Soda and Diabetes

Kick the Can – Staff Writer

“Liquid sugar is a unique driver of today’s skyrocketing type 2 diabetes and obesity epidemics. Diabetes rates have almost tripled over the past three decades, just as sugary beverage consumption has doubled. At the same time, the rates of obesity (a major risk factor for diabetes) more than doubled for adults, tripled for adolescents and quadrupled for 6-11 year old children.”(more)

This Is What Sugar Does To Your Brain

The Huffington Post – Carolyn Gregoire

“We know that too much sugar is bad for our waistlines and our heart health, but now there’s mounting evidence that high levels of sugar consumption can also have a negative effect on brain health — from cognitive function to psychological wellbeing.”(more)

Toxic chemical in Pepsi known to lead to cancer

Dr. Leonard Coldwell – admin

“High-fructose corn syrup isn’t the only ingredient found in sodas that consumers should be concerned about. Pepsi and other sodas contain a toxic byproduct known as 4-Methylimidazole, or 4-MEI for short, that may be increasing your cancer risks.”(more)

10 Things You Don’t Know About Sugar

The Huffington Post – Kristin Kirkpatrick, M.S., R.D., L.D.

“Most people know that sugar is not good for them, but for some reason, they think the risk of excess sugar consumption is less than that of having too much saturated and trans fat, sodium or calories. Perhaps it’s sugar’s lack of sodium or fat that make it the “lesser of several evils,” or perhaps people are simply of the mind frame that what they don’t know won’t hurt them. If you really knew what it was doing to your body, though, you might just put it at the top of your “foods to avoid” list. Here are ten things that may surprise you about sugar.”(more)

Why it’s important to read aloud with your kids

The Washington Post – Amy Joyce

“One of the most important things parents can do, beyond keeping kids healthy and safe, is to read with them. That means starting when they are newborns and not even able to talk, and continuing well beyond the years that they can read by themselves. Study after study shows that early reading with children helps them learn to speak, interact, bond with parents and read early themselves, and reading with kids who already know how to read helps them feel close to caretakers, understand the world around them and be empathetic citizens of the world.”(more)