Diet soda? Really that bad?

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  • stevencloser
    stevencloser Posts: 8,911 Member
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    elphie754 wrote: »
    SLLRunner wrote: »
    ktuofa wrote: »
    So I have read how horrible regular soda is but how about diet soda? Every time I have one I feel like I crave sugar afterwards. Does anyone else feel the same way? I need to kick the habit of drinking it! Any suggestions?

    Have you tried kombucha? It's lo cal and fizzy, it's actually good for you, probiotics, healthy acids etc.
    I am not habitual with diet soda, but for a few times in college. I remembered thinking I associated it with weight gain. I'm not sure how, but I think that's legitimate. Well anyway, I question that they are very good for you!

    How can you gain weight from diet soda when it has no calories?

    I have read that it can raise your blood sugar. For me, weight loss is not just about losing weight, but about results.

    I have read that a jolly fat guy in a red suit comes down chimneys to give kids gifts once a year..... Must be true then!

    In other words, don't believe everything you read. How does something with no calories hinder weight loss? (Hint-it doesn't).

    Also-if is raised blood sugar, why would the diabetes association reccomend it?

    Wow amazing sarcasm. Not sure it's necessary?
    Scientists used to believe the world was flat. They were wrong, and continue to be at times. So you have to think for yourself, too.
    I have read it from other sources but here's one....in case you are interested.
    http://www.webmd.com/diet/20140917/artificial-sweeteners-blood-sugar

    Or here
    http://www.cell.com/trends/endocrinology-metabolism/abstract/S1043-2760(13)00087-8

    Since artificial sweeteners just plain do not contain any sugar and are only present in fractions of a gram, any sugar to make your blood sugar increase would have to come from inside your body to begin with. Again, how are you supposed to gain weight from that?
  • psuLemon
    psuLemon Posts: 38,401 MFP Moderator
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    psulemon wrote: »
    elphie754 wrote: »
    SLLRunner wrote: »
    ktuofa wrote: »
    So I have read how horrible regular soda is but how about diet soda? Every time I have one I feel like I crave sugar afterwards. Does anyone else feel the same way? I need to kick the habit of drinking it! Any suggestions?

    Have you tried kombucha? It's lo cal and fizzy, it's actually good for you, probiotics, healthy acids etc.
    I am not habitual with diet soda, but for a few times in college. I remembered thinking I associated it with weight gain. I'm not sure how, but I think that's legitimate. Well anyway, I question that they are very good for you!

    How can you gain weight from diet soda when it has no calories?

    I have read that it can raise your blood sugar. For me, weight loss is not just about losing weight, but about results.

    I have read that a jolly fat guy in a red suit comes down chimneys to give kids gifts once a year..... Must be true then!

    In other words, don't believe everything you read. How does something with no calories hinder weight loss? (Hint-it doesn't).

    Also-if is raised blood sugar, why would the diabetes association reccomend it?

    Wow amazing sarcasm. Not sure it's necessary?
    Scientists used to believe the world was flat. They were wrong, and continue to be at times. So you have to think for yourself, too.
    I have read it from other sources but here's one....in case you are interested.
    http://www.webmd.com/diet/20140917/artificial-sweeteners-blood-sugar

    Or here
    http://www.cell.com/trends/endocrinology-metabolism/abstract/S1043-2760(13)00087-8

    Even if artificial sweetners do raise blood sugar, why would it matter? The average persons body can regulate it very well.

    And if it helps you maintain a calorie deficit, lose weight and get fit, how can we not consider that a victory? Results arent driven by a single driver but rather a cumulation of many.

    Yes, you can drink it if you want to. I skip them except for rarely.

    Which is fine.. its personal preference. I would like to know how drinking diet soda effecta results. There are hundreds of members who lost well over 100 lbs while drinking and i know one member who lose over 300 lbs while drinking diet Pepsi.
  • Lovee_Dove7
    Lovee_Dove7 Posts: 742 Member
    edited December 2015
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    Okay here is the article I had originally read, found it here:
    http://www.saragottfriedmd.com/are-you-eating-clean-5-mistakes-that-sabotage-a-good-diet/
    It is written by a Harvard-graduated gynecologist who has a practice here in CA.
    "Swapping sugar for artificial sweeteners can actually increase sugar cravings. Research published in Trends in Endocrinology and Metabolism last year found that artificial sweeteners interfere with hunger and satiety cues. Why? You taste something sweet but reap no caloric benefit from it, confusing your body’s feedback system that lets you know when you’re full."

