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Sarah Seal

Why Soda Has Fallen Flat

I remember when I was younger, whenever I’d go over to my cousins or friends’ house

for a sleepover, whenever we’d all wake up the next morning and eat breakfast, I was always

met with surprise when I would let the adult know what I would like to drink with my breakfast.

Soda. I still remember their faces to this day, of surprise and judgement. Some would even ask,

“Now Sarah, do you really drink soda at home for breakfast?”. They didn’t believe me, but I sure

did. Fast forward about 25 years, and I still drink soda all the time. The first drink I reach for

when I wake? Soda. When I want something cool and refreshing after walking my dog in the

summer heat? Still a soda, maybe I’ll pour it in a glass with ice, but still that sweet soda.

Now, I chose my mother to do the interview with because I know we are completely

different, at least now. I knew she had made a conscious decision, about 10 years ago, to take

care of her health. She had made all kinds of doctor appointments, had all kinds of bloodwork

and tests, got a few medications for things like high blood pressure and cholesterol, etc. Back in

the day, when I lived with her as a child, there was ALWAYS soda in the house. Again, it’s just

how I grew up. But now when I visit my mom, there isn’t a soda in sight. She really was able to

stop drinking soda and drink water instead.

In a typical week, while my mother won’t drink a single soda, I on the other hand

consume about 3-4 cans a day, so roughly 21-28 per week. The only time she will have a soda is

if she goes out to a restaurant to eat, which hasn’t been very frequent since Covid. If we look

back five years, it’s the same for both of us. I still drank 21-28 a week and her, virtually none.

But if we look back ten years, that’s where hers changed. Ten years ago, soda was her drink of

choice like myself. Maybe not as many as 3-4 per day like myself, but she would have at least 1

soda per day, and there was always soda in the house.
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Sarah Seal

When I asked her what, if anything, had changed her soda consumption, she quickly

responded with, “health and money”. (K. Seal, personal communication, June 30, 2022). It was

around the time that she had made that conscious decision to take care of her health. So, she

was going to all those doctor appointments, getting on medication, having tests done, etc. Part

of taking care of her health, she said, was nutrition. Aside from her changing her diet to less

processed foods, no fast foods, more veggies and fruits, and so on, was the choice to cut out

soda and replace it with water. It was a massive step in being responsible for her health that

also helped with her budget since water is essentially free from the tap. She mentioned that

buying sodas for 2 adults and 3 kids (back in the day) was a good chunk of the grocery funds,

even with off brands.

Since my mother made the switch look so effortless, I absolutely would love to follow in

her footsteps and make the same decision to replace soda with water. But soda still has a grasp

on me. My soda consumption has not budged since I was little. I know I am not the norm

nowadays though since soda consumption has been declining for 13 consecutive years. (Lucas,

2018) In fact, from the year 2000 to 2017, here in the US, soda consumption has plunged from

50 gallons per person per year to 37.5 gallons per person per year, respectively. (Desjardins,

2018) So I know I am not the one helping that statistic in reduction of soda consumption, but

my mom is. She’s also helping the other statistic about bottled water. Bottled water has seen

the opposite of soda, instead of plummeting like soda consumption, its seen as soaring

significantly. In the year 2000, per person bottled water consumption was at 16.7 gallons per

person per year in the US. Fast forward to 2017, and it rose to 42 gallons, per person per year in

the US. (Desjardins, 2018) That’s almost 2.5 times the amount in 17 years.
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Sarah Seal

I think a lot of people have the same reasons as my mom as to why they wanted to quit

soda and replace it with water. Especially the bit about health. It’s a telling statistic that in 2017,

for the first time in U.S. history, more bottled water was being sold than soda per person. It was

a fundamental shift in consumer habits. (Desjardins, 2018) Not only are more people drinking

water nowadays for the obvious health reasons, but they are also starting to want more from

their water. There are companies out there now producing bottled water that has added

vitamins, enhanced with minerals, even added flavors for those who like a flavored water.

I know in recent years I have absolutely gained the desire to also replace soda with

water and have even made a little tiny bit of progress recently with at least adding water to my

day. But I would very much like to completely replace my soda consumption with water. So I

hope to be in the next round of statistics showing an even bigger decline in soda consumption.
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Sarah Seal

APA Works Cited

Lucas, J. (2018, December 7). Coca-Cola’s chairman thinks we should change how we talk about

soda sales. CNBC. https://www.cnbc.com/2018/12/07/coca-colas-chairman-thinks-we-

need-change-the-soda-sales-discussion.html

Desjardins, J. (2018, July 9). The Death of Soda. Visual Capitalist. https://www.visual

capitalist.com/death-of-soda/

Seal, K. (2022, June 30). Personal communication [In-person Interview].