DIET DRINKS?

rdbacon97

Man, there are lot of diet soda haters. Lets list the benefits of diet soda. 1.) it is calorie free. If you replace your diet soda with some other flavored beverage with "natural" sweeteners, your adding calories and will lose less weight. 2.) It usually has caffeine, which is a stimulant and increases metabolism and has been shown to increase atheletic performance 3.)It's mostly water. Whether or not it has added ingredents doesn't really matter. No clear evidence has said that drinking pure water compared to carbonated water produces any greater weight loss.
I would think the worst attribute of pop is the acidity and the havoc it can take on your tooth enamel. Aspartame has been found to be harmless at reasonable intake levels. Sure, it may cause cancer in huge amounts, but what doesn't? Of course water is better for you than drinking artificial sweeteners and preservatives, but think people get carried away when they say "it's soooo bad for you".
That all being said, I've severly restricted my diet soda intake because i felt I was in bondage to it, and don't think that I should be addicted to anything.

HLRoberts1987

I have heard that diet drinks are just as bad for you as regular sodas. your body doesnt know the difference between sugar and artificial sweetner. So your body is still processing those drinks as regular sodas. Like your pancreas. It just thinks its sugar....just what I've heard. but yes diet Mt dew is so good haha

Pandorian

Got a laugh from one post in here

"I hate water too but I drink bottle waters and they are 100 times better than faucet water and I've been on this diet for two weeks now and nothing but water and u will honestly find yourselves not craving cokes "

Depending on the brand your bottled water is nothing but faucet water anyway, if it's sourced from Coke or Pepsi it's from your local bottling plants water connection to the city, where they get it at what $1 for 1000L and sell it to us at $1.50 per 500mL?
Great for drinking water, it is a great addition and helps me out when I'm not really sure if I'm hungry or thirsty, a glass of water quenches it so I'm mindlessly eating less.

elainegsd

Bottom-line, it's bad habits that has made you lose taste for the most natural thing and the source of all life on the planet, water. Juice, milk, and water is all that is really good for you; everything else is unnecessary. I don't mean to sound like a totalitarian about the subject but junk in, and junk is what you'll see in the mirror.

It isn't quite that straightforward. There are many who would claim that juice isn't good for you because it has too much sugar and none of the fiber of whole fruit. Others would argue that drinking milk from another species is unnatural and our bodies aren't built to handle that. The statement above is your opinion and your opinion only.

Were as Vegans would argue that drink milk from "other animals" is unnatural; drinking breast milk into adulthood would be disguising. None the less your body needs Calcium, and no were else can you find such a high dose of calcium and it's absorbion partner Vitamin D than in Milk. So that is not opinion, that is fact. And as for juice, yes your right of you drink crappy highly processed and filtered juices like Topp's, Mott's, Welch's, Tropicana, Ocran Spray, etc. then yes, you won't get any of the fiber you do from eat whole fruit, but of you go to alternative grocery stores you can find all kinds of unprocessed natural even organic juices that are rich in pulp and thus, fiber. Either way, I never said anything about juice as a substitute to real fruit, actually, if you read any of my other posts I always recommend REAL FOOD over anything else.

But this is a forum about drinks, more specifically, diet drinks. And anything (regardless of YOUR opinions) is better than something a scientist cooked up in a lab and sweetened with High Fructose Corn Syrup or an Artificial sweetener. So if you still think that's my opinion, do a little research for yourself on the dangers and health risk associated with HFCS and the laundry list of artificial sweeteners because those too are facts. Seems to me your the one spouting off opinions here, not me. Have a great day and best of luck on your dieting plans, you're gonna need it with a giant chip like that on your shoulder.

You are missing my point. I think that WATER is all that we really need.

MysticMaiden22

You are missing my point. I think that WATER is all that we really need.

Well, you could've just said that then instead of attacking a person's fact-based opinion

That_Girl

Should quit the Dew just to save your teeth.

I was addicted to diet coke/pepsi.

I am now drinking (when I do) a small portion of regular instead of a HUGE diet one that I never finished anyway.

goatskinlegs

You are missing my point. I think that WATER is all that we really need.

Really? Did I not say that at the beginning on the post I made that you attempted to chastise me for? Did I not agree with the woman directly below my last reply to you? I think it's you who has missed the point. We have a fellow dieter here asking us if diet drinks are good for you or alternatives to them. Fact: diet drinks have been proven time and time again to be EXTREMELY bad for you. As for alternatives, there's a whole forum here of great suggestions from alot of other people including myself. What you said about juices being too sugary and milk not being good for you is a half truth at best. I already addressed the benefits of milk in my previous reply, so I'll not repeat myself and focus on your concerns about juice.

Natural sugars like the kind found in fruits and their juices have a lower glycemic index than even turbinado sugar, which means you break it down easier than processed sugars and it doesn't spike your insulin levels like artificial or high fructose concentrates. So in the long run it's better to ingest natural sugars than to drink processed sugar drinks and the chances of developing serious health complications are much lower. Just like anything though moderation is always the key.

I agree that water is ultimately the best decision. I've never and will never argue that fact. But as alot of people have expressed in this forum; they, for one reason or another, do not like plain water. So what's wrong with recommendations that are healthy, safe, and won't totally ruin your diet or your health? Nothing. But there's always gotta be a critic.

A wise man once said, "It is better to be silent and thought a fool; than to open your mouth and remove all doubt." I would never sink to the level of name calling, but there is wisdom in those words. Knowledge is power, and my entire goal on here is to empower those without the knowledge. I do not take kindly to be scoldeded for speaking the truth. Have a great day, and best of luck with all your plans. If you ever feel like have a true discussion about diet and nutrition feel free to message me in private, but I will not continue this discussion when other people would like to say things that are much more constructive.

LisaColetta

I have not had a diet coke since february 8th. I can't believe that I actually quit drinking them. I am making myself drink water and I also drink crystal light or uns-sweet tea. So, if I can give them up, anyone can!!

Bootzey

Diet sodas still may have caffeine. Caffeine is a no no if you are wanting to lose weight

adhillman01

I have not had a diet coke since february 8th. I can't believe that I actually quit drinking them. I am making myself drink water and I also drink crystal light or uns-sweet tea. So, if I can give them up, anyone can!!

Crystal light is sweetened with the same ingredient, aspartame, as diet sodas.

elainegsd

Diet sodas still may have caffeine. Caffeine is a no no if you are wanting to lose weight

What is your source for this info? There is quite a bit on the internet that indicates that there is no clear-cut correlation (for example, from the Mayo Clinic http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/caffeine/HQ00369 )

cmbrysonussery

Very interesting. I was thinking about cutting diet drinks out, but now I definitely am.
Thanks for the info!