Taking A Hard Look AtSoft Drinks (NAPSA)—Losing weight may be more than a matter of exercising and watching what you eat. You may want to watch what you drink as well. Manystore-bought soft drinks and fruit juices are loaded with sugar, carbs and empty calories. One 12-ounce can of store-bought soda alone typically has about 150 calories derived from high-fruca tose corn syrup (the equivalent to about 10 teaspoonsof sugar). Considering that the U.S. Departmentof Agriculture recommendspeople , | eating 1,600 calories daily not eat more than six tea- spoonsof refined sugar, it can be easy to see how soft drinks can @) makeit difficult for people to lose Cutting high-sugar weight. soft drinks can Fortunately, help keep your there are a num- weight loss plan ber of ways for from fizzing out. dieters to have their soda and drink it too. In fact, according to Gerard Meyer, president of a company called Soda-Club, weight-watchers now have more beverage options than in the past. Meyer’s companyoffers a coffee maker-sized home soda maker and SodaMix flavors. The package can be used to transform water into seltzer or 25 regular, caffeine-free and diet flavors of soda in seconds. For those unwilling to make the diet soda switch, Meyer says his company’s non-diet flavors are still a healthier option, with twothirds less sugar and carbs than regular store-bought soda—and all with less sodium. It’s thought that products such as the soda maker can help people stick to their diets by giving them more options in termsof the types of soft drinks they can drink—and if you ask many of the nation’s 40 million Atkins” or low-carb dieters, they'll probably tell you that limited options can be a big dieting problem. For them, even store-bought diet soft drinks are off limits due to high levels of the Atkinsunfriendly artificial sweetener, aspartame. Meyer says his com- pany’s diet varieties are made with sucralose (Splenda brand), a sweetener embraced by many lowcarb dieters. Meyer says his company’s sleek, compact soda maker has been a countertop staple in Europe and other parts of the world for several years. In addition to the machine’s potential health benefits, he credits its popularity to the fact that it requires no batteries and no electricity. He adds that the prospect of never having to purchase and store bulky cans or bottles of soda is a bonus for soda or seltzer lovers as well. Two varieties of the machine are available: the Fountain Jet in classic white and the Edition 1 in a modern silver/black design. For more information shop www.soda club.com or call 1-800-SODACLUB.
