DIET SODA!

seltzermint555

I know it's bad for you because of the aspartame (or other type of sweetener that may be in the kind you're drinking), but I crave it and love it. I used to drink it 2-3 times a day with very little water, which is BAD. Now I have about 2-4 diet sodas each week and have water 90% or more of the time with my meals.

I know a lot of people say it sets your body up to receive sugar, and if you just have artificial sweeteners instead it does crazy stuff to your body. I do get sugar in other forms, so meh.

I've also heard many people say that diet soda will make you eat more or crave bad stuff. I really don't think that happens for me. For example if I have a slice of thin crust veggie pizza with a diet soda, I'm totally satisfied. But if I had the same pizza with water to drink I would be looking around for something sugary to eat like chocolate...kinda counter-productive.

Really I think all things can be ok //in moderation// if you enjoy them. But I see no reason that diet soda can't be PART of a good diet if you use common sense.

Ducking because I know people will disagree...

GypsySoul_74

i'll usually have one can a day. some days i don't have any. once in awhile, maybe i'll have two (i find it helps me feel full when all i want to do is snack). certainly i don't consider it a health food, but it is one of my favorite treats! i drink tons of water & unsweetened green & black tea as my primary hydration sources.

Warcraftmommie

I was up to drinking 2Litres a day, and I stopped over 2 months ago, it was the best decision I could have ever made! When I was drinking the soda, I would be nodding off at my computer at work mid-day, I seriously couldn't keep my eyes open ( sugar crash), my ankles would get swollen every day about twice the size from the sodium, and my teeth have definitely taken a toll, which I am now repairing.

Do some research on what aspartame does to your body internally, and I'm sure you will make the decision to either stop or seriously cut back on diet soda.

Now, I'm soda-free and feeling sooo much better, I'm awake, perky all day long and I just drink water and you know what, I don't even miss the sugary taste.

BeverlyHillsCop

Make it easier on yourself (and your teeth). Eliminate it altogether and it will make your journey MUCH smoother. Why waste the energy burning off empty calories?

eklavon84

I personally don't care for the taste of diet soda(except occasionally Diet Strawberry Limeade from Sonic)I assume like everything you could drink diet in moderation. However, I do know a guy who drinks 8-10 cans of diet pepsi a day and has for 20+ yrs he is in fine heath except for diabetes which is why he switched to diet in the first place.

EvilFeevil

I never liked diet soda but now that I'm really trying to lose these last 20 lbs I've started making changes that I never thought I would, such as drinking the occasional diet soda (I still drink regular soda periodically but only about 4 oz a day and not every day).

I thought that Diet Dr. Pepper might taste the least "fake sugary" and I was right, it's not as bad as Diet Coke or Diet Pepsi.

Someone has a new soda out with ten calories instead of zero and I wonder if it tastes any better (or less bad) than zero calorie soda? I can't believe I'm at the stage of my life where I am one of "those people" who drinks diet soda.

Now I will digress momentarily. Of course my dentist says all soda is bad because of the acid but you know what, I already gave up my favorite sour candies because of all the citric acid de-calcifying my teeth (okay, and the calories, you got me); I am not giving up everything I enjoy, I'm just enjoying it in smaller amounts and in moderation. And as my dental hygienist suggested, I try to remember to drink water after I drink soda (and after coffee with creamer in it), kind of swish some water around in my mouth to rinse off the acid (and sugar if it's regular soda). I know this has nothing to do with dieting but good oral hygiene should be part of everyone's fitness journey so I hope my water tip helps someone!

MyChocolateDiet

I drink it here and there. I like the taste. It's not an addiction or a daily thing but it's not something I avoid like the plague.

ninerbuff

STAY AWAY from diet sodas! If you're going to splurge and have one, just have a small can (the little ones) of the regular, fully loaded one. Diet ones are horrible! The reason that they have "Zero" everything is they are all made of artificial chemicals. They actually break down to formaldehyde in your system once broken down. And, they trick your brain into thinking you are hungry. Have you ever noticed when you have a diet, you start craving junk food? Whether it be a sweet or salty, it makes you crave carbs. Can BOMB your efforts! If you like fizz, try sparkling mineral water with a slice of lemon or other citrus to add flavor.
Here's a few links for you to check out:

http://www.thenatureinus.com/2008/05/formaldehyde-in-diet-soda.html
http://www.livestrong.com/article/517129-does-diet-soda-cause-sweet-cravings/
http://shine.yahoo.com/healthy-living/study-diet-soda-increases-risk-diabetes-why-still-192600358.html

Jen

Formaldehyde is formed in the body eating citrus fruits...................doh. Diet soda doesn't cause cravings, lack of having what you crave does............doh.
Articles are peer reviewed. Thanks for just spreading more alarmism.

A.C.E. Certified Personal and Group Fitness Trainer
IDEA Fitness member
Kickboxing Certified Instructor
Been in fitness industry for 30 years and have studied kinesiology and nutrition

LynnMartin78

Let me say this.......I only gave up diet pop and didn't change anything else in my diet and I lost 10 lbs. No excercise....nothing.....still ate bad. So..I think that says something about how diet soda affects your metabolism .

