Diet pop

Aaron_K123

I'm skeptical. People, including credible doctors, have a tendency to attribute cause and effect by just noting that something proceeded something else. Unless there is a reason that protein would cause migraines besides mere anecdotal correlation like there is an understood reason for caffeine I remain skeptical. Not saying I'm 100% sure, just that I doubt.

K. When someone goes through years of elimination diets trying to figure out a trigger for debilitating pain, and they narrow it down to one, it must be something else. :huh: It doesn't give me migraines, but I know many people whom it does. Sorry, as anecdotal as it is, if I eat something and it makes my head feel like it's going to explode, and I have that reaction every time I consume said substance, I'm going to assume it's the cause of the pain.

Its still anecdotal and I still remain skeptical. There is a reason that science ignores all anecdotal evidence.
Not sure why it would be important for you to convince me so probably can just leave it at that. I'm not telling you to drink soda if you don't want to I'm just saying there is no concrete evidence that it causes harm, because there isn't.

Unless you avoid protein entirely you are still taking in aspartate and phenylalanine which are the metabolic breakdown products of aspartame. You probably get more aspartate and phenylalanine from a slab of steak than you do from 4 diet colas. If you suffer from PKU that could explain issues with aspartame due to the phenylalanine content.

Iknowsaur

I'm skeptical. People, including credible doctors, have a tendency to attribute cause and effect by just noting that something proceeded something else. Unless there is a reason that protein would cause migraines besides mere anecdotal correlation like there is an understood reason for caffeine I remain skeptical. Not saying I'm 100% sure, just that I doubt.

K. When someone goes through years of elimination diets trying to figure out a trigger for debilitating pain, and they narrow it down to one, it must be something else. :huh: It doesn't give me migraines, but I know many people whom it does. Sorry, as anecdotal as it is, if I eat something and it makes my head feel like it's going to explode, and I have that reaction every time I consume said substance, I'm going to assume it's the cause of the pain.

+1

Aaron_K123

http://food.gov.uk/science/research/foodcomponentsresearch/riskassessment/t01programme/t01projlist/t01054/

Double blind crossover study of people who claim adverse effects to aspartame.

Can attempt a similar experiment yourself.

Have someone prepare 10 bottled waters labeled A through J. To one of those bottles the person would add aspartame to the others they would add another artificial sweetener of similar sweetness and taste such as sucralose. Each day drink one of the bottles and if you get a headache note which bottle it was. Under those conditions do you think you would be able to identify the 1 out of 10 water bottles that contained aspartame?

kk_140

I drink about half a can of diet pepsi each weekday in the morning. And none on the weekends.

I believe with things like this, moderation is key.

mandakittykitty

I used to love Diet Coke but I've switched mostly to water. My boyfriend keeps the "10 calorie" sodas in the house all the time, which I'll enjoy from time to time (10 calorie Sunkist and A&W).

I keep bottles of carbonated water in the house now, and those help me when I have that bubbly soda craving. Sometimes I'll add a splash of a sugar free french vanilla syrup--it's like an italian soda! So gooood.

MrsCZM138

I don't like coffee so I drink one diet pop in the morning, then ~ 70 oz of water, and sometimes a pop with dinner. Before this I only ever drank pop so it was tough to start and I had to force myself to drink that much water, but now it's easy and the pop doesn't seem to satiate my thirst like water.

billyswife0516

I personally have 1 or 2 a week. The rest of the time it's straight water :-)

husseycd

I usually drink one can of coke zero a day. Instead of making m want sweets, it's help curb my cravings.

This is my experience too. I drink a Diet A&W (am drinking one now) per day. I also put Splenda in my coffee and like Mio in my evening water. It doesn't make me crave sugar at all and I manage to mantain a lean body with it, so....

That's not saying I dont think I should wean off the diet soda. But more for tooth and bone heath than anything else.

I_Will_End_You

I used to love Diet Coke but I've switched mostly to water. My boyfriend keeps the "10 calorie" sodas in the house all the time, which I'll enjoy from time to time (10 calorie Sunkist and A&W).

I've never tried those, do they actually taste more like regular soda or is the 10 calorie thing more of a marketing scheme?

Aaron_K123

I_Will_End_You. You know if you do suffer ill effects from aspartame you should probably get checked by your doctor for phenylketonuria (PKU) which is a disorder of metabolism in which the body is unable to process phenylalanine. As a result imbibing foods that have high phenylalanine content can result in ill effects that are noticeable in the body and it specifically effects the brain. One of the breakdown products of aspartame is phenylalanine and people with PKU should avoid it.

