Americans drink more Coca-cola than any other single carbonated beverage. What’s inside a can of Coke these days?

I have a few rules about eating and drinking. If I can’t pronounce it, I shouldn’t eat it or drink it. That’s a good rule, except that I drink carbonated colas, and I’m not sure what’s inside. It’s a secret.

Pepsi-Cola was banned from India a few decades ago because they would not release their secret ingredients. The blend of ingredients sets Pepsi apart from Coke and other colas.

The ingredients we know of include a mixture of carbonated water, high fructose corn syrup (now affectionately known as corn sugar), coloring, phosphoric acid, citric acid, natural flavors, and caffeine. I can pronounce all those ingredients. That’s how I know that Pepsi is safe to drink.

Diet Pepsi and Diet Coke are big sellers, too, but the ingredients vary from the mainstream products. There’s no sugar or high fructose corn syrup. Instead, there’s a mixture of aspartame or some other ingredient known to kill laboratory rats who ingest the equivalent of 20 pounds a day. 20 pounds of anything a day is probably toxic.

The web site Diet Soda lists interesting facts obtained by the Calorie Control Council. Somehow I picture a bunch of fat women sitting around a desk trying to control their calories. Two of the major topics include Nutrition and Health, and Ingredients.

You’ll love the spin on ingredients they provide about soft drinks.

“Many people choose to consume diet soft drinks because they satisfy thirst and offer hydration while not contributing additional calories to the diet.”

Sure, that’s why. Uh huh. It’s a fancy way of saying people are brainwashed to think they won’t gain even more weight by drinking Diet Coke.

The Nutrition and Health category highlights new dietary guidelines from the US Department of Agriculture. “When it comes to body weight control, it is calories that count – not the proportions of fat, carbohydrates and protein in the diet.” Apparently, a person’s weight can be fully controlled by reducing calories, and diet soft drinks can help.

After all, add a can of diet soda to a bowl of Sugar Pops, a glass of orange juice, and toast, and it becomes part of a nutritious breakfast. Come to think of it, add some tree bark to a bowl of Special K, toast, and orange juice, and it becomes part of a nutritious breakfast, too.

As a matter of fact, add two tablespoons of belly button lint to…

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