Coffee Versus Sodas: No Contest When it Comes to Our Health

Tue, Aug 18, 15 by Jim Couch

Two of America’s favorite drinks are world’s apart when it comes to how they affect our health, and it is interesting how one helps reduce the risks of developing certain diseases and ailments, and the other helps promote a host of problems.

Thousands of studies have been made of coffee over the past few decades.  Some of these studies have shown that coffee consumption can help reduce the risk of developing heart disease, Type 2 Diabetes, gout, Alzheimer’s Disease, Parkinson’s Disease, certain forms of cancer, among other ailments.  Coffee has zero calories, and has shown to increase levels of HDL, or good cholesterol.  Beyond that, coffee has naturally occurring vitamins and minerals, and in the case of HealthWise Coffees, exceptional amounts.

In her book “An Unashamed Defense of Coffee, 101 Reasons to Drink Coffee Without Guilt”, Professor Roseane Santos indicates “Not only does coffee contain zero calories, it can help you to lose weight!  It may seem silly, but when you ‘Get up and go with a cup of Joe’, you’re also waking up and jump starting your metabolism.”

Let’s take a look at sodas.  There are the equivalent of 13 teaspoons of sugar in each 12 ounce can of sweetened soda.  How can that be good?   Sodas have no nutrients to speak of; they help add to weight gain and the growing obesity problem in the U.S., which in turn can help foster diabetes; they help promote tooth problems; and they are very acidic at a pH of 2.5!  Battery acid is about 1.0; water is 7.0; brewed HealthWise Coffee is over 6.0; while the human body requires a pH of about 7.35.

So why all the soda consumption?   The obvious reasons are that sodas actually taste pretty good; you can find sodas everywhere groceries are sold, plus tens of thousands of vending machines; and the big soft drink makers spend billions of dollars in advertising and promotion.

According to a recent article in consumeraffairs.com, per capita consumption of carbonated soft drinks has declined for 11 straight years, from its peak in 1998.  So it would appear that consumers have been getting the message to perhaps slow down on the soft drinks.