Americans drank 15 billion gallons of pop last year, which is twice as much as we consumed back in the 1970s. The first concern here is obesity. One in four children today is overweight and, while weight problems are a complicated issue, poor food choices is a major contributor. According to a recent study from Harvard School of Public Health, children's weight problems were directly proportional to how many soft drinks they consumed. Then there is the issue of sugar.
Pop is a big contributor here.
Every time children reach for a soda pop, they miss the opportunity to eat fruits, vegetables, whole grains, nonfat milk, and other foods that reduce the risk for developing heart disease, cancer, diabetes, stroke, and obesity later in life. One study from Tulane University in New Orleans found that children who ate lots of sugar consumed significantly lower amounts of protein, vitamin E, B vitamins, iron, and zinc. So, consuming too much sugar could be undermining children's health today and in the future. Another big concern is how soda pop influences our children's bones and teeth. Two to three decades ago, our children drank twice as much milk as soft drinks.