Rethink Your Drink: Choosing Health and Ethics Over Soda

Most people have heard that soda can cause diabetes through an excessive amount of sugar and that caffeine can disrupt your sleep. But did you know that Coca-Cola also has a carcinogen and phosphoric acid? Meaning the carcinogens can cause cancer and the phosphoric acid can damage the kidneys. Consuming soda occasionally is known to be okay for your health, but excessive consumption of soda—those who have soda as an everyday part of their diet—are at risk of not only type two diabetes but also heart disease, kidney disease, and liver disease. As for the diet version, it is not particularly beneficial, and the long-term effects of consuming artificial sweeteners are still being researched.

When it comes to your health, it is better to be safe than sorry. The three leading popular companies, Coca-Cola and PepsiCo, followed by Dr. Pepper, together make up 92.9% of market shares of the US soft drink market and over 80% of the Canadian market.  These three companies have ethical dilemmas, highlighted in a former Salaaz newsletter, that will make you realize that they do not have your best interest in mind. Moral dilemmas in Coca-Cola include supporting illegal occupations, causing water shortages in India, and spending millions lobbying to ensure that you keep consuming their sugar with ease. PepsiCo and Dr Pepper have similar ethical concerns, and together both companies own all the following brands and more: 

Coca-Cola 

Sprite 

Fanta 

Pepsi 

Mountain Dew 

Crush 

7UP

A&W 

Dr Pepper 

Canada Dry

Even popular water brands like Dasani and Aquafina are owned by these companies, which explains the bad taste that might come from the bad ethics rubbing itself into the water flavour. For the due diligence of our heart, kidney and the children in Palestine these sugarly drinks need to be out of our gatherings and here is a more mindful softdrink plan

What to Drink Instead? Sparkling Water and Hydration Alternatives

A great party-friendly alternative to the sugary soda drinks is not hard to find and can be replaced by sparkling water! An artificial, sugar-free, sodium-free, sweetener-free, calorie-free carbonated drink that provides the same fizz and flavours. Here is a great Canadian-owned brand to consider: 

Flavoured Sparkling Drinks

Curb your cravings of Crush, Fanta, and all sodas with many types of sparkling waters located in grocery stores.

GoodOnya Organic Hydration

GoodOnya has daily hydration that will give you the nice lemon flavor while quenching your thirst for a drink with only 5 minimal clean ingredients: Organic Lemon Juice Powder, Magnesium, Organic Coconut Water Powder, Organic Stevia Leaf Extract, Pink Himalyan Salt, and Vitamin C. 

These drinks can help curb addiction for those struggling with regular soda usage. Nearly 1 out of every 5 people in the US reported having soda daily. Physiological, chemical, and psychological factors make it hard to resist, including the sugar, caffeine, and carbonation. Combined with convenience and affordability, soda has become a worldwide problem.

Enjoying Soda Occasionally it poses no harm, but it is better to choose from ethical soda companies such as Salaam Cola, previously highlighted by Salaaz.

Choosing what we drink is more than just a matter of taste, it’s a choice for our health and our communities. By swapping sugary sodas for mindful alternatives like sparkling water or clean, Canadian-made hydration drinks, we take a simple but powerful step toward better well-being. Let’s raise our glasses to drinks that refresh our bodies without compromising our ethics.