Nowadays, regardless of the season or the weather, people value taking good care of their bodies. Many people drink “Zero” drinks, such as Coke Zero while on a diet. You can stay happy with a similar taste, but you don’t gain weight because it’s literally “0” kcal. Let’s find out the specific criteria of these Zero drinks, and whether they actually keep us healthy! ..................................Ed
These days, products or advertisements named ‘Zero’ are often found in the food industry. Starting with Coke Zero, as it is commonly known, zero food has expanded to snacks and ice cream. There are various kinds of zero foods, such as zero-calories, zero-sugar, zero-caffeine, and zero-alcohol. Calories or sugar content were reduced by reducing or substituting certain ingredients, such as sodium and sugar. According to Wemakeprice on July 21st, sales of zero-calorie soda increased five times, and sales of zero-alcohol beer jumped more than 19 times from a year ago. CU said sales of zero-calorie beverages rose 86.4% in the second quarter from the first quarter. Zero sugar dessert brand, Zero, which was introduced by Lotte Confectionery in May, achieved 2 billion won in sales within a month of its launch. Zero products include chocolate chip cookies, cacao cakes, fruit jellies, iced coke, and iced chocolate bars. It went viral among consumers by lowering calorie content by 25 to 30%, while maintaining its sweet taste. Consumer demand for zero food has increased because interest in health has increased significantly since the COVID-19 pandemic. Also, people who manage their weight ahead of the summer vacation season are looking for these products. A new consumption trend called ‚Healthy Pleasure’ has emerged. Unlike in the past when people strictly controlled their eating habits and starved, they started eating delicious food, and taking care of their health, as reflected in the trend. Therefore, consumers are looking for zero foods with less sugar and calories with their health in mind, rather than staying away from delicious food. How can zero foods reduce calories by using less sugar or sodium? Unlike regular Coke, Coke Zero contains plenty of artificial sweeteners. The raw materials of Coke Zero consist of purified water, carbon dioxide, sucralose, acesulfame-potassium, trisodium citrate, phosphoric acid, caffeine, natural flavoring, and caramel color.
- Sucralose and Acesulfame-Potassium Flavoring Sweetness
Here, sucralose and acesulfame-potassium are sweeteners that flavor sweetness instead of sugar. Coke drinkers are gaining weight because it contains plenty of sugar, but Coke Zero has zero-calories with these two sweeteners in lieu of sugar. There are also several papers on the side effects of these sweeteners, raising the problem of stability. However, according to actual confirmation, such sugar alternatives are accompanied by side effects, including indigestion and diarrhea. It is said that this is a common phenomenon among users of all zero-sweeteners, thus preventing weight gain. These sweeteners do not promote weight gain because they cannot be absorbed by the human body if ingested, and all of them come out of the body again. Therefore, if consumed beyond the standard value, the amount of escape increases equally, causing indigestion or diarrhea. For this reason, zero sweeteners have a standard for setting the amount of side effects that do not occur, called daily intake allowance. Coke Zero‘s sweeteners can be said to have a normal safe amount of up to 3L.
- Trisodium Citrate and Phosphoric Acid as Preservatives
Trisodium citrate and phosphoric acid are acid regulators. Acid control agents can act as preservatives. Trisodium citrate poses no problem when consumed in an appropriate amount, but phosphoric acid hinders calcium absorption. Moreover, acidity regulators function to corrode teeth, as well as trisodium citrate and phosphoric acid.
- Toxic Caramel Color
Lastly, caramel color produces the black color in Coke Zero. Caramel color has the properties that can boil protein, fat, and sugar at high temperatures. A problem can occur when protein or fat is present with sugar at a temperature of 120 degrees or higher, as it turns into a component called AGE (Advanced Glycated End Products). Glycated components are no longer proteins or fats, but are components that are embedded in the body, and act as toxics that age and oxidize all kinds of cells. It is true that Coke Zero has no sugar and doesn’t contribute to weight gain, but there is no way to do away with AGE. Therefore, when you are concerned about the side effects of AGE, it is recommended to replace it with zero cider with less AGE, or drink carbonated water.
After discussing zero foods, ST would like to tell you how ST feels about actually purchasing and eating zero foods. The products ‘Peach Iced Tea Zero’ and ‘Grapefruit Iced Tea Zero’ were purchased at GS25. They are widely available at convenience stores, and it is easy for many people to buy them. Though thinking that the product does not taste sweet just because it has zero calories, the zero products that I have tried are sweet, compared to other ordinary products.
However, the actual calories are marked as 5 kcal. According to the labeling criteria of food, those with less than 4 kcal per 100 ml can be marked as zero. Therefore, it can be considered zero-calories drinks. Since such drinks have a moderately sweet taste, it can be said that they help in reducing excessive liquid sugar intake when dieting.
Therefore, it was confirmed that zero foods can be helpful in keeping a healthy diet. ST hopes that the information provided in the article will help all dieters as they take care of their health.
Lee Yu-jeong (ST Reporter)
fairytouma@soongsil.ac.kr
Kim Gyeong-min (ST Cub-Reporter)
netencom@soongsil.ac.kr
