05/17/2017 PUT AWAY HARMFUL AND CHILDISH THINGS
1 Corinthians 13:11 It’s like this: when I was a child I spoke and thought and reasoned as a child does. But when I became a man [a woman] my thoughts grew far beyond those of my childhood, and now I have put away the childish things. [Living Bible translation]
SODA/POP “back then”
If you are like me, you probably recall drinking a lot of soda as a kid. In fact, soda, especially in the summer time, was a common household beverage. Every member of the household had their favorite soda. You may have memories of going to the neighborhood store to buy a soda (or of taking the empties back for their deposit, if you are a bit older), or stopping by the store after school to get a soda, or loading down the grocery cart with the weekly “six pack” or ‘case” or “carton.” Soda pop was just “the stuff” of our childhood.
WHAT WE KNOW TODAY ABOUT SOFT DRINKS
Today, sugary soft drink consumption is the leading cause of obesity in America.
According to the WebMD, almost one-third of Americans drink at least one sugar laden soda or juice every day. These drinks promote obesity, heart disease and Type 2 diabetes. See, “1 in 3 Americans Drink Sugar Soda or Juice Daily, by Steven Reinberg, February 25, 2016, www.webmd.com.
Individuals age 18 to 24 consume at least one sugary drink a day. According to Reinberg, studies show that other high consumers of one sugary drink per day include men, Blacks, unemployed adults and those who have less than a high school education. Id.
Teens tend to drink a lot of soda and consume a lot of sugar. Sugar makes up about one-quarter of the calories teens eat and drink a day. For example, 20 oz. of Coke contains about 16 tsp. sugar. Some energy drinks, which many teens mistakenly believe are good for them, not only contain high jolts of caffeine but at least one drink contains 54 grams of sugar (about 12 tsp. of sugar), the equivalent of about 200 calories. Juices that are called “juice drinks” also tend to be high in calories and sugar. A popular bottled green tea was noted to have 61 grams of sugar, as much as a same size cola drink. So, it is important to READ THE LABELS. See, WebMD Slideshow: “Sugar: The Other Teen Drinking Problem,” reviewed by Dan Brennan, MD on May 16, 2016.