It's the Real Thing....or is it?

If you are a child of the 60's (or maybe early 70's) or earlier, you can sing along and name the product with just a few of the lyrics:

I'd like to teach the world to sing

in perfect harmony....

(and eventually they get to)

I'd like to buy the world a ________

It's the real thing

I know you are thanking me for getting the song stuck in your head. You're welcome. 

I grew up in a home where we drank Kool-Aid and Pepsi more than water. My mom cooked and we ate well, but we also loved sweets. Pepsi rather than Coke because my dad worked for moving companies that were owned by Pepsi Co., Inc. and he had stock in it. 

As I became an adult, I drank a lot more water and an occasional Coke. I was on my own & could switch to Coke. I have never liked coffee or tea, so if I wanted a boost of caffeine, it would be Coke. Though, I'm really not picky and would have had Pepsi or RC or whatever off brand of cola was available. Mostly, though, I had ice water. I liked to eat the ice after it was softened some by the water. Factoid: If you have a habit of eating ice, you could be anemic. I found that out when I was pregnant. In Kenya our house helper told me that pregnant women there would eat dirt. I imagine it's the same reason: the need for iron and they find something to try to satisfy that need. I honestly think eating iron rich dirt might make more sense than ice, but that's a different story. I continued my ice water drinking/ice eating habits along with the occasional soda/soft drink/cola until my iron level improved. That happened when I went on a gluten free diet for Celiac disease. However, I started craving Coke. I slowly started drinking more & more until I was having a coke every day. Now, I didn't drink it morning, noon and night. One can or bottle, or a 32 oz. from Sonic (which we all know is close to 30 oz. of ice & 2 oz. of soda---LOL) would last me all day. 

My doctors didn't like me drinking cola, but it was the one habit I had trouble breaking. My urologist said it would cause more kidney stones. My gastroenterologist said not to do it because of reflux. My primary care doctor and friends said to do it because it just isn't healthy. I had to do a 2 week NO caffeine test and I went so far as to stock up on caffeine free coke. Yep, I did. After 2 weeks a real coke tasted marvelous. Then, I started the Flat Belly Diet last week. The first 4 days are VERY low sugar and no added salt. By the 3rd night I craved Coke. The 4th night, after midnight, so technically the 5th day, I cracked open a can of caffeine free expecting it to taste so good. Guess what? It tasted like syrup. I tried it later & it still tasted too sweet. Two days later I stopped at Sonic during happy hour (of course) and got a medium Coke. a REAL coke. Guess what? It tasted just as sickly sweet. I ended up dumping it out. 

Today I was quite thirsty in the car so I drove through McDonald's. I was tempted to get Coke. I was tempted to go to Sonic for a slush. But both of those sounded too sweet. So, I got a fruit and yogurt parfait and a large cup of ice water! 

I never dreamed I'd be broken of Coke so fast. I know I'll be tempted by what I think it will taste like again, but I think the longer I DON'T drink it, the worse it will taste if I do. 

So, in my opinion, Coke isn't the REAL thing. But I kind of knew that all along. And, if I were going to give the world a drink, it would be water in countries where there is no reliable source of healthy drinking water. 

The end.