I Hate to Say I Toad You So, But You Shouldn't Have Had That Soda

Two unrelated soft-drink news items work in tandem to remind us of the value of being mindful of what we choose to slake our late-summer thirst.

New York City's Health Department has recently embarked upon a public outreach campaign to motivate residents to cut down on their consumption of the heavily sugared soft drinks that have become increasingly prominent in the American diet.

Relying upon some rather effective imagery that shows liquid being poured from a plastic bottle turning into a blob of fat when it hits the glass, in addition to some very hard hitting statistics about the increase in caloric consumption over time, the "Are You Pouring On The Pounds?" campaign is being featured in multilingual bulletins as well as on public transportation system billboards.

As explained in a departmental press release announcing the campaign, city health officials underscore the increase in sugar as a portion of caloric intake as being tied to such health problems as obesity and diabetes among a range of health problems.

And while Fred DeNegri of Ormond Beach, Fla., probably had the best intentions in selecting a no-calorie soft drink at a recent backyard barbeque, CNN reports that a recent can of diet soda turned out to be less than refreshing.

The good news is that it was sugar free.

The bad news was that the indescribably foul and disturbing gelatinous mass contained therein was determined by FDA scientists called in to review the incident to be the remains of a toad or frog that, unfortunately, got into the manufacturing process.

I think I'll just have water, thanks.

Photo courtesy of U.S Department of Health and Human Services, via Wikimedia Commons