What is Digg?Sponsored by adult swim
Aqua Teen Hunger Force view!
adultswim.com - Carl sings "I'll Be Home This Christmas" from the new Aqua Teen CD. Click here to watch. You almost kind of feel sorry for the guy.
185 Comments
- inactive, on 10/12/2007, -2/+36The problem is that in the last 45 years, soda, artificial juice-drinks and other high-in-sugar drinks have gone from an occasional treat to a replacement for water.
My grandfather used to tell me that when he was a kid (in the 1920s), coke was such a big deal that if he got a bottle of it, he would water it down so that it lasted twice as long.
Today, you have kids drinking two litres of soda a day and no water or anything else. It's so cheap and readily available and portable and you can get it in a school vending machine, lunch line, checkout line at the store, convenience store and everywhere else that you actually have to go out of your way to find a water faucet to fill a glass from.
Hell, when I started out in engineering a half a dozen years ago, we had free soda at work. I was known to drink four litres a day without a thought. It has really ruined me health-wise, which is why I've recently stopped (well, I drink a non-diet can of soda a couple times a week but that's it -- and I never drink diet soda anymore because of the aspartame).
People just look at sodas and juices differently than they did 50 years ago. And that is ruining a lot of people. And while common sense may tell you one thing, these kids today are being RAISED on sodas and juices at home and school -- so it becomes natural to them. Hell, when was the last time you saw a meal or happy-meal that came with something OTHER than soda as the default drink? - wolrah, on 10/12/2007, -3/+28I follow George Carlin's philosophy on this one....we need to just take the warning labels off everything and let the stupid people kill themselves.
- cjsan, on 10/12/2007, -3/+26I used to drink soda almost all the time but since I stopped I just generally feel better and I've lost wheight without changing my level of physical activity.
- Floodle, on 10/12/2007, -13/+35I seem to remember reading somewhere that if potatoes were discovered today they wouldn't be approved for sale for food, can't remember what it was about them though.
Maybe, like cigarettes, coke / pepsi advertising should not be permitted for kids.
BTW. I have the hack for getting free coke from coke machines hosted here : http://www.floodle.net/extra/ebayinfo/freecoke.html
but don't use it if you don't want those bad fats. - punchingjudy, on 10/12/2007, -4/+25Switch to water.
- Scik, on 10/12/2007, -0/+21I know its really popular to buy Coca-Cola from Mexico since its made with cane sugar instead of fructose corn syrup. Its better for you and tastes better!
- mikesmullin, on 10/12/2007, -3/+23I watched many of my friends grow up with nothing but soda in their house; they bought it at Costco: Mountain Dew, Dr. Pepper, etc. by the boxload. They didn't drink water because they had no water softner, no water filter, and they didn't like the mineral taste. One friend had developed a 'beer gut' by the time he was twelve and his litter brother even had one when he was 9.
Having a soft drink when you go out to eat isn't what does it... it's choosing to drink ONLY soda for the rest of your life. Many families eat fast food every night just because its easier than cooking and when you work as hard as the middle-class do you don't have time when you get home--you're exhausted.
I have been saying this since I was first exposed to my friend's eating habits and junkfood lifestyle: it doesn't have to be a label on the product, but people should be warned about growing up on 100% Coke and Pepsi products. To them it is normal; everyone drinks it. They sit online all day or in front of MTV and get fat sipping on their cans and leaving them half-empty all over the house (because they taste like crap, but for some reason they keep drinking it because, to them, there's nothing else to drink).
Have you ever seen people carting out a whole shopping cart of coke or pepsi? I have. It's sad... - Simply, on 10/12/2007, -2/+18Exactly what are you trying to say about taurine??
[quote]
What is taurine? Why do we need it?
Taurine is a non-essential amino acid produced by the body through the synthesis of two other amino acids (methionine and cysteine). It is an important component of bile acids, which are used to absorb fats and fat-soluble vitamins. It also regulates heartbeat; maintains the stability of cell membranes; transports potassium, sodium, calcium and magnesium in and out of cells; and regulates the activity of brain cells. As an antioxidant, it detoxifies toxic substances, retinoids and environmental toxins.
Taurine is believed to play a role in treating a number of conditions, including congestive heart failure, high blood pressure, gallstones, diabetes, and nervous system disorders.
[/quote] - thorpus, on 10/12/2007, -2/+17What ever happened to a persons ability to govern themselves? I think it will be sad if we became a society that needed to list the health risks of coke right on the can. People should be able to figure it out for themselves.
- punchingjudy, on 10/12/2007, -2/+15This is America. We know this crap is bad for us. The point is that we don't care. (Well, they don't care.)
