Millions of Americans were glued to their screens watching the Senate Judiciary Committee hearing featuring Christine Blasey Ford‘s testimony about her alleged sexual assault by Judge Brett Kavanaugh.

During the hearing Professor Ford kept a bottle of Coca-Cola close at hand, occasionally taking a drink as she answered questions. The marketing value to Coca-Cola was over $3 million in product placement according to some estimates. To be clear, how much Coca-Cola’s margins were affected is certainly not the main question anyone should take away from this truly harrowing event.

However this overt product placement caught our attention because we’re discussing about hidden sugars in popular food and drinks on October’s Diabetes Late Nite podcast with Sugar Savvy Solution Author Kathie Dolgin aid ‘High Voltage’ and Energy Up! organization board member, Stephanie MacKendree.

Americans consumption of sugar is reaching alarming statistics. Currently Americans eat about 20 teaspoons of sugar a day according to a report from the 2005–10 NHANES (National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey) database. Average daily consumption for men: 335 calories, women: 230 calories, boys: 362 calories, girls: 282 calories. That translates into about 66 pounds of added sugar consumed each year, per person.

This is why the American Heart Association put together a maximum intake allowance for sugar. According to the American Heart Association, women should have no more than 6 teaspoons per day, which is 25 grams of sugar or 100 calories from sugar. As a man, you can have up to 9 teaspoons of sugar daily, or 38 grams of sugar, which is around 150 calories from sugar. No matter your gender, a single 12-ounce can of Coke goes over the maximum sugar allowance for the day.

Coke is incredibly rich in sugar and doesn’t offer you any vitamins, minerals or fiber. If you’re like me and you enjoy that fizzy feeling in your mouth then consider swapping out every other can of Coke for a soda water. As you adjust to the taste, eventually you might consider drinking soda water in place of Coke all the time according the LiveStrong website.

Of course if you need your caffeine kick, have yourself a glass of unsweetened iced tea, hot herbal tea or even black coffee. You’ll get your caffeine without all the added sugar.

TUNE IN to October’s Diabetes Late Nite inspired by Sade. We’re talking about ‘THE SWEETEST TABOO’ aka ‘SUGAR’ with musical inspiration from Sade. Guests include Patricia Addie-Gentle RN, CDE, Tameka Milline, Catherine Schuller AICI, CIP. Kathy Dolgin aka ‘High Voltage’, and Stephanie MacKendree. Throughout the podcast we will be featuring music from ‘The Essential Sade’ album courtesy of SONY Music.