I feel as though soda isn't that bad but it's because people insist on drinking it with every meal and each of those meals are already unhealthy for you so, it's just a faster path to death. Then on top of those things, people don't excerise, drive to most locations versus walking or biking, etc.

I guess bad choices on top of bad choices makes the original bad choice much more severe. 

Why's it called soda, anyway? I'm still trying to figure that out.

I'm a big fan of the diet drinks now (carbonated or uncarbonated). They seem a lot more refreshing than the ones packed with sugar, which seem to just make me want to drink even more.

No doubt, bottled water is the biggest scam on the beverage market today, there are a lot less regulations and rules towards filtering and cleanliness and maintenance on site and in piping. Not to mention that it rarely comes from where it claims to come from.

high-fructose corn syrup is not used in soda in Australia. It is banned. Only imported drinks may have it.

Cane Sugar is the ingredient of choice for locally produced SODA by the main companies like coke and pepsi.

I don't like coffee much, but I do like my caffeine with 2 toddlers. Pepsi max for me. The aspartame is probably going to kill me too, so I mix it up with coke to prolong the inevitable...

Actually I mostly drink tea from filtered water bought in refillable 5 gallon jugs. The tap water here is so full of chlorine regularly that it has made my eyes water on occasion. My pool smells better. The water from the water softener is much better but apparently the potassium it adds is bad for you too.

97% lean beef is much better XD

I've dramatically reduced my soda usage over the last year. I used to have it with pretty much every late meal. Now its a rarity. I tend to stick to water, tea, and on occasion milk (mostly breakfast time). I also try to focus on real tea... not the tea that comes out of the same taps as soda. You know... tea that is made from a water, a leaf, and maybe a little real sugar or honey.

I enjoy tea as well. It's basically water with antioxidants.

My tap water is so good that it's bottled and sold across the nation.

But this is a hippie article.

I do use 97% lean beef, but then I mix it 50/50 with minced zuchini. A quater pound patter ends up with only about 100 -110 calories and so little fat that I don't bother keeping track of it. I cook it with a little salt and pepper and put it on a toasted whole wheat bun with light mayo, mustard and a little ketchup and top it off with lettuce and pickles. Sometimes I'll feel like a cheeseburger and add a slice of Kraft's new fat free swiss singles.

I don't feel guilting about enjoying a 150cal can of Coke with my 300cal low fat Burger and my 150 cal super low fat baked fries, which I cut and bake myself. The whole meal comes out to about 600 calories which is about as much as a Whooper is all by itself without a soda and fries.