Let's kiss personal responsibility good-bye! - Zonkzor, on 10/12/2007, -3/+16Soda is only good because you're so addicted to the sugar. Trust me, stop drinking it for a couple months. When you get a craving just drink some juice (orange worked the best for me). That takes care of your sugar need. Now after a couple months are over try it again. It will taste like garbage. Trust me, I used to drink nothing but Pepsi all day. I did this and now I can't stomach the crap. Now I'm just as addicted to drinking water instead. If I don't drink any all day I start feeling bad.
-----
http://collegecheapskate.com/yahoo - gotamd, on 10/12/2007, -0/+13A warning label? Don't you think that's a bit excessive? The only warning label I need are the nutritional facts. It's common knowledge that sugar and stuff in soda can make you fat, just as it can make you fat if it's in lollipops or cookies. I don't think a warning label would really do much. And what's with the Harvard professor wanting a "fat tax"? We don't need to make things artificially expensive for people, we just need to educate them on what they're doing to themselves. You'd think that a professor at Harvard would know how to educate someone, but this just seems like a cop-out.
- kevinmotel, on 10/12/2007, -0/+13Lisa Simpson: Science has already proven the dangers of smoking, alcohol, and Chinese food, but I can still ruin soft drinks for everyone!
- JimXugle, on 10/12/2007, -0/+12Lets get Coke from Mexico... how do we go about doing that?
Why don't they sell the "real" sugar variety in the US? - theDrizzle, on 10/12/2007, -1/+13i highly recommend starting drinking tea, instead of just water...more specifically green tea. it only has about 15 mg of caffine, compared to pop, which has about 120 mg. it helps suppress your appetite and has tons of antioxidants that are good for you. i listened to kevin when he recommended adagio tea, an online provider of loose tea. its really cheap, but you have to buy their strainer, luckily it only costs like 20 bucks, and you'll be glad you spent it. i'm hooked on the "white monkey" green tea. if cost me like 10 bucks for 8 oz of leaves, which will get me about 60-70 cups of the stuff. if you want to know more about their tea:
http://www.adagio.com
...and if you want to know more about the benefits of tea:
http://www.adagio.com/info/health_benefits.html?SID=316ed66864290ab00d1645f1a82611fc
hope this helps at least one person, enjoy!! - sspooner, on 10/12/2007, -1/+12I think most other places in the world make coke / pepsi with sugar as opposed to high fructose corn syrup.
When I moved to the US from England 10 years ago I was stunned how awful the pepsi tasted here.
Thank the powerful corn lobby for that one folks.
I'm lucky enough to live in California, we have a high population of Mexicans (legal or otherwise) and with them comes "the real thing" from Mexico. It just tastes much, much better. I don't drink a whole lot of it.
I started drinking bottled water instead of soda's about 6 months ago and feel much better for it. - GregJ, on 10/12/2007, -1/+11I've lost 23 pounds since New Years and the main thing I did was give up Pepsi... I'm a believer...
- untoward, on 10/12/2007, -9/+19think corn syrup is bad... ever wonder what taurine is? its an amino acid that regulates the rhythm of your heart...gotta wonder when the FDA is going to ban redbull or any of the other newly created highly cafinated drinks out there on the market.
- EochaidRiata, on 10/12/2007, -0/+10"Why don't they sell the "real" sugar variety in the US?"
There are quotas on the amount of sugar that can be imported.
http://www.fas.usda.gov/info/factsheets/sugar.asp
http://montevideo.usembassy.gov/usaweb/paginas/2006/06-054EN.shtml
"Because of the U.S. tariff rate quota system on sugar imports, the domestic price of sugar has been approximately double world sugar price over the last few years," it says. "An estimate by the OECD [Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development] found that the cost of U.S. sugar policies to U.S. sugar consumers due to increased sugar prices was $1.5 billion in 2004." - Broncho24, on 10/12/2007, -0/+10Coke machine hack? Hmmm Ive only been working for a company that carries hundreds of machines like this for 5 years so maybe Ive missed something, but as far as Ive seen this dosnt work. Yes 4231 is the password once you are in the menu but you cannot access the menu unless the door switch is disabled and the mode button is pressed within. Otherwise it tells you the prices of the damn cokes. There may be a older Royal or Vendo out there taht does this but I doubt it and if there is you wont find them often.
