No pop:until 12 yrs.

[badgercat]

*shrugs*
I drank pop all the time as a kid, all the way through high school. And I have always been of a completely average or even low weight, and have cavity-free teeth. Maybe I just got lucky with the genes, but my mom almost always put a balanced meal on the table at dinner... so it's not as though I was drinking soda all the time while also eating fast food all the time. My mom is Type I diabetic so in general my diet was quite low-sugar/low-fat.

DBF and I keep a small variety of canned pop in our house, but it's as a treat (or "medicine" when I know I might need a little caffeine buzz to stay awake during a long day so I'll pack a can with my lunch ). Probably 90% of all the liquid we consume is water straight from the tap. I didn't get into that habit until college, when I realized that in the dining hall I could pay for soda or drink water for free. I'm sure my body is much better off for that change, but I don't think there's anything wrong with having soda once in a while.

[Owlie]

I grew up with it as a treat--if we went out to eat (not common until I was 10ish) or for special occasions. I really only drink it now if I need a caffeine boost and don't want to drink coffee. I usually drink water...but Cleveland's water is nasty.

[GLC1968]

When I was a kid, we had it for special occasions. I remember that it was always offered at birthday parties but they always only had Coke and I hated the flavor of cola. I'd always ask for water and my friends parents always seemed surprised by that. My brother drank it though. He's no worse for the wear, either. No weight problem, no teeth problem and he looks easily 10 years younger than he really is. Of course, back then, soda was sweetened with real sugar...none of this fake HFCS crap.

I don't remember ever having soda at home, but I'm sure we did. I just chose not to drink it. We had sugar cereals, tons of candy at Halloween, baked goods out our ears at Christmas... but a meal was not a meal with veggies, so it all balanced out.

[bikerHen]

I remember when soda was a treat. Way back in the 60's. Gosh I feel old!

In college and beyond I use to drink diet pepsi all the time. I stopped when my daughter was about 4 years old. She saw me drinking it and thought that was what one should drink. Twenty year later, she has a serious milk, juice and tea habit and like her mother only drinks an occasional soda. About all I drink now is water, coffee and tea. And an occasional Scotch or Margarita.

It's nice to know, as a mother, I got at least one thing right! bikerHen

[PamNY]

Interrupting this discussion to post what I think is a wonderful story from The Onion.

Pam

[lph]

Interrupting this discussion to post what I think is a wonderful story from The Onion.

Pam

love it

[shootingstar]

Interrupting this discussion to post what I think is a wonderful story from The Onion.

Pam

If no marketing, then looks like the parents /adult fans have to spread the good word. Interesting! It's like making baking soda or Xerox machine part of one's life/living...either you like/use it or not.

[Trek420]

If no marketing, then looks like the parents /adult fans have to spread the good word. Interesting! It's like making baking soda or Xerox machine part of one's life/living...either you like/use it or not.

Not likely to happen, the Onion being of course being entirely a humor/parody magazine. The cola/culture wars continue.

We did not have pop at home or rarely did. I knew this was different than other families and there may have been times I felt ... not deprived that's not the word I'm looking for not sure what the right term would be .... just different.

This was 50's-60's I was not bombarded with "everyone must eat fast food all the time and this kind".

My parents were farmers till huge agribusiness made it even more difficult to sustain a small farm. They sold most of the property and both got jobs in town. Even with two parents working full time, three kids, they maintained an astounding garden on the land they kept.

We ate real well.

The joke was if they'd have kept a few chickens, a sheep or two, maybe a cow .... we'd be self sufficient we ate hardly any "junk". Neither of them were "preachy" about eating natural. My sibling Duck on Wheels may have more input on this, it could be because my Dad's degree in chemistry maybe he knew/thought that a more natural diet could be better. My Mom has very strong opinions about genetic modification of food and because beets and therefore beet sugar are often modified she avoids sugar unless it's the natural stuff.

Since she's active, still gardens, able to live independently at 87 ... maybe she's on to something. She credits a philosophy of "keep moving" so maybe you can drink Pepsi, eat chips and ride your bike But we ate fresh, local from the start and I don't crave cola at all.

I like Blue Sky http://drinkbluesky.com/products/index.php?cat=2 but not enough to keep it around.

[GrassyRidge]

My son gets the occasional sip of soda, but at 6 I don't think he's ever really had his own glass. I don't keep much at home and he likes milk and water thank goodness. Sadly I don't cook much and we eat out a lot with my parents. My son thinks kids meals at sit down restaurants come with milk and broccoli!

[Owlie]

The other time I drink pop is if I'm sick and don't have much of an appetite. And then, it's just a glass of Sprite (or maybe cream soda, depending on how I'm feeling) alternated with water.

[smilingcat]

Soft drink got too expensive so we quit cold turkey... That was 5 or 6 years ago. Haven't missed it at all. Then we learned abour High Fructose Corn Syrup. Bad stuff another good reason not to drink that stuff.

Former addict. Used to down a 2-litre bottle a day minimum. not proud

[drdwin]

I have to admit I'm a former Diet Coke addict - stopped it during pregnancy and felt a lot better from a GI standpoint - never really went back. We never offered the kids soda - they drink milk and water with a rare fruit juice - my MIL thought she was going to give my son a "treat" and he took one sip and didn't like it. My sisters kids are the same way - didn't get soda as little kids and ended up not caring for it when they got older.

[shootingstar]

I have to admit I'm a former Diet Coke addict - stopped it during pregnancy and felt a lot better from a GI standpoint - never really went back. We never offered the kids soda - they drink milk and water with a rare fruit juice - my MIL thought she was going to give my son a "treat" and he took one sip and didn't like it. My sisters kids are the same way - didn't get soda as little kids and ended up not caring for it when they got older.

As said earlier, I never liked pop drinks much at all. And it we had it only for special occasions or in restaurants as kids. It was easier for my parents to deal with us: Our childhood diets were 80% Asian-dominant, hence not much sugar in it. Hence, our childhood palate was not hankering for alot of sugared stuff.

I disagree with badgercat who had the fortune of cavity-free teeth and access to pop in her childhood household which didn't affect her weight, etc.: Rationale doesn't work when parents are raising 6 children. If 1-2 children start up a regular unhealthy food habit, it spins off superfast amongst the other sibliings: "I wanna to have a piece of the (unhealthy) food'.

At this time, I believe my brother might drink pop abit more often than his 5 sisters. Rest of us, just aren't particularily interested on a regular basis. Our ages are: 40-50 yrs. So restriction to certain unhealthy foods starting from babyhood....can work sometimes.

So I agree drdwin, just quietly restricting access of pop to kids without lecturing, etc., one can only hope the kids don't acquire a hankering for the stuff at least for next 18 years or when they leave home.

[tulip]

Every time I see this thread, I read it as "No poop: until 12 years."

[Owlie]

Every time I see this thread, I read it as "No poop: until 12 years."

Now that's a recommendation that might be difficult to comply with!