This story is part of the 9NEWS Mornings "Over It" series, where members of the team make a big life change for 30 days. Morning show producer Avicra Luckey decided to cut her sugar habit for the month of January.
I’ve been keeping soda out of my diet since Jan. 2 and I have not lost a pound.
I think I know why though; I still drank juice at the start of all this. Clearly, my problem is sugar and not just soda. That’s why for the final stretch of my challenge, I’ve cut ALL drinks with added sugar.
Wish me luck!
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For the majority of this challenge, sugar has been the focus because that’s my problem. However, there are a few other ingredients included in every can. Just as with sugar, too much of anything can cause problems.
For this challenge I’ve cut out Coca-Cola specifically, because it’s my favorite. That’s the brand I’ll focus on here. One can of Coca-Cola includes the following ingredients: Carbonated water, high fructose corn syrup, caramel color, phosphoric acid, natural flavors and caffeine.
Our 9News Science Guy Steve Spangler helped us zero in on phosphoric and carbonic acid this week. He says you can find either of these in most sodas. In Coca-Cola, it’s phosphoric acid that gives the drink its tangy flavor. This acid can also cause problems for our teeth, if we drink too much of it. However, the hydrochloric acid in our stomachs is much stronger than phosphoric acid, so don’t freak out.
Steve says phosphoric acid can still do damage to aluminum though. He says beer makers Anheuser- Busch started work with the American Can Company to fix the problem way back in 1929. Eventually, most beer, canned food and soda manufacturers started to include thin plastic liners inside their aluminum cans. They’re there to protect the aluminum, preserve the taste of the product and make sure it survives for months on the shelf.
This week, Steve and I exposed the liner, so you can see what it looks like and how it works. Watch below!
