Stop drinking soft drinks on January 2, 2007, and go at least a year without them.

I’m glad this is done. It wasn’t too hard, since I didn’t drink pop more than once a month on average anyway before this goal, but there were a couple of times that I did have to deny myself at inconvenient times. But now it’s done, and congrats to everyone who accomplished it together!

UK Researcher: Soft Drink Preservative May Damage DNA -Report

NEW YORK – Research from a U.K. university suggests a preservative commonly used in carbonated soft drinks has the ability to switch off vital parts of DNA, The Independent newspaper reported Sunday.

The problem – more usually associated with aging and alcohol abuse – can eventually lead to cirrhosis of the liver and degenerative diseases such as Parkinson’s, the paper said.

Peter Piper, a professor of molecular biology and biotechnology at Sheffield University, tested the impact of the preservative E211, known as sodium benzoate, on living yeast cells in his laboratory. He found the benzoate was damaging an important area of DNA in the “power station” of cells known as the mitochondria.

Piper told The Independent on Sunday: “These chemicals have the ability to cause severe damage to DNA in the mitochondria to the point that they totally inactivate it: they knock it out altogether.

“The mitochondria consumes the oxygen to give you energy and if you damage it – as happens in a number if diseased states – then the cell starts to malfunction very seriously. And there is a whole array of diseases that are now being tied to damage to this DNA – Parkinson’s and quite a lot of neuro- degenerative diseases, but above all the whole process of aging.”

Sodium benzoate is derived from benzoic acid and occurs naturally in berries. It’s been used for decades by the $146.8 billion global carbonated drinks industry to prevent mold in soft drinks such as Sprite, Oasis and Dr Pepper, the Independent said. It is also added to pickles and sauces.

Sodium benzoate has already been the subject of concern about cancer because when mixed with the additive vitamin C in soft drinks, it causes benzene, a carcinogenic substance. The Independent said a survey by the U.K. Food Standards Agency last year found high levels of benzene in four brands of soft drinks, which were removed from sale.

Source

...I took an exception this evening. I was at a reception after my daughter’s band concert, and they were serving punch. I couldn’t see into the punch container since it was being served from a beverage cooler thingie with a spigot dispenser. It wasn’t until I took a sip that I realized it was bubbly. So it was unintentional.

A typical cola 20 years ago was 6 1/2 ounces. Today, it’s 20 ounces. The difference: 165 calories.

If a person did not change how much he or she exercised or how much food he or she ate, but just changed from the 6 ounce to the 20 ounce container, in one year, that person would gain 17 pounds.

Of course, many people drink diet cola. I’m convinced that artificial sweeteners are not healthy for a variety of reasons. I’d take the extra calories first.

We’re 13% of the way there already!

...this isn’t a big issue for me. I don’t routinely drink soft drinks. For a while I would order them at restaurants, but I don’t even do that any more. Today, though, I was visiting my grandma in her assisted living facility. Since she doesn’t have a kitchen in her apartment, but she still likes to “entertain”, she offers her guests a bottle of 7-Up. It was hard because I didn’t want to offend her by refusing, but I just told her “No thanks, I don’t drink pop any more” and left it at that.

Well then, my throat was getting dry and suddenly I had a catch in my throat and started coughing. I needed something to drink. I was tempted to open the 7-Up bottle, but I ended up rinsing out my son’s empty bottle and filling it with water instead.

I’m joining Deni in this goal because I want to give her some moral support! I know she can do this!

Deni made a specific exception to this goal, and I’m going to take the opportunity to do the same. Every once in a while, perhaps once per year, I enjoy a rootbeer float, but it’s more of a dessert (the ice cream and foam!) than a soft drink, and it’s sort of a celebratory summer thing. So I will allow myself that exception. Otherwise, nothing carbonated!