Growing up, I drank tons of it! In Chicago, summertime = sweat shop. Clothing drenched from slightest, or even no, activity. So, thirsty all the time. Canfields had a favorite, Chocolate Soda! Yummy. Never anywhere near overweight, calories meant nothing. Played baseball nearly every day. Teeth? Not good. Always a couple of new cavities every 6-month check-up. I had by my teens, fillings in virtually every molar. Mercury? I asked my Dentist once. He said don't worry about it, it does not leach out. Studied chemistry, learned acids eat away metals (like mercury), creating soluble salts. Soda was loaded (still is) with Phosphoric Acid. In fact, the soda jerks sold "Phosphates"! Remember that? Yer old, then! Tab and Fresca came out, no sugar. I drank them exclusively, as a young man, hoping to save my teeth, what was left of them. Then, the cyclamate scare, Tab was discontinued. Fresca had Saccharin, remained on the market. But I loved the Tab. Nowadays, some of the majors are vividly proclaiming "contains no Aspartame". Several Pepsi products have that on their label, Diet Pepsi, and D.P. caffeine-free, but my current favorite, Pepsi Max, or "black" as we call it, is still Aspartame loaded. So what's yer "spin" on carbonated beverages? Frank
I used to like the taste of Tab. It is still available, or available again, I'm not sure which, but I tried some a few months ago, and didn't like it much. My guess is that carbonated beverages are probably not a healthy choice, with or without sugar, but that the ones with sugar are probably less dangerous than those without.
This thread reminds me of the email against Coke in the early years of the internet. That Coke is used to clean toilet bowls for it is more effective than cleanser and detergents. That Coke was tested to dissolve the sink pipes. The email had accompanying pictures to convince the reader about the ills of Coke. But I guess that smear campaign did not succeed for Coke drinkers are still alive until now... my husband is one.
I just can't drink any sodas with sugar, I don't care how bad the diet ones are for you. I don't drink either one now but drank Fresca all the time a few years ago. If for some reason I do have a coke or something now, I'll always choose the diet. My mind can't handle drinking Whatever calories are in a can....a total waste of calories.
I remember how good an ice cold Coke tasted on a hot day, back when Coke was made with real sugar and came in glass bottles. It was hard to beat. My dad heard all the stories about Coke dissolving nails. He opened a bottle, dropped in a nail and left it sit. One day, several days, then a week went by. Ruined a perfectly good bottle of Coke, still had a good nail though. My town had a Coke bottling plant. The girl I married was a granddaughter of the guy who ran it. So, Coke was our drink of choice.
Hey, folks, do you remember the Pepsi Challenge? Pepsi against Coke. Our favorite diet drink is A&W Root Beer. We don't drink much of it, but do like a Root Beer Float once in awhile. Tried Diet 7 Up, but, even just a small glass can jack our glucose number up too much. Want to see movies with the old glass bottle of Coke in them? Back To The Future and A League Of Their Own. I remember in Back To The Future, Fox tried to twist the bottle cap off and then his dad popped it off with the Coke Machine. In A League Of Their Own, instead of a swig out of his whisky flask, while riding on the Team bus, one of the players game him a bottle of Coke. He took a sip and went.......ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhh, with a smile.
I've done it a few times, and the rust was gone. Coke made some big changes in its formula over the years, though. While I was in the Rio Grande Valley of Texas, we could go across the border and by Coca Cola that was still made from the old formula, although probably not the original formula, and there was a notable difference between U.S. Coke and Mexican Coke, with the latter being the better tasting, as well as about a fifth of the cost. The stuff from Mexico would still take rust off a nail. But it won't dissolve your teeth.
I remember people using soda to clear up the gunk accumilated on car batteries. I also believe my love of Dr. Pepper (which began in college umpteen years ago) and lack of exercise caused me to develop type 2 Diabetes.
I have seen a lot of science fair projects over the years showing how coke eats away at different substances.
Dr. Pepper for sure, was my favorite when visiting dad and uncle in Hot Springs, Ark. and my cousins in Mobile. Ala. It was extra delicious because you couldn't buy it in Ohio. Canada Dry ginger ale was a favorite. In the summer we would mix half Canada Dry, and orange juice, with a sprig of mint. Mom would partially freeze it and make a shush.
I seldom drink soda pop these days but when we travel I will sometimes get a cream soda when we stop for gas. Once or twice during the summer we'll get a root beer and some ice cream. No diet sodas here. Many studies have shown that diet sodas even more than sugary ones are one of the main factors in the high rate of obesity and diabetes in this country.