Why is fizzy juice acidic

Seltzer water is plain water that has been carbonated. Like seltzer water, club soda is also regular water to which carbon dioxide has been added.

However, minerals, such as potassium bicarbonate, potassium sulfate or table salt, are added to club soda to enhance the flavor.

These alkaline substances are added to carbonated water to neutralize its acidity and mimic the flavor of naturally occurring mineral water. Tonic water is carbonated, but unlike other carbonated options, it contains added sweeteners and flavors. Mineral water can refer to either flat or sparkling water from underground springs and contains naturally occurring minerals. The term soda water was used to refer to the first commercially available artificially carbonated water in the 18th century.

Today, some use soda water to refer to seltzer or club soda. Some sparkling water comes in fruit flavors. Many have added sugar or artificial sweeteners, while others do not and just have an essence of flavor. Read the label to ensure that you are not drinking added sweeteners. Fizzy drinks are everywhere! Australians are consuming an enormous L of soft and fizzy drinks per head each year, and high levels of sugar and acid are leading to premature cases of tooth decay.

Especially around this time of year, with Christmas festivities on the horizon, fizzy drinks make more frequent appearances at our dinner table. Soft drinks include all drinks that are non-alcoholic ; this includes fruit juice, energy drinks, flavoured waters, concentrates and fizzy drinks. In many cases, they contain artificial sweeteners and sugar.

Fizzy drinks and energy drinks contain phosphoric acid and carbon dioxide to provide the characteristic fizz and tang. What is actually in fizzy drinks? Fizzy drinks can contain any of the following: sugar, high-fructose corn syrup, sweeteners including sucralose, acesulfame potassium and aspartame, flavourings, colourings, caffeine and preservatives. Of course, not all your fizzy drinks will contain all of those ingredients.

Unfortunately phosphoric acid is also extremely damaging to your teeth. When extra sugar is added to food and drinks , it provides a ready source of energy kilojoules but no other essential nutrients, such as protein, minerals, vitamins or dietary fibre. If your family is looking to reduce your sugar intake you can read our blog from a mum who did just that.

But diet drinks are ok, right? The reason is that phosphoric acid in the drink removes the oxide coating that has built up on the coin. So one alternative is to drink water. Fizzy water is made by adding carbon dioxide under pressure. The result is that water contains the weak acid, carbonic acid. If you gulp it down it can of course give you hiccups or indigestion. But what if you drink it at a more measured pace? Is there any truth in the idea that it harms your stomach?

Credit: Getty Images. Quite the reverse, it appears. In a small but double-blinded randomised trial, patients with frequent dyspepsia or constipation were assigned to drink either still or sparkling water for 15 days. Then they were given a series of tests. Both conditions improved in the people drinking sparkling water and showed no improvement in those drinking tap water. If you drink a lot of sparkling water you might find you feel bloated, but researchers in Japan have found that this side-effect could be put to good use.

They had a group of women fast overnight and then slowly drink either still or sparkling water. Does it weaken them? Again, the evidence so far suggests not. The Framingham Heart study began in and followed a group of people over many years to discover more about the risk factors for heart disease.

Now some of their offspring are taking part in the Framingham Osteoporosis Study which involves extensive testing every four years by researchers from Tufts University in Boston. In , the team examined the relationship between bone density and fizzy drinks. They looked in detail at the different types of drink consumed by more 2, taking part in the study. Some people have warned that any sparkling drink - even water - can be bad for us Credit: Getty Images.