A question about pop

Lori07

I know that diet pop is not good for you but can someone tell me why? I only ask because I used to have a regular pop every night but since starting MFP last week I have not had any. My loving husband trying to help out bought me some diet pop today saying look it has no calories, no fat, no sugar. What is it that makes it bad for people trying to lose weight?

cacrat

Empty calories. Similar to alcohol, the calories from many drinks doesn't effect our bodies the same way the same amount of calories normal food does. So, we don't feel full. So we'll eat more. Plus, it doesn't provide any nutrients for our bodies. So while it may not be "bad" its certainly not good. The bad part for people trying to lose weight, those calories could be used for things that provide essential nutrients (protein and fat). But instead those calories are used for something that doesn't make us feel full, increases our insulin response and actually makes us feel hungrier, and doesn't provide any essential nutrients.

BigBeaver

Also, studies show that the additives in diet sodas, such as nutrasweet and aspartame, can cause health risks.

fitterpam

They are showing that the chemicals that make up the artificial sweetners have the same effect on our bodies and can actually cause you to crave sugary things....I have them, but drink water way more

SarahR1984

I think it's the artifical sweetner (aspartame) that's so bad for you. Also I've read it increases your appetite.

tritta01

artificial sweeteners have side effects, just drink in moderation and you should be fine. http://www.webmd.com/diet/news/20040630/artificial-sweeteners-damage-diet-efforts

singer201

I avoid artificial sweetners. I've called diet soda "carbonated chemicals" for years.

Nelly711

I am a pop drinker, or I WAS until I got serious about this. I have learned that if I cut out pop all together, then i will consume twice as much of it, or other things!!! So, I drink one diet pop a day. Then Water the rest of the day. If I have a really good week, with extra calories burned from exercising, I will have a "real" pop on the weekend. It's discipline, that's all. Or, another good trick I have learned is to drink a diet pop I can't stand, I start reaching for the water real fast!!!

michelegrayson

I have cut my diet coke drinking WAY back (10 glasses of water to 1 diet coke) as I learned it actually increases your craving for sweets. They now have studies that show that the coloring also does something weird to our bodies, triggering a craving for sweets. I noticed that when I have a diet coke now, I also want sugar!

Lori07

Okay then to add to the question if I were to drink a pop would regular or diet be the better choice?

SiltyPigeon

When it come to diet soda, the natural sweetener, Aspartame, is what everyone points to as being unhealthy. THEY say that the sweet tricks your body into releasing digestive enzymes to break down the sugar. But, since there is no sugar the enzymes have nothing to do and either 1.) Make you hungry for sugar or 2.) Look for sugar that would otherwise have passed through your system.

Though I guess it makes a bit of sense, I don't know if I agree with it. I drink a diet soda about once, maybe twice, a week and I don't feel like it causes me any trouble.

The other problem with all soda is the sodium content and that some have caffeine. Both can dehydrate you causing water retention. However, these aren't problems if you ALSO drink lots of water.

Obviously, regular soda poses the additional problem of "drinking your calories" and "empty calories".

CanToGirl

Most diet soda as Aspartame in it. Aspartame which is a sweetener. Studies shows is can cause imbalances in the brain, aggravate migraines and affects the nervous system. So we have to be careful how much of we use it. As for everything, use in moderation.

neuroticalme

It is thought that artificial sweeteners still stimulate the body and brain's response to "Incoming Food", and activate things like insulin production and appetite. Also, that your brain may wonder why it has registered X number of calories of sweetness, but not an equivalent number of actual calories.

Also, artificial sweeteners are, well, artificial, and like any other kind of food that boasts lower fat or sugar content, most people will eat/drink more of the product because they feel they're getting a "freebie" of sorts. It doesn't really help to change habits. Also, in the case of reduced fat foods, generally more sugar is added to manage flavor, and vice versa. The human body craves salt, sweet, and fat.

That all being said, if your normal habit is to drink one soda a night, then having it in diet form can help ease you into better habits if that's what you desire. Especially with things like soda, if there's a caffeine habit your body will not take kindly to cutting it out cold turkey, anyway.

Personally, I found it easier after awhile to have less of "real" things like butter and soda, instead of the same amount or more of the "fake" counterparts.

Good luck!

JustAnotherBob

You question got me interested, so I surfed a tad and didn't find anything (from credible sources) that outright said that diet drinks were bad for you. But what they all said was that the illusion of a sweet drink purpetuated the craving for sugary sweets ... leading the body to crave more calories ... leading to .... etc

Valtishia

I've read its the aspartame.. but I think its okay to have some here and there... unless you have a major sensitivity to it. If I remember right, I read somewhere that it can cause you not lose so well in the mid region.