Also I saw this "hack" about a year ago and I tried it on a bunch of our machines just to make sure, if it did work we can replace the board or the chip if needed and it wouldnt matter all together. Though if you want a real hack and this isnt known well:
On a Vue 30 40, Big class front machines with a moving arm, unplug it and when it cycles the hopper put your hand in there and push and the spring loaded door will open and you can reach the cokes. This was fixed on our machines with a BIOS upgrade though. - tidu, on 10/12/2007, -2/+12Man, now I'm gonna have to card for cigarettes AND soda.
- flinx, on 10/12/2007, -1/+10It's not just coke/pepsi.
Corn syrup is in *everything*. Check out the labels. It will freak you out.
If you have a peanut butter sandwich, it's almost as bad as drinking a coke. - shawnanigans, on 10/12/2007, -0/+9Potatoes have a toxic chemical in them called solanine. Only 3-6mg of solanine per kg of body weight can be fatal. Luckily most of it is in the skin and the eyes of the potato so peeling will get rid of most of it. I never really thought that baked potatoes could be toxic, maybe worse than frying them because frying them.
- OregonTrail, on 10/12/2007, -2/+10Diet is actually worse for you.
Phenylalanine, an enzyme, actually creates an overworking protien creation process even though you don't have the protiens needed.
This can cause stress and an impatient attitude - jermm, on 10/12/2007, -0/+8Thats why you buy the mexican coke, made with real sugar
- steve693, on 10/12/2007, -1/+9Did the scientists forget to mention the high fructose corn syrup added to many fruit juices? I'm drinking some cranberry juice right now, should there be a warning label on that?
- jschrab, on 10/12/2007, -0/+8There are specialty stores in Hispanic communities that import the stuff and sell it - you can buy cane sugar Coke in some Milwaukee grocery stores.
- jutendouji, on 10/12/2007, -0/+8Then today, March 5th 2006, I give up on Coke. For good. I'm switching to Water and natural Orange Juice whenever I crave for some sugar, but without the excess.
Seriously, I've developed a "beer gut" even when I just don't drink beer, and I'm sure it's been mostly just Coke. I'm through with it.
Digged for a Digg that made me open my eyes. Peace, everyone.
EDIT: damn, GregJ, sorry, I -dugg you by accident. I was trying to digg you. They should let you "undigg" dugg stuff for 3 minutes too. Crap. - chicken101, on 10/12/2007, -4/+11People should get some semblence of personal responcibility, then we wouldn't have to have warning labels on plasitc bags, projector carts, beer, cigarettes and now soda. If you drink soda in moderation, you won't get fat or get cancer. Maybe we should put warning labels on coffee, you know, if you drink 3 cups every hour, for 100 hours, you could die of an overdose.
- Soldan, on 10/12/2007, -3/+10yes..soda needs labels.... "put the can down chucky" would be a good one.... not sure even that would work...
- aprocter, on 10/12/2007, -4/+11but you can't actually get free cokes out of the machines (without having access to the inside of the door), you can just access the menu, which doesn't do much.
- stalky14, on 10/12/2007, -0/+7HFCS is the result of protectionist sugar tarriffs in the USA. Most everywhere
else uses real sugar. - punchingjudy, on 10/12/2007, -0/+7It's that "personal responsibility" thing that we hear Grandpa grumble about.
- punchingjudy, on 10/12/2007, -1/+8It's usually aspartame (Nutrasweet). They made a lot of connections between aspartame and many forms of cancers. Mind you, it's been around for a long while so they've had plenty of time for piles and piles of studies. The actually FDA receives more complaints related to aspartame than any other food additive. But mind you, aspartame is in everything--even your toothpaste.
Thank you Wikipedia:
The 92 health effects reported to the FDA are: abdominal pain, anxiety attacks, arthritis, asthma, asthmatic reactions, bloating/edema, blood sugar control problems (hypoglycemia or hyperglycemia), brain cancer (Pre-approval studies in animals), breathing difficulties, burning eyes or throat, burning urination, inability to think clearly, chest pains, chronic cough, chronic fatigue, confusion, death, depression, diarrhea, dizziness, excessive thirst or hunger, fatigue, feeling 'unreal', flushing of face, hair loss (baldness) or thinning of hair, headaches/migraines, hearing loss, heart palpitations, hives (Urticaria), hypertension (high blood pressure), impotency and sexual problems, inability to concentrate, infection susceptibility, insomnia, irritability, itching, joint pains, laryngitis, "like thinking in a fog," marked personality changes, memory loss, menstrual problems or changes, muscle spasms, nausea or vomiting, numbness or tingling of extremities, other allergic-like reactions, panic attacks, phobias, poor memory, rapid heartbeat, rashes, seizures and convulsions, slurring of speech, swallowing pain, tachycardia, tremors, tinnitus, vertigo, vision loss, and weight gain. - spiff21, on 10/12/2007, -0/+7It's in everything because of the U.S. government's stupid corn subsidies. There was a really good article in the NY Times Magazine about this a year or so ago. The government subsidizes farmers to produce so much corn that we don't even know what to do with most of it. Because it's so cheap, HF corn syrup gets put in everything that needs to be sweet. The government highly taxes imported sugar, making the situation even worse. Additionally, livestock is fed diets consisting of mostly corn because it's so cheap, which makes our meat products less healthy. Fructose is not meant to be consumed in large amounts, and I think that we're going to be seeing some real health concerns rising in the next decade or so thanks to the amount of fructose that the average American now taked in per year. And, it's not just a problem of obesity...fructose consumed in high amounts does bad things to the liver.
