Effects Of Dr. Pepper

Will had always been a fan of soda and each afternoon would crack open a cold can of Dr Pepper, always watching the fizz, the strange mixture of 23 flavors. That was his ritual, his comfort drink. With time, he started noticing something was off.

One day, after drinking his third can, he felt more tired than usual, his energy crashing hard. His friend Hyatt was curious. He was a health-conscious kid who didn’t like soda. “Have you ever looked at what’s in that stuff?” he asked, holding up the can.

Will shrugged. “Tastes good. That’s all that matters.

Hyatt sighed, pulling out his phone. “Do you know this has more than 40 grams of sugar? That’s even more than what your body needs in an entire day. No wonder after some time you are always so sluggish; your blood sugar spikes and then comes crashing down.

“And that’s not all,” Hyatt said. “Just consider the ingredients-high fructose corn syrup, artificial flavor, caramel color, some of these have been linked to tooth decaying, increase in weight, even to weakening bones.”

Will hesitated; he remembered his last dentist visit and a cavity he’d been warned about.

“Plus,” Hyatt said, “the caffeine. You think it helps you stay awake, but when you drink it all the time, you end up more tired. That’s why you keep wanting to drink more.”

I will ponder on this. He had been sleeping poorly lately, lying awake at night and then tossing and turning. Could it be the soda?

“And, of course, let’s not even get to the ecological effects,” Hyatt added, pointing at his growing pile of empty cans. “Plastic waste, carbon footprint-it all counts.”

He stared at the can in his hand; the fizz wasn’t quite as appealing anymore. He had always thought of Dr Pepper as a harmless drink, but maybe it wasn’t as good as he considered. Of course, he wasn’t going to stop drinking it, but perhaps this was a sign that it was time to take it back.

The next day, reaching for another can, he stayed his hand. Maybe water wasn’t so bad after all.