Energy Drink-Off

Dr Whiting on The Dangers of Energy Drinks

Energy Drinks = Death.

Super-caffeinated energy drinks, with names like Red Bull, Monster, Full Throttle and Amp, have surged in popularity in the past decade. About a third of 12-to 24-year-olds say they regularly down energy drinks, which account for more than $3 billion in annual sales in the United States. Around the country, the drinks have been linked with reports of nausea, abnormal heart rhythms and emergency room visits. There have been many reports of kids going to the hospital because of heart palpitations and intense sweating after drinking one of these. It has also been found that if consumed regularly, most energy drinks can actually become addicting. It has also been a concern that taking in this amount of sugar can also give you a "caffine drunk" where kids actually act like they are drunk. They are out of there minds and are unresposive. Motor reaction and reflexes are just as impaired as being drunk off of alchohol. This can be extremely dangerous if the consumption of these drinks increases. It could be dangerous for kids and people around them.

A Soft Drink or a Candy Bar?

Studies have shown that the number one cause of obesity is carbonated drinks. On the top of the list for the worst for you is Dr. Pepper. Dr Pepper is found to have in some cases even more sugar that a candy bar or an ice cream. For people who consume more than one carbonated drink a day, this can be a really serious health risk. 23 different flavors? What exactly does that mean? I think it is a cover up for the ridiculous amount of sugar that they are loading into this drink. It is important that people look at the Nutrition Facts before they drink it. It may just seem like only a drink, but it might as well be a meal. This beverage has more calories and sugars to last you all day. The thick syrupy taste of Dr. Pepper is undoubtably delicious, but hazardous to health. A study has shown that if an average person consumes 1 Dr. Pepper a day, they will gain 8 pounds in a month. This can really add up, not to mention the incredible impact this drink is having on one's heart. It is better to stick to a beverage that will not pack on the pounds such as Dr. Pepper does. For example, orange juice, sprite, and tomato juice are all healthy alternatives. One should not give up Dr. Pepper completely, but be aware of what is in it! (:

Final Blog

During this project, I have learned many new things about blogging. It is an easy way to put out all your ideas and opinions and back them up with information from the web. I liked voicing my opinion and backing it up. It gave me a chance to show how creative I am and logical in my descriptions. I think that I have a creative mind because I put forth ideas that are uncommon and unconsidered. I also posed a variety of unfamiliar questions. I used these questions as my titles. I think that my mind also works as a synthesizing mind. I took information from various websites (ex: Web MD) and used it as a tool to present my opinion. This made blogging easy and almost natural. After reading something on-line, I would go back to my blog and simply type all of my thoughts. I synthesizing mind takes information from dissipate sources, understands and evaluates that information objectively, and puts it together in ways to the synthesizer and to the other person. I feel that this kind of mind describes my attitude towards blogging the most.
As well as figuring out what kind of mind set I have, I also exemplified tools to make my writing more effective. For example, I exhibited curiosity in my topic. I started off with some basic information and thoughts and an attitude to elaborate on my topic. As my blog goes on, my posts become more intelligent and thought provoked. They are longer and focus deeper than the surface information. My blog is informative and it does a good job of creating new insights to unknown information. In forming my blog, I also experimented with new ideas. I found a blog online that was having a discussion about the effects of soft drink addiction. I used this in my blog to visit each view of my topic. Also, I created a blog asking people how many soft drinks they consumed each day. I used this information to see the how accurate my assumptions were. These writing tools helped me a lot to form my ideas and to back up what I already knew.
I realized that in writing my blog, it was easy to let my ideas flow. I have strong opinions on this topic and blogging gave me a chance to share with the public every angle of my position. I learned how simple blogging is. I have always thought that it was complicated and i was taught how easy it is. I am glad that this was one of our projects. I thought it was productive and the best tool we have used in this class as far as developing ideas.

Why Set Beverage Guidelines?

Americans consume far too many calories. And at least a fifth of these calories come from things we drink. The worst things humans can drink include: sugar-sweetened soft drinks, sports drinks, fruit drinks, and sugary tea and coffee drinks.

A blue-ribbon panel of six leading U.S. nutrition experts have come up with guidelines for healthy drinking. The panel's chairman is Barry M. Popkin, PhD, professor of nutrition, head of nutrition epidemiology, and director of the Interdisciplinary Center for Obesity at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.

"Everybody -- parents, adults, and teenagers -- have to realize what they drink is adding to their weight," Popkin tells WebMD. "We want people to think about their entire portfolio of beverages and change that to make for a much healthier America."

