Many people heard the news story about Coke and Pepsi changing their coloring to avoid having to put a warning label on their product.  (See: http://www.guardian.co.uk/business/2012/mar/09/coke-pepsi-recipe-change-avoid-cancer-warning )  While that may be a good thing, parents should still take a close look at soda before allowing their children to use it for more than an occasional treat.    (It does seem that as a nation we are using it for more than an occasional treat.)  We may even want to reconsider our own soda consumption.  Here are some things to think about as you steer your child's (children's) and your own drink choices:

“In the 1950's, children drank 3 cups of milk for every 1 cup of sugary drinks.  Today that ratio is reversed: 3 cups of sugary drinks for every cup of milk.”  http://www.prevention.com/health/diabetes/drinking-soda-4-reasons-stop-soda-consumption?page=4 

 
 Colas Contain Phosphoric Acid

Calcium:  

•  “Calcium is a second messenger in neuronal membranes, which means it acts like a traffic signal for uptake and release of neurotransmitters.”  (The A.D.D. Nutrition Solution by Marcia Zimmerman, p. 148)
• “…calcium regulates the speed, intensity, and clarity of every message that passes between brain cells.”  (The A.D.D. Nutrition Solution by Marcia Zimmerman, p. 148)
• Calcium deficiency is associated with depression, anxiety, and insomnia.   http://www.livestrong.com/article/91388-calcium-depression/   
• Increasing calcium intake may help with PMS.  http://online.wsj.com/article/SB122937831273108391.html 

• “On the basis of the evidence that vesicular zinc may be essential to the functions of the amygdala....” http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/11988235    The amygdala “is involved in the processing of emotions such as fear, anger and pleasure. The amygdala is also responsible for determining what memories are stored and where the memories are stored in the brain. It is thought that this determination is based on how huge an emotional response an event invokes    http://biology.about.com/od/anatomy/p/Amygdala.htm

• “Magnesium is by far the most important mineral in the body, activating over 300 different biochemical reactions in your body all necessary for your body to function properly.”   http://www.bodyandfitness.com/Information/Health/Research/magnesium1.htm 
• Magnesium is “Imperative for heart health and normal blood pressure. Needed by nervous system, "Nature’s tranquilizer." Used in storage and utilization of energy. May be helpful in relieving asthma.”  http://www.bodyandfitness.com/Information/Health/Research/magnesium1.htm 

• “... the odds of becoming obese increased 60% for each can or glass a day of sugar-sweetened soft drinks.” http://www.prevention.com/health/diabetes/drinking-soda-4-reasons-stop-soda-consumption?page=2  
• “... we're drinking 18 ounces of liquid candy daily, we're adding about 225 calories to our diet.  Over the course of a month, that's almost 7,000 additional calories, which can easily translate to a 2 pound gain.  Over a year, these drinks could be adding 24 pounds to our bottom line.”  http://www.prevention.com/health/diabetes/drinking-soda-4-reasons-stop-soda-consumption?page=2 
• “Naturally, consuming extra calories from added sugar will lead to weight gain. But even diet soda may lead to unhealthy pounds. While the research is not yet conclusive, recent data demonstrated an association between regularly drinking diet soda and larger waist lines.”    http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/03/14/soda-and-heart-attacks_n_1343163.html?1331729185&ref=health-fitness#s779402&title=Weight_Gain_
• “… a 25-year look at health habits, study author Sharon Fowler, an epidemiologist at the center, found that the more diet sodas a person drank, the greater his or her risk of becoming overweight. “  http://www.prevention.com/health/diabetes/drinking-soda-4-reasons-stop-soda-consumption#ixzz1qSiCidyN 

• “… researchers from the Harvard School of Public Health found that drinking just one sugar-sweetened beverage a day was associated with a 20 percent bump in a man's risk of having a heart attack over a 22-year period. What's more, that risk increased along with the amount of sugary drinks consumed -- even after researchers controlled for other factors like family history, tobacco use and BMI.” http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/03/14/soda-and-heart-attacks_n_1343163.html?1331729185&ref=health-fitness 

