Dark Reality of Cold Drinks : How Cold Drinks Kill Nations Discuss by The Hnt

By The hnt |July 09, 2024 |0 |

Dark Reality of Cold Drinks - Soft drinks have become so common in our lives that no matter which city, or even country, you are in, you can always find a bottle of Coca-Cola. Do you know, that only 2 countries remain where Coca-Cola is not sold? North Korea, and Cuba.

In all other countries, from cinema halls to cricket matches, from college canteens to wedding functions, children to senior citizens, you can find people drinking soft drinks everywhere. According to Coca-Cola's website, each day, 1.9 Billion servings of Coca-Cola are sold.

Dark Reality of Cold Drinks

Can you imagine how large this number is? And this is only one drink. If you include all soft drinks, the sheer quantity of it consumed worldwide is unimaginable. That's why, in today's video, allow me to shock you by telling you about the ingredients of these drinks. Once you know about them, show this to your friends and family so that they can know what they consume.

Let's begin this article with the myths. Because this article isn't aimed to scare you with lies. I want to tell you what you are drinking. One of the biggest myths about soft drinks is that it is called as 'toilet cleaner' by the critics. Can Pepsi and Coca-Cola be compared to toilet cleaners?

The direct answer to it is, NO. People use this comparison often because toilet cleaners contain certain acids, and cold drinks contain certain acids too. The acids in cold drinks are citric acids, and phosphoric acids. Citric acid can be found naturally. You get citric acid in lemons and oranges as well.

On the other hand, Phosphoric acid is a common Food Grade Additive. It is assigned the number E338. Whenever there's high sugar content, mould and bacteria can easily grow there. Phosphoric acid prevents the growth of that bacteria. Not only will you find the phosphoric acid in soft drinks, but also in jams, processed meat, cereal bars, bottle coffee beverages, baking powder, protein drinks, and in fact in cheeses also.

How Cold Drinks Kill Nations

Interestingly, these two acids are also found in several toilet cleaners as well. Oftentimes, in the homemade toilet cleaners, lemon juice is added to vinegar and baking soda. Even so, comparing soft drinks and toilet cleaners to each other, will be wrong. Because as you would have studied Chemistry at school, that there are some mild acids, the dilute acids, And there are concentrated acids, they are stronger.

Without going into too many details, Phosphoric acid is a weak acid, and toilet cleaners have stronger chemicals. Such as Sodium Hypochlorite. And Hydrochloric Acid. These are used to clean strong stains. Hydrochloric acid is in our stomachs too. It is one of the main components of gastric acid. Now, you won't compare our stomachs to toilet cleaners, will you? Because chemistry is complex.

On the basis of a common constituent, you cannot derive such conclusions. Another point that is often put across, that the pH level of a soft drink, is the same as the pH level of a toilet cleaner. You'd recall learning in school that the pH level is used to measure acidity. How acidic a substance is.

The pH level of soft drinks is normally around 2.5 but do you know the acidity of lemon juice? Its pH level is around 2.0 to 2.6. Pomegranates have a pH level of around 2.9. Grapes are around the same level. If this myth is clear to you, then you would wonder, if it is okay to drink soft drinks.

The answer to this is quite simple. NO! Let's talk about why not. But before we get to that, let's address the other question you have, if I am trying to expose the soft drinks, why was I defending them by clarifying the rumours?

The simple reason behind it, is friends, that, misinformation is dangerous. irrespective of whether the conclusion of that is right or wrong, we should not try to derive that conclusion using misinformation. Come, let's try to understand why soft drinks are dangerous. I won't talk about 'secret ingredients' here.

The frequent contamination, such as the news that broke out quite some time ago, that pesticides were found in cold drinks. "The soft drinks that are being sold in Delhi, Coke brands had 30 times higher pesticide residues and the Pepsi brands had 36 times higher pesticide residues."

This happened again in 2004, 2006, and 2016. But this was unusual, it doesn't happen normally. In this video, I'd like to assume, that the soft drinks we are discussing, have no such contaminations. And that it is the unaltered drink, as the company intends to make. Turn the bottle and check the ingredient list.

The example at the beginning of the video, Mirinda, is a brand of PepsiCo. Let's continue with that example, but you can find a similar brand by Coca-Cola, Fanta. These are the 2 biggest companies. PepsiCo and Coca-Cola. Mirinda and Fanta are competitors. Let's check their calories. It's written that 100 ml contains 55 calories. So in a bottle of 600 ml, 55 x 6 = 330 calories.