Drink More Diet Soda, Gain More Weight?

"When it comes to calories, think before you drink anything," Fernstrom tells WebMD. She was not a member of the beverage guideline panel.

Popkin agrees the new guidelines are complex. But he argues that they're no more complex than the choices that confront us.

"We are being faced with a billion beverages," he says. "Every year, the food industry adds 1,000 new beverage choices."

As a result of these new beverage choices, people are tempted to try them. This increases the consumption of these sugary drinks. People do not realize how bad these drinks really are for them. Drinks are not normally seen as a health threat but in this case, they are extremely threatening. Americans need to be educated more about what they are consuming everyday. We focus more on the taste than the health facts. In my opinion, this will be America's health downfall.

Why are soft drinks particularly conducive to weight gain?

Studies show that beverages promote weight gain more than solid foods. When people consume a solid food, they are more likely to compensate and reduce their consumption of other calories. However, that "compensation" does not occur as much after drinking a caloric beverage, so the calories from the drink become "extra" calories. Of course, people should also limit their consumption of other high-calorie foods with limited nutritional value. It is easier to go over the limit with soft drinks and that is why our country has such a problem with it's obesity. Also, we must monitor the consumption that our children take in of these products. It is easy for them to come home from school and grab a coke. They have no idea of the effect that it has on their body. Start by making the availability of soft drinks in your home from less to even none. Then talk to your children and set some rules about after school drinks. This way, we can works towards a better, more healthy nation.

Why Tax Soft Drinks?

Taxing the one beverage or food that has been shown to promote weight gain is a sensible means of reducing consumption and generating revenues that could help fund health-care and obesity-prevention measures. "A small tax, such as a 5% sales tax would generate revenues without significantly affecting consumption, while a larger tax, such as a penny per ounce (12 cents per can), would raise more money and reduce consumption. Tobacco taxes have contributed to reductions in cigarette consumption and smoking rates, particularly among children." Taxing soft drinks is both ridiculous and sensible at the same time. It is ridiculous because people should not have to be taxed on their favorite beverage. It would cause chaos and protest. It is sensible because of the affects that soft drinks have made on our population. They are one of the bas reasons for our huge problem of obesity in the United States. I think that soft drinks should be taxed in effort to promote health in our country.

What to do in the Super Market

Soft drinks in and of themselves are not completely bad for you, and there is room for them here and there as a treat, just like ice cream and candy. They can hardly be considered a daily staple, although that is exactly what they have become thanks to the efforts of the beverage industry.

But you can easily fight back. Just skip the beverage aisle at the supermarket on your next grocery trip. And the one after that. And the one after. In one year, you’ll have saved $500 for a family of four, and most likely lost a few pounds too.

16 Online Facts About Soft Drinks:

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. The average American consumes 22 teaspoons of added sugar a day, vs the recommended 5-9. That 200-400% more than recommended.

7. If you think that’s a high number, just one 20 fl oz single use bottle of soda has 17 teaspoons of sugar.

8. Almost half of the additional calories growth in our diet since the 1970’s come from soda.

9. Each American consumes an average of 50 gallons of sugar sweetened soft drinks per year.

10. Soda is the #1 source of added sugar in the American Diet.

11. Two thirds of all High Fructose Corn Syrup goes into soft drinks.

12. The average size of a soda increased from 6.5 oz in the 1950’s to 16.2 oz today (149% increase!)

13. Milk consumption, on the other hand has decreased by 33% in the last 30 years.

14. Each additional daily serving of soda increases a child’s chance risk for obesity by 60%.

15. In the last 25 years, the obesity rate in California rose from 8.9% to 24.3%. That’s one in four Californians!

16. The cost in medical and health expenses to the state is estimated at $41 billion.
Gives some perspective on what the CEO of Coca Cola wrote in the Wall Street Journal about Coke not causing Obesity, doesn’t it?

America's Other Drink

Americans are not aware of the amount of sugar and other things that they are putting inside their bodies everyday. When your energy feels low and you need a boost, people automatically resort to soft drinks for an extra kick of caffeine.


According to the National Soft Drink Association (NSDA), consumption of soft drinks is now over 600 12-ounce servings (12 oz.) per person per year. Since 1978, soda consumption in the US has tripled for boys and doubled for girls. Young males age 12-29 are the biggest consumers at over 160 gallons per year—that’s almost 2 quarts per day. At these levels, the calories from soft drinks contribute as much as 10 percent of the total daily caloric intake for a growing boy.

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