• “A two liter bottle of soda has the equivalent of 56 cubes of sugar.”   http://books.google.com/books?id=XccDAAAAMBAJ&pg=PA162&lpg=PA162&dq=%E2%80%9CA+two+liter+bottle+of+soda+has+the+equivalent+of+56+cubes+of+sugar.%E2%80%9D&source=bl&ots=0gzEtw8pVP&sig=G9m-c0ehn16Gfn4qasY9HM5VSPY&hl=en&sa=X&ei=fLBzT4L-E5Lsggfql4lo&sqi=2&ved=0CDQQ6AEwAg#v=onepage&q=%E2%80%9CA%20two%20liter%20bottle%20of%20soda%20has%20the%20equivalent%20of%2056%20cubes%20of%20sugar.%E2%80%9D&f=false
• High fructose corn syrup may alter the magnesium balance in the body.  In one study of ADHD children, 95% were found to have low magnesium levels.  (The A.D.D. Nutrition Solution by Marcia Zimmerman)
• HFCS may “interference with the heart’s use of key minerals like magnesium, copper and chromium.” - http://www.healthy-eating-politics.com/high-fructose-corn-syrup.html 
• HFCS promotes obesity.  http://www.princeton.edu/main/news/archive/S26/91/22K07/ 

• “Soda eats up and dissolves the tooth enamel,” says Poonam Jain, director of community dentistry at Southern Illinois University School of Dental Medicine…..  In a series of studies, Jain tested various sodas by measuring their pH – an indication of acidity.  Battery acid, for example has a pH of 1; water scores a 7.  Jain found that sugar sweetened sodas came in at about 2.5, while diet sodas scored a 3.2.”   http://www.prevention.com/health/diabetes/drinking-soda-4-reasons-stop-soda-consumption?page=3
• “... adults who drink three or more sodas a day have up to 62% more decayed, missing and filled teeth than those who drink less.”   http://www.prevention.com/health/diabetes/drinking-soda-4-reasons-stop-soda-consumption?page=3

• “A study released today in the journal Diabetes Care found that people with a daily habit of just one or two sugar-sweetened beverages—anything from sodas and energy drinks to sweetened teas and vitamin water—were more than 25 percent likelier to develop type 2 diabetes than were similar individuals who had no more than one sugary drink per month.”    http://health.usnews.com/health-news/diet-fitness/diabetes/articles/2010/10/27/even-1-soda-a-day-can-hike-your-diabetes-risk

• At least one web site is reporting that when aspartame (a sweetener in many diet sodas) gets above 85 degrees F, that it changes into neurotoxic substances.  This line of thinking questions whether aspartame plays a role in Gulf War Syndrome (the sodas got too hot out in the desert)   See:  http://aspartame.tripod.com/gulfwar.htm     Other sites have it connected to some cases of breast cancer.  http://www.naturalnews.com/021920.html

• Those looking to decrease their soda intake may want to consider switching to green tea.
• “People who drink 4 or more cups of green tea a day are 44% less likely to be depressed than those who sip it less often.  Its amino acid theanine may spur the release of the feel-good brain chemical serotonin.”     - Prevention Magazine, Sept 2010, p. 21
• It may help with fighting cancer and heart disease, lowering cholesterol, preventing diabetes and stroke, and dementia.  http://www.webmd.com/food-recipes/features/health-benefits-of-green-tea
• It may help those with ADHD  http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/08/14/tea-adhd_n_925962.html
• For those that want to lose weight, “epigallocatechin gallate (EGCG), a compound found in green tea, was shown to increase fat oxidation by 33 percent.”  http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2010/04/29/green-tea-extract-effective.aspx
• Green tea may help with memory loss.  Check out: http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2004/10/041030144110.htm 
• This site (among others) makes some other claims about the health benefits of green tea:  http://chinesefood.about.com/library/weekly/aa011400a.htm