New Posts  All Forums:
 

Drinking coca-cola!

post #1 of 46
4/24/02 at 10:22pm
Thread Starter 
Okay, I'm talking about DH drinking coke at home not our 19month old DD. DH and I had a long conversation at 2 in the morning. He wants to drink coke at dinner again because he is falling asleep when we lie down with dd at 8pm (we had an agreement before that he would only drink coke outside the house). I believe in only having healthy foods at home, for our own health and dd as well. DH is arguing that he lives in the house too and should have a say in what he eats. And yes, I know I'm a food nazi. I argue that dd always wants what we eat/drink and the sugar and caffeine is inappropriate for a small child(or a big one). Anyways, I can go on and on about this. DH is a very logical, factual person, and I'm wondering if anyone out there has any statistics or facts that explain why drinking coke or other sodas is bad for you. (DH says caffeine is actually healthy for you... which I know in small amounts stimulate your brain).
Sponsored Links
post #2 of 46
4/24/02 at 10:39pm
i love diet coke
post #3 of 46
4/25/02 at 12:22am
I love regular coke

But seriously, I am not sure this is a battle worth fighting. I know you want him to be healthy. I want the same thing for my husband (we have these types of battles allll the time) but sometimes you have to let him do what he needs (wants) to do.
How about thinking of ways that he could have a coke with dinner on the sly? Maybe put it in a dark colored bottle. Not sure exactly what you could do but there should be a compromise.
post #4 of 46
4/25/02 at 12:37am
I try to keep healthy foods only in our house, but it's true, dh lives here, too. If he wants to bring a bag of Doritos into the house, dd and I don't have to eat them.
Here's something not so great about carbonated drinks (which no one likes at our house). And this isn't going to sound very eloquent, but it's late and I'm not feeling very scientific. I read somewhere, maybe a pregnancy herbal book?, that phosphoric acid interferes with the body's absoprtion of Calcium. Caffiene can decrease bone density.
post #5 of 46
4/25/02 at 8:57am
And aspartame sucks,and ect ect.But you know what? I DONT CARE.I try to eat 90% healthy,and that's good.But sometimes I just want to have something that I WANT to have with no regard for whether it's good for me.It is the one thing I allow myself.I battled eating disorders and crap like that for way to long and always deprived my self of everything,and I'm sick of it frankly.If I really want something,I'm gonna have it.I think it becomes way to easy to get almost to the point of obsession with healthy eating.I think everything in moderation.(Oh,and sometimes a good unhealthy binge)
post #6 of 46
4/25/02 at 9:03am
Can't he have caffeinated tea or coffee after dinner? This could turn into a nice after dinner ritual, with you drinking a decaf herbal and he drinking something with some caffeine. Your kids could join in.

Regular soda pops have tons of sugar in them, and not much else. They rot teeth. Coffee or tea drinkers usually don't add more than a tsp of sugar, only 4g carbohydrates, not bad at all.

I let my dh keep his diet Coke in our workshop fridge because he just likes it. That's ok too. But we don't make it a regular sight in our home.

Soda pops are highly overmarketed and have contributed greatly to the poor nutritional habits and rotten dental health of our kids, especially when the pop is so accessible at their schools.
post #7 of 46
4/25/02 at 9:49am
My problem with Coca Cola is the company - advertising in public schools, slave wages, etc. Therefore, I would advise buying from a smaller soda complany like Dr. Hansen's.

But if you just don't want all the sugar in your house, I would recommend the coffee/tea idea.
post #8 of 46
4/25/02 at 10:03am
Coke and soda in general are not good for you - I think we'd all agree on that, at least for the most part.

However, my feeling is that your dh is an adult and he should be able to drink whatever he chooses. My dh does not have great eating/drinking habits. He drinks coke/pepsi with every meal. My kids (4 and 2) know that it's not for them to drink and they don't ask for it.

Same with the cookies and junk food my dh keeps in the house for himself - the kids know it's Daddy's food and they don't ask for it. I hope that my dh will, overtime, become a more healthy eater - but I feel that he is an adult and has a right to make decisions about the foods and beverages that go into his body. I don't mean that as an insult to you mamaMAMAma - I understand that you don't want him setting a bad example for the kids - but I think your kids will understand that some things are for Daddy's and not kids.

Just my .02.
post #9 of 46
4/25/02 at 10:34am
You might point out that he could have a cup of coffee or tea and a small piece of homemade cake, or brownie, for about the same amount of sugar as is in a regular soda pop. If he drinks diet pop, then that strategy won't work.
post #10 of 46
4/25/02 at 11:49am
Thread Starter 
Thanks for all the great advice. I suggested coffee as a substitute too - figuring it has caffeine, no sugar(he drinks it black) and even if dd wants to try it, it tastes awful. Offering a healthy dessert to go with the coffee is a great idea. DH loves chocolate, so maybe I can make some carob chip cookies.
post #11 of 46
4/25/02 at 12:08pm
I think I remember hearing about when a tooth is left in a glass of coke overnight it totally dissolves? I'm also sure there was a thread on the old boards about all the disgusting things coke can do, like paramedics using it to clean blood off the road, etc.

