DISCOVERING THE UNUSUAL WORLD OF SODA
Ah… how nice is it to have a cool lemon soda drink on hot summer days like the ones we left behind? Now more than ever, we miss them. And what about those fizzy drinks, which at the cinema always accompany us between a handful of popcorn and another? And the inevitable bottles of cola beverages that ended immediately at every barbecue and party.
For fans of soda and energy drinks, there are really many types, flavors and colors, which crowd our supermarkets in its most famous and recognized brands such as Coca Cola, Pepsi, Sprite and others and numerous less known brands who do their best to imitate them anyway.
It is not known whether it is the bubbles that tickle your nose when you drink them or their disproportionate amount of sugar, but the truth is that carbonated drinks drive us crazy, (almost everyone at least, there is always someone who prefers pure stream water rather than getting intoxicated with such uncivil drinks, but I advise you to be wary of those people).
We therefore dedicate this article to you dearest ones and to them, who have accompanied us over the years from generation to generation, leaving behind a series of anecdotes and curiosities that are well suited to the lively and varied spirit of these sparkling drinks.
THE EFFECTS OF SODA
Partly from general culture or common sense, we already know that apart from the flavors and sweeteners that can vary from brand to brand, what attracts us most about these effervescent drinks are their high concentration of caffeine, taurine and sugars in exaggerated quantities. It is no coincidence that most of these soft drinks are considered “energy drinks”. These substances are in fact able to increase the reaction speed and attention, considerably improving physical but also mental abilities, also increasing their duration.
For this reason, soft drinks of this type are the “best friends” of those who need greater endurance and strength during periods of effort, and can help to regain some energy.
But as with everything, the excessive use of these drinks can lead to very serious problems, of heart and even psychic type, with very different symptoms and intensity that can vary from a mild or high intensity euphoria being made up of substances such as stimulants, but also anxiety, irritability, agitation, bad mood, and insomnia, but also heart arrhythmia and stomach irritability, among others.
Obviously we have mentioned only some of the effects of the mix of substances contained in gaseous and energy drinks, but there is to consider the important and problematic effect that is the obesity that these sugary liquids produce in people who take an exaggerated quantity of it, and in general a disproportionate caloric intake even as a daily food.
The moderation is the only solution that allows us to enjoy things without suffering the disastrous side effects, so be careful.
WE CAN FEEL THE BEEF
There are those who would fight with bare fists just because their friend stepped forward and declared themselves a “Pepsi fan”, thus forever betraying their dearest group of Coca Cola-loving friends. Okay, that’s not quite the case.
But some on the web and on social media make any superficial choice or preference seem like a state affair, as if preferring Marvel to DC or Xbox to Playstation divides us all into two indivisible fractions perpetually at war.
To think that this kind of childish hostility that we find a lot around (I’m talking about those who really take it seriously), is a bit pushed by the same companies for economic reasons. Obviously, it is worth having customers who not only acquire the product but defend it as if their identity was worth it against other competing brands, imposing their forced presence and constant passive advertising at no cost.
Among the many famous duels, we have that of Sprite, always the enemy counterpart of Seven Up being both of the lemonade sub-genre, but the 7Up Vs Sprite challenge is nothing more than the hidden war plan of one of the greatest epochal diatribes of all times: that between Coca Cola and Pepsi, the respective brands of the companies to which the two minor brands of the Sprite and 7Up drinks belong.
These two have made all sorts of things over the years, and if you want to know more about these Cola Wars, check out the article on Pepsi.
A DRINK TO LIFT YOUR MOOD
Belonging to the grandiose circle of fizzy drinks, 7Up is a lemonade drink that has always been in contrast with Sprite.
This soft drink doesn’t have much of a surprise apart from its lemon flavor and bubbles…
Except that, in its original recipe it contained a drug as a component, along with lemon flavors.
This substance is lithium, in particular lithium citrate, a known element used as a mood stabilizer for bipolar disorder and schizophrenia, but also as an antidepressant.
