Coke & Pepsi Want You to Drink Fewer Calories

September 24, 2014

Coke & Pepsi Want You to Drink Fewer Calories

The American Beverage Association and Alliance for a Healthier Generation, Coca-Cola, Pepsi Co., and Dr. Pepper Snapple Group Inc., will soon begin promoting smaller portions and lower-calorie beverage options in response to the rise of obesity in America.

Obesity and the health risks associated with the condition, including diabetes, are often linked to sugary treats like sodas and bottled juices. And, for many MyFitnessPal users, noticing just how many calories they consume while sipping is one of the first “A-ha!” moments on their journey to weight loss and better health.

But for beverage manufacturers to admit their products might be contributing to the unhealthy state of Americans is a surprising step. The voluntary pledge to cut beverage calories by 20 percent by 2025 will certainly impact industry sales, and could put the brand viability of regular Coca-Cola, Pepsi, and Dr. Pepper into question.

Are you thinking about cutting back on liquid calories? Here are two great articles full of tips to help you do just that.

Share your thoughts on the news about Coca-Cola, Pepsi, and Dr. Pepper in the comments below!

About the Author

Kimberly Daly Farrell

Kimberly Daly Farrell is a contributor at MyFitnessPal. A certified health coach and self-proclaimed running addict, Kimberly studied integrative nutrition and has completed three marathons. She has previously held editorial positions at Shape, Glamour, Fitness, and Good Housekeeping magazines. You can follow Kimberly’s running adventures on her personal blog, Some Kind Of Runderful.

25 responses to “Coke & Pepsi Want You to Drink Fewer Calories”

Dave Gee says:

September 24, 2014 at 2:12 pm

Coke and so on still have less calories than most fruit juice, similar to milk and so on.
Personally, I do prefer not to drink my calories, so go for coke-zero and other very low calorie soft drinks.

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Thanksbutnothanks says:

September 24, 2014 at 2:34 pm

They’re just selling you less product for the same price.

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Sandy says:

September 24, 2014 at 3:07 pm

Drink water!

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- Marto Jekov says:
  
  September 25, 2014 at 11:54 am
  
  not always possible. sometimes the caffeine in the pepsi is very, very necessary.
  
  Reply
  - Shay says:
    
    September 26, 2014 at 7:38 am
    
    Caffeine shouldn’t be necessary if your eating a balanced diet and getting enough rest. A balanced lifestyle is key.
    
    Reply
    - Marto Jekov says:
      
      September 27, 2014 at 6:10 am
      
      where is such balanced life nowadays? sleeping 4-5 hours is not enough but that’s the way of living sorry. might be the dark chocolate is the solution.
      
      Reply
  - CJ says:
    
    November 25, 2014 at 3:41 pm
    
    What an excuse to drink soda. There’s also black coffee, but I haven’t found need for caffeine.
    
    Reply
erynfaith says:

September 24, 2014 at 4:00 pm

I’m allergic to most of the artificial sweeteners available (I count splenda and truvia in this category since they are chemically altered to some extent) I’ve long since cut down on my soda consumption but sometime a coke is a just a little reward. if they do smaller cans or bottles at a lower price I’d be happy with it.

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- Will.I.am.not says:
  
  September 24, 2014 at 4:47 pm
  
  You can be sure the smaller cans will cost more than the 12 pack 12oz cans. Food size in America is shrinking, but costs remain the same and go up. Case in point.
  
  Try to buy the following items: 1 pound of bacon, 1 pound of coffee, 1/2 gallon of icecream (only Blue Bell sells it), 1.75 qts of ice cream, 1/2 gallon of orange juice, 1 pound of cheese.
  
  All of these items are no more, the sizes are smaller, but the cost is the same. The packages look VERY similar to how they used to be, but you are getting less and paying more.
  
  It won’t be long until we see 11oz beers and 11oz sodas. Guinness Beer already is 11oz.
  
  Reply
  - Xim says:
    
    September 25, 2014 at 8:19 am
    
    You can still get half gallons of orange juice at every grocery store, you can still get half gallons of ice cream at most big supermarkets or at any ice cream store that sells their own brand, you can still get a pound of cheese at any deli. You are correct on the bacon though.
    
    Reply
    - Will.I.am.not says:
      
      September 25, 2014 at 9:29 am
      
      I just went to buy OJ yesterday. Every container was 59oz not 64oz. You either get a 59oz or a 1 gallon jug.
      
      The only ice cream maker that has 1/2 gallon is either the garbage generic ice cream (real cheap stuff) or Blue Bell which is usually in the $6 range.
      
