SAN ANTONIO – The good news about water just keeps on flowing. According to an article in Bloomberg, carbonated soft drinks hit a 30-year low in 2015, putting Americans on the track to be healthier in 2016 and beyond.
The article quotes Beverage Digest and Euromonitor figures, which estimate Americans will drink 27.4 gallons of bottled water each, or 1.2 gallons more than soda.
That figure does not include people who consume water from a water dispensing station.
University Hospital physicians, like Dr. Andrea Grant-Vermont, push the perils of soda to young patients and their parents, hoping all will understand what’s at stake.
"It actually leads to more weight gain, it eventually can lead to diabetes, and can affect the heart with high blood pressure, and it's all just pretty much unhealthy," the pediatrician said.
Conversely, water has no calories, creates a healthy lifestyle and, in most cases, is cheaper. Companies and crowd venues like airports are getting the message by installing water dispensers that serve filtered water. They are big enough to refill a large Thermos or Yeti and usually are free to consumers.
Grant-Vermont said it’s a simple change that is changing lifestyles.
“You know, you will have those who keep on with the sodas, but once you keep on with the education, they do change to water," Grant-Vermont said.
Click here for more information on water filter recommendations from Consumer Reports.