There are a lot of people who suffer from particular genetic metabolic disorders (PKU being one of them) and not know about it. Celiac in which a person cannot properly digest gluten is another common example. If you do get diagnosed with PKU there is probably a whole other host of food items it might be good to avoid that would improve your overall health.

To date the only scientifically supported evidence for ill effects of aspartame are in people who have PKU.

AlysonG2

I drink 1-2 cans per day.

tigersword

I'll drink it now and again but not as much as I did before. Way I see it isn't doing you any harm but its not really doing you any good either. Better off substituting water if you can manage it. If you need that bit of pop to keep your sanity during a diet/exercise regimen though I wouldn't sweat it.

To be fair (from a scientific and biological standpoint) you aren't "better off" substituting water. They are equivalent substitutes.

brookeokelly

All sodas are bad for you, even the diet ones. They contain harmful additives and ingredients and do nothing for you nutritionally. They can actually cause weight gain, because the artificial sweetener in diet soda still triggers your sugar cravings, leaving you wanting more and more (of not just soda, sugar in general). But, if you're new at all of this-try going every other day, then twice a week, weaning off of it completely. If it's the sweetness that you like, try replacing it with something with natural sugar-like an apple, banana, or 80% dark chocolate (preferably organic)..that will help with the sugar cravings. Although you can still lose weight drinking it, my personal opinion is that it will make it more difficult. Plus, it's just bad for you all around. Good luck!

Aaron_K123

I'll drink it now and again but not as much as I did before. Way I see it isn't doing you any harm but its not really doing you any good either. Better off substituting water if you can manage it. If you need that bit of pop to keep your sanity during a diet/exercise regimen though I wouldn't sweat it.

To be fair (from a scientific and biological standpoint) you aren't "better off" substituting water. They are equivalent substitutes.

Soda contains caffeine which is a diuretic and vasoconstrictor, they also contain sodium which increases your need for hydration. If you are getting sufficient fluids then yeah okay no big deal but if you are not drinking sufficient water substituting in a caffeinated beverage is not equivalent. I disagree.

Is it a big difference? Probably not, but there is a difference. I do think people go overboard with the "OMG soda/pop is SO unhealthy for you" but I think if you were trying to be your most healthy you are better off with water than soda.

easjer

I drink very few - maybe 1-2 every two to three months. I have generally cut out artificial sugars from my diet - it's what is working best for me personally. I personally feel better without them, so I have left them out.

Aaron_K123

Bottom line I think is do whatever works best for you to attain what should be your actual goals which would be your diet based on calories, your exercise and your hydration.

If you find drinking diet pop makes it harder for you to hit your calorie goals or exercise as much or drink enough water then yeah probably stop. If you find it doesn't affect those things at all then drink up, doesn't matter.

Hornsby

but I think if you were trying to be your most healthy you are better off with water than soda.

Nope, cause I would go crazy

samg135

I drink diet soda. For me it is a replacement for "normal" soda, and as I don't drink tea or coffee its where all my caffine comes from.

klyn7788

I drink one after lunch most work days ... I wish I didn't want to and understand that aspartame maybe isn't the greatest chemical to put in my body, and that all soda is "the devil" but I love them and intend to continue drinking them when a craving arises.

Unrelated issue with diet sodas - my dentist says they're much worse on your enamel than regular soda and if I intend to continue drinking them, it's important to use a mouthwash that restores enamel.

Aaron_K123

Unrelated issue with diet sodas - my dentist says they're much worse on your enamel than regular soda and if I intend to continue drinking them, it's important to use a mouthwash that restores enamel.

What? Okay first how does that make sense. The only difference between diet soda and regular soda is sugar content and protein content neither of which degrade enamel. Also there is no way to "Restore" enamel at all, let alone with a mouthwash. Once your enamel is gone, its gone. You can do things to prevent further decay but you cannot rebuild it.

CheatinLil

I drink one soda a month. When it is that time of the month TMI!

RGv2

Unrelated issue with diet sodas - my dentist says they're much worse on your enamel than regular soda and if I intend to continue drinking them, it's important to use a mouthwash that restores enamel.

What? Okay first how does that make sense. The only difference between diet soda and regular soda is sugar content and protein content neither of which degrade enamel. Also there is no way to "Restore" enamel at all, let alone with a mouthwash. Once your enamel is gone, its gone. You can do things to prevent further decay but you cannot rebuild it.

FWIW, from the charts I've seen Diet Pop is usually more acidic than regular.

Either way, it's still my beverage of choice when I reach for pop.

StacyRenee77

I don't need to lose anymore teeth lol!!

starznholes

If you want to consider getting off the pop as part of your diet here is what I would suggest that I think is a healthy way to approach it.

Make sure you drink 8 cups of water every day. Do NOT count diet pop towards that number.