Certainly lithium salts are not substances that must be dosed casually, because even if as a psychoactive drug they are capable of soliciting the release of serotonin, the side effects of these can be very serious, from a simple headache, nausea, decreased memory and tremor in the hands, as well as intoxication due to lithium which leads to major kidney problems and much more.
And it is certainly a coincidence that another of the most common effects when taking lithium is a considerable increase in thirst…
WHY DO WE LIKE ALCOHOL WITH SODA SO MUCH?
Have you ever thought why coke with rum fits so well? As was to be expected there is an explanation, in addition to the union of flavors.
Often energy drinks such as Red Bull and Monster but practically anything is mixed with alcohol at parties and in clubs both because of the combination of aromas but also because the mix of stimulating substances contained in them and the drowsy effect of alcohol, produces a false state of sobriety that is as popular and in demand as it is dangerous, because it makes us believe we are in full control of ourselves and our actions. This certainly could help us believe that we can understand what is happening and the environment around us while we are dancing and having fun, but do not be fooled by your brain: the overexcitement may also deceive your mind but not your body and the alcohol that you have in, which still behaves in its real state, which is drunk, for many of those who take it without any kind of self control.
MOUNTAIN DEW: IN THE MOONLIGHT
For those unfamiliar with it, Mountain Dew is another well-known and marketed energy drink in America of the same style as Monster.
Its origins are curiously very correlated with the previous curiosity, because even in the early decades of the 900, people were looking for a soda that could match well with their beloved whiskey, and not finding a perfect one they decided to create it and gave it the name of Mountain Dew, another name to indicate moonshine, which in Irish slang refers to old-fashioned spirits, probably because these activities, not exactly legal, took place at night.
Then its use has spread over the years, as well as its category of customers, not surprisingly this drink as well as Monster, especially thanks to the targeted demographic marketing produced by the same companies, has become famous in the “gamer” culture and also a somewhat stereotyped as a product of that unbalanced lifestyle and schedules.
DR PEPPER: TO KEEP YOU WARM
Refrain from this curiosity for those who are easily impressionable and have a sensitive stomach for things that are too sugary, because now we are going to talk about Dr Pepper, another very famous drink in America and known in the rest of the world perhaps more from movies.
Product of the Dr Pepper Snapple Group, it is sold and shipped to various regions of the world by both the Pepsi and the Coca Cola Company.
This belongs to the genre of cola drinks such as Coca Cola or Pepsi, and initially, it was created to be drunk at whatever temperature, whether it is cold or … hot.
Yes, the use of this black drink was not only as a cool cola soft drink, but was meant to be drunk in steaming cups.
And perhaps it is not even surprising to some when we consider that cola drinks such as Dr Pepper were used and are still used today as a remedy for cold or as a syrup for sore throats.
So the next time you get sick and you happen to have a few bottles left over, try heating a cup, perhaps with lemon as in “traditional” recipes. It is no coincidence that these drinks are born as medicinal remedies, so they must have some positive effects, right?
I have to admit to my shame, that in times of need I have also come to heat some Coke and put it in a thermos to take it to work.
My only excuse is the piercing cold that plagued my throat with every sip of the drink on winter mornings, but I know that’s not enough for the heresy I committed in my young times.
But those days served to be able to now tell you my experience here in this post, and tell you that if you can pass the overly sweet taste of the unrecognizable liquid, the temperature change is not as horrible as you might imagine, even if I swore to never try it again.
If you have been struck by the desire to try it, do not hesitate to let us know how it seemed to you in the comments section and if you were able to overcome the experience of changing the temperature of your favorite drink.
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DISCOVERING THE UNUSUAL WORLD OF SODA DISCOVERING THE UNUSUAL WORLD OF SODA DISCOVERING THE UNUSUAL WORLD OF SODA DISCOVERING THE UNUSUAL WORLD OF SODA DISCOVERING THE UNUSUAL WORLD OF SODA
