I've been eating out 3 meals a day for approximately 13 years. For quite a while now, I order only water. The reason is simply that sodas are just insanely fattening and my stomach can't handle high fructose corn syrup.

Some studies have indicated there might be some causal relationship between Americans becoming giant fatties and the introduction of HFC into nearly all food products.

We've had lots of millenia as a species processing sugar, but only like 3 decades of exposure to HFC. The fact my own body rejects it I think is a reason I've been able to maintain my weight despite constantly eating out.

The problem is finding drinks that don't have any HFC. Sometimes you just feel like a soda. There's lots of micro-brewed sodas nowadays at Ralphs/Vons. The labels are great: "brewed using a 92 year old family recipe." Ingredients: carbonated water, high fructose corn syrup. Wow, that must have been a really advanced family 92 years ago...

Trader Joe's has the best lemonade in the world. Unbleached cane sugar. Get it. It's even better than Newman's Own, which saddly his HFC.

The Trajer Joe's on Manhattan Beach blvd. (not Rosecrans) also has Virgil's Root Beer at a significantly lower cost than even BevMo. This stuff is pure gold and also made with sugar, molasses and other goodness.

BevMo has a FEW non-HFC sodas. Hank's root beer (not as good as Virgil's IMHO) and a few Virgil sodas including cream and root beer and black cherry.

Hell, I even consider a light beer far better for you than drinking a big HFC soda.