Coca-cola is not as bad for you as it once was. The myth that Coke once contained cocaine is not a myth. But even without the cocaine, Coca-cola is no health-beverage. Between the sugar and the colorings and the caffeine....But those same complaints can be made about virtually every soft-drink available (well, some have no caffeine, and others have strong sweeteners that are not sugar, and some have no artificial color, but you get the idea, anyway).
At the opposite end of the health-drink spectrum, we find green tea, which is the new panacea for all ills. Or so the media would have us believe. And maybe they're right. Similarly, all kinds of concocted smoothies (some holding far more appeal than others) are purported to solve all ills. (For the record, I haven't sampled any of the recipes in the links, so I'm not endorsing some and panning others - I'm just talking about the initial impression of tastiness or lack thereof).
Some accuse soft-drinks of causing the American epidemic of obesity (though others - rather dramatically, and perhaps unrealistically - disagree). But even if soda isn't the devil incarnate, it's not the best choice, regardless.
I am lucky, perhaps. I don't like soda. I don't like the taste of cola and I don't like the fizz of anything else (well, except champagne). My beverage of choice is nearly always water. That would be water at room temperature, to the dismay of my friends from Memphis (in particular), who believe water should come with ice cubes. I've been teaching myself to drink herbal tea too, and I don't think that's a poor choice.
But every so often, I indulge....I have discovered an apple juice that claims to be cider...though if it's cider, it's certainly not any New England cider that I know. But it's also not a regular apple juice. It has a very clear taste...very smooth. It's from Moshav Keshet, in the north of Israel, and it reminds me of the cloudy apple juice from my grandparents' house, when I was a kid (which I thought was kind of strange, at the time). In the weeks (months?) since I've discovered it, nostalgia has only overcome me a couple of times.... Cloudy apple juice with the smoothest, coolest, most refreshing taste. As for nutrition - well, it's hard to know. Some apple juices have loads of vitamin C, among other nutrients. Others are not much more than sugar water. This is organic and fresh, so I have to assume it has some nutritional value. But the plain old water is clearly much better for me....and for the most part, I'll stick with it.
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