The website HomeToGo.fr has published its Ski Cola Index, a list of cola prices at certain European ski resorts. The prices are for a 330 ml cola in restaurants on the mountain. On this measure, Swiss resorts are far from the most expensive. The most expensive Swiss resort, Verbier, came in 6th, with a 330 ml cola serving there costing €5.10. The next Swiss resorts on the list were Davos (8th – €4.80), St. Moritz (9th – €4.45), Zermatt (11th – €4.00) and Gstaad (15th – €3.40).
The top five spots were all French resorts, with Courcheval (1st – €7.80), Val d’Isère (2nd – €6.20) and Tignes (3rd – €6.10) all bubbling to the top.
Sugar heavy drinks, including fruit juices, have been making the news a lot lately. Many health professionals have come out in support of sugar taxes in a bid to reduce excessive sugar consumption, which scientists have linked to increasing rates of obesity, heart disease, cancer and type II diabetes. The documentary Sugar Rush, by UK chef Jamie Oliver, looks at some of the roughly 7,000 diet related limb amputations that occur every year in the UK, arising from type II diabetes, a disease fueled by high-sugar diets.
The Coca-Cola Company says there are 10.6 grams of sugar per 100 ml of its cola, which means there are 35 grams in a 330 ml can. The World Health Organisation (WHO) recommends reducing daily sugar intake to 25 grams, so just one can of this cola exceeds this daily target by 40%.
What about the sugar free stuff? Research shows drinking this sends you to the dessert buffet. The video below, which refers to Harvard studies, explains the thinking behind this.
Artificial sweeteners create a disconnect between the amount of sweetness the brain tastes and the amount of glucose that ends up going to the brain. This makes the brain feel cheated and drives people to eat sugary foods that they wouldn’t have craved without the fake sweetness trigger.
Mine’s bigger than yours
It is interesting to note that the teaspoons over at the Coca-Cola Company are 20% bigger than the ones at the WHO. The Coca-Cola Company says that 35 grams equals 7 teaspoons – 5 grams per spoon. WHO says 40 grams is 10 teaspoons – 4 grams per teaspoon.
Teaspoon-size controversy aside, expensive high-altitude cola could be just what the doctor ordered.
More on this:
Home To Go article (in French) – Take a 5 minute French test now
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