sodas ?????

Sherry1979

It's really up to you. We are all on our own path to change into a health version of ourselves.

Personally I don't drink soda because off all the other stuff that's in it. And no I don't believe it gives you cancer (that comment did make me giggle). It may not have calories or fat, but it still has a ton of sugar, caffeine, etc. I figure I already have to drink 8-8oz glasses of water plus extra for my workouts that's a ton of liquid.
But... I drink coffee every morning :blushing: like I said we are all on our own path.

Good luck!

I agree!!!

syates83

Everything in moderation! That is what's key. I think you'll be fine.

But, there are some really great drinks called Izzy if you need a carbonation fix...they are sparkling water and juice mixed together.

I love the bubbles and my vice is Coke Zero.

sandrinamsilva

I was a huge drinker of Dt. Coke and/or Dt. Mtn Dew (at least 3-20oz a day). I have cut those out completely in the last week and can tell a BIG difference in how my body feels. I don't know if it's the sodium, the aspartame, carbonation or what. I can't tell you what's bad for you since I'm no expert. I can just tell you what I've found for me.

Diet coke did to me as well. Can't explain it, my tummy just didnt like it.

katrina1122

I'm not arguing soda vs diet soda, etc. I enjoy my diet coke every now again, but I do know that Carbonation is bad for you, no matter what it's in, even flavored water. I know this because in Jan 2011 I was having tons of stomach problems and pain where my gallbladder once was. Dr was concerned, so he did an upper GI study and found that I have bad GERD and something called Barrett's Esophogus (left untreated this can lead to cancer). I was totally confused since I experience heart burn maybe 2 to 5 times a year. Turns out carbonation can eat at the lining of your esophogus and can add to GERD. You don't have to have heartburn to have it. My symptoms, which had all been attribued to other things are:
1. asthma attacks, turns out it's probably not asthma, but my esophogus constricting. This explains why my breathing tests came up fairly normal, but I was having what appeared to be attacks.
2. waking up in the night choking on air, again thought to be asthma, actually it's a sign of GERD.
3. burping on a regular basis, but nothing that seemed all that bad, not painful, extremely loud etc that you would associate with acid reflux, but it is.
4. pain where my gallbladder had been

Dr's solution? Cut out carbonated beverages, acids, sleep on a bed wedge to keep my head elevated and daily nexium. Since I started that I haven't had any symptoms of 1, 2 or 4 and 3 is almost gone. With this I cut out my daily carbonated flavored waters to a few a week, and my few a week sodas to a few a month. It's made a huge difference! I continue to wean myself off all the time.

Does this mean you have to stop drinking your beloved sodas? No, but does it mean they can harm you? Yes, I've lived it.

27strange

There are no calories in these diet sodas but there is caffeine and sodium. Drinking 6 cans a day, no good. 1 or 2 is probably pretty harmless as far as affecting your weight loss goals. Do drink lots of water throughout the day.

I drink no soda anymore as a rule. However, rules do sometimes get broken and I will sip a few ounces of a can of the wife's diet mt dew (maybe once a week). I pretty much only drink water and the occasional small glass of milk. I have found that cutting out liquid calories is the easiest thing to do to help me stay at my calorie goal each day.

kklindsey

There is nothing wrong with it,people are going to try and tell you it causes cancer and such which is not true.Some will tell you it will make you gain weight which is also not true if you go by the 55 pounds ive lost all while drinking diet soda.

Great points. But, how much would you have lost without the soda in you day? I cut it almost completely and have lost nearly 100 lbs.

I switched from regular soda to diet, drink five or six a day and I've lost 160lbs.

orbust

There really is no easy answer to your question; it ultimately comes down to how much you trust food regulation and how much you're willing to buy into scare stories. Fears over the safety of aspartame is the main thing that has kept diet drinks in the news for so many years (a recent example can be found here, forgive the source: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/health/article-1391395/Amid-health-fears-Diet-Coke-sweetner-safety-spotlight.html) but there have also been concerns about their phosphoric acid content, which can cause bone problems (see here: http://www.webmd.com/osteoporosis/features/soda-osteoporosis) and the possibility that they can cause metabolic disorders (http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2007/01/04/earlyshow/contributors/emilysenay/main2330142.shtml).

What you will notice with all of these controversies, however, is that the evidence in each case is incredibly limited. This is particularly true with the idea that aspartame may cause cancer - the researchers normally test on rats or mice and the amounts given to the test subjects are greater than even a big Diet Coke fan could ever drink in the space of many years. You will notice in the first article, however, that the EU is pushing for more research to be done on the issue so hopefully we will have a conclusive answer at some point.

