Here’s how the cycle goes: A study comes out claiming that Coke will rot your teeth, mess up your brain, screw up your heart, and drive you into an early grave. Everyone freaks out. Then another article comes out. This one says that, hey, drinking soda probably isn’t as bad for you as previously thought. The world rejoices. We all go back to chugging cans of Diet Coke like it’s an actual job as opposed to a socially acceptable addiction.
Now, Coke is trying to break that cycle. And the company’s doing it by attempting to leave the idea that Coke is terrible for you by the wayside and claiming that, hey, actually, Coke can be healthy! In fact, Coke is so beneficial for you that you should forget all those messy fiber supplements and just drink the soda giant’s newest concoction, Coke Plus, which features five grams of fiber (specifically, “indigestible Dextrin”).
GrubStreet reports that when Coke announced the product back in February, they did so by listing the many benefits that getting your fiber directly from your soda would bring to your life. These include “suppressing fat absorption” and “moderating triglyceride levels in the blood after eating.” And you don’t even have to do any work (aside from dropping some cold hard cash on a case of these).
Sounds good, but there’s a catch: Since there’s only so much fiber one should ingest during the day in order to avoid any embarrassing accidents (30-38 grams for men; 25 grams for women), this product isn’t designed to be swilled down at every opportunity. Coke actually recommends that you drink their newest formulation only once a day to achieve maximum benefits (and avoid having to bring extra pants to work), so anyone who’s thinking that the soda is their express ticket to health and fitness will have to recalibrate their expectations.
The drink’s available in Japan now, and while there are no plans to bring it to America yet, never rule out the possibility, especially considering that Coke is trying its hardest to boost sales at the same time consumers are ditching “sparkling beverages” for healthier options.