JKardeno

Pepsi Max all the way. I drink it pretty much daily.

vaporhockey83

The link to cancers in diet sodas has been debunked slightly. Where aspartame was shown to cause brain tumors and cancer, they found that brain cancer cases had increased prior to the FDA's approval of aspartame . They pump mice with the human equivalent of thousands of cans of soda a day with artificial sweeteners. Of course that's going to cause issues. The FDA's recommendation for maximum amounts of artificial sweetener consumption is fairly high at this point because they really don't have all the facts (15-22 cans a day). It's in my opinion that, as with anything, to use in moderation. Anything artificial probably isn't good for you, that's a given. The story below explains how it confuses your body. That all said, I switched over to diet and it's helped (in my opinion) to shave off a few pounds. I try to only have about one or two diet sodas a day (more if I'm mixing it with rum). I definitely wouldn't be drinking it like water.

Here's an article on it all: http://www.cnn.com/2013/07/15/health/artificial-sweeteners-soda/index.html?hpt=he_bn4

SideSteel

IIRC, Research examining hormonal effects (hunger signaling) has turned up mixed. Fortunately, people monitoring calorie intake can readily keep track of whether or not diet soda contributes to overeating.

For many people, diet soda is satiating.

hbbeth

I used to drink a lot of Diet Coke, but osteoporosis runs in my family and I've just been told I have osteopenia (just a step up from osteoporosis) so I've cut it out. Instead I drink a lot of Perrier. The bubbles are my thing so Perrier works well for me.

Beth

wamydia

I think the most recent study that was released talks about stimulating certain pleasure centers in the brain when something sweet is eaten, but the study I saw before that talks more specifically about activating an insulin release when certain artifical sweeteners were introduced into the mouth and not swallowed. I think the implication is that it is related to stimulation of the taste buds and receptors in the mouth and signals are sent to the brain as a result. The abstract for the article is here: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/18556090

There is also some evidence that "sweetness" is detected in the digestive system also and that detection of certain artificial sweeteners being broken down in the digestive system can trigger insulin release (http://news.wustl.edu/news/Pages/25491.aspx), however it is fair to point out that the size of this study was small.

Lleldiranne

The link to cancers in diet sodas has been debunked slightly. Where aspartame was shown to cause brain tumors and cancer, they found that brain cancer cases had increased prior to the FDA's approval of aspartame . They pump mice with the human equivalent of thousands of cans of soda a day with artificial sweeteners. Of course that's going to cause issues. The FDA's recommendation for maximum amounts of artificial sweetener consumption is fairly high at this point because they really don't have all the facts (15-22 cans a day). It's in my opinion that, as with anything, to use in moderation. Anything artificial probably isn't good for you, that's a given. The story below explains how it confuses your body. That all said, I switched over to diet and it's helped (in my opinion) to shave off a few pounds. I try to only have about one or two diet sodas a day (more if I'm mixing it with rum). I definitely wouldn't be drinking it like water.

Here's an article on it all: http://www.cnn.com/2013/07/15/health/artificial-sweeteners-soda/index.html?hpt=he_bn4

Thank you for this link! Not because the article itself was especially helpful, but because it had a link to the original article, which was an academic review of multiple previous studies, and it answered my earlier question.

It clearly states that consuming artificial sweeteners, whether directly into the stomach or orally, does NOT cause insulin reactions. Consuming them with a meal does not change the insulin level from if the meal was eaten without the sweeteners. There is still some speculation (not hard data yet, only inconclusive results) that other, smaller-level hormones may be affected - these are the ones that respond to the sweet taste. The article calls it a "Pavlovian response".

So all the claims that it messes with your insulin levels seem to be unfounded.

NikiChicken

Diet Dr. Pepper, nearly every day. Losing weight and haven't grown a third arm or anything! :-D

This is me as well.

kosuke081

As long as I get my 2 liters of water in I won't kill myself over drinking a diet or a regular soda, but I usually prefer to stay away from them.

Water first, tho.

ericalynn104

If I drink soda (which is rare, I hardly ever buy the stuff) I go for the real deal... For me it's either the calories or a migraine. The aspartame in diet sodas gives me horrible headaches and I don't want to deal with that. I generally stick with water.

Doxeydoxie

Diet Coke every single day! I would not even consider going without it!

Mslmesq

To the op, I don't drink any traditional soda. I found that what I really used to like about the soda was the carbonated water. So now I drink super fizzy carbonated water (actually just bought a sodastream) and sometimes I add lemon or a little juice of my choice. Recently found soju strawberry and have been putting that in. I like very little (like 2 tablespoons) but someone could use more.

If I was still going to drink soda, I'd prefer it with sugar. No hfcs. And no artificial sweetners. My preference! My opinion. No articles to cite.

ellen_kay

It has been four months since I have had soda and I feel so much better (and my teeth thank me). Stay away from diet soda, recent science tests have shown that it actually makes you eat more.

I agree with this. I am not totally soda free, I have about one a week. But when I do all I want is sweet stuff and I want to eat all the time. I am so much better without it.

katbirdinpa

I drink water it flushes salt. I like dasanti

CindaWhite

I was a one-time Diet Coke junkie who lived with her 44 ounce refill bottle by her side. Happy to report that I have not drank any kind of soda since June 13, 2008. I've now started my 6th year being soda free!

Congratulations! WTG!

Dechant63

I very very rarely drink soda. But when I do it's usually diet. But I might drink it 3-5 times a year. If that.

mjones6599

i don't always drink soda, but when I do - i prefer the real stuff, Coca Cola. Stay Thirsty my friends.

LMAO!!