We have seen it all before through the eyes and stomach of Morgan Spurlock in his 2004 documentary Super-Size Me where Mr Spurlock goes about consuming only McDonalds for thirty days in a row. Some of us thought that maybe that sounded like a pretty good experiment and just as many of us thought it sounded like a totally disgusting idea. As it turned out, I don’t think he ever wanted to eat from that fast-food chain again afterwards. It also served to spawn a bit more interest in the quality of the food health-wise.
In an increasingly aware society in terms of health, and in particular food, people are placing far more scrutiny on what we consume than ever before. So what about what is perhaps the world’s favourite soft-drink, Coke? Well, fifty year old George Prior decided to undertake a similar experiment to Spurlock where Coke is concerned. He drank exactly ten cans of the stuff for exactly thirty days. What do you think were his conclusions post-experiment?
As you can see from the photo, Prior is quite a fit fifty year old. Or at least was before he started drinking so much Coke. We have all heard how each Coke you have is just like drinking sugar, and it certainly had a detrimental effect on his waistline, if not his health in general. He kept the rest of his regular diet pretty much in line with what he would normally eat so the results could be a little more conclusive should be said that he eats a bit better than most and sticks to a Paleo diet of meat and vegetables, obtaining fats only in the form of butter and coconut oil.
After the thirty day period was up, Mr Prior had gained a massive 10.4kg (almost thirty pounds) and his body fat percentage hiked from 9.4 percent to over 15 percent. He says his blood pressure also went up.
Prior told news.com.au his motivation for completing the experiment. “The reason I did it was to draw attention to the problem of eating sugar and how it causes you to gain weight,” he said.
“People don’t realise that they may be eating the same amount of sugar every day that’s in ten Cokes. For example the orange juice they have for breakfast, the sugar they have in their coffee, the blended fruit drink and the piece of fruit they have in the afternoon, all add up to the same amount of sugar that’s in ten cans of Coke. The sugar in orange juice and Coke causes the same reaction in your body”.
Despite the obvious changes within his body, Mr Prior admits that he didn’t necessarily feel any worse apart from the fact that he says he began to form an addiction to Coke. “It wasn’t terrible. I didn’t really feel bad. You just get used to it,” he said, according to news.com.au.
“A few weeks in I ran out of Coke one day and I was really thirsty for one. And then I realised, ‘Ah, this is what happens’. Your body gets used to eating this much sugar and I was craving sugar. That was the biggest surprise. That and the weight gain. I was just shocked at how much I gained”.
There is good news in Prior’s little story. It only took him another thirty days to lose the weight. He says he has been contacted constantly ever since by people who want to know how they can do the same. By that I mean, give up Coke. As it turns out, there are quite a few people addicted to the dark fizzy liquid. But he said that it can be tricky to talk to someone about their poor diet, as many people appear set in their ways.
“In a sense, people’s diets are as personal to them as their religious or political view,” Prior suggested. “You know, when people say, ‘I’m a vegan’ or ‘I’m paleo’ they’re talking about part of their identity. That’s partly why there you get such a huge reaction when you talk about people’s diets. If you say to them, ‘Maybe this aspect of what you’re doing isn’t so good’, it can be painful”.
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