Think healthy, organic living, think Coca Cola… wait what?! That’s right folks, its Coke Life; the healthier Coke alternative for a green living family. Or is it?
Coke Life (not to be confused with the 50cent song by the same name which refers to a 
unhealthy substance of a completely different nature) is a ‘healthy’ version of the world’s favorite beverage.
Coke have jumped on the green living train after fielding serious criticism for its contributions to an increasingly obese nation. In a pilot project, Coke has launch Coke Life in Argentina. The new product comes in a fully recyclable pant-based bottle and contains stevia and real sugar rather than the high fructose corn syrup of its famous predecessor. This cuts its calorie content down to 36 calories for a 200 millilitre serving which is a 60% reduction.
While the branding suggests a healthier, greener more environmentally friendly option, it remains to be seen. Coke Light and Coke Zero did offer ‘healthier’ alternatives, but the introduction of aspartame, cyclamate, saccharin, acesulfame-k and sucralose (used as alternative sweeteners) made for an even unhealthier beverage. The list of health problems associated with these sweeteners is legion. Everything from depression to preterm delivery has been blamed on artificial sweeteners used in diet sodas.
Coke Life doesn’t use artificial sweeteners, so it seems like it could be a healthier alternative after all. Do I find that hard to say? Yes… yes I do. With Coke’s bad effect on the health of people the world over, it difficult to believe that they have genuinely turned over a new leaf. When they brought out ‘Vitamin Water’ which also sold itself as a healthy alternative, I was saddened to learn of the fructose (two heaped tablespoons) , the high sugar content (13g) which make this a less-than-healthy alternative.
Despite the vast amount of literature espousing the evils of Coke and its lighter cousins and carbonated sodas in general, their sales continue to soar and Coke is still the world’s favorite beverage. So perhaps its not an altogether bad idea to at least have a healthier option. Perhaps it is still the dark side of beverages, but with a little touch of Skywalker. What do you think?
Leave your thoughts and comments in the box below – we’d love to know what you think about Coke Life.
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