Unless you make a point to drink that much anyways you might find it hard to drink 8 cups of water a day at which point the idea of drinking even more fluid might turn you off to pop just in and of itself. If you can drink 8 cups of water a day AND have a pop I think that's fine really.

This is what I would have said. I cut out all pop in general, but seriously after I drink 8-10 cups of water a day, i'm so not thirsty- Nor craving a soda pop.

santel87

QUOTE:

"aspartame (also a common trigger in people with migraines) in diet soda that triggers migraines."

Why would protein trigger migraines? Caffeine sure as it manipulates blood flow and vascular constriction but not sure how protein would effect migraines. Do you have a source for that?


My neurologist. I'm not anti-aspartame, I'm just saying if you're a person who gets migraines, it can be a trigger. So can cheese. And apples. And yeast, apricots, lunch meats.... And a whole slew of other things.


For what it's worth, I've heard the same thing from a chemistry professor. Something about the aspartame and the nerves. The professor also said it can trigger cramping (like legs) in some people as well.

I_Will_End_You

I_Will_End_You. You know if you do suffer ill effects from aspartame you should probably get checked by your doctor for phenylketonuria (PKU) which is a disorder of metabolism in which the body is unable to process phenylalanine. As a result imbibing foods that have high phenylalanine content can result in ill effects that are noticeable in the body and it specifically effects the brain. One of the breakdown products of aspartame is phenylalanine and people with PKU should avoid it.

As I've said several times in this thread, I do not suffer any ill effects from aspartame. I'm sitting at my desk drinking a Coke Zero right now. I responded to a different post where someone was saying Diet Pepsi gave her migraines, and she didn't know why. Other caffeinated beverages don't bother her, so I suggested it was the aspartame since it is a common migraine trigger.

For what it's worth, I've heard the same thing from a chemistry professor. Something about the aspartame and the nerves. The professor also said it can trigger cramping (like legs) in some people as well.

I heard it had to do with serotonin and dopamine in the brain, but I've only heard that from neurologists and do not have any studies to back up that claim for the aspartame police. I don't know why it seems to have that affect on certain people, just like I don't know why aged cheeses and apples do.

ShellyAnn46

No pop for me - one diet at most every 3-4 months. Water always for me and flavor enhancers as to not get bored. Lemon, lime, orange, and sometimes wyler's grape.

klyn7788

Unrelated issue with diet sodas - my dentist says they're much worse on your enamel than regular soda and if I intend to continue drinking them, it's important to use a mouthwash that restores enamel.

What? Okay first how does that make sense. The only difference between diet soda and regular soda is sugar content and protein content neither of which degrade enamel. Also there is no way to "Restore" enamel at all, let alone with a mouthwash. Once your enamel is gone, its gone. You can do things to prevent further decay but you cannot rebuild it.

It was just an interesting piece of information I was passing on. I don't know anything about dentistry or tooth enamel but it is advice I received from someone whose expertise I appreciate. Maybe 'restore' was the incorrect verb. He has a lot to say about Altoids also, if you're interested.

Iknowsaur

I_Will_End_You. You know if you do suffer ill effects from aspartame you should probably get checked by your doctor for phenylketonuria (PKU) which is a disorder of metabolism in which the body is unable to process phenylalanine. As a result imbibing foods that have high phenylalanine content can result in ill effects that are noticeable in the body and it specifically effects the brain. One of the breakdown products of aspartame is phenylalanine and people with PKU should avoid it.

As I've said several times in this thread, I do not suffer any ill effects from aspartame. I'm sitting at my desk drinking a Coke Zero right now. I responded to a different post where someone was saying Diet Pepsi gave her migraines, and she didn't know why. Other caffeinated beverages don't bother her, so I suggested it was the aspartame since it is a common migraine trigger.

For what it's worth, I've heard the same thing from a chemistry professor. Something about the aspartame and the nerves. The professor also said it can trigger cramping (like legs) in some people as well.

I heard it had to do with serotonin and dopamine in the brain, but I've only heard that from neurologists and do not have any studies to back up that claim for the aspartame police. I don't know why it seems to have that affect on certain people, just like I don't know why aged cheeses and apples do.

^
And some people have multiple triggers. I can't use certain shampoos without triggering, and whenever I get my hair dyed it's a nightmare for a few days until the product and dye is totally out of my hair (worth it for the blond c:)
I also assumed it was the apartame, as most of the other chemicals are in the flavored waters I still drink.

corgicake

It was a casualty of my last food service job - for some reason I've picked up a trigger food for each one, something off the menu I started eating more of because of that job that will probably never sit right again. Diet pop has got to be the worst so far - I was in so much misery that I didn't realize it was my new problem item and thought I had come down with something.