Cactus Cooler
| October 16, 2012 | Posted by Carrie under food, kids, nutrition |
I’ve never kept it a secret that I think soda is a huge waste of space in a person’s body. There is very little redeeming quality in soda and I really believe that it’s addicting. There are studies that show that carbonated beverages reduce the oxygen capacity in your lungs, and I know how many people say they are addicted and there’s gotta be something going on there.
But, when my daughter asked me to pick up some Cactus Cooler Soda as a beverage option for her birthday party, I succumbed to peer pressure and said okay.
So, I go to the grocery store yesterday and start looking. I have no idea what I’m looking for. The soda aisle is huge and I really don’t remember the last time I went down it. I’m looking and looking for Cactus Cooler. I have no idea what I’m looking for.
I walk back and forth 3 times and still haven’t found it. I think to myself that maybe it’s a specialty thing and my regular grocery store doesn’t carry it. So, I pull out my phone and Google search for Cactus Cooler. Now that I see a picture, I head back down the aisle again. And, I finally found it.
(am I the only person around that had never heard of this?)
I put the carton of 12 cans in my cart, check out and head home.
When I get home, I decide to look at the ingredients in this product that all the kids are raving about.
Ingredients: carbonated water, high fructose corn syrup, citric acid, sodium benzoate (preservative), acacia gum, natural (?) and artificial flavors, ester gum, yellow 6.
Seriously? For 150 calories and 39g of sugar, people drink this? At least there’s no caffeine.
A pack of M&M’s has 31g of sugar.
So, I come to find that the drink has been made popular by the show Weeds. Ok, but I’m not sure how that then gets translated to the pre-teen set. Are these kids watching Weeds? Hello advertising targeted to kids?
I can’t believe I’m serving this drink to the kids who will be at our house this weekend. I’m seriously cringing. Not to mention the chips and other junk, although I’m not sure why that junk food doesn’t bother me as much as a can of chemicals and artificial ingredients. Should I not serve it because I think it’s disgusting?
Sigh. Does it make us lame that we only have milk and water to drink in our house? I’ll make lemonade if there’s a crowd over, and there are sports drinks for appropriate times, oh and coffee. I’m really glad that the few times my kids have tried soda they haven’t liked it.
So, non-soda drinking people – would you serve this? Soda drinkers – do you serve soda to kids? Why do I feel like I might as well be serving alcohol?
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I’m in love with my SodaStream – I can control what goes into my “soda”! I also like Zevia, which is sweetened with Stevia extract instead of HFCS!
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Those soda stream things seem interesting. Probably a good way to cut back on the syrup used.
I was raised on Kool-Aid and served my kids soda at parties without thinking twise, so I’m probably not the one to ask. The label shows that it’s basically carbonated corn syrup. For your daughter, it won’t matter because she doesn’t drink it much. For other kids, they get used to the super-sweet taste and that’s what they want/expect in a beverage. I think that is a real problem with nutrition and obesity. My kids now do drink mostly water and Gatorade, so there is hope!
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Yes, I think people get used to the super-sweet artificial taste and that’s what they go for first. Good to know that there’s hope.
NO you are not alone. I don’t let my kids drink soda except for maybe once every couple of months. It just seems toxic to me. Yuck! For the record, I would choose M&M’s any day:) But, don’t worry about it for the party. Every once in a while it’s okay to let loose:)
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I’m going with that mantra – it’s a party, it’s okay (and quietly glad that I know my kid won’t drink it).
We have soda in the house. It is in my walk-in closet in my bedroom. Why, because if the kids have friends over on the weekend I do let them have it. It’s just not an everyday thing.
I’d be more concerned about the Weeds thing.
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I love that you keep the soda in your closet. Soda should be part of the ‘sometimes’ foods – it’s just got such addictive properties, that I find it’s hard to keep it there. Good job teaching your kids that it’s a sometimes thing.
We watch Weeds, but I’ve never noticed that soda on there. I must have just missed it. I do think that soda is addictive. I am addicted to caffeine free diet Coke, which I know is just carbonated chemicals. My kids don’t drink soda except for at the occasional birthday party or special occasions. At home they just have milk or water or orange juice (just Mack for breakfast). I know it’s terrible for you, but I also do other things that are terrible for me. I’m far from perfect.
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Yes, we are all far from perfect. Interesting to know that you haven’t noticed the drink on Weeds. When I Googled it while lost in the grocery store, Wikipedia (cuz that’s where I get all my info) made the reference.
Oh, and I forgot to mention that we usually do have soda at their own birthday parties here. They usually request Root Beer (with no caffeine).
Caroline Calcote recently posted..Chevy Fit4Life, Smart Balance, Karna Fitness, who else can I shill for?
Just random comments: we have a Soda Stream. Use it every night. LOVE it. Have never added syrup though. We are “fizzy water” with dinner people. With that said, one of my kids (Will) hates all soda. He’s soda-phobic. If it fizzes, Will doesn’t like it. My daughter is the opposite. She calls that sparkling Pelligrino water (flavored – like orange or lemon) “my favorite drink” and that’s how she asks for it when she sees it someplace: can I have my favorite drink? Sometimes I say yes, sometimes I don’t. But, with those things said, if my kid asked specifically for that for their birthday party I would totally get it for them and not say a word about it. Would I otherwise serve it at a party? No. I’m a water server all the way (but, I do buy the packs of water bottles which isn’t probably all that great either!).
Hi! There’s a downside to everything huh? Buying bottles of water, drinking soda, etc. But, I do love that she asks for ‘her favorite drink’ as everyone should know what that is, right?
Never heard of Cactus Cooler. and. will not be picking any up. Ok, if my kid asks for it for a party, sure I will bend too. But I’ll take the m&ms anyday over Cactus Cooler
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Oh yea, M&M’s all the way.
I have never heard of that. So it’s just a different kind of soda? I grew up drinking water and still drink water. I think it’s a bad habit to start early. If the kids want to take it up later in life, that’s their business. But right now, it’s yours.
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So well said – it is my business.
You are definitely not alone. I always feel badly when my kids have friends over and we have “healthy” snacks or when my kids come home from school or a friend’s house and ask why they don’t get to have X, Y or Z. I’m willing to be lenient on some things but soda is one thing that I am firm on.
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I’m always surprised when my kids have friends over who ask for junk. One in particular, like he just expects that chips are a good afternoon snack. My rule with my kids is they have to have something healthy first and then they can have more of a cracker-type snack. But, I still don’t typically have chips and cookies.