For the first time in 20 years, the amount of soda sold in the United States has dropped.
Sales of cases of soda went down 0.7 percent, to just over 10 billion cases. Coca-Cola Classic sales declined by 2 percent, and original Pepsi sales decreased by 3.2 percent.
Part of the reason for the decrease is attributed to the criticisms of soda's contribution to the growing problem of obesity among teens and children. Other reasons cited have been dislike of the taste and concerns about artificial sweeteners. Some forecasters predict that soda sales will continue to decline at a small but steady pace over the next few years.
Soda is the number one source for calories in the United States. It still is hard for me to believe that so many don't understand simple basics and have allowed themselves to be manipulated into regularly drinking these expensive sweet sugar-water concoctions.
They don't seem to understand that they are exchanging short-term pleasure for long-term pain and increasing their risk of death from nearly every chronic degenerative health condition known to man.
It doesn't help matters much when the media and their doctors don't acknowledge this basic truth. But all truth goes through three stages.
It appears that some in the United States are starting to make the progression to the final phase of the truth about soda.
A drop of less than 1 percent to over 10 billion cases may not sound like much, but it's a drop of well over 70 million cases -- more than 1.5 billion cans. And the decrease has manufacturers worried, especially since it's mostly because more of you are recognizing soft drinks are the single most important factor in the plague of childhood obesity.
Industry analysts are predicting that soft drinks, even those of the diet kind, will decline in the near term. However, one downside is that people are instead turning their attention to energy drinks that can be just as harmful to your health and bottled water that may be no cleaner than tap water.
Your best choice is drinking clean, fresh water, ideally from glass containers or from wide-mouth Nalgene bottles, an environmentally friendlier and safer plastic.
Also wanted to give you an update about my new book on Splenda, called Sweet Deception. It was finished over six months ago but we have been struggling with legal issues with Tate and Lyle, the manufacturer of Splenda. But the good news is that I have signed a contract with the publisher Thomas Nelson and the book will be available this fall.