The idea of a healthy soft drink may sound like
an oxymoron. But to soda manufacturers, it's the
hottest trend in the better-for-you category of
food and beverages.
With all the attention on obesity and health, consumers
are looking for healthier, more natural beverages.
And manufacturers are hoping to perk up sagging
soda sales with new "healthy" soft drinks
spiked with vitamins and minerals and marketed with
natural-sounding terms.
Soda Sales Sagging
Sales of carbonated drinks have been sagging due
to the popularity of bottled water and noncarbonated
drinks like teas, juices, sports drinks, and "functional"
drinks with added ingredients purported to reduce
stress or increase energy.
Soda companies have responded by launching new products
and marketing efforts.
Some carbonated beverages are now being marketed
as "sparkling," implying a healthier,
more natural beverage. There are caffeine-free,
no-calorie beverages laced with vitamins and minerals,
like Diet Coke Plus and Tava from Pepsi. "Zero-calorie"
sodas are aimed at consumers who don’t like
the idea of a "diet" drink. Jazzed-up
flavors like pomegranate, cherry, vanilla, lemon,
lime, and caramel are also making their way into
soft drinks.
“The beverage industry believes that all beverages,
including carbonated soft drinks, can be part of
a healthy and balanced lifestyle,” says Tracey
Halliday, spokeswoman for the American Beverage
Association. She points out that many of the beverage
industry’s products, including bottled waters,
juices, sports drinks, and diet soft drinks, can
be catalysts to health and fitness.
How Healthy Are the
New Soft Drinks?
The truth is that artificially sweetened soft drinks
– even those fortified with vitamins and minerals
-- are anything but natural and healthy, says Marion
Nestle, New York University nutrition professor
and author of What to Eat.
"It is ridiculous to market soft drinks as
healthy, but in today’s marketplace consumers
are demanding more healthylooking food, and beverages
and soft drink manufacturers need to boost sales,"
she says.
Most consumers do not need the extra vitamins found
in fortified soft drinks, she adds.
"We are not vitamin deficient, and these beverages
do not address the real health issues of our country
of obesity, heart disease, or cancer," says
Nestle.
University of Vermont researcher Rachel Johnson,
PhD, RD, agrees.
"It concerns me that we have so many ultra-fortified
products where we virtually put a vitamin pill into
a soft drink," she says. "The nutrients
put into these soft drinks are not the shortfall
nutrients that are lacking in our diets such as
calcium, potassium, folate, or vitamin D."
Johnson advises consumers to choose beverages that
not only quench thirst but also deliver needed nutrients,
such as 100% fruit juice and skim or low-fat milk.
"These beverages will help you meet your nutritional
needs and satisfy the recommendations of the [U.S.
government's] 2005 Dietary Guidelines," she
says.
Diet Soft Drinks vs.
Regular
Consumers are turning away from sugary sodas because
of the potential link to obesity. Yet "there
is very little evidence that diet sodas help people
lose weight," says Nestle. "In fact, one
study suggested that people use diet drinks to help
justify eating more calories."
Experts do agree that low- or no-calorie soft drinks
are better than sugary regular sodas.
"It is fine to enjoy a diet soda as long as
you don’t use them as a license to add more
calories from other foods. Because some people drink
a diet drink so they can eat a big piece of cake,"
says Nestle.
Diet soft drinks are also helpful for consumers
who are hooked on regular sodas and trying to wean
themselves off the sugary beverages. Liquid
Calories Add Up Quickly
Liquid calories can lead to weight gain because
beverages go down so easily. They may satisfy
thirst, but they don't affect hunger. So people
who drink sugary sodas don't generally take in
fewer calories from food to compensate.
"Lots of people don’t think about what
they are drinking and how it impacts the overall
diet," says Johnson. "The average American
gets 22% of their calories from beverages".
Indeed, a recent study from Yale University analyzed
88 soda studies and found a clear link between
soft drink intake and consumption of extra calories.
"The most compelling studies showed that,
on days when people drink soft drinks, they consumed
more calories than on the days when they did not
have soft drinks," study co-author Marlene
Schwartz tells WebMD.
When you do want a regular soda, Nestle suggests
that you think of it as dessert.
"If we treated a can of regular soda like
a dessert, it would help keep extra calories under
control," she says.
The Bottom Line
The experts agree that there is no harm in enjoying
a low- or no-calorie soft drink. But they point
out that the additives in some of the new sodas
-- no matter how healthy sounding -- are either
unnecessary or are added in such small quantities
that they don't do anything for your health. Nestle
would rather see people choose beverages with
nothing artificial added, such as a glass of sparkling
water sweetened with real fruit juice.
Her advice: Consume the most natural foods and
beverages, and always read the label. Check calories
first, followed by sugar calories. Equipped with
the facts, you can select the drink that's right
for you.
And keep in mind, Johnson says, that soft drinks
have no place in the diets of children 11 and
under.
"Soft drinks do not belong in young children’s
diets," says Johnson. "Because they
need so many nutrients for growth and development,
there is little room for soft drinks unless they
are extremely active -- and even then it should
only be an occasional treat."
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