How to Select Safe Cold Drinks in Summer

Due to several consecutive days of "high temperature" weather, people have started wearing summer clothes and the sales of cold drinks on the streets are beginning to flourish.Recently, there has been a significant increase in the number of patients with intestinal diseases, especially among teenagers and children.Upon inquiry, most of these intestinal disease patients are associated with consuming cold drinks.Doctors advise consumers that while cold drinks may be delicious, they should not indulge excessively. When selecting cold drinks, one must also exercise caution.

Three Factors Affect Cold Drink Quality

Experts state that the quality supervision department regularly conducts unscheduled inspections of cold drink markets each year. Due to various reasons, the inspection results have never been 100% compliant.The main issues arise from production, transportation, and sales processes.Based on recent sampling results, the quality problems in cold drinks mainly focus on several aspects.

Firstly, microbial counts exceed limits for bacilli, mold, yeast, etc.Last year's inspections of 164 products showed a microbiological index compliance rate of only 86.3%, with many major brands involved; some products had bacterial counts too high to count.Secondly, conductivity exceeds standards.In previous years' inspections, non-compliance due to excessive conductivity comprised 26.8% of products, mainly due to in the production process, especially when ion exchange equipment did not meet production requirements.Thirdly, free chlorine index exceeds limits; in years past, multiple products have had such issues.The reason for excessive free chlorine is often insufficient cleaning with disinfectants by companies.

Five Issues Affecting Cold Drink Quality

According to relevant personnel, apart from the three factors that affect cold drink quality as officially reported, there are five other issues significantly impacting product quality in cold drink consumption.

Firstly, some frozen drinks sit too long and their quality is hard to guarantee.Each summer, consumers complain about purchased ice cream past its expiration date and becoming deformed.This may be due to weather factors or decreased customer traffic leading to unsold inventory. Once such factors dissipate, vendors start selling old stock.Consumers who do not check the production dates run the risk of buying expired drinks.Secondly, some stores bundle sales by offering nearly expired cold drinks for free with purchases.Some malls sell out-of-date food items with low sales using buy-one-get-one-free promotions.Thirdly, "the many flowers make it hard to choose."The colorful packaging of cold drinks not only attracts adults but also children. However, the bright appearance does not always guarantee quality and may be an advertising tool for unscrupulous manufacturers.Fourthly, some rural town cold drink producers do not meet standards due to inadequate equipment or raw materials. Cheap packaged frozen drinks often lack proper labeling and poor quality; some use saccharin instead of sugar, starch as ice cream powder, and cheap powdered milk to imitate cream.

Fifthly, street vendors' homemade cold drinks fail hygiene standards.For example, the street-made fruit juice drinks are made with just coloring and flavoring additives. The low cost and bright colors serve as an attractive advertising tool for unlicensed sellers at school gates, parks, or squares.

Diabetes patients: Cold drinks generally contain a lot of sugar, which can raise blood glucose levels and worsen the condition if consumed.Patients with duodenal ulcers, chronic gastritis, chronic colitis, cholecystitis, and digestive disorders: These patients have poor digestive system function. Consuming cold drinks irritates their stomach linings, worsening their conditions.Tooth decay or dentin hypersensitivity patients: Cold drinks can trigger tooth pain in such individuals.

Hypertension, coronary heart disease, and atherosclerosis patients: Excessive consumption of cold drinks suddenly stimulates the gastrointestinal tract, causing blood vessel constriction and raising blood pressure, potentially worsening their conditions and triggering cerebral hemorrhage.People with pharyngitis, bronchitis, or asthma should avoid cold drinks as they can exacerbate throat inflammation, trigger coughing, or lead to relapse of existing conditions.Kidney patients: They should not consume cold drinks containing flavorings and colorants. Such ingredients increase the burden on kidney filtration for toxins, potentially worsening swelling symptoms.Obese individuals: Cold drinks contain high sugar content that can convert into fat, leading to increased body weight and potential fatty liver disease or hyperlipidemia.Calcium-deficient patients: The flavoring and sourness in cold drinks may combine with calcium ions in the body, reducing free calcium levels, potentially affecting children's bone and tooth development.For elderly individuals, it can trigger calcium deficiency-induced muscle cramps, fractures, pain, or fatigue.Infants should not eat cold drinks as they might affect gastric secretion and motility, causing diarrhea, abdominal pain, or loss of appetite.Pregnant women should also avoid excessive consumption of cold drinks. This is because the fetus reacts sensitively to cold stimuli; when a pregnant woman consumes cold drinks, the fetus may become restless in the womb, increasing fetal movement.

Five, some street vendors' homemade cold drinks are hard to meet hygiene standards.For example, the street-madejuicedrinks use only food coloring and flavorings as ingredients, and they are inexpensive. Particularly, brightly colored drinks like fruit juice often serve as the "best" advertisements for unscrupulous vendors.They frequently sell near schools, parks, squares, etc., without hygiene permits or health certificates, making it difficult to ensure the quality of these cold drinks.

Which patients should avoid cold drinks?

Different groups have different requirements when consuming cold drinks, especially those with certain diseases who need to be more cautious about what they eat.For diabetes patients: Cold drinks typically contain a lot of sugar. Consuming them can causebloodglucose levels to rise and exacerbate the condition.Patients with duodenal ulcers, chronic gastritis, chronic colitis, cholecystitis, or indigestion: Their digestive systems are already weak, so eating cold foods may irritate their stomach linings, worsening their conditions.Patients with tooth decay or dentin hypersensitivity: These patients will experience pain when consuming cold drinks.Hypertensive, coronary heart disease, and atherosclerosis patients: Large consumption of cold drinks can suddenly stimulate the digestive tract, causing blood vessels to constrict, raising blood pressure, and potentially triggering cerebral hemorrhage.

Patients with laryngitis, bronchitis, asthma, or arthritis: These conditions may worsen due to cold stimuli, exacerbating coughs or triggering old symptoms.Kidney patients: Such individuals should avoid drinks containing artificial flavors and colorings because these components can burden the kidneys' filtration system and intensify edema symptoms.Obese patients: Cold drinks contain a lot of sugar that can convert to fat in the liver, leading to further weight gain and increasing the risk of fatty liver disease and hyperlipidemia.proteinsyndrome.Calcium-deficient patients: The artificial flavors and acids in cold drinks may combine with calcium ions in the body, reducing free calcium levels. This can affect the development of children's bones and teeth.For elderly people, this could trigger tetany, fractures, muscle pain, and fatigue.Moreover, infants should not consume cold drinks as they might disrupt digestive gland secretion and peristalsis, leading to diarrhea, abdominal pain, and loss of appetite.Pregnant women should also avoid excessive cold drink consumption because the fetus is highly sensitive to cold stimuli. When a pregnant woman consumes cold drinks, the fetus may become agitated inside the uterus, increasing fetal movements.

Furthermore, infants and young children should not consume cold drinks, as this may affect the secretion and peristalsis of the digestive glands in the intestines, leading to diarrhea, abdominal pain, and loss of appetite.Pregnant women should also avoid eating too many cold drinks, because fetuses are extremely sensitive to cold stimuli. When pregnant women consume cold drinks, the fetus will become restless inside the uterus, resulting in frequent fetal movements.