- kelway, on 10/12/2007, -0/+6The Coke formula is tweaked for the locals in many countries. I understand that using real sugar in the States is too expensive and so we get corn syrup. I'm in favor of Coke Premium (with Cane Sugar and a warning label).
- punchingjudy, on 10/12/2007, -1/+7You might want to be careful about drinking bottled water; it simply isn't as regulated as tap water and in many cases is more likely to be contaminated. The best thing for you to do is get a pitcher or faucet water filter.
- Phoenixus, on 10/12/2007, -5/+11In my opinion obesity is based of people being lazy, sitting drinking cokes and eating all day. You can drink all the coke you want if you get up and friggin do somethin
- illegal_op, on 10/12/2007, -8/+14soda is defiantly addicting. I try to drink allot of organic juice but soda is just so damn good.
__________________
http://www.leve1.com - aaplmacguy, on 10/12/2007, -1/+7p1nhead,
Ever stop to consider that I might think a Double Quarter Pounder extra value meal with a large Diet Coke *is* one of the finer things in life. Remember what St. Augustine said, "There's no arguing taste." You're not required to like what I like and I'm not required to like what you like. What we are required to do is let each other like what each other likes as long as we are not impinging on the rights of others. - sauvaget, on 10/12/2007, -0/+6makes you wonder how people used to be able to survive...
- p1nhead, on 10/12/2007, -2/+8In general, there are much better ways to slowly kill yourself than smoking and eating junk. Try cocaine. It's fun.
We have to stop associating food with pleasure. It's killing us. Find more pleasureable activities that, you know, don't hurt your body. Read a good book. Have a conversation with a friend. There are better ways to get those endorphin levels up than eating disgusting *****. - kazem, on 10/12/2007, -0/+5High fructose corn syrup is only used in American products. In the rest of the world, even in Coke and pepsi products, they use cane sugar, in addition to totally different chemicals/ingredients. Due to intense lobbying efforts by ADM (the giant agricultural corporation) corn syrup from american corn is used as a sweetener instead of sugar in virtually all of American processed foods. Personally, I think it's terrible. Coke tests better in the UK than it does in the USA, all because of corporate interests.
- CarbonAndroid, on 10/12/2007, -0/+5Add bourbon to it. I think that counters the evil.
- fantasticFlan, on 10/12/2007, -0/+5So drink Dublin Dr Pepper, still made with pure cane sugar.
- inactive, on 10/12/2007, -1/+6I think you people are missing the point here. EPIDEMIC. The government has no choice but to see what soda is doing, so they have to do something, even if they don't know what to do yet.
On the other hand, the warning labels are what helps the FDA cover their own ass, not to help people. - theDrizzle, on 10/12/2007, -0/+5i think that thing with potatoes not being approved is that if potatoes are slightly above ground while growing, the portion that is exposed turns green and contains trace amounts of a substance that is considered poisonous. i heard it at work, and i work in the dining commons at penn state, so i figured they'd have to know their stuff.
- thefurryone, on 10/12/2007, -0/+5Hear hear. I recently gave up normal soda in favor of diet ones; it was a rough transition especially because traditionally aspartame had made me extremely nauseous for some reason. In any event, the drinks with "Splenda" (actually, just basic sucrose) and Ace-K (acesulfame potassium) taste much better and don't leave me queasy. After 42 days I've lost close to 18 pounds. The only problem is that they're often a little bit harder to find in convenience stores, but they usually stock sugar-free Red Bull anyway, so no real loss.
And before anyone says anything about the magic molecule, just remember that Digg, the web, Macintoshes, and pretty much the entire computer industry as we know it wouldn't exist without caffeine. - Misos, on 10/12/2007, -3/+8People should just read the damned nutrition facts.
It's not Pepsi and Coke's fault people are sugar-whores. -
Show 51 - 100 of 186 discussions
