Sugar is addictive.  The food industry knows it.  The tobacco industry knows it.  That’s why they add as much sugar as they can to all their products in order to make you crave more and more.  8 full teaspoons of sugar in each and every can of coke.  7 teaspoons of sugar in one cup size serving of pre-sweetened cereals.  There is a popular email that outlines the benefits of pure water verses the scary usefulness of coke as a very effective cleaning solution and rust remover.  Most of the statistics it contains have been confirmed as the truth by www.truthorfiction.com.  First, about WATER:

• 75% of Americans are chronically dehydrated (half the world population).
• In 37% of Americans, the thirst mechanism is so weak that it is mistaken for hunger.
• Even MILD dehydration will slow down one’s metabolism as much as 3%.
• One glass of water will shut down midnight hunger pangs for almost 100% of the dieters studied in a University of Washington study.
• Lack of water is the #1 trigger of daytime fatigue.
• Preliminary research indicates that 8-10 glasses of water a day could significantly ease back and joint pain for up to 80% of sufferers.
• A mere 2% drop in body water can trigger fuzzy short-term memory, trouble with basic math, and difficulty focusing on the computer screen or on a printed page.
• Drinking 5 glasses of water daily decreases the risk of colon cancer by 45%, plus it can slash the risk  of breast cancer by 79%, and one is 50% less likely to develop bladder cancer.

Then why aren’t we drinking the right amount of water every day?  Could it be because of sugar-loaded sodas such as COKE?

• To clean a toilet: pour a can of Coke into the toilet bowl and let the “real thing” sit for one hour, then flush clean.  The citric acid in Coke removes stains from vitreous china.
• To remove rust spots from chrome car bumpers: rub the bumper with rumpled-up piece of Reynolds Wrap aluminum foil dipped in Coke.
• To clean corrosion from car battery terminals: pour coke over the terminals to bubble away the corrosion.
• To loosen a rusted bolt: apply a cloth soaked in Coke to the rusted bolt for several minutes.
• To remove grease from clothes: empty a can of Coke into the load of greasy clothes, add detergent, and run through a regular cycle.  Coke will also clean road haze from your windshield.
• FYI The active ingredient in Coke is phosphoric acid.  It will dissolve a nail in about four days.  Phosphoric acid also leaches calcium from bones and is a major contributor to osteoporosis.
• Trucks carrying the concentrate of Coke must display a “Highly Hazardous Material” sign because it is extremely corrosive.

So do yourself and your family a big favor, drink water and save your Coca-Cola for cleaning and rust removal.  When it comes to cereal, serve unsweetened cereal to your children and have them add their own sugar from the sugar bowl.  I doubt they will even come close to adding as much as the manufacturer does to pre-sweetened cereals.  Unless you’re the tin man, stick to drinking water and save the Coke for rust.