Kids Drinking Soda: A Good Thing?

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  Posted by StephanieM Tue Nov 18, 2008 3:23pm PST

  It is just plain and simple not a good idea. I gave up caffeinee because of what it was doing to me and I am an adult.

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  Posted by Cranberry Lips Tue Nov 18, 2008 9:45pm PST

  Actually, I would rather let my kids (if I had any) drink espresso, rather than soda. Caffeine is not the bad part. If you want them to end up diabetics & overweight by the time they turn 25, then be my guest and give them plenty of soda.

  High fructose corn syrup is one of the worst things you could ever give your child. First of all, it's 55% fructose, 45% glucose. Table sugar is about 50/50 of each. Fructose is a naturally occurring substance in fruits, hence the name. In fruits, it is bound to glucose or amino acids. In HFCS, there's more free-floating fructose.

  The problem with it is that it cannot be absorbed by any cell of your body. It has to be metabolized by the liver. Glucose, on the other hand, can enter every cell in one's body. All you need is insulin. In the liver, fructose gets turned into a fatty acid, i.e. fat and most likely stored somewhere on your hips or belly.

  In the meantime, the pancreas is chugging away producing insulin to get that glucose into cells. If the child continues to drink and/or increases the intake of sodas or juices (which most juices contain HFCS), over the years, cells in their body start to get desensitized to insulin, and stop allowing it from entering cells, thereby increasing blood sugars. The lives is also busy changing all that fructose to fat, add to that alcohol, prescription pills, various toxins, etc. and you might end up with liver cirrhosis.

  So, now your kid is fat, diabetic, and has liver problems. :) It's only downhill from here. But, of course, this is only speculation. :)

  If I were you, I would limit sodas to maybe 1-2 a week, and give the kids only juices with no sugar added.

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  Posted by Habanero♥™ Wed Nov 19, 2008 10:56am PST

  My pediatrician said that one soda diet or regular in a lifetime is too many. I spent years of studying up on soft drinks and they are dangerous. Dangerous for children and dangerous for pregnant women. The harsh chemicals are passed on to the fetus. Why would anyone give their child a soda??? Doctors have also discovered that it is the bubbly in the soda that deteriorates the teeth, not the sugar. Kids now a days have so many more problems than kids from the 50's, 60's and 70's. I haven't bought soda for 15 years and my family does not miss it.

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  Posted by wendy g Wed Nov 19, 2008 12:43pm PST

  Insomnia? Yes. Too much caffeine consumption causes insomnia in adults, so of course it would in children.

  Hyper-activity? Maybe. There is conclusive evidence that certain food additives and preservatives are strongly linked to ADHD/ADD. So, it's possible.

  Also, caffeine consumption, along with the phosphorous in the soda, is linked to loss of bone density. Growing children who drink soda, especially, can experience stunted growth, and are at a much greater risk for osteoporosis later.

  It speeds tooth decay (because of the sugar, and phosphorous).

  It's empty calories...there's no nutrition, and only bad-for-you ingredients.

  Why WOULD anyone give their children soda?

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  Posted by Habanero♥™ Wed Nov 19, 2008 2:17pm PST

  wendy g is a smart girl!!

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  Posted by Beth Wed Nov 19, 2008 4:06pm PST

  Well, uh, whatever it does or doesn't do to them as far as hyperactivity and insomnia, it's not good for their physical development or their weight. So, hands down, it's definitely not a good thing. What an odd post.

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  Posted by Teena Wed Nov 19, 2008 8:20pm PST

  Just like any other food, any child warms up to its taste and gets used to it. So better start them on a healthy eating habit that excludes soda completely. My kids never got used to it and thus never crave for it. Of course, the adults at home also have to moderate the intake as well.

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  Posted by Habanero♥™ Thu Nov 20, 2008 2:27am PST

  Beth: I don't know where you live but where I come from I see hundreds of parents stuffing their kids with all kinds of soda. Have you been in a McDonald's lately. I buy my coffee there and at 11:30 in the A.M. I see tons of kids eating a Happy Meal with a soda. These are extremely wealthy parents but they have no clue. Again, any parent who would give their kids soda is no different than a parent who would feed their kids drugs-it causes as much harm. I don't think this blog will get too many hits because so many people still dump soda down the throats of their babies. Can you say ADHD?

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  Posted by momof4 Thu Nov 20, 2008 9:28am PST

  Seriously people, I agree that soda is not good for children, but I hardly think that one rootbeer with a Happy Meal once in a while is going to cause any harm. It is a treat, like ice cream at a birthday party. Do I let my kids have soda or ice cream on a regular basis? No, but comparing soda to drugs is a little harsh.

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  Posted by verymari Thu Nov 20, 2008 10:57am PST

  my daughter was around 2 years old and my teenage brother gave her a cap full, yes one little bottle cap full of mountain dew, and about 20 minutes later my sweet angel had grown horns and was screaming at the top of her lungs...now at the age of 15, she has given up drinking soda on her own, and has actually lost weight, she drinks water, milk, or juice, she said she doesn't really miss it.

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