A New Kind of Pepsi

Ron gave up diet cola about a month ago. He feels so much better, and he has actually lost weight. Although diet cola contains no calories, there is a lot of evidence that is not good for you. How could it be good for you with all those ingredients in it that I can't pronounce? I've always thought it was better to drink the diet cola than to consume all the sugar found in regular soft drinks, but I may have been wrong. I only drink diet cola when I'm out at a restaurant eating a burger. Otherwise, I've been drinking tea and Ron has converted to plain soda water or flat water. Most of my kids have kicked the cola habit, and if they must have one, they go for a natural product like Izzy or Hansen's. I recently heard about the new Pepsi product, and can't wait to see what it really does. Could soda really be a fat blocker? I'm excited about the new product, and can't wait until it comes to America. In the mean time I will try to stick to tea and water. Much better for us all, I'm sure. Soda has recently been maligned as an empty food product that contributes to obesity in America. Mayor Bloomberg proposed a ban on all soft drinks larger than 16 ounces. Now Pepsi says its new product can prevent weight gain. The new special edition Pepsi in Japan is said to contain "fat blockers." The new soft drink, Pepsi Special, which will be released by Suntory and Pepsi, has been deemed by the Japanese government as a "food for specified health uses." According to the Huffington Post, it includes dextrin, which "some say helps prevent the digestive system from absorbing fat." What is dextrin? Essentially it's a powder used as an additive in foods to change texture or create coatings as a pharmaceutical thickening or binding agent. It is also used in textiles to increase the stiffness of fabrics. It is part of another word, maltodextrin, which is a digestible carbohydrate derived from rice, corn, or potato starch and can be found in the list of ingredients in everything from granola to snack foods. But dextrin alone is different. It's indigestible. And studies on Japanese lab rats have shown that when used as a food additive, dextrin makes it difficult for the body to absorb fat. Pepsi is the second manufacturer to release a fat-blocking soda in Japan. The first was Kirin Mets Cola, which has been extremely popular. Pepsi Special is due to hit shelves on November 13 and will cost ¥150, or just under two bucks.