    And on over-view of that (pay-to-see) study is here:
    http://www.livescience.com/47881-artificial-sweeteners-may-boost-blood-sugar.html

    Dr Gottfried stated plainly in one of her books that Splenda raises blood sugar.
    An article referencing the journal Diabetes Care seems to agree with her: http://www.livescience.com/47881-artificial-sweeteners-may-boost-blood-sugar.html

    What artificial sweeteners are used in which foods? is Splenda in the sodas or just the packets. Is Nutrisweet the same as splenda?
  • stevencloser
    stevencloser Posts: 8,911 Member
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    Aspartame cannot make blood sugar appear out of thin air, if it does somehow increase your blood sugar it's because your body takes glucose out of your glycogen stores.
    And hopefully I don't need to mention that a gynecologist knows not much more about metabolism than a high school student and that only if they studied up on it in their free time.
  • Lovee_Dove7
    Lovee_Dove7 Posts: 742 Member
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    Right, it was that the liver was anticipating getting blood sugar, but didn't (no calorie sweetener), so it releases sugar instead of storing it. Of course this was explained including the metabolic mechanisms.

    Yes I think a Harvard grad is capable of that research.
  • arditarose
    arditarose Posts: 15,573 Member
    edited December 2015
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    I started drinking diet sodas this year. I never really drank regular and I HATED diet..but after my eating changed, I actually started not minding the taste of diet soda-especially Dr. Pepper and diet root beer. I'm happy to be drinking it, personally.
  • Lovee_Dove7
    Lovee_Dove7 Posts: 742 Member
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    psulemon wrote: »
    psulemon wrote: »
    elphie754 wrote: »
    SLLRunner wrote: »
    ktuofa wrote: »
    So I have read how horrible regular soda is but how about diet soda? Every time I have one I feel like I crave sugar afterwards. Does anyone else feel the same way? I need to kick the habit of drinking it! Any suggestions?

    Have you tried kombucha? It's lo cal and fizzy, it's actually good for you, probiotics, healthy acids etc.
    I am not habitual with diet soda, but for a few times in college. I remembered thinking I associated it with weight gain. I'm not sure how, but I think that's legitimate. Well anyway, I question that they are very good for you!

    How can you gain weight from diet soda when it has no calories?

    I have read that it can raise your blood sugar. For me, weight loss is not just about losing weight, but about results.

    I have read that a jolly fat guy in a red suit comes down chimneys to give kids gifts once a year..... Must be true then!

    In other words, don't believe everything you read. How does something with no calories hinder weight loss? (Hint-it doesn't).

    Also-if is raised blood sugar, why would the diabetes association reccomend it?

    Wow amazing sarcasm. Not sure it's necessary?
    Scientists used to believe the world was flat. They were wrong, and continue to be at times. So you have to think for yourself, too.
    I have read it from other sources but here's one....in case you are interested.
    http://www.webmd.com/diet/20140917/artificial-sweeteners-blood-sugar

    Or here
    http://www.cell.com/trends/endocrinology-metabolism/abstract/S1043-2760(13)00087-8

    Even if artificial sweetners do raise blood sugar, why would it matter? The average persons body can regulate it very well.

    And if it helps you maintain a calorie deficit, lose weight and get fit, how can we not consider that a victory? Results arent driven by a single driver but rather a cumulation of many.

    Yes, you can drink it if you want to. I skip them except for rarely.

    Which is fine.. its personal preference. I would like to know how drinking diet soda effecta results. There are hundreds of members who lost well over 100 lbs while drinking and i know one member who lose over 300 lbs while drinking diet Pepsi.

    When I think of losing weight, I have a goal that is not just the number on the scale. If 50 people gather in a room and all proudly boast to have lost 100lbs, they may have used very different methods of achieving that loss and very different results:
    their body composition may or may not appeal to me
    Are they stronger, or dieted-looking and gaunt?
    did their health improve in key areas, ie, do they have good lab results?
    do they feel more comfortable in their bodies, joints, mood, energy?