To draw a comparison, in a bottle, there are as many calories, as in 2 aloo parathas. Not only this, if you eat a masala dosa, with a bowl full of sambar, and coconut chutney, the amount of calories you consume, would be as much as this, if not less. You might think that it is not a big deal. The point is that, when you eat aloo parathas or masala dosas, it will be your lunch.

You will feel full with that. But if you drink a bottle of Coca-Cola or Mirinda, will that soothe your hunger? These extra calories are useless. You will need to have lunch or dinner in addition to it. Also, in normal foods, there's protein, sodium, potassium, vitamins, fibres, fats, you get many nutrients in it. But what do you get out of this bottle?

Empty calories which have no nutrients. There's only sugar. A high content of sugar. There's so much sugar that you can't even believe it. For comparison, I took the same amount of sugar in an empty glass, there's 13.8 grams of sugar in 100 ml in Mirinda. So in the bottle, 13.8 x 6 = 82.8 grams of sugar. It fills half a glass. This much sugar can make you truly sick. You's ask; how much added sugar is normal for human consumption?

The answer is 0. Yup, absolute zero. Because we are talking about added sugar. Not of natural sugars. We get natural sugars from foods. There's lactose in milk, fructose in fruits, these are examples of natural sugars. when you drink milk or eat fruits, you get these natural sugars through which you get sufficient energy.

These natural sugars completely fulfil the needs of your body. Added sugars are the sugar that we put into our food. The extra sugar we put in while cooking, or preparing the food. According to the American Heart Association, our bodies do not require any added sugar. To function properly.

So the body requires 0 added sugars. Even so, if you ask, how much of it can our body tolerate? What level of added sugar is safe for our bodies? Friends, the recommended limit of it, for an adult man, it is 36 grams in a day, and for an adult woman, 25 grams of added sugar in a day. In this 600 ml bottle of Mirinda, there are 82.8 grams of added sugar. With one bottle, you will surpass your daily recommended intake.

That's why I'm saying, to consume such huge quantity of added sugar daily is enough to make you extremely sick. It wouldn't happen instantly. If you do so 1 or 2 days, there won't be major consequences, but if you continue doing so every day for years on end, due to this added sugar alone, you will later start getting pain in the joints, suffer undue skin ageing, liver damage, Type 2 diabetes, a pancreatic breakdown, kidney failure.

The risk of heart attack increases manifold, And finally, obesity. I mentioned this at the last, because when most people think about sugars, they shrug it off as being a bit overweight. But the rest of the diseases, very few people know about them, these occur because of excessive sugar.

The most dangerous thing about sugar is that you can get addicted to it in the same way as people get addicted to drugs. In a 2017 study, sugar addiction was compared to cocaine addiction, that's why when you see the people around you people who drink soft drinks, drink them quite regularly. You'll find very few people who say that they drink soft drinks once in 3-4 months.

People addicted to sugar they'll either drink soft drinks regularly, or if they aren't drinking soft drinks regularly, they'll eat candies, chocolates, sweets, ice creams, things that have high sugar content. With a large amount of added sugar, they will regularly consume these things. Other countries are discussing sugar overdose for a while now. That's why in 1964, PepsiCo launched diet Pepsi.

And in 1982, Coca-Cola launched Diet Coke. In both versions of the diet soft drinks, there are 0 calories and 0 added sugar. Does it mean that they're safe to drink? Artificial sweeteners are used in diet soft drinks. Such as aspartame, saccharin, or sucralose Friends, these artificial sweeteners have a controversial history.

There have been many studies, linking them to cancer. Due to this, they were banned in many places. But there were studies by other organisations, who said that there were no links to cancer. In a latest study, conducted 5 months ago, on 24th March 2022, it was conducted in France on 100,000 adults, they monitored the effects on these people over 7-8 years.

They found that aspartame increases the risk of cancer. If you check the official website of the Center for Science in the Public Interest (CSPI) you will find that aspartame has been found to be linked to cancer. In other studies, these are linked to heart diseases, stroke, diabetes, the toxicity of kidneys and liver, mental health problems and even birth defects.

But even so, I'd like to give them the benefit of doubt, let's assume that the studies conducted in their favour are correct, and the rest are wrong. Keeping this aside, let's examine the rest of the ingredients. Friends, this is just the beginning. One by one, I'll show you the ingredients in them.

The next harmful ingredient in them is caramel. The dark brown, black colour of Pepsi and Coca-Cola, this is from caramel. You will find many news articles from 2012, linking caramel to cancer. What is caramel? It is basically burnt sugar. Sugar is heated with ammonia and sulphites. Doing so releases a byproduct 4-MI. 4-Methylimidazole.

