Summer is here! This is the golden time for sales of soft drinks! There are very few of us who would not like a cold drink, especially during the hot summer days!

The sweetness of the drink and the colourful appearance floor us quickly! Further, the advertisement slogans that ‘soft drinks make us refreshed’ are a definite attraction.

Though it is fact that soft drinks quench our thirst, we do not think about the other harms by taking them!

What is a soft drink?

A soft drink contains a mixture of large quantity of fructose (a form of sugar) and carbon-dioxide. It does not contain any nutrients. It does not give any energy or health!

To improve this further, caffeine is added.  Citric acid phosphoric acid and other chemicals are added to stabilize the sweetness. Beta-carotene and caramel are added to give colour. Father, artificial taste-inducing chemicals and colouring agents are added. All of these can harm our body.

Diabetes at young age - Fructose and corn syrup in the soft drink dissolve in the blood and increase the sugar level. This affects the metabolic function. In order to compensate for this, more insulin is generated. The individuals who take frequent soft drinks in unlimited quantities tend to generate more insulin leading to the onset of fatigue & stoppage of insulin production in the pancreas. With this, one gets diabetes at young age. A research has established that the increase of type 2 Diabetes in young men & women is primarily due to taking soft drinks.

Obesity at young age - 60% of the children who take a lot of soft drinks tend to put on more weight. Soft drinks raise the sugar level in blood. This gets converted into fat and stored in the body. This leads to obesity. This can cause heart diseases, blood pressure and urinary infections and other problems. The Department of Health in the central government has accepted that the obesity in young age is primarily due to taking a lot of soft drinks.

Teeth life gets reduced - The phosphoric acid in the soft drink erodes the enamel in the teeth leading to tooth decay. The life of teeth gets reduced and teeth start falling.

Phosphoric acid is harmful by blocking the absorption of calcium in the intestine. This reduces the calcium level in the body reducing the bone density. This leads to onset of osteoporosis. This is the reason why old persons tend to fracture their bones even at a slight fall.

Soft drinks create problems in the body joints at young age.

Kidney stones - frequent intake of soft drink doubles the problems related to kidneys. Soft drinks cause formation of small stones and even kidney failure. The chemical ‘caramel, added to give black colour to the soft drink, can cause cancer. This has been established long ago. The caffeine present in the soft drink increases the blood pressure and affects the nervous system and also causes heart diseases.

Other harms lined-up - Preservative chemicals such as Potassium Benzoate and Sodium Cyclamate are added in soft drinks. Other chemicals such as pectin, alginate, Carrageenan, fructooligosaccharide, and inulin are added in the soft drink. It has been clearly established that all these chemicals cause harm to the body.

Acid generation for food digestion tend to increase while taking lots of soft drinks. This will lead to ulcer in the liver and the intestine. Loss of hunger, frequent belching, nausea, amid stomach ache affect the body leading to major problems in the digestion system.

Raises the body heat level - generally, we take take soft drinks in cold condition. We think this will tend to cool our bodies. But this is wrong! While taking unlimited amount of soft drinks, the coolness shrinks the blood vessels and increases the body heat. This increases the thirst. This further induces to take even more soft drinks. Most of us have experienced this!

Artificial fruit juices - Food experts always recommend taking fruits. By eating the fruit, we get the nutrients as well as the fibre in the skin. This will help avoid constipation and also prevents other diseases such as diabetes and cancer. Taking the juice from the fruits after removal of skin is devoid of the fibre content.

In the artificial fruit juices, there are no nutrients as present in the real fruits. The artificial juice will have only the colour, taste, and the smell of the fruit. Artificial fruit juices are prepared with carbohydrate-rich sugar and other chemicals. These are harmful for health. They are very harmful for the diabetics.

Beware of fakes! - As per the old saying, ‘make hay while the sunshine’, there are plenty of fake manufacturers whose products are heavily sold in the summer. Especially, the soft drinks being sold in rural areas and villages are of the fake types and not originals. Taking these leads to digestion problems, vomiting. Diarrhea, stomach pains, etc.

How to quench our thirst? - Water is the best natural quencher of thirst. So, ensure that you take 3 to 5 litres of water daily. Boiled & cooled water is far healthier & better than the bottled water. If you like cold water, store the boiled & cooled water in a earthen pot and use.

Next to water, tender coconut, buttermilk, sherbet, tender palm-tree water, and fruit juices are good. Watermelon, cucumber, guava, papaya, sweet lime, orange, grapes, jackfruit, pineapple, melon, palmyra fruit, and other water-rich fruits are good.

Lemon juice with salt or sugar is the best and cheap thirst quencher.

Tender coconut is good - Tender coconuts are excellent thirst quenchers in summer. They are pure and nutritious,. If you prefer it cold, the tender coconuts can be kept in water for some time & then broken to be taken. Please note that tender coconuts should not be kept in the refrigerator as they will lose their medicinal properties. Elements such as potassium, sodium, and calcium and other minerals in tender coconuts absorb the body of the heat and condition the body temperature fit for the climate. Because of this, any harm caused by dehydration is prevented.