      All the cheese blocks are 13oz, not 16oz. Unless you go to Costco and get a 3lb block.
      
      Pretty soon, you will probably only be able to buy 8 or 18 eggs, not a dozen.
      
      I wouldn’t be surprised if the soda makers start using a 1.95L bottle instead of a 2L bottle.
      
      Reply
Will.I.am.not says:

September 24, 2014 at 4:42 pm

I stopped drinking Diet Coke a couple of months ago. Not for the usual reasons, but it was bothering my mouth. I would get a lot of sores and stuff after I drank it So I did some experiments and I’ve been better since.

The other day I took a swig of Diet Coke just for a small taste. It tasted awful to me! It used to be one of my guilty pleasures, now I don’t like it. It’s funny how quickly your body changes like that.

It’s sorta like a smoker who really didn’t want to quit, but has to. I really miss my can of DC in the afternoon. Or going to the fountain and filling up. I enjoyed it. But the pain it was giving me out weighed the delight. So for now, I am a reformed soda drinker!

Oh well!

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Deanna says:

September 24, 2014 at 11:00 pm

I’ve switched my family to “Mexican” cola for the time being. I think it tastes better and the glass bottles certainly slow down the rate at which 12oz of cola disappears, imo. I keep both them and cans of perrier/la croix around, and just knowing that I won’t have to go get the bottle opener is also often enough to make me grab a perrier (or a regular water) instead of a coke. Nvm that I’ve mostly been avoiding soda since I started keeping track of what I eat.

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- Pam says:
  
  September 25, 2014 at 4:55 am
  
  Mexican coke has more sugar, more calories, more sodium and slightly more caffeine.
  
  Reply
SuperSexyDork says:

September 25, 2014 at 6:16 am

They’re just keeping up with their consumer base. When the American mindset was bigger is better, they played along. Now that consumers are linking their drinks to obesity, they’re still playing along. Marketing is marketing.

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- MHG says:
  
  September 25, 2014 at 12:36 pm
  
  Agreed. They’re turning the obesity problem into another business opportunity. Their sugar-laden sodas have been blamed for causing obesity so instead of fighting and denying, they’re “rallying” for the cause and profiting.
  
  Reply
Caroline W says:

September 25, 2014 at 6:19 am

I used to have a Pepsi max addiction … my PT asked me to stop and stop all sugar free squash etc … 6 weeks down the line havent touched a drop .. now drink sparkling water only … still at a push ! ..and the very odd glass of red wine … skin better, sleep better, hair better, concentration better … and I lost 6Kgs … and now hate the taste of Pepsi Max ….until you stop altogether you will never lose the craving and these companies know this !

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Hannah V. Smith says:

September 25, 2014 at 11:06 am

I hate drinking my calories. Water and Diet Coke all the way.

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Breana says:

September 26, 2014 at 9:52 am

Once I realized how many calories are in soft drinks and sodas, I just started drinking more Crystal Light because I would rather eat my calories than drink them, if I’m being completely honest with myself.

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yepitsme says:

October 9, 2014 at 9:12 am

The best thing to do is to cut out sodas entirely.

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Golda Tyla says:

December 3, 2014 at 12:49 am

I’ve been off of Coke & Pepsi for a while now. Drinking tea or water with lemon makes lots of sense to me. Coke & Pepsi have aspartame which, to me, spells poison.

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BuzzPreston says:

December 25, 2014 at 7:45 am

It’s not the calories, it’s the sugar. The fructose goes directly to the liver and is stored as fat. It affects the brain the same way cocaine does and is eight times more addictive. “Cutting down” on sugary drinks is like a commercial pilot shooting for 80% safe landings.

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caz1310 says:

April 2, 2015 at 5:03 am

We very rarely have soft drink. Yukky sickly sweet taste. Gosh knows whats actually in it. Just dont drink it…you wont miss it.

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carol says:

April 18, 2015 at 3:09 am

I agree. They are ‘down sizing’ the product, and charging the same price. They could care less about our health. Perhaps they could cut out the Aspartame. Now, that would impress me a lot more.

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Tammy says:

April 30, 2016 at 7:49 am

Can we please just act like grown ups and act for ourselves instead of being acted upon. Put on your big boy, or girl, pants and drink soda if you choose but please stop blaming the manufacturers for your habits. Take control of your own lives. I, for one, don’t choose to live in a nanny state and I treat my fellow citizens like they are smart enough to make their own choices and then live with those choices. Has anyone heard of choice and accountability? Too many people are being taught to blame others for their choices. We are suppose to learn from the good or bad choices we make and then adjust. Not do and blame with no accountability on our part.

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