Having said that, I like caffeine free diet coke. I know, what's the point!!! Dd1 sometimes will ask for pop, will take one mouthful and go back to her milk, so basically we never refuse her when she asks (which is only when we are drinking it too!). Dd2 will drink it in preference to milk or water, so we don't drink it around her!
post #12 of 46
4/25/02 at 12:56pm
my dad (who we live with) drinks up to 2 litres of coke a day. my mom, dh and i only drink it out of the house...my dad also drinks alot of carnation instant breakfast (nestle) which we also avoid. it's a tough one, probably not worth fighting, unless you kid is trying to get some too, wants to drink what dad has. yuck.
post #13 of 46
4/25/02 at 1:44pm
I agree with those who say you may be fighting a losing battle. The more you try to force your dh to give up the Coke, the more tenaciously he'll cling to it. You could remind him of all the ways that soda is bad for him and let him choose to give it up on his own. Like Irishmommy, I've heard of the experiment where you leave a baby tooth in a glass of coke and it dissolves. Parthenia's mention of soda being bad for bone density sounds familiar.

My dh drinks beer every single night. Obviously, it's not appropriate for kids. My kids don't have a problem with the concept that some things are for adults only.
post #14 of 46
4/25/02 at 3:26pm
I read somewhere that the amount of sugar in one can of soda causes a measurable weakening of the immune system.

I agree with you about setting a healthy example for your kids. I'm trying to do the same. We got sodas out of our house for the most part. I just don't buy them, and dh never goes to the store, so they just aren't here. I thought it would be really hard since we used to drink them with dinner, but after the first week I really didn't miss it. Now when I have a soda I can rarely even finish a whole one, it's so sweet. Maybe dh would agree to a trial run? I agree that you can't really tell your dh what to eat or not, even though I would love to do that around here! Dh sneezes every time he eats chocolate, but refuses to acknowledge that maybe that's his body's way of telling him he shouldn't eat it!

When I was a kid we had a one soda a day rule, whether it was at the house or out and about.

Oh, and here's something else we do. I buy a lot of sparkling water, since sometimes we just want something with carbonation. And then every now and then I buy those flavored syrups that cafes usually have for coffees. I add a teaspoon or two of the syrup to sparkling water, and voila, soda. You end up using much less sugar than if you bought the canned stuff. I like the orange flavor, yum!

Edited to add: Despite all that, sometimes I love a cup of ice cold coke, especially when my stomach is upset.
post #15 of 46
4/25/02 at 4:41pm
OK this is coming from someone who is addicted to Coke. I love it and I don't want to give it up (although now that I am pg I limit myself to one a week).

Howabout if he is discreet about it. Maybe putting it in an opaque cop so dd can't see what is in it. My children were mostly attracted to the bubbles and can. There were sparkeling juices at the co-op that pleased them for a specail treat. You can also make sparkeliing juice by mixing concentrate with spakeling water.

If your husband just needs caffien (although I am pretty sure this isn't his only reason for drinking coke) green tea is a good source of caffien with lots of added benifits.
post #16 of 46
4/25/02 at 5:27pm
DOH! I just read an article about what refined sugar does to the body. Sugar abuse suppresses the immune system, upsets the balance of minerals, can lead to malnutrition, yeast problems, hypoglycemia, diabetes and some cancers. The more you eat, the more you crave. The article recommended vitamin B supplements for people trying to kick the sugar habit.

Also, I read in the Tightwad Gazette that the average American family spends an obscene ammount of money on soft drinks.
post #17 of 46
4/25/02 at 8:21pm
I'm with Saige... I love diet coke That being said...I agree it has ZERO nutritional value but I have my bad habits and that is definitely one of them!!!

Just as I would restrain my child from alcoholic beverages (of course there are a lot of reasons to do that, legal and ethical not withstanding), my DH and I tell her that soda is a drink she may have when she is older (she's 5 now) and more grownup. She complains on occasion but generally is OK with it.

Now...Perhaps you can compromise with your DH and he will ONLY drink soda after your daughter is in bed. I like the camouflage idea a few people had too...disguise it in an opaque cup...maybe one of those hot/cold drink cups with the lid on it so he can pretend it is something else. I respect your desire to keep healthy food in the house, but to echo others...he is a grownup...these sorts of things are always hard!
post #18 of 46
4/26/02 at 12:37am
how about a "daddy fridge" in the bedroom/garage/workshop/basement? So they're cold and available in a kidfree zone. A daddy travel mug or squeeze bottel might be good...they never have to know what's IN it. I mean adults drink coffee all the time and children rarely get it...maybe you could get them to assume it's coffee?

The phosphoric acid depletes the calcium in your bones...a big problem for girls especially, but a bad idea for anyone... There is also discussiont hat the huge amounts of sugar we eat contribute to the massive increase in adult-onset diabetes we've seen in the last few decades.
post #19 of 46
4/27/02 at 10:11am

natural colas

Whole Foods Store make a natural cola soda, no caffeine, but it sure gets me jacked, all that sugar.
Anyway why would you drink something "diet" that is known to cause cancer in lab animals? There are natural diet soda sweetened with stevia.
Also,
Coca Cola is used to clean blood off the road after accidents.
That stuff also weakens your immune system, my friend Faye was a big Coke drinker and ended up with BOILS all over body, LOTS OF THEM.

What about some green tea?

Please don't let anyone you love drink Coca COla or Pepsi.
post #20 of 46
4/27/02 at 4:04pm
Thank goodnes-- I drink Dr. Pepper!

Love, Jenny