The Dangers Of Drinking Sodas

Most Americans are aware of the dangers that come from consuming sweet carbonated beverages, also known as soft drinks or sodas (Stampler, 2014). However, many Americans still choose to drink the beverages which they know are harmful to their health (Stampler, 2014). On average, every American drinks almost two cans of soda per day (Schulz, 2002). Why are then Americans so obsessed with soda when they know it does them no good? This phenomenon might be occurring because sodas simply taste good. It might also be because they have some kind of a secret ingredient which makes it addictive. There are many psychological factors that influence people’s habit of drinking sodas despite their knowledge of the destruction sodas bring to our bodies because …show more content…
One of them is bringing the awareness about this issue to the children at their early age. The time period during which a person's beliefs and opinions are shaped the most is his childhood (Stevens, 2016). It is, therefore, extremely important to educate kids about the dangers of soda at their early age, both at school and at home. Among many responsibilities that parents have, turning their children away from the things that cause them harm is certainly one of the most important ones. Just like the soda companies want us to associate their products with “good times,” parents should try to do exactly the opposite. First and foremost, they should not have any sodas in their house in order to prevent their kids from falling in love with them. Secondly, they should talk badly about sodas and consequently make their kids be reminded of bad things when they see or hear about sodas. It is also important that teachers spend a significant amount of time talking about the health hazards of consuming sodas in their health classes. Bringing the awareness about an issue at a kid's early age is crucial and is likely going to decrease the chances of that kid's later consumption of sweet carbonated beverages. Another way to prevent the children from getting this disastrous habit is by teaching them to think reasonably and with their own head, resisting …show more content…
More specifically, sodium, a mineral that makes up forty percent of salt, is the dangerous part of salt. Excessive consumption of salt can cause high blood pressure (“Salt and Heart,” 2009) which can lead to heart disease, kidney disease, and stroke (Patel, 2014). On average, Americans daily consume forty to fifty times more salt than the necessary two hundred milligrams (Russo, 1978). The reason behind such an excessive consumption of salt is probably the way salt makes food tastes better (Beauchamp, Bertino, Burke, & Engelman, 1990). Again, there comes the dilemma of whether one should please his present and temporary desires or sacrifice those moments for improving his long-term health. Because people are consuming way more salt than they need, an average person in the United States should try to reduce the amount of salt he is consuming every day. That logically means that he should choose to avoid sodas. One of the reasons for avoiding too much sodium is that it can cause kidney disease. Ultimately, kidney disease affects a person's lifespan. In a recent study, it was discovered that people with a lower level of kidney function are expected to have a shorter life span than those people with a higher level of kidney function. (Turin, 2012). Also, a person's experiencing a stroke, which is another consequence of high sodium consumption, can significantly lower the life expectancy