I'm not saying you can't avoid soda if you try -- I rarely drink it myself -- but the culture seems to basically throw it in your face as the standard beverage of choice.
Is that still true? I know Microsoft did it in the early years, but that was a long time ago.
The salad bars are fairly low cost too and feature stuff from local producers in Washington State, so A+ for that.
... but that's not going to stop you from filling your plate with cheese, fried chicken strips, ranch dressing, and then calling it a salad.
Source: I work there.
Amusingly in my neck of the woods, my wife and I noticed a few years ago that most of the Korean restaurants had high-quality filtered water (some advertised local water stores, others we could just taste it).
Makes a huge difference IMHO - too bad more places don't offer good local filtered water - it's cheap and makes the food taste better.
I would not be surprised at all if soda alone accounted for a double-digit percentage of the obesity rate.
This reminds me that in Belgium there's a fast food chain with menus for which the cashier can't swap the soda for water.
Say you get a "Big Kahuna Combo" at $4.95 from some joint. The combo comprises a hamburger, a bag of fries and medium soda. Let's say the supermarket price for the same amount of soda is $.95 and the water cost is $1.95 (yes, more.) You'd think the restaurant would be able to swap the soda for a bottle of water and charge you $5.95 for the combo. But the way their combos are created (there are many, many reasons why the combos include a soda, such as soda companies subsidizing the cost of the soda for having soda as the default drink in the menu) doesn't allow for customization. In that case you'll have to pay the full value of the combo + $1.95 for the bottled water. Or get the same combo, for $4.95, but replacing the soda for tap water.
That's what the parent meant.
After moving to the U.S, I had more soda than ever before in my life, and that actually made me not like them anymore. Can't drink more than couple sips.
It could be worth a try.
Infusing an apple with bourbon sounds... pretty interesting, actually, but probably more work than I'm willing to put into a post-work drink.
I was myself addicted to soda, and while I never experienced any sort of physical withdrawal symptoms (no headaches, no shaking, etc.), I did experience incredible cravings.
In certain parts of the US, soda is basically thrown in your face everywhere. Every restaurant serves soda as the main beverage. Every theater serves soda, and it's cheaper than the bottled water often and comes with free refills. Every gas station sells soda. Every office has a soda vending machine (or even just free soda altogether, like the one I work in). At lots of fast food places, if you want water, they won't even give you a full-sized cup -- they give you a tiny cup (though it's free) and then you have to hunt for a nearly hidden water tab on the fountain machine.
I hate the taste of coffee, so soda it is.
Twice the caffeine of cola, but half the caffeine of coffee.
If that were true, coffee would never have become a beverage anywhere.
1) Sugar is addicting, and there is significantly more sugar in soda than other drinks [Google it]
2) Soda is very refreshing. This is important in warmer climates. If it is 98 degrees outside (37C), an orange Fanta does a much better job of making me feel better than just water
3) Soda is available everywhere and is the de-facto drink with most meals. Just like Italians drink wine with dinner, Americans have soda. This is perhaps the most important factor: If everyone is drinking soda, why wouldn't you?
typical grape juice has 50% more sugar than Coca-Cola. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Juice
Orange juice 170 calories from sugar vs 150 for cola (12 oz) http://www.hsph.harvard.edu/nutritionsource/how-sweet-is-it/
Googling "sugar in apple juice" turns up 170 for 12 oz as well.
This is entirely psychological, right? What about soda would make it more refreshing physically than water?
In New York I've never had any problem finding seltzer. My parents buy it every time they go to the supermarket in upstate New York.
I'm trying to think of how common it is in corner stores. I can't say I've ever looked particularly hard for it. I used to keep my refrigerator in Buffalo stocked with the stuff though. It sure is refreshing.
Thankfully my work provides free cans of seltzer which I drink like water (heh heh!). Although I occasionally wish they would get the kind with a citrus fruit flavoring instead of just plain.
When my parents took us on holiday to America my little brother refused to drink either plain water or fizzy drinks, but we found orange squash in the British section of a large supermarket.
As Wikipedia says, it's the default drink for British children. Adults who drink it probably pick a nicer product; my manager keeps a bottle of elderflower cordial in the cupboard.
I don't like making generalisations about Europe, but carbonated water is sold in every shop in Europe that sells bottled water. In some countries (e.g. Georgia), in smaller shops, you will only find carbonated water. In Germany it's what you get if you order "mineral water", you have to specify "still mineral water".
And restaurants in Europe can't seem to give you just plain water unless you specify. I spent my entire vacation being surprised by bubbles before getting what I wanted.
I don't remember the last meal I ate with adults where people ordered soda. It may be that every once in a while I'll be around a recovering alcoholic who orders a soda, but usually it seems they order something like sparkling water.
It's probably a regional/class thing, since I live in NYC. Maybe in the middle of the country or in a working class household you'd be more likely to see people drinking soft drinks with a meal?
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/07/09/mexico-obesity_n_35...
Relevant numbers from the article:
US obesity rate: 31.8% Mexican obesity rate: 32.8%
Also, Mexican soda exclusively uses cane sugar. I buy Mexican Coke for the new times I drink regular soda for that reason.
Britain, Australia, and New Zealand are also substantially obese. All of those are coming increasingly close to catching America in obesity, with their obesity levels exploding higher.
http://www.socialprogressimperative.org/data/spi/components/...
The United States comes in at 8th highest obesity rate, after Kuwait, Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Jordan, the UAE, South Africa, and Mexico.
I don't know if this is the case in the rest of the world or in this study though.
Instead they contain sugar, natural or added, and about as much as cola (~10%). The cola also has sugar instead of HFCS.
In the other country where I lived a big chunk of my life, they usually drink green tea.
> I just can't phantom a world
I think you mean 'fathom' here. It uses the metaphor of something being too deep to measure.
I've changed to Dr Pepper Ten instead of regular Dr Pepper though, so at least it's not as terrible for me.
20 calories vs 500 and 4g sugar vs 128g
I'd say coke (I drink exclusively diet coke) is equally as addictive as cigarettes.
But the physical dependency is a bit more "dangerous" on coke, with cigarettes there's options to beat that (either have a puff of pot or your e-cig).
I don't think there's anything that can kill my craving of diet coke as much as diet coke.
Yes to both.
>Wouldn't they taste better?
No? This seems like a pretty bizarre question. People eat what they like. If apples tasted better (to them, it is subjective obviously) then they would be eating apples. I like coke, so I drink coke. I do not like apples, so I do not eat apples (unless they are in pie form).
While I generally agree, let's not discount the power of marketing, advertising and subliminal messaging.