An interesting study funded by the Milk Processor Education Program (MilkPEP), intended to identify opportunities for milk producers to develop more "value-added beverages," speaks volumes about how addicted people really are to sugary soft drinks, long considered the leading source of calories among Americans.

By the numbers:

• Almost half of all Americans (upward from age 4) drink a sugary sweet drink -- a presweetened iced tea, fruit drink or carbonated beverage -- on a given day.
• Americans drink nearly a quarter of their total caloric intake every day.
• More than a third of all the added sugars Americans consume come from soft drinks.

A look at these numbers on their own demonstrate, without a doubt, why sugary substances like high fructose corn syrup have been targeted as a major culprit in the obesity epidemic. Then, combine those frightening numbers with the fact that consuming only one extra soft drink a day can add up to 15 pounds to your weight over the course of a year, and you have a recipe for a health care disaster of epic proportions.

One of the best ways to optimize your health and tame the obesity epidemic in your home today is certainly among the easiest: Stop consuming sweet drinks and make the switch to clean fresh water.