PEPSI: It’s Harmful & Unhealthy Ingredients Explained.

 

Okay, so you love soda. Pepsi? Coca Cola? Sunkist? Sprite?

But do you know the harmful and unhealthy ingredients most sodas contain? Reading the ingredient list on the labels and knowing what it is, are 2 different things.

Can you imagine what these ingredients are doing to your body? Well don’t imagine. Know! Educate yourself.

I decided to focus on Pepsi because it’s one of the most popular soda brands in the United States today.

Read on to learn exactly what’s in Pepsi and what it’s doing to your health.

Pepsi’s ingredients are: Carbonated water, high fructose corn syrup, caramel color, sugar, phosphoric acid, caffeine, citric acid and natural flavors.

1. CARBONATED WATER: Water into which carbon dioxide gas has been dissolved.

Bad health effects: Linked to tooth decay, may reduce fertility.

2. HIGH FRUCTOSE CORN SYRUP: An artificial corn sweetener representing more than 50% of calories in the averaged supermarket. Corn starch is processed to corn syrup and then treated with enzymes to convert glucose in fructose. This is basically added sugar or empty calories.

Bad health effects: Increases the risk of colon cancer, diabetes, kidney stones, weight gain, raises your bad cholesterol (LDL) levels, tooth decay, tissue damage and may cause tumors.

3. CARAMEL COLOR: Brown food coloring or flavoring that may be processed with ammonia and sulfur to intensify color. Not a food.

Bad health effects: May contain ammonium compounds: Affects digestive system and stomach (gastrointestinal problems), liver, and causes hyperactivity. Caramel color produced with ammonia has been associated with blood toxicity and reduces white cells and lymphocyte counts.

4. SUGAR: A sweetening additive. Made mainly from sugar cane.

Bad health effects: Safe if eaten in small amounts. An intake of too much sugar equals weight gain, obesity, diabetes, heart disease, hyperactivity, vitamin B deficiencies, tooth decay and periodontal disease. Also if you consume too much sugar, you make it almost impossible to lose weight.

5. PHOSPHORIC ACID: A colorless odorless chemical made from phosphate rock. Not a food.

Bad health effects: May lead to calcium loss in bones and tooth erosion. Eye, skin, throat, nose, and respiratory irritant. Increases the chance of getting osteoporosis and is linked to kidney damage and kidney stones.

6. CAFFEINE: A bitter, white crystalline xanthine alkaloid that is a psychoactive stimulant drug.

Bad health effects: Psychoactive and addictive. If you consume an excess amount of caffeine, it may cause headaches/migraines, heart disease and even depression. Increases the chance of birth defects and nearly doubles the risk of miscarriage for women. Caffeine is safe if eaten in small amounts.

7. CITRIC ACID: A preservative extracted from citrus fruits or made by fermentation of yeast or mold that’s used a flavoring.

Bad health effects: None, but excessive amounts of citric acid may cause stomach problems then kidney problems.

8. NATURAL FLAVORS: Flavors that are not chemicals that come from animal or plant foods. Made to provide flavor to a food rather than nutritional value.

Bad health effects: None.

Now that you know the facts and what’s exactly in “Pepsi”, you can make an informed decision.

One should avoid drinking soda period, since it contains too much sugar and has harmful ingredients as I explained above about Pepsi.

You should drink more water!!!
And moderately drink homemade nutritious smoothies (especially green smoothies), 100% juices, tea, coffee, red wine and milk alternatives such as almond milk, coconut milk, etc.