Grace’s Blog

If you’re drinking soda — (especially from fast food) you want to read this.

A new study finds that soda fountains are crawling with bacteria. Not just any bacteria, but coliform bacteria.

Researchers tested 90 soda and water samples from 30 different fast food restaurants in Virginia’s Roanoke Valley.

In all, 70 percent tested positive for some form of bacteria–and many of them were resistant to one or more of 11 different antibiotics tested on them, according to the study published in the International Journal of Food Microbiology.

The researchers found 48 percent tested positive for coliform, 17 percent tested positive for Chryseobacterium meningosepticum and 11 percent tested positive for E. coli. They also found species of Klebsiella, Staphylococcus, Stenotrophomonas, Candida, and Serratia.

In plain English, that means there are lots of nasty germs living in those soda machines.

The bacteria appear to love the plastic tubes that send soda (and some of the bacteria) into your cup. Since customers don’t touch those tubes, the researchers believe restaurant workers with dirty hands are likely contaminating them–ironically, probably when they’re cleaning them.

The researchers tested bottled soda to use as a control group and found no contamination.

But there are plenty of other reasons to avoid those, too.

Soda has been linked to tooth decay and obesity. Even diet soda can help you pack on pounds–studies have found people who drink diet sodas actually gain weight, and may be even more prone to diabetes.

Soda has also been linked to lower calcium levels, leading to bone loss and osteoporosis.

I could go on, but I think most of us know this stuff isn’t very good for us.

Don’t replace soda with other canned or bottled drinks. I’ve been telling you quite a bit lately about the health benefits of coffee and tea, so considering brewing your own and enjoying them–hot or iced–throughout the day.

And if you want some fizz, stick to carbonated water.

Just don’t get it from a soda fountain!

Thank you, Dan Henderson, for this information.

Shaklee Independent Distributor

Crickets, grasshoppers, termites, beetle bugs…no, no, no.  Wrong kind of bugs.  There are people who eat them though.

I’m talking about bacteria. Good bacteria.

In the U.S. we don’t like bacteria. I’ve already discussed how we try to kill all bacteria to live in a germ free environment. (Anti-bacterial soaps)

But without bacteria, all the waste we produce would never decompose.  What a mountain of garbage that would create.

If all we eat and drink did not decompose and pass, there would be a world of hurt.  Maybe there is.

From all the advertisements for digestive problems, I would suggest, there is.

Good and bad bacteria are a part of our digestive system.  We want to have more good than bad. 

The Good, the Bad and the Ugly….not an old movie.

The Good…beneficial bacteria, help the body dispose of waste.

The Bad…harmful bacteria and yeasts also inhabit the body and are kept in check by the good guys. 

If there are not enough good guys to do this, the bad take over and do a number on the body’s health.

 The Ugly…once the Bad guys take over…big health problems began to surface.

Bladder infections, vaginal infections, yeast infections.

The use of too many antibiotics (they kill the good guys) may contribute to the development of infections such as staph, strep, and pneumonia.

Digestive problems including constipation or diarrhea, gas, bloating, belching and indigestion may occur.

Are you getting the picture? 

These are the mild ones.  If not corrected, more serious conditions such as acid reflux disease, hemorrhoids, ulcerative colitis, Crohn’s, IBS, and more could result.

There is a war going on in your body between the good and the bad bugs.  Who will win?  What can you do to help the good bugs?  Eat More of Them.

For a more detailed report, go to our Environmental Family Health Web site newsletter archive and open the newsletter “Want Good Health? Eat Lots of “Bugs!”

It is the sixth from the bottom on the right side.  User name and password will be provided in the box that pops up.

Shaklee Dist.