The average American drinks an estimated 56 gallons of soft drinks each year, nearly a gallon of soda every week. Before you grab the next can of soda, consider this: one can of soda has about 10 teaspoons of sugar, 150 calories, 30 to 55 mg of caffeine, and is loaded with artificial coloring and sulphites. All of that amount of sugar, calories and harmful additives in a product that has absolutely no nutritional value. Studies also have linked soda to osteoporosis, obesity, tooth decay, and heart disease. Despite this, soda accounts for more than one-quarter of all drinks consumed in the United States.
Soft drinks are being marketed toward children and teenagers who are among the largest consumers. Marketers spend close to $500 million dollars a year to reach children and adolescents with messages about sugar-sweetened drinks, more than they spend on any other category. Teenage boys drink, on average, three or more cans of soda per day, and 10 percent drink seven or more cans a day. The average for teenage girls is more than two cans a day, and 10 percent drink more than five cans a day. A child’s risk for obesity increases an average of 60 percent with every additional daily serving of soda.
