Coke or Water?

I've found that I have not been able to get the recommended 8 cups of water a day. This past week, I began putting more of an effort into getting the 8 servings of water daily.

Curious as to what the side effects of not getting the recommended 8 cups of water a day would have on my body, I took to the internet and found the following article: http://www.naturodoc.com/library/nutrition/coke_or_water.htm (article pasted below)
I found it super informative and it definitely makes me want to steer clear of sodas and really try to get the recommended amount of water e/ day.

Hope it helps :-)

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Coke or Water?
Author Unknown

NaturoDoc Note: From our clinical observations, the claims made in this email message circulating around the Internet are true, and they apply to any of the popular soft drinks containing phosphoric acid -- Coca-Cola, Pepsi, Dr. Pepper, 7-Up, as well as the many knockoff brands.

For those who watch what they eat and drink, this is really an eye-opener. We all know that water is important, but we've never seen it written down like this before.
About water:

*75 percent of Americans are chronically dehydrated.

*In 37 percent of Americans, the thirst mechanism is so weak that it is often 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 percent of the dieters studied in a University of Washington study.

*Lack of water is the Number 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 percent of sufferers.

*A mere 2 percent drop in body water can trigger fuzzy short-term memory, trouble with basic math, and difficulty focusing on a computer screen or on a printed page.

*Drinking 5 glasses of water daily decreases the risk of colon cancer by 45 percent, it can slash the risk of breast cancer by 79 percent, and one is 50 percent less likely to develop bladder cancer.


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And now for the properties of Coke:

In many states in the USA, highway patrol cars carry two gallons of Coke in the trunk to remove blood from the highway after a car accident.

You can put a T-bone steak in a bowl of Coke and it will be gone in two days.

To clean a toilet: Pour a can of Coca-Cola into the toilet bowl and let the "Real Thing" sit for one hour, then flush it clean. The citric acid in Coke removes stains from vitreous china.

To remove rust spots from chrome car bumpers: Rub the bumper with a rumpled-up piece of aluminum foil that has been dipped in Coke.

To clean corrosion from car battery terminals: Pour a can of Coke over the terminals to bubble away the corrosion.

To loosen a rusted bolt: Applying a cloth soaked in Coke to the rusted bolt for several minutes.

To bake a moist ham: Empty a can of Coke into the baking pan, wrap the ham in aluminum foil, and bake. Thirty minutes before the ham is finished, remove the foil, allowing the drippings to mix with the Coke for a sumptuous brown gravy.

To remove grease from clothes: Empty a can of Coke into a load of greasy clothes, add detergent, and run it through a regular cycle. The Coke will help loosen grease stains.

Coke will clean road haze from your windshield.

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For your information:

The active ingredient in Coke is phosphoric acid, which has a pH of 2.8. Phosphoric acid will dissolve a nail in about 4 days. It also leaches calcium from bones and is a major contributor to the rising increase in osteoporosis.

To carry Coca-Cola syrup (the concentrate), a commercial trucker must use the hazardous material cards reserved for highly corrosive materials.

For about 20 years, the distributors of Coke have been using it to clean the engines of their trucks.

Now the question is, would you rather have a Coke or a glass of water?