Most Americans Avoid Drinking Soda: Survey

After the controversial publishing of the infoguide, "What Happens One Hour After Drinking a Can of Coke' by The Renegade Pharmacist last week, a new poll concludes that most Americans are no longer into soda consumption.

According to a survey conducted by Gallup, 62 percent of Americans avoid diet soda while 61 percent no longer consume regular soda. The researchers have been able to conclude that in 10 American adults, at least six people are now steering away from these sugary drinks regardless if they are regular or sugar-free. Around 90 percent of the respondents are also starting to incorporate fruits to their diet, while 93 percent are now consuming vegetables.

The survey has been conducted on more than 1000 American adults, asking them about the food they try to avoid, include or not think about. This is a part of the Consumption Habits polls that are annually conducted by the site every July. Previous reports have stated that Americans try to avoid salt or fat in their diets while most try to incorporate gluten-free foods.

According to the poll, Americans are more than likely to include fruits, vegetables, chicken or other poultry, fish or other seafood, grains and dairy to their diet while trying to avoid sugar, fat and salt on top of sugary drinks.

The new results have been a step up from what has been reported over a decade ago, CBS Local News writes. Back in 2002, only 41 percent of American adults have confirmed that they are trying to avoid soda in their diet while 36 percent have admitted to drinking the sugary drinks. Experts believe that the change has been due to fear of the harmful effects artificial sweeteners may give them, or the awareness that foods high in calories and sugar are bad for the body.

Furthermore, as the survey has also noted that most Americans are making healthier food choices like eating chicken and fish instead of red meat, it can be concluded that Americans are trying to eat a well-balanced meal and adapting a healthy lifestyle.

High consumption of sugar can increase a person's risk of being obese and developing heart disease, writes Huffington Post. A study has even discovered that consuming 17 to 21 percent of sugar daily can increase mortality due to cardiovascular diseases to 40 percent and people who drink seven or more cans of soda in a week are 30 percent more susceptible of dying from a heart attack.