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agkm800

macrumors 6502a
Original poster
Jun 18, 2009
672
4
My friend only drinks ginger ale thinking that it is better (or perhaps less bad) than other carbonated soft drinks such as coke. I think he is just foolish to think so. :D
 

ugahairydawgs

macrumors 68030
Jun 10, 2010
2,956
2,454
I'd say yes and no. I think any non-caffeinated drink is better than one with caffeine.

Outside of that though.....no.....not really.
 

Apple fanboy

macrumors Ivy Bridge
Feb 21, 2012
55,097
52,715
Behind the Lens, UK
Lets be honest neither are a great choice for health. Just choose what you prefer to drink (beer for me!) or if you want to be healthy go for water or fresh fruit juice.
 

snberk103

macrumors 603
Oct 22, 2007
5,503
91
An Island in the Salish Sea
Flavoured Sugar Water....

Different brands will use more or fewer GMO products.

Note that there has recently been an early preliminary study released that indicates that Fructose (Corn Syrup) and High Fructose mess with a region of the brain that decides when you are full. Basically, foods and drinks with Fructose don't register - so you don't feel "full". So you keep eating and drinking....

Does his Ginger Ale have Fructose? Most American made drinks do...

How much Ginger Ale are we talking here? A can a day, or a gallon a day?
 

Huntn

macrumors Core
May 5, 2008
23,396
26,521
The Misty Mountains
I drink diet cola. Have been doing so since 1980. I remember when it (low calorie cola) first showed up and considering calorie intake over 30 years it was a life saver, although I acknowledge there is a little bit of a pick your poison aspect to this. What is worse- being obese due to sugar or intake of aspartame? Right, I know the right answer is neither, but I'm limiting my cola consumption in general, but many of the substitutes I pick include artificial sweetners.

Oceanspray Diet Cranberry Pomegranate 5 calories

Minute Maid Light 15 calories
 
Last edited:

mobilehaathi

macrumors G3
Aug 19, 2008
9,368
6,352
The Anthropocene
My friend only drinks ginger ale thinking that it is better (or perhaps less bad) than other carbonated soft drinks such as coke. I think he is just foolish to think so. :D

If your friend is truly concerned about the health consequences of drinking various types of soda, he ought to simply eliminate or severely cut back on consumption.

To ask about relative "healthiness" in this case is disingenuous. It is a very bad idea to consume so mich sugar. Upon learning that one form of soda is "healthier" than others, one might become less aware of how much is being consumed.

I hope he doesn't think the "healthiness" is derived from the difference in flavoring.
 

macimby

macrumors newbie
Mar 24, 2011
24
0
Don't colas contain phosphoric acid? I prefer to limit things that can eat away teeth and dissolve bone. I can imagine a woman being especially careful about that.

Of course it's also advisable to avoid the empty calories from the sugar or fructose in soft drinks (or sweetened bottled teas excessive amounts of juices). I don't understand purists who prefer the natural flavor of sugar and fructose (vs. pretty natural-tasting and safe Splenda) rather than preferring to avoid the average 42 lbs./year of pointless calories that will just become unhealthy fat.
http://www.kickthecan.info/soda-facts
But everyone is entitled to their own preferences.
 

GoCubsGo

macrumors Nehalem
Feb 19, 2005
35,741
153
It is "less bad" but it is still bad. Like others have said, it is not as though ginger ale is the water of soda. ;)
 

fiddlestyx

macrumors 6502
Sep 9, 2009
339
44
Minnesota
It's healthier than a cola, but its my no means healthy. You shouldn't be drinking your calories to begin with.

----------

Try carbonated water, I actually figured out its not the soda/sugar I like but the fizz of the carbonation.

Same here, although I do like my soda from time to time.
 

Technarchy

macrumors 604
May 21, 2012
6,753
4,927
My friend only drinks ginger ale thinking that it is better (or perhaps less bad) than other carbonated soft drinks such as coke. I think he is just foolish to think so. :D

Ginger-Ale made with real ginger is a good digestive aid and remedy for many types of stomach ailments.
 

snberk103

macrumors 603
Oct 22, 2007
5,503
91
An Island in the Salish Sea
Coincidental timing... but this just in.... (cue teletype sound effects)

... A new study by the U.S. National Institutes of Health finds that fruit and soft drink drinkers are more likely to be diagnosed with depression than those who didn't regularly drink sweetened beverages.
And interestingly, those who drink diet drinks made with artificial sweeteners were linked to an even higher likelihood of depression
...
Link

Note that the link between the two does not necessarily mean that drinking soft drinks cause depression. But the correlation is very high, about 30% increased risk for people who drink regular soft drinks, 38% for fruit punch, and drinking diet soft drinks a risk linkage even higher than that.

