Is giving up diet soda really worth it?

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  • RachyLovesRattys
    RachyLovesRattys Posts: 143 Member
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    Before joining this site, I drank 4 liters of full sugar Coke every day. In one year, I gained 20 pounds. I also would be violently nauseous every morning until my first few sips (usually to the point of vomiting) and slept horribly. AND i still drank 8 glasses of water a day....it just didn't matter anymore. Finally, I read a story of a young woman who died doing the same thing. She woke up every morning and vomited just like I did. Then suddenly, she was dead. I gave up cold turkey, and 7 months later---I don't even miss it! I bought a SodaStream though---for seltzer (my new addiction!) :)
  • Fullsterkur_woman
    Fullsterkur_woman Posts: 2,712 Member
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    It's an interesting thing I'm noticing....

    A lot of people demonize diet soda because of aspartame, though no one seems to have much of a problem with Crystal Light. And you never hear much about sucralose. Coke Zero has sucralose instead of aspartame but it's still part of the "diet soda = evil" group.

    A lot of people demonize diet soda because of caffeine, but no one seems to have a problem with coffee.

    A lot of people demonize diet soda because of the carbonation, but no one seems to have a problem with seltzer.

    I totally agree with all of your points about "can't prove a negative" and the funny biz about "caffeinated diet soda = bad, coffee = good", "diet soda = bad, seltzer = good" or "diet aspartame soda = bad, Crystal Light = good".

    However, it is not true that Coke Zero has sucralose instead of aspartame. That was Diet Coke with Splenda and it wasn't as good as Coke Zero. I just looked up coca-cola.com and got the ingredients of Coke Zero:
    Carbonated Water, Caramel Color, Phosphoric Acid, Aspartame, Potassium Benzoate (to protect taste), Natural Flavors, Potassium Citrate, Acesulfame Potassium, Caffeine

    You can see that they're mixing Ace-K and aspartame, which is what accounts for the better taste. Sweeteners have a synergistic effect, so you can get the same amount of sweetness for less product. It probably also improves the flavor profile by stimulating slightly different receptors with each sweetener.

    Also of note is phosphoric acid instead of citric acid that most sodas use. Coke Zero and Diet Dr Pepper both use phosphoric acid instead. There is some indication that it can cause a slight increase in calcium loss, but only in the presence of caffeine, and they hypothesized it might only be temporary, leading to a reduced calcium loss later. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Phosphoric_acid#In_soft_drinks For my part, I've had numerous DEXA scans and bone density checks throughout the most hardcore periods of caffeinated diet soda use, and it did not cause me a problem with bone density loss. However, the plural of anecdote is still not data... ;)

    Here's a bit of cool news though, in a few weeks, we can expect to see that last ingredient dropped from some Coke Zero. They're launching a caffeine-free version! Yay!

    Of course, it won't be in fountains or vending machines, which is when I want to drink it. I promised not to drink soda around my husband because he's decided to quit. I know how mind-stunningly annoying it is to watch him get to eat whatever he wants and not get fat, so I don't want to put him through the same thing with soda. I think I can be happy with one bottle a day at work, plus Mio Energy in the morning and plain Mio the rest of the day. On weekends I'll probably enjoy iced tea with Splenda at restaurants.

    But since I drink something that contains "chemicals" (ALL THINGS ARE CHEMICALS!) people are going to tell me that's not good enough. Good thing I'm too old to care what people tell me...
  • jerrydoll321
    jerrydoll321 Posts: 1
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    I was a Diet Coke addict. I probably drank a six pack or more a day. A year ago I developed digestive issues, mainly diarhea and stomach cramps. They took my gall bladder out. No change. After a colonoscopy I was diagnosed with lymphocytic colitis. Tried to eat better but no change. Every time I would eat anything, I would have to run to the bathroom about an hour later. Sometimes even sooner.

    A month ago, I gave up Diet Soda. It was one of the hardest things I've ever done. But the payoff aphas been worth it. I did not change my diet in any other way. Within a week I had returned to normal bowel movements. No more stomach cramps and no more running to the bathroom as soon as I eat.

    I wish I had tried this a year ago, but live and learn, I guess.

    There have beebpn two times in the last month that I did have a small diet coke because the was nothing else to drink. It didn't bother me, but it just didn't taste good to me anymore either.

    I won't say I will never drink it In the future. But I will be very careful with it In the future. It is poison to my system. Not being on it anymore has changed my life!
  • Amelia7779
    Amelia7779 Posts: 53 Member
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    I quit diet coke as a nye resolution this year...cold turkey. Cravings stopped after a few days (I had been in the 4-6 can a day range for years).

    Here's the thing...after a couple months, I felt...no different. At all. And I missed it so I started drinking it again. Whatevs. Diet coke has no bearing on MY weight, energy, or anything else.
  • Amandawith3kids
    Amandawith3kids Posts: 367 Member
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    i mostly gave up soda because its too much friggin money. hard to buy enough food on 100/wk and still buy soda too. i'll have one out or something, but it's rare. i never did drink diet cause i think its nasty.

    was it worth it? yes, because i had enough money for food for my kids. for me? meh. i wasnt hooked on it. now cigarettes.. THOSE i was hooked on. ( i quit those too btw)

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