    So the small decision of, for example, drinking sodas (either in moderation or freely or even in excess) needs to help me get results that appeal to me.
    I just tend to steer clear of them, I don't really trust that they are okay. I don't want to develop the habit. I will drink one occasionally if the other option is HFCS soda.
  • stevencloser
    stevencloser Posts: 8,911 Member
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    "Food additive approval is based on a robust hazard and risk characterization, leading to the establishment of an ADI and often a maximum permitted level (MPL) in foods. They must be subjected to a wide range of tests, devised to assess potential risks to the consumer, before they are allowed in food. Tests assess how the additive reacts in the body and also look for any toxic effects at and above the levels the additive is to be used in food. This includes testing to see if there is any chance of genetic damage or cancers being caused by the long-term use of the additive. A formal process for safety evaluation exists at national and international levels for analysing the test data on food additives, setting the ADIs and publishing the results.

    In Europe, food additives permitted before 20 January 2009 must go through a new risk assessment by EFSA; furthermore, at any time, the authority can revise its decision on the basis of new data reporting toxicological effects. In the case of aspartame, this process was undertaken almost every year, with the production of a relevant number of opinions and statements, all confirming no safety concerns below the established ADI."

    http://www.obesityday.org/usr_files/news/aspartame_low-calorie_sweeteners.pdf
  • T1DCarnivoreRunner
    T1DCarnivoreRunner Posts: 11,502 Member
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    Yes I think a Harvard grad is capable of that research.

    Perhaps, but a Harvard grad is also capable of missing something. Dare I say it is possible for a Harvard grad to be capable of being wrong? Here is a study that found different results:

    Tongzhi, W., Bound, M. J., Standfield, S. D., Bellon, M., Young, R. L., Jones, K. L., & ... Rayner, C. K. (2013). Artificial Sweeteners Have No Effect on Gastric Emptying, Glucagon-Like Peptide-1, or Glycemia After Oral Glucose in Healthy Humans. Diabetes Care, 36(12), e202-e203. doi:10.2337/dc13-0958

    Speaking of research, here is an interesting read about aspartame:

    Siegler, J., Howell, K., Vince, R., Bray, J., Towlson, C., Peart, D., & ... Atkin, S. (2012). Aspartame in conjunction with carbohydrate reduces insulin levels during endurance exercise. Journal Of The International Society Of Sports Nutrition, 9(1), 36-39

    The summary is that when ingested during exercise, there was no difference between insulin secretion for subjects between water and aspartame ingestion (this result would be expected). However, there was actually a decrease in insulin secretion when both carbohydrates and aspartame were ingested compared with carbohydrates alone.
  • Lovee_Dove7
    Lovee_Dove7 Posts: 742 Member
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    I'll let you and the Harvard grad duke it out.
  • psuLemon
    psuLemon Posts: 38,401 MFP Moderator
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    psulemon wrote: »
    psulemon wrote: »
    elphie754 wrote: »
    SLLRunner wrote: »
    ktuofa wrote: »
    So I have read how horrible regular soda is but how about diet soda? Every time I have one I feel like I crave sugar afterwards. Does anyone else feel the same way? I need to kick the habit of drinking it! Any suggestions?

    Have you tried kombucha? It's lo cal and fizzy, it's actually good for you, probiotics, healthy acids etc.
    I am not habitual with diet soda, but for a few times in college. I remembered thinking I associated it with weight gain. I'm not sure how, but I think that's legitimate. Well anyway, I question that they are very good for you!

    How can you gain weight from diet soda when it has no calories?

    I have read that it can raise your blood sugar. For me, weight loss is not just about losing weight, but about results.

    I have read that a jolly fat guy in a red suit comes down chimneys to give kids gifts once a year..... Must be true then!

    In other words, don't believe everything you read. How does something with no calories hinder weight loss? (Hint-it doesn't).

    Also-if is raised blood sugar, why would the diabetes association reccomend it?

    Wow amazing sarcasm. Not sure it's necessary?
    Scientists used to believe the world was flat. They were wrong, and continue to be at times. So you have to think for yourself, too.
    I have read it from other sources but here's one....in case you are interested.
    http://www.webmd.com/diet/20140917/artificial-sweeteners-blood-sugar

    Or here
    http://www.cell.com/trends/endocrinology-metabolism/abstract/S1043-2760(13)00087-8

    Even if artificial sweetners do raise blood sugar, why would it matter? The average persons body can regulate it very well.

    And if it helps you maintain a calorie deficit, lose weight and get fit, how can we not consider that a victory? Results arent driven by a single driver but rather a cumulation of many.