Several studies have linked it to cancer and in the state of California, it is listed as a carcinogen. The law there states that if the amount of this carcinogen in any food or drink is more than 29 micrograms, then it is not allowed. But less than 29 micrograms is allowed. According to 2012 news articles, in the samples of the soft drinks, it was found to be 138 micrograms.

More than four times the permitted limit. After this controversy, Coca-Cola said that they would change their formula, and use a new formula which will have lower 4-MI. But they made these changes in America only. In countries like India and several other developing countries, there are similar laws for it.

Similar news was seen again in 2014 when an organisation checked various soft drinks for the 4-MI levels. Again, these soft drinks contained exceeding levels of 4-MI. On a side note, I'd like to tell you, if food is burnt beyond a certain point, it is not good for your health. If the bread in your toaster has turned black, or your vegetables are so burnt that that you can see black parts on them, Don't eat them!

They contain an increased level of Acrylamide. According to the World Health Organisation, Acrylamide is a probable human carcinogen. There's a high chance that you can get cancer from it. The same logic is used here when you burn sugar beyond an extent, so that it forms caramel, it too can cause cancer.

People drinking Mirinda and Fanta might think that this is good news for them and that they are safe, since their drinks aren't black. The next bit is for you! *Why doesn't it end?* In drinks like Mirinda and Fanta, where does this orange colour come from? Synthetic food colour is used, its code name is E110.

Also known as Sunset Yellow FCF, its chemical name: disodium 2-hydroxy-1-(4-sulfonatophenylazo)naphthalene-6-sulfonate. Don't worry, I won't quiz you. It is an Azo Dye produced from Petroleum. But it is very important for your life. in 1973, a pediatric Benjamin Feingold, found that artificial food flavours had resulted in hyperactivity among children.

It affected the attention span of children as well. This is why 22 years ago, in the year 2000, countries like Norway, Finland, and Sweden, banned this Sunset Yellow FCF. What could they do if the other countries aren't very proactive about it? In 2007, South Hamptom University conducted a study, they found that E110 is linked to attention deficit in children.

Hyperactivity disorder was seen in children. After this research study, the food standards agency of the UK, started paying attention to this issue the next year, 2008. They recommended to the government that artificial colours need to be banned from food.

They tried to extend this ban to the European Union. In 2010, this regulation was brought into the European Union that if artificial colours are found in any products, the companies would have to put up labels stating that, 'it may have an adverse effect on activity and attention in children' After this, several companies stopped using them.

But only in the European Union, because of the regulations imposed there. Once again, in countries where these regulations didn't exist, the companies keep exploiting the rules, or lack thereof. and continue using the same ingredients. In India, if you turn the bottle of Mirinda, you will find this written.

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Contains permitted synthetic food colour, and in the bracket, there's '110'. As I told you, 110 is the code name of Sunset Yellow FCF. The companies are very cunning. They spend money to fight court cases in each country. According to the official website of PepsiCo, they have spent $3.6 million in America, for Lobbying related activities. In case you don't know about lobbying, in my opinion, it is basically legalised corruption.

In countries like America, it is legal for companies to pay the political parties so that the political parties pass judgements and rulings in their favour. These companies are concerned about their profits. Not about the health of people. In countries where there are no regulations, they keep selling cheaper, cancer-causing products and no one cares.

Even now in 2022, there are no such regulations in India for E110. You will find it in many packeted food items. Another such example is our next ingredient. Preservative E211. This is the code name for the preservative Sodium Benzoate. In 2005, the US FDA ran some tests in a private lab, they found that these soft drinks contain Benzene. Benzene is a gas emitted from the exhaust pipes of vehicles.

If you burn coal or petrol, this gas is emitted. It too causes cancer. But how is this gas found in cold drinks? After research, it was found that the Benzoate salts, such as the preservative Sodium Benzoate, when they react with Ascorbic Acids, Ascorbic Acid is Vitamin C, they come together to form benzene.

This reaction needs heat and light only. When these bottles are exposed to heat and light, this reaction takes place. When this controversy erupted in 2007, court cases were filed against PepsiCo and Coca-Cola. Next year, in 2008, it was revealed that Coca-Cola would remove Sodium Benzoate from their products.

They would stop using it in their soft drinks. You'd think this was a positive step. But as I told you, the countries where the court cases are being fought, the companies take action there. In India, it is still a popular preservative used in soft drinks. Anyway, excessive sodium, consuming excessive salt, can cause Hypertension, This is why junk food is often linked to Hypertension. To our next ingredient.

Phosphoric Acid. I talked about it at the beginning of this video. Some cold drinks contain Phosphoric Acid to prevent the growth of mould and bacteria. It isn't a terribly harmful element, because it is found even in milk. But the downside of Phosphoric Acid is that if you consume large amounts of it, it can damage your teeth. It can lead to dental corrosion.

