains add it to their products because it is cheaper. It's in the sauces, in the condiments, in the breadings, in the buns and in the drinks. It is the commercially preferred artificial sweetener.

What's worse than sugar? Now you know.

[mcsluggo]

I used to ALWAYS have a coke (in a cofee mug ) in the morning.... I agree with those that say that the acidy/bubbly mix is the BEST for attacking morning-mouth


..... BUT I also was an absolutey hyperactive twig. I had the metabolism of a hummngbird and could've eaten straigt lard and sugar and STILL lost weight. I ran in the evenings, not out of some dedication or urge to get in better shape, but because I ALWAYS had too much excess energy and HAD to do some sprints to be able to lie still long enough to fall asleep. This lasted until I was about 30. <sigh> now I try not to touch that coke crap!

(Coke is STILL yummy, though! the pinacle of human development/achievment!!)
coffee is damn good too...

[sike]

yuck.

[MavsX]

gatorade

[raefformvp]

I drink diet Dr. Pepper in the morning. it's my coffee. I also have it on my night stand and drink it if I wake up at night. hot. I know - I'm weird.

[nashtymavsfan13]

Originally Posted by raefformvp

I drink diet Dr. Pepper in the morning. it's my coffee. I also have it on my night stand and drink it if I wake up at night. hot. I know - I'm weird.

That's really bad for your teeth...


I never drink soda in the morning, but I always have one whenever I go out to dinner and 1 a week with lunch.

I actually hate breakfast, so I don't eat it very often, if at all. It just makes me feel sluggish, weighed down, and sick.

[raefformvp]

Originally Posted by nashtymavsfan13

That's really bad for your teeth...


I never drink soda in the morning, but I always have one whenever I go out to dinner and 1 a week with lunch.

I actually hate breakfast, so I don't eat it very often, if at all. It just makes me feel sluggish, weighed down, and sick.

thanks Dr. Nashty. I know it's bad for me in so many different ways, but I HATE water in the middle of the night. it's yucky. I can drink it during the day fine, but not in the middle of the night. and I don't drink an entire bottle, just a sip here and there.

[nashtymavsfan13]

Originally Posted by raefformvp

thanks Dr. Nashty. I know it's bad for me in so many different ways, but I HATE water in the middle of the night. it's yucky. I can drink it during the day fine, but not in the middle of the night. and I don't drink an entire bottle, just a sip here and there.

You're very welcome

But yeah, even with a sip or two, the sugar sits on your teeth for the rest of the night.

[TheBlueVan]

my mom is a chemist and for a long, long time she's thought that the high-fructose corn syrup in cola's is one of the leading reasons why people are fat...

we've starting asking a couple of doctors and they agree. it messes with your metabolism and your body cant process it right

drink up america!

[raefformvp]

Originally Posted by nashtymavsfan13

You're very welcome

But yeah, even with a sip or two, the sugar sits on your teeth for the rest of the night.

eh, well it's probably not half as bad as the king size twix bar I eat with it.

















just kidding. no candy bar.

[nashtymavsfan13]

Originally Posted by raefformvp

eh, well it's probably not half as bad as the king size twix bar I eat with it.

















just kidding. no candy bar.

Lol

[capitalcity]

Raef what happened to the Chicken Express Sweet Tea?

Not on the way to work anymore - just guessing.

[u2sarajevo]

Originally Posted by nashtymavsfan13

You're very welcome

But yeah, even with a sip or two, the sugar sits on your teeth for the rest of the night.

well.... she did say diet dr. pepper so it doesn't have sugar....

[raefformvp]

Originally Posted by capitalcity

Raef what happened to the Chicken Express Sweet Tea?

Not on the way to work anymore - just guessing.

eh, I'm a little burned out on the tea. I still have it about once a week though. I go through phases. and you sure do have a good memory! (except I get their unsweet tea and add sweet-n-low, no calories that way )

[Murphy3]

I had a #1 whatasized with a Dr. Pepper at 5:00 this morning...

[raefformvp]

Originally Posted by Murphy3

I had a #1 whatasized with a Dr. Pepper at 5:00 this morning...

ah, the breakfast of champions!

[mary]

Well, after reading all this information about sodas, I'm going to try and quit them. I'm on Day 2....yep..its just been 2 days....hard to believe its been only 2.




Two days....that's all its been..just two.


BTW: There is absolutely nothing better on this Earth than a Stewart's Orange Cream soda.


Dammit.

[u2sarajevo]

Stewart's Diet Root Beer is pretty good also... especially in a frosty mug.

oooops.... I mean it really sucks.

[Murphy3]

Dr. Pepper's better than Stewarts...

[ilMavvento]

Stewart's Key Lime is actually the only soda I drink, unless it's a mixed drink at a bar or something.

[mnmpeanut]

i don't eat breakfast much, so i usually only drink water in the mornings. not much of a coffee drinker and i've probably had soda with breakfast only a handful of times since college, and usually, like murph, it was with a very late night / early morning whataburger run (don't forget the grilled onions and jalapenos).

but if i eat breakfast, it depends on what i'm eating. if i'm eating eggs, bacon, etc., then i usually go with a spicy v8. if its something sweet, then all i want is an ice cold glass of milk.