    Yes, you can drink it if you want to. I skip them except for rarely.

    Which is fine.. its personal preference. I would like to know how drinking diet soda effecta results. There are hundreds of members who lost well over 100 lbs while drinking and i know one member who lose over 300 lbs while drinking diet Pepsi.

    When I think of losing weight, I have a goal that is not just the number on the scale. If 50 people gather in a room and all proudly boast to have lost 100lbs, they may have used very different methods of achieving that loss and very different results:
    their body composition may or may not appeal to me
    Are they stronger, or dieted-looking and gaunt?
    did their health improve in key areas, ie, do they have good lab results?
    do they feel more comfortable in their bodies, joints, mood, energy?


    So the small decision of, for example, drinking sodas (either in moderation or freely or even in excess) needs to help me get results that appeal to me.
    I just tend to steer clear of them, I don't really trust that they are okay. I don't want to develop the habit. I will drink one occasionally if the other option is HFCS soda.

    But body composition and results won't be adversely affected by diet soda.... that is the point I am trying to get at. I switched to diet soda as I didn't believe in drinking calories. My goal has always been to improve my body composition (using lifting/resistance training and moderate protein amounts to improve muscle retention), cardiovascular health (use of HIIT), improve my cholesterol levels (weight loss and greater concentration on whole foods) and become fit (all things combined). And while I haven't achieve getting a six pack yet (that is my push this new year), I have gotten to my high school weight (started at 220 down to 175), my cholesterol is in great standing, and stronger than I have ever been. All of this while drinking 2 diet sodas.

    The only issues I have are tendinitis and plantars fascititis, both of which are never linked to diet soda. But I have always had great energy (minus lack of sleep from a newborn) and almost always in a great mood. So I do struggle with the correlation between diet soda and any of those things? Do you believe diet soda would effect your body composition, strength, or health? I am honestly curious because I have never seen that linkage.
  • Lovee_Dove7
    Lovee_Dove7 Posts: 742 Member
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    Psu, you yourself said on the previous page,
    "Results arent driven by a single driver but rather a cumulation of many."
    This is one of those "drivers" for me. Not that I look down on soda drinkers, I'll drink one now and then; they're fun.
  • psuLemon
    psuLemon Posts: 38,401 MFP Moderator
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    Psu, you yourself said on the previous page,
    "Results arent driven by a single driver but rather a cumulation of many."
    This is one of those "drivers" for me. Not that I look down on soda drinkers, I'll drink one now and then; they're fun.

    Ok... then we are the same page that its a personal choice and only affects the individual it is promotes other issues (ie - hunger).
  • Lovee_Dove7
    Lovee_Dove7 Posts: 742 Member
    edited December 2015
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    :) Yay!
  • rankinsect
    rankinsect Posts: 2,238 Member
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    I love diet soda. I actually make my own (make my own zero-calorie syrup & use a SodaStream for carbonating water). Plain water is about my last choice for liquid.
  • tomteboda
    tomteboda Posts: 2,171 Member
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    Aside from quasi-religious conviction about the 'badness' of artificial sweeteners, there is no logical or sound reason to avoid them entirely unless you have a specific and proven allergy to one (then the rest are fine anyway). Science has very firmly established this. Most of the outliers suggesting otherwise are in non-peer-reviewed journals with poor experimental design & data treatment.
  • AnvilHead
    AnvilHead Posts: 18,344 Member
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    tomteboda wrote: »
    Aside from quasi-religious conviction about the 'badness' of artificial sweeteners, there is no logical or sound reason to avoid them entirely unless you have a specific and proven allergy to one (then the rest are fine anyway). Science has very firmly established this. Most of the outliers suggesting otherwise are in non-peer-reviewed journals with poor experimental design & data treatment.

    Well said. Especially the bolded part. LOL.
  • askonieczny4
    askonieczny4 Posts: 3 Member
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    I don't know how to add pictures but google diet soda then look at the images and read everything about it. It is horrible for you. Asperteme in general is horrible for you.
  • AnvilHead
    AnvilHead Posts: 18,344 Member
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    I don't know how to add pictures but google diet soda then look at the images and read everything about it. It is horrible for you. Asperteme in general is horrible for you.

    I found this image to add which sums it up perfectly:

    grumpy-cat-saying-no+(1).jpeg