Tag: Cooking/Food/Health

Why You Are Happy After Drinking A Soda

What Happens to Your Body When You Drink a Coke

A Minute-by-Minute Breakdown of the Effects

Coca-Cola Bottle

Ever wondered what exactly happens inside your body when you consume a can of Coca-Cola? The following timeline reveals the surprising effects this popular beverage has on your system—from the first sip to an hour later.

0-10
min

The Sugar Shock

10 teaspoons of sugar hit your system. (100% of your recommended daily intake.) You don’t immediately vomit from the overwhelming sweetness because phosphoric acid cuts the flavor allowing you to keep it down.

20
min

Blood Sugar Spike

Your blood sugar spikes, causing an insulin burst. Your liver responds to this by turning any sugar it can get its hands on into fat. (There’s plenty of that at this particular moment)

40
min

Caffeine Takes Control

Caffeine absorption is complete. Your pupils dilate, your blood pressure rises, as a response your livers dumps more sugar into your bloodstream. The adenosine receptors in your brain are now blocked preventing drowsiness.

45
min

Pleasure Centers Activated

Your body ups your dopamine production stimulating the pleasure centers of your brain. This is physically the same way heroin works, by the way.

60+
min

Mineral Depletion Begins

The phosphoric acid binds calcium, magnesium and zinc in your lower intestine, providing a further boost in metabolism. This is compounded by high doses of sugar and artificial sweeteners also increasing the urinary excretion of calcium.

Diuretic Effect Kicks In

The caffeine’s diuretic properties come into play. (It makes you have to pee.) It is now assured that you’ll evacuate the bonded calcium, magnesium and zinc that was headed to your bones as well as sodium, electrolyte and water.

The Crash

As the rave inside of you dies down you’ll start to have a sugar crash. You may become irritable and/or sluggish. You’ve also now, literally, pissed away all the water that was in the Coke. But not before infusing it with valuable nutrients your body could have used for things like even having the ability to hydrate your system or build strong bones and teeth.

Key Health Impacts

Sugar Overload

A single can contains 100% of your recommended daily sugar intake, contributing to insulin resistance and fat storage.

Mineral Depletion

Phosphoric acid binds to and removes essential minerals like calcium, magnesium and zinc from your body.

Dehydration

Despite being a liquid, the caffeine and sugar actually lead to net fluid loss, leaving you less hydrated than before.

Healthier Alternatives

Water

Pure, simple hydration without any of the negative effects. Add lemon, cucumber or fruit for flavor.

Sparkling Water

For the fizz without the sugar. Many flavored options are available with zero calories.

Herbal Tea

Hot or iced, herbal teas can provide flavor and potential health benefits without the sugar.

Your Thoughts?

Were you aware of these effects? Has this information changed how you think about consuming soft drinks?

New Coke Dispensers

Coca-Cola’s Revolutionary Soda Fountain

One Machine, Over 100 Flavors

Coca-Cola Dispensers

Coca-Cola is debuting a new soda fountain that can hold more than 100 sodas. That’s ten times more than current soda fountains. Currently, fountains work through syrup bags. The restaurant buys a bag (actually, a bag in a rectangular box) from Coke or Pepsi, hooks it up to a soda line and then the fountain combines the carbonated water with the syrup to create your soda. The machines are limited by soda lines, which tend to gunk up with sugar mold, and by bulky soda bags that weigh 30 pounds or more. The new Coke machine is completely different.

How It Works

The new fountain is like an ink printer with space for hundreds of cartridges. Each cartridge contains a concentrated formula of ingredients. When you press your choice, say Diet Coke, the machine will tell cartridge 12 to release three squirts, cartridge 81 two squirts and so on, then it combines it with carbonated water and viola! The same drink as old machines.

The new fountains can hold a lot more of these little cartridges, so they can handle a lot more flavors. Coca-Cola promises 120 different drinks, but there could be even more as the technology gets better and the company gets more confident. Hypothetically, the machine should be able to act as a bartender too, allowing customers to get a Shirley Temple or Roy Rogers in addition to regular drinks. All it would take is a cherry syrup cartridge.

Rollout Plans

The first new fountains are rolling out in Atlanta and California in a month. Assuming tests there go well and the public loves its overwhelming choices, the new fountains would come to Kansas City next year. Coca-Cola’s product list is more than 2,800 beverages long so the company will have no shortage of drinks to pick for the new machine.

The Challenge of Choice

The main problem is how Coke protects its customers from the paradox of choice, when too many options overwhelm our brains and shuts them down from making a decision.

Key Innovations

10×

More Variety

Ten times more beverage options than traditional soda fountains, offering over 100 different drinks.

💧

Cartridge System

Replaces bulky 30-pound syrup bags with small, concentrated ingredient cartridges.

🧪

Custom Mixing

Precisely mixes multiple ingredients on demand, similar to how an inkjet printer works.

Future Possibilities

  • Expansion beyond traditional sodas to include mocktails like Shirley Temples
  • Potential for custom flavor combinations created by customers
  • Further miniaturization of ingredient cartridges
  • Integration with mobile apps for personalized drink preferences

What Do You Think?

Would you be excited to try a machine with 100+ beverage options, or do you think it might be overwhelming?

Jeremy’s Chocolate Chip Cookies (Kinda)

Christmas Cookie Baking with Tyler

A Dad’s Adventure in Holiday Baking

Jeremy's Cookies

At Teah’s Christmas party last night she had all kinds of fancy foods and well I just ate the cookies, so after being inspired I decided to bake cookies with Tyler today. I know I haven’t had a chance to test my cooking skills much, so I figured I might as well learn now without someone seeing my blunders while it is just me and Tyler in the kitchen. I’ll try and remember to bring some into work tomorrow if anyone wants to risk trying my baking. I think they turned out pretty well, and let me tell you Tyler definitely approved. The recipe below is from the back of Safeway’s chocolate chips.

Bake these luscious cookies just the way you like them – a few minutes less for soft, chewy centers, a few minutes longer for crisper cookies.

Chocolate Chip Cookie Recipe

Ingredients

  • 1/2 lb. (2 sticks) butter or margarine, softened
  • 1 cup packed golden brown sugar
  • 2 large eggs
  • 3 tablespoons milk or water
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
  • 3/4 teaspoon baking soda
  • 3/4 teaspoon salt
  • 1 11.5 oz. package Safeway Milk Chocolate Chips
  • 1 cup chopped walnuts, optional

Instructions

  1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
  2. Mix butter and brown sugar until light and fluffy.
  3. Mix in eggs, milk or water, and vanilla.
  4. Mix in flour, soda and salt until incorporated.
  5. Mix in milk chocolate chips and nuts.
  6. Drop by rounded teaspoons 1 1/2 inches apart on greased baking sheets.
  7. Bake for 11 to 12 minutes.
  8. Cool 2 minutes and remove to racks.

Makes about 60 cookies.

Recipe developed by cookbook author Marlene Sorosky Gray.

Softer Cookies

Bake for a minute or two less for soft, chewy centers

Crispier Cookies

Bake a minute or two longer for crisper cookies

Kid-Approved

These cookies were personally taste-tested and approved by Tyler!

Your Thoughts?

Do you have a favorite cookie recipe for the holidays? How do you like your chocolate chip cookies – soft and chewy or crisp?