What's in your soda?

When I went to Sweden, I had to have my "Pepsi" fix and got it. The stuff is international...like McD's. I've also become a label reader and was surprised to find that my tasty treat was made with actual sugar, not the cheap high fructose corn syrup that is thrust into almost any sweet drink available in the the good ol' US of A.
I'd been hearing that this HFCS stuff isn't so good for you and so I did a little research (to satisfy my curiosity and not look too blonde). When I googled the words, the first thing I was shown to go to was a site that basically tried to debunk the "myths" about how bad HFCS is. I read it and what was missing was that none of the claims made in favor of the stuff was supported by any studies, experiments, or otherwise. When I linked into a few other sites that denounced it's greatness, I was shown all the studies, facts, etc., that prove how dangerous this stuff can be.
Lets start with obesity. Besides the fact that kids drink way too much soda (especially teens) this is definitely a contributing factor in getting fat. If one can think back 30 years or so, just before HFCS was being used, there didn't seem to be so much of an obesity problem.
Other problems this stuff can cause is liver damage, complications in diabetes, mineral loss, changes in skin collagen (it can age you!), copper deficiency, defective connective tissue, heart arrythmia, even high cholesterol(more about that one later).
In my quest to satisfy my cola craving, I can't find anything without this crap in it except for Pepsi Throwback, which was promotional and is no longer available. It also has caffeine which I try not to have too much of due to bone health. I did find some 4-pak of bottled soda sans HFCS but it was too expensive and I refuse to pay for something that costs that much for a substitute that should be there in the first place!!
So the other day, at the local grocery, I found a brand called "Adirondack Natural" that is cola flavored, does not have the questionable HFCS,and has no caffeine!!! I was in cola heaven. Not only that, but it actually cost a little less than my usual 2-liter bottle of caffeine free Pepsi. It also has no preservatives. So here is finally a soda that I can drink without worrying about what it's doing to my insides. I've never big on drinking just water (I do love to drink milk with supper or cake or cookies) and I do check the labels on the juices I give my son to make sure he doesn't get bad stuff, but I don't need to put our health at risk just because something is touted as good for you. It turns out that the use of HFCS is good only for the bottom line....the one that lines the pockets of the CEO's.
So if you're a soda drinker like me, perhaps you can peruse your store for this better stuff and give it a try. I'm not very disciplined as far as giving up drinking soda goes (and I was actually going to try) so this is a good find. Even if you don't regularly partake, I'm sure you know someone who does. Even if they don't have this particular soda in your area, at least warn your friends and loved ones of the dangers of this cheap sugar substitue and urge them to get the HFCS out of their systems. And never, never, ever give crappy sodas or juices to your kids!!!!
So says Amma today.