Diet soda???

rsclause

I don't eat anything that has the word diet on it. I either eat less or skip it. I personally feel that any artificial sweetener that tricks you into liking the taste can't be good for you. Of course this is really easy for me as I don't crave sweets. If you took the sugar bowl out of the house I would never know it.

bluesky248

I quit all diet soda a year ago February and I definitely noticed the differences...(I drank up to 6 a day or more) I have been drinking diet pop since a teenager and my muscle aches n pains went away about a month after quitting and I just drink water now...much better. I don't know I suppose its like any thing else, in moderation is likely ok but like most of us here we have a tendency to "overdo" on the moderation of foods stuffs eh?
I think one here or there is ok but for me i'm an all or nothing kinda gal, I can't eat just one chip either so I don't bother to have one diet because I'd be up to 6 in no time.
moderation is the key.

twixlepennie

I was curious about how you guys feel about drinking diet soda. I have heard SO much conflicting information. Right now I'm only giving in to diet soda twice a week. Do you guys avoid it all together?

I switched from regular soda to diet when I started losing weight and drank around 4-5 cans a day. Now I'm in maintence and still drink diet but I've also started drinking the new 10 calorie options too (sunkist, dr. pepper etc). Soda is the only thing I drink besides water (no coffee, milk, alcohol etc).

kaotik26

Oh boy here we go....

sillyvalentine

I have yet to see any credible sources proving that any chemical in diet soda is bad for you in normal quantities.

They give rats enough artificial sweeteners to equal me drinking about a thousand liters of Coke Zero or whatever per day. You know what would happen if I drank a thousand liters of water a day? I'd die from hyponatremia, not just have a higher risk of eventually maybe getting cancer.

Some 0-calorie sweeteners might have an insulin response, sure. You know what has MORE of an insulin response? Cane sugar (sucrose), high fructose corn syrup, glucose, dextrose... Yknow, actual caloric sweeteners.


In normal quantities, drink your diet soda and don't regret anything.

I have yet to see any credible sources proving that testing on rats is in any way equal to testing on humans.

MakePeasNotWar

I mostly drink club soda, but I usually have a sprite zero or fresca with pizza on Friday nights, and occasionally I buy the little 6 packs of mini cans of diet Pepsi. When I visit my parents' house they have all kinds of diet sodas and I will have at least one diet root beer and one diet Dr Pepper.

rousehouse

I used to drink 2L a day. Then, I quit cold turkey just to see what happened. My appetite immediately reduced, and I wasn't hungry all of the time. In my experience, I feel as though the extra sweetener was messing with my appetite. Now, I only drink it in small quantities (250 ml serving) and always with food.

wyattj99

I went drinking regular pop daily to drinking diet. I drank diet for 2 yrs thinking yeah, I could lose weight....hahahahahaha! I put on weight and was very unhappy. Took me three months but got rid of pop all together, now I will have it on occasion I think last year was three times if that I feel better drinking my water!

gertudejekyl

I'm gonna stop drinking it in front of my brother...he won't stop harassing me about the badness of it. Trying not to having it everyday- just a couple of days a week. It seems to be addictive......:grumble:

fionawilliamson

I have serious doubts about anything with aspartame or chemical sweeteners.

jwdieter

Used to drink a few cans a day. Stopped doing that a couple years ago. Whenever I try diet soda now, it tastes horrible. Not sure what the deal is, but I have no desire to drink it.

CanGirl40

That was my New Year's Resolution this year - to give up my 3 cans/day habit - and so far I'm on day 24. Honestly, I rarely think about it now that I've gone "cold turkey"...Have I noticed any side effects? Nope. But I think it's time to give it up. I keep thinking of it as poison created in a chemistry lab....I haven't been able (or willing) to quit in the past because I've never really "believed" there are any negative consequences. But I was watching a show about how chemicals affect our bodies/cellular structures over time and I was like - ok, I'm done!

QuietBloom

Is it healthy? No. Can you lose weight while drinking it? Of course. I have started moderating my diet soda intake in favor of drinking more water, but I still have several diet cokes a week and never feel guilty about it.

How is it unhealthy?

QuietBloom

I'm gonna stop drinking it in front of my brother...he won't stop harassing me about the badness of it. Trying not to having it everyday- just a couple of days a week. It seems to be addictive......:grumble:

You can tell your brother to take it easy. Drinking diet sodas has not been linked to any deleterious health effects, unless you have certain medical conditions. People can be funny about things.:ohwell:

meganjcallaghan

I have it every once in a while if I feel like having a carbonated beverage. I see some people say it makes them feel hungrier (nothing makes me feel hungry....even going days without food), or that it makes them feel sick or have headaches (that doesn't happen either)....or that if they don't drink it for a while and come back to it then it tastes like chemicals and "poison" (Nope....I can go months between and still love it every time I DO have it), but since I'm not experiencing any negative side effects either physically or in my wallet, I'll just continue on as I do.

kiki2009

I used to drink at least a can of diet soda a day. Last week I gave up junk, bread and diet soda. I have lost 10 pounds! I don't know if the diet soda has something to do with it, but it surly makes me feel better! Less sluggish

Shuuma

Just another comment: Since I don't really reach for my soda as often (having decided I like water just fine), I think they make me thirstier. I feel thirsty after finishing my soda! You don't notice that as much when you just open another can. If you're worried about cutting back, drink water around your drink. In other words, have a glass of water now, a soda in a half hour or so, and another glass of water afterward.