Interestingly, people who drink coffee showed a decrease in depression rates by about 10%. Personally, I drink coffee... and I'm jollee....
 

mobilehaathi

macrumors G3
Aug 19, 2008
9,368
6,352
The Anthropocene
Coincidental timing... but this just in.... (cue teletype sound effects)

Link

Note that the link between the two does not necessarily mean that drinking soft drinks cause depression. But the correlation is very high, about 30% increased risk for people who drink regular soft drinks, 38% for fruit punch, and drinking diet soft drinks a risk linkage even higher than that.

Interestingly, people who drink coffee showed a decrease in depression rates by about 10%. Personally, I drink coffee... and I'm jollee....


I've seen some studies showing that high sugar, high fat diets show physiological signs of addiction, so I suppose depression fits in well with that.


I've also seen some odd studies linking high caffeine blood levels to lower rates of dementia and other curious things....:cool:
 

Frankie Tracey

macrumors newbie
Oct 13, 2018
1
0
Seagram's Ginger Ale, 12 fl. on. can :

120 calories, 35g sugars

Coca-Cola, 12 fl. on. can :

140 calories, 39g sugars

So the answer ? Yes. It's "more healthy" in that it has 20 less calories and 4g less sugars. Is that a meaningful enough amount to claim Ginger Ale is healthy ?

Hell no. Don't drink calories. Period.

But does the healthiness only count for calories and sugar? The canada dry ginger ale i drink has real ginger, 50mg of sodium, 36 grams of total carb, natural flavors and more. Ginger ale is not healthy, but has better and healthier parts in it.
 

Scepticalscribe

macrumors Ivy Bridge
Jul 29, 2008
63,834
46,281
In a coffee shop.
My friend only drinks ginger ale thinking that it is better (or perhaps less bad) than other carbonated soft drinks such as coke. I think he is just foolish to think so. :D

Depends on the quality of the ginger ale - some are natural and delicious, while others are over-sugared beverages - and depends, too, on the quantity of the drink consumed. Drink too much of anything of that sort, and it will not be altogether terribly healthy for you.

Myself, I drink these drinks (such as good quality lemonade) occasionally on a warm day when I want something other than water. I don't drink them regularly.

But, ancient thread resurrection......
 
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Lioness~

macrumors 68030
Apr 26, 2017
2,898
3,589
Mars
Kombucha
Is packed with nutrition, health and probiotics.
And it is very carbonated if you do it right.
Except plenty of water, some espresso and tea (mostly chai) it’s the only beverage I need.

Forget about soft drinks. There’s super healthy alternatives.
 

Gutwrench

Suspended
Jan 2, 2011
4,603
10,530
Nutrition aside, I like ginger in food but the ginger beers I’ve had are just too gingery for me. Moscow Mules are such a refreshing drink but I can only handle one.
 

D.T.

macrumors G4
Sep 15, 2011
11,050
12,460
Vilano Beach, FL
Nutrition aside, I like ginger in food but the ginger beers I’ve had are just too gingery for me. Moscow Mules are such a refreshing drink but I can only handle one.

Funny enough, I can't get ginger beers that have enough ginger :D Fever Tree has a solid bite, but the full sugar version is a little too high in carbs, the diet version, which is 1/2 the sugar is better, but it seems like the ginger/arbonation is diluted. Stolis diet is probably the better of the easy to source diet ginger beers I've found (it's in the fridge right now).

The best way to go for serious ginger fanatics is something like True Syrups, it's a small boutique mixer company out of DC, I've purchased a few times through Amazon, not too bad sugar wise (it's much less sweet vs. typical pre-mixed products), and you can make it as strong as you like.

I've had a 12-pack (12oz) of Cason Ginger Beer Superinfusion in my Amazon cart for a few weeks, for one reason or another haven't pulled the trigger, 15 calories, uses Erythritol and a little stevia for sweetener, really interesting recipe: milk thistle, prickly pear, potassium, dandelion root, decaf green tea, & ginger root.
 
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