by Alice Rush
AMERICANS are well known for their love of soda, aka in some states as soda pop or just pop.
In the documentary That Sugar Film, there are some great references to soda and what it does. If you haven’t seen the movie, I highly recommend it. Entertaining and educational, and also a bit sad when the part about Mountain Dew Mouth is discussed.
There was minimal soda in the house when I was a child. I think my mother had Fresca (a strange diet lemon-lime type soda) around from time to time, and we had ginger ale or RC Cola once in while at the holidays. Getting a soda on the rare occasion that we stopped at a McDonald’s while we were out shopping was a big treat, just like getting the fast food was. In fact, I distinctly remember not being allowed (until I was 12 or so) to even have a glass of the unsweetened iced tea which was a standard during the summer in our house.
That background, combined with my minor upper digestive issue, is why today I prefer water. I don’t even usually want cold water because it makes me cold. I have to be outside and really hot in the heat before I want my water cold or iced. This is why I’m a bit frustrated with beverage choices in U.S. restaurants. I have experienced much better choices in Dutch restaurants, including fruit juices, and no ice! The choices in the U.S. are most often soda, hot coffee or tea, or water. I am still not drinking caffeinated coffee due to the aforementioned upper digestive issue, so my only real option is water, and I always have to ask for “no ice, please”. It’s a good thing that I like water.
WE DO have some establishments here that will have orange juice, especially if it is a restaurant that serves breakfast. There are also fast-food restaurants that have lemonade, but that lemonade is usually so sweet! And anything sweet and citrus is something else that I probably shouldn’t have. I suppose I could carry my own water flavoring. I was once a big fan of Crystal Light, and Splenda as an artificial sweetener. After enough education and warnings about artificial colors and sweeteners, I stopped both of those.
In the States we now have a new water enhancer called Stur. Maybe you have or have had something similar in Holland? I was skeptical, but it is supposed to be made with real fruit and it uses stevia extract for sweetness. Stur advertises that it has no sugar, artificial colors, or artificial sweeteners. It comes in a multitude of flavors, and it’s not very expensive. What’s not to like? I bought one and tried it out. It was really good! It was a nice way to sweeten up and flavor up my plain old water.
Now, I’m writing about how I wish for healthy options for beverages, specifically non-carbonated ones, and I think I’ve written about unhealthy habits with food in general. I wouldn’t want anyone to get the impression that I’m a health nut. I like to have some education on what I’m eating, but I’m more of “an everything in moderation” person. I like “all the things” but I try to limit my intake and how often I enjoy them. Plus, it can be boring to eat burgers, fries and pizza all the time before having dessert. Those meals have to be exchanged from time to time with salty Asian food, tacos and lasagna, followed by dessert. All enjoyed with a tall glass of plain water.
* Alice is a Maine realtor and a licensed helicopter and fixed wing pilot. She first met her Dutch husband in Maryland in 2005, and married him four years later.