Ortax

I used to drink regular coke and dr. pepper everyday up to sometimes 4 cans. Then when I started counting calories I transitioned from regular coke to diet coke and so far I am down 10 lbs in less than a month. It's 0 calories and all that scare mongering regarding aspartame is over exaggerated.

purple44444

I started drinking diet dr pepper when I was trying to ditch my regular coke habit. It doesn't decrease cravings for emotional eating, but it does give me a taste and fizz that helps curb my boredom eating.

misskarne

I drink it with meals (water rest of the day). It helps me feel fuller.

maidentl

ForeverSunshine09

I just recently started going off pop caffiene altogether. (Besides the little bit I get from chocolate. I only did this because my no nonsense dr told me to. I have needed a kick in the butt to do it anyways. I don't think it hinders weight loss. I lost 26 lbs in a little over 2 months drinking diet pop pretty much everyday.

ninerbuff

CindyB97 wrote: »

It depends on your personal eating philosophy. If you are trying to stick to clean eating, then don't drink diet sodas because they are full of unhealthy chemicals. If you don't mind prepackaged and processed food and are only looking at calories, then diet soda fits in well with that philosophy.

Please name the unhealthy chemicals.

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

ninerbuff

Tonyour06 wrote: »

I stopped drinking diet coke and all forms of aspartame on September 3, 2013. After reading all the issues with it – I decided it wasn’t good for me to drink. It is pure poison!

Since I stopped the pain I’d had in my shoulder for months has gone away, I am sleeping better, my hair is growing and is thicker, I don’t have the aches and pains I had (was taking Motrin daily because of it).

But… Be careful if you stop. I replaced it with juices, sweet ice tea and regular soda. I gained 18lbs in 3-months (to be fair the holidays were in there and I didn’t exercise as much) I have now gone to water, coffee, and regular ice tea.

Poison no. An artificial sweetener yes.

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

ninerbuff

leesee88 wrote: »

Based on personal experience and light research:

STOP drinking it.
It contains aspartame, and most simply put:

"While it sounds like a wonderful alternative to sugar, Aspartame has been getting a lot of negative attention since it was first legalized in the United States. When you ingest it, the components of aspartame work like neurotransmitters, or molecules that signal neurons in your brain that control the rest of your body. Aspartame signals the body that it is receiving sugar, so the body responds to digest that sugar by releasing insulin for sugar breakdown. However, because the body is not actually receiving sugar, it is looking to process something that isn’t there. As a result, the body craves more sugar, because it now thinks it needs it. Therefore, you start to crave more sugar, or more aspartame, in order to sooth that lack of nutrients."

OR

http://www.fitday.com/fitness-articles/nutrition/healthy-eating/the-nutrition-of-diet-soda.html

everyone can have their own opinions, but why bother with it. It gives you absolutely no nutrition or benefits, its a cup of synthetic chemicals. I used to drink it, I understand it tastes good (until you stop drinking it for awhile or eat clean and try it again- literally tastes like poison) but really its garbage. Spending money and putting your health at risk for garbage!

Drink Water and tea!!!! Kick the diet soda addiction.

You're right, your research is very light. Simply put, it's not poison (have yet to hear of any death attributed to aspartame poisoning), it's "chemicals" that are present in every day foods, and there's no data (with the exception of rats consuming the equivalent of 2 cases of diet soda a day) to support that it's a "dangerous" as opposition is claiming.

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

ninerbuff

fionawilliamson wrote: »

I have serious doubts about anything with aspartame or chemical sweeteners.

C12H22O11.............................the chemical makeup of sugar. H20..................the chemical make up of water.
Everything in the world is chemically bonded at the molecular level.

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

magicalxgirl

I don't have any problems with it, except I drink it in place of water and get dehydrated..that's it really. I really should cut back to 1 can a day and get my water in

callsitlikeiseeit

i have a few diet cokes a week. considering i used to go through a case or more of dr pepper a week, id say its a win LOL

LeenaGee

Looks like Diet Pepsi is also sick of the debate over the safety of Aspartame and are removing it from their product.

Diet Pepsi will no longer contain aspartame beginning this summer
By Chris Welch
on April 24, 2015 10:50 am

"Pepsi is getting rid of aspartame, the artificial sweetener and sugar substitute that has been an ingredient in Diet Pepsi for decades. Today the company announced that the change will come later this year. Aspartame will be removed from every Diet Pepsi brand, including the regular product, its caffeine-free alternative, and Diet Pepsi Cherry. "Diet cola drinkers in the US told us they wanted aspartame-free Diet Pepsi and we're delivering," a spokesperson said. Aspartame is being replaced with a blend of artificial sweeteners sucralose and acesulfame potassium, according to CNBC.

And while there's nothing natural about those ingredients either, they don't carry the same health controversies and unknowns that have dogged aspartame (also known as NutraSweet) for years. It's one of the most thoroughly tested ingredients in the world, but assurances from the FDA (and the agency's international counterparts) that aspartame is safe for human consumption have done little to shine up its reputation.

Can it cause cancer? Does it actually contribute to people gaining weight — the opposite purpose of diet cola? Can you taste it? Pepsi seems tired of these questions, and the company is going so far as to highlight that its diet sodas will no longer include aspartame. Bottles and cans will be labelled "now aspartame free." Pepsi's move is a sudden and significant shift; Coca-Cola still includes aspartame in its Diet Coke soft drink and hasn't yet announced any plan to phase out the artificial sweetener."