This is why children are often advised to avoid soft drinks so that they don't ruin their teeth, to have damaged teeth due to phosphoric acid, compared to the other consequences, seems the most insignificant thing, Apart from these, if we talk about the rest of the ingredients, there are acidity regulators, let's take the example of Mirinda, but you'd find these in many soft drinks.

Acidity Regulator 330 is a Citric Acid. This is naturally found in food like Lemon, and it gives a sour taste. It is added to introduce that taste. 331 is the Sodium Citrate. A crystalline salt that is formed from the fermentation of Citric Acid. It helps in reducing the acidity of the soft drink, and to prevent soft drinking from getting ruined by oxidisation.

And then on the ingredient list, you will find chemicals labelled Stabilizers. E1450 also known as Starch Sodium Octenyl Succinate, E445 known as Ester Gum, stabilizers and emulsifiers help to combine two liquids that do not normally mix. Stabilizers maintain the homogeneity of the solution as well. So that no lumps are formed.

When you look at a soft drink, it looks homogenous throughout. There are no solids forming in the middle. These aren't really dangerous, so it's okay. And finally, there's carbonated water in the soft drink, Water infused with carbon dioxide. It gives you the fizz in the cold drink. The liquids infused with carbon dioxide are known as Soda.

So all soft drinks are basically sugary sodas. Because if we ignore the rest of the ingredients, the main ingredient here is water, specifically, carbonated water. The water which contains gas and sugar. Sugary Soda. Friends, this is the DNA of soft drinks. The next time you have a guest at your home, and you offer them these drinks, you can ask them if they want to drink water infused with carbon dioxide and a lot of sugar.

Along with artificial colours, such as caramel that gives it a brown colour along with preservatives like Sodium Benzoate and acidity regulators like Sodium Citrate and stabilizers such as Starch Sodium Octenyl Succinate whose regular intake has been reported to increase the risk of obesity, diabetes, osteoporosis, dental corrosion, hypertension and other ailments.

*What do you mean to say?*

Soft drinks! If they'd like to drink a soft drink. Think about it seriously, who would want to drink it? After getting to know these things about it. In 2014, Coca-Cola, PepsiCo and several major food and beverage companies, such as McDonald's and Kellogg's had said that they won't market their products to children younger than 12 years, but even today, you can see rampant indirect marketing.

Cricket tournaments and quizzes are organised at schools sponsored by Coca-Cola. In Coca-Cola ads you can spot children. So even if they don't market to children, they will include children in their marketing. Several celebrities have started becoming vocal about it such as Virat Kohli when he said that he will not renew the contract he had with PepsiCo because he doesn't want to endorse something that he doesn't actually consume.

In 2014, Amitabh Bachchan had said that he stopped doing ads for Pepsi when a young girl asked him at an event why he endorses something that her teacher calls 'poison'. But there's a long list of celebrities and sportspersons that are still endorsing these companies and promoting them.

Through this video, I want to make them realise If you tell yourself that you'll drink these once every 3-4 months, because that's not very harmful really, soon the 3-4 months will turn into 1-2 months, and then into weeks. And then you'll start consuming other sugary items. It is very important to fight sugar addiction.

If you are thinking that fresh fruit juice and lemonade can be its alternatives, you are wrong. It is true that fresh fruit juices and lemonades will not have these chemicals, and these cancer-causing elements you will still be consuming sugar.

Things like lemonade also have added sugar and the fresh fruit juices are so concentrated that if you want to have 1 glass of orange juice, you'll need at least 6 oranges. And as I told you, there's natural sugar in fruits. If you consume the natural sugars at normal levels, there's no problem.

But if you concentrate them so much, for example, eating 10 oranges at a time, which is the equivalent of 1 small glass of orange juice, it wouldn't be good for your health. Again, this will increase your sugar intake. The solution to it is quite simple.

Get rid of cold drinks, get rid of fruit juices, get rid of lemonades, simply, drink water! Yup, you heard that right. Next time you order pizza, burger, or you eat anything, really, and you want to have a soft drink, or sugary drink, don't bother with these, drink water, tap water.

I have tried it in my life, I implemented it years ago, and I'm being completely honest once your taste buds are accustomed to low sugar intake, later, you won't like sugar. It will take some weeks, when you start replacing the soft drinks with water, your tastebuds would have to get accustomed, but now when I try to drink water most of the time, rather than soft drinks, I have actually become accustomed to it.

You too can easily get into the habit of it. Or drinking simple, pure water. Try to make the change in your life. And share this video so that this information can reach more of your friends and family and everyone can take better care of their health.