Coca-Cola sponsored a "wellness" campaign – and I laughed really hard

Image courtesy of tiverylucky/freedigitalphotos.net — Image courtesy of tiverylucky/
freedigitalphotos.net

It’s time for an admission: I used to LOVE soda. Especially Caffeine Free Diet Coke (it was caffeine free AND diet – certainly it was okay for me). I also loved any variation of root beer I could find. In fact, during my first pregnancy, I survived on root beer and sub sandwiches.

Like most human beings, I ate and drank what tasted good and what made me happy. I assumed that items labeled as “diet” were healthier choices and wouldn’t harm me. After all, they had no calories — that’s what matters, right?

Wrong. In the past year, I have learned more and more about what harm certain chemicals, GMOs, and other “natural” ingredients can do to my body. I dropped soda, and I started dropping pounds. Since becoming a Mamavation Mom, I’ve dropped more of the processed ingredients and have watched the pounds melt off (**I’m exercising, too**).

Then, I learned that Coca-Cola was sponsoring a “wellness” campaign called “Coming Together.” In this campaign, Coca-Cola is attempting to teach consumers the importance of nutrition, exercise, and all around fitness.

Let me stop and say: I guess I’m moderately proud of Coca-Cola for trying. Our country has a problem, and we need help remedying it. There are resources on their site that provide educational information and suggestions. This is handy.

HOWEVER…

If Coca-Cola really wanted to support the obesity epidemic in our country and do a good thing for its consumers, they’d start by doing stuff like:

eliminating all artificial flavorings and colorings from all products
eliminating all chemicals (like the artificial sweeteners, etc)
eliminating the high fructose corn syrup
putting their time, effort, and money into creating a clean, GMO-free, artificial sweetener-free product

Because only a little research will illustrate that the majority of products that Coca-Cola provides to consumers includes ingredients that cause issues like:

tooth decay
weight gain
fatty liver disease
insulin resistance
Type II diabetes

You can imagine, now, why I laughed when I learned that Coca-Cola started a wellness campaign. I truly appreciate the effort, but come on, Coca-Cola. You are certainly smarter than this. Put that time, effort, and money into something that will really help. Step up and become a leader in rearranging the soda industry. Create something for consumers that will actually HELP the problem rather than EXACERBATE it.

And then, add that to your really awesome and interesting museum. I want to come visit you again.

Auxerre Join me in a Twitter party and discussion about Coca-Cola’s “wellness” campaign (click on the image for more information).