I generally drink water all day long since I hate the idea of drinking my calories, so sometimes I feel like having a diet pop. It hasn't hurt my progress or anything.

funkyspunky871

Just enjoy your diet soda, please. Really, it's no big deal.

twinwolf

If you are really set on having diet soda, try Diet Rite. It uses Splenda as the sweetener. 0 calories, 0 sodium, 0 carbs, and 0 caffeine. At least you won't be adding aspartame to your body this way.

Just a suggestion!

Matt

Lori07

If you are really set on having diet soda, try Diet Rite. It uses Splenda as the sweetener. 0 calories, 0 sodium, 0 carbs, and 0 caffeine. At least you won't be adding aspartame to your body this way.

Just a suggestion!

Matt

I would really rather have a regular one not diet I'm not to found of the taste of the diet.

SiltyPigeon

Okay then to add to the question if I were to drink a pop would regular or diet be the better choice?

My preference is diet.... more calories left for other stuff!
Also.... if regular is SURE TO make you fat and diet MIGHT make you fat then I choose diet!
Besides, most evidence out there is anecdotal, as in "Most diet soda drinkers are fat... well, is that because diet soda makes you fat or because fat people are more likely to choose diet?"

McKayMachina

Some articles to skim:

1. http://www.webmd.com/osteoporosis/features/soda-osteoporosis

"But there may be a link between soda and osteoporosis that could be putting your bones at risk."

2. http://www.dukehealth.org/health_library/health_articles/diet_soda

"Participants who drank one can of diet soda a day had a 34 percent higher risk than those who drank none of developing metabolic syndrome, the name given to a collection of risk factors for heart disease and diabetes."

3. http://scienceblogs.com/cortex/2009/02/diet_soda.php

"We found that reducing the correlation between sweet taste and the caloric content of foods using artificial sweeteners in rats resulted in increased caloric intake, increased body weight, and increased adiposity, as well as diminished caloric compensation and blunted thermic responses to sweet-tasting diets. These results suggest that consumption of products containing artificial sweeteners may lead to increased body weight and obesity by interfering with fundamental homeostatic, physiological processes."

That ought to help.

twinwolf

If you are really set on having diet soda, try Diet Rite. It uses Splenda as the sweetener. 0 calories, 0 sodium, 0 carbs, and 0 caffeine. At least you won't be adding aspartame to your body this way.

Just a suggestion!

Matt

I would really rather have a regular one not diet I'm not to found of the taste of the diet.

While i agree that the taste of diet takes getting used to, it's a lot easier than getting used to trying to find a way to reallocate 230 calories for a regular 20oz coke. Also, since I've had both, the reason I suggested Diet Rite is because it doesn't taste like the other diet sodas. Again, just a suggestion.

Matt

fitnesspirateninja

Do you just want to have a taste of soda? What if you just had a small glass of regular soda once in a while?

jab_mn

I am a huge fan of Jillian Michael's book Master your Metabolism, and her take on diet pop (and all fake foods for that matter) is that it will ruin your metabolism. The theory goes if you consume things that taste sweet but has no calories the messages sent between your brain and your metabolism break down so your metabolism doesn't rev up when you eat sweet stuff. Then when you do consume actual sugar, your metabolism doesn't rev so you store the calories. I probably explained that horribly, but reference her book if you're really curious. Her stuff seems to be well researched.

She also isn't a fan of regular pop because of the high fructose corn syrup.

Not trying to be preachy, I let myself have diet soda on the weekend

zorbaru

i drink one regular coke a day and maybe 2 on fridays if we have a work lunch.

at such an early stage i just put my efforts at staying under my calorie goal for the day.

tho it is easier for people like me who have 1880 to play with than someone with only 1200.

jerseyshorenurse

Some articles to skim:


3. http://scienceblogs.com/cortex/2009/02/diet_soda.php

"We found that reducing the correlation between sweet taste and the caloric content of foods using artificial sweeteners in rats resulted in increased caloric intake, increased body weight, and increased adiposity, as well as diminished caloric compensation and blunted thermic responses to sweet-tasting diets. These results suggest that consumption of products containing artificial sweeteners may lead to increased body weight and obesity by interfering with fundamental homeostatic, physiological processes."

That ought to help.

I'm big on evidence, there are always a million opinions being thrown around and presented as fact and it drives me crazy. This sort of info is to be taken into consideration...but consideration only. My beef with all the rat stuff is that rats aren't conscious beings who are considering the pros and cons of the dietary choices they make. I've never seen a rat read a nutritional label and opt for one over the other. Now when they say the rats developed tumors...THEN I start paying attention! LOL. Not taking issue with anything you presented there, just stating an opinion.