# Should we remove soda from being sold in schools? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [January 7, 2004, 11:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-we-remove-soda-from-being-sold-in-schools/223302 "2004-01-07T23:01:38Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 6\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![Crimson\_Teardrop](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/a5b964/32.png) [@Crimson\_Teardrop](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Crimson_Teardrop)\ **Post date:** [January 10, 2004, 7:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-we-remove-soda-from-being-sold-in-schools/223302/41 "2004-01-10T19:55:08Z")
It’s not sold in mine anymore…they only sell water and coffee. _rollseyes_ people just bring their own in so I don’t see the point really. ---
**Author:** ![Qadgop\_the\_Mercotan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/qadgop_the_mercotan/32/83_2.png) [@Qadgop\_the\_Mercotan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Qadgop_the_Mercotan)\ **Post date:** [January 10, 2004, 9:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-we-remove-soda-from-being-sold-in-schools/223302/42 "2004-01-10T21:22:42Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Rubystreak \* > **So besides water, what IS a healthy beverage for kids?** What’s wrong with water? It’s the liquid we were designed to drink. If a person wants something other than water, skim milk is a good substitute. So are unsweetened teas. And if people want to drink large quantities of a beverage I’d rather see them drinking beverages with nutra-sweet and other non-caloric sweeteners. Keep in mind that 8 oz. of Coca cola and 8 oz. of apple juice each have about the same caloric content, 100 for coke, and 117 for apple juice. > [@](#): > > \*\*Are you saying that soda and juice are equally healthy? \*\* Soda with sugar and fruit juices are about equally unhealthy. Again, moderation is the key. These beverages should be taken in small servings, like any nutritionally empty “treat”. > [@](#): > > **And is high fructose corn syrup not qualitatively different from the fructose that naturally occurs in fruit?** Six of one, half a dozen of the other. The former is half fructose, half glucose. The latter is fructose. There are some slight differences in how they are metabolized (fructose vs. glucose, that is). But the differences are not so great as to make fructose a _great thing to consume_ vs. glucose as _the devil’s sugar_. Large consumption of either will increase risk for obesity and diabetes. ---
**Author:** ![netscape\_6](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/8c91f0/32.png) [@netscape\_6](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/netscape_6)\ **Post date:** [January 10, 2004, 10:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-we-remove-soda-from-being-sold-in-schools/223302/43 "2004-01-10T22:50:24Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Qadgop the Mercotan \* > \*\*What’s wrong with water? \*\* it does not tast very good in many schools, nasty actually like rotten eggs, sometimes clorine, in many cases just plain bitter. Skim milk does not taste very good either to alot of people although it’s no where near as bad as the aboved mentioned water. ---
**Author:** ![FilmGeek](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/b19c9b/32.png) [@FilmGeek](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FilmGeek)\ **Post date:** [January 11, 2004, 12:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-we-remove-soda-from-being-sold-in-schools/223302/44 "2004-01-11T00:48:02Z")
I attended a school that had soda machines that were unplugged until after school. So, we plugged them in, bought soda, and unplugged it again. Tricky. A typical school day for me was arrive at 6 am, classes until two, edit the newspaper until 6 pm, then go to rehearsal until 10 or 10:30. I needed a little caffeine by that point and artificial sweeteners give me horrendous headaches, as does caffeine withdrawal. Milk makes me sick to my stomach. I would have loved bottled water but it wasn’t sold. I didn’t like the water in the drinking fountains unless I was particularly parched. There were sewer gas problems. My school’s idea of a healthy meal was chicken nuggets, mashed potatoes, gravy, and corn. Admittedly tasty, but carbs anyone? Other choices were a salad bar (iceberg, tomatoes, cheese and dressing), that rectangular pizza that requires ‘sitting’ and sopping up of grease with a napkin (I’m not exaggerating), a variety of fried sandwiches and slushies. ---
**Author:** ![Hanna](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/b3f665/32.png) [@Hanna](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hanna)\ **Post date:** [January 11, 2004, 1:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-we-remove-soda-from-being-sold-in-schools/223302/45 "2004-01-11T01:44:41Z")
Not only are sugar -laden sodas and jucies not very healthy, they really do a number on teeth. I have been drinking either water or diet sodas since I was 20. My sister has stuck to sugared drinks all her life, and half her teeth have rotted out and she’s had to have all kinds of $$ dental work. I still have all my teeth, they’re doing great, while my poor sister still hasn’t learned. I wish she’d stop drinking that crap. ---
**Author:** ![Rubystreak](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/e5b9ba/32.png) [@Rubystreak](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rubystreak)\ **Post date:** [January 11, 2004, 3:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-we-remove-soda-from-being-sold-in-schools/223302/46 "2004-01-11T03:32:28Z")
Some kids will drink water, but many won’t. Bottled water is definitely better than the school’s tap water, which tastes nasty. I’m betting they probably won’t drink unsweetened tea either. Milk is not good for everyone; many people are lactose intolerant, including me. I’m trying to figure out what beverage would appeal to kids, not have excessive amounts of sugar and calories, and maybe even be good for them. What about a green tea,maybe augmented with a fruit or ginseng flavor, with just enough sugar to make it taste decent? It would have antioxidants and wouldn’t be as sweet or calorie-laden as juice and soda. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-we-remove-soda-from-being-sold-in-schools/223302.md?page=2)