The bottom line, I would say, is that you will probably be ok continuing to drink diet drinks if you enjoy doing so. Particularly if you are looking to lose weight - if it is a choice between sugary drinks and low calorie ones, it would probably be better to opt for the latter. Diet drinks are obviously not intrinsically nutritious and can be bad in other ways - for your teeth, for your stomach etc. If you are having problems in those respects, then maybe try to cut down for a while. Otherwise, approach the scare stories with a pinch of salt!

jpeper1966

Is there anything WRONG with diet soda. Not really. Is it GOOD for you ...no. It just supports your body's cravings for sweets.

korygilliam

I know there has been some research re: diet drinks and pancreas response. Some theories are that your body thinks it is getting sugar and a chemical release is done in your body, but then it doesn't have anything for those chemicals to attach to (i.e. insulin from your pancreas), but I don't know if any definitive results have been made yet.

I have also heard that people that drink regular soda (in moderation) as opposed to diet soda are typically at a healthier weight, but it could be skewed because typically only overweight people focus on the diet drinks.

I would do my own research, if I were you, before giving up something that you really enjoy. A lot of times people respond to what they were told, but not necessarily what was read in a medical journal or valid literature.

Good luck!

That_Girl

There is nothing wrong with it,people are going to try and tell you it causes cancer and such which is not true.Some will tell you it will make you gain weight which is also not true if you go by the 55 pounds ive lost all while drinking diet soda.

How do you know it's not true?

To the OP, just do your research and then make the best choice for yourself. Water is best, however, and your body will thank you.

FearAnLoathing

There is nothing wrong with it,people are going to try and tell you it causes cancer and such which is not true.Some will tell you it will make you gain weight which is also not true if you go by the 55 pounds ive lost all while drinking diet soda.

How do you know it's not true?

To the OP, just do your research and then make the best choice for yourself. Water is best, however, and your body will thank you.

To say something causes cancer when it has not been proven to makes it not true

This is from the american cancer societys website

Studies in people
Most studies in people have not found that aspartame use is linked to an increased risk of cancer.

One early study suggested that an increased rate of brain tumors in the US during the 1980s might have been related to aspartame use. However, according to the National Cancer Institute (NCI), the increase in brain tumor rates actually began back in the early 1970s, well before aspartame was in use. And most of the increase was seen in people age 70 and older, a group that was not exposed to the highest doses of aspartame, which might also make this link less likely. Other studies have not found an increase in brain tumors related to aspartame use.

In the largest study of this issue, researchers from the NCI looked at cancer rates in more than 500,000 older adults. The study found that, compared to people who did not drink aspartame-containing beverages, those who did drink them did not have an increased risk of lymphomas, leukemias, or brain tumors.

Other health complaints
Claims have been made that aspartame is related to health effects ranging from mild problems such as headache, dizziness, digestive symptoms, and changes in mood, to more serious health issues such as Alzheimer disease, birth defects, diabetes, Gulf War syndrome, attention deficit disorders, Parkinson disease, lupus, multiple sclerosis, and seizures. However, studies done to date have not found any consistent evidence of harm. Research into the safety of aspartame continues.

SiltyPigeon

They are absolutely evil and should be exorcised from your diet!!!!!


Loaded with sugar or aspartame (equally bad in a different way)
Loaded with acid that eats your enamel
Loaded with caffiene
Absolutely no nutritional value at all just a heck of a lot of empty calories

^ this and the fact that having one or two cans of diet soda increases your chances of being overweight or obese by 54.5%

54.5%
:laugh: :laugh: :laugh: :laugh: :laugh: :laugh: :laugh: :laugh: :laugh:

And 67.984% of statistics are made up.
There is a correlation between the regular consumption of diet drinks and being overweight. However, it has not been determined whether diet drinks MAKE its consumers overweight or (the more likely scenario IMHO) whether overweight people are just more likely to consume diet drinks.
I drink 1 - 4 diet sodas per week. As far as I'm aware, it hasn't hurt my weight loss. I'm 128 lbs (<--- read "not obese from drinking diet soda").

tg025880

thanks everyone for the feedback, i am drinking 1-2 pepsi max coke zero type drinks a day , i do not drink anything not diet soda wise, i have friends who drink mt dew sometimes 6 cans or 12 oz bottles a day, thats what i was saying earlier

mommyami1

I say no to diet sodas, even though I'm guilty of enjoying a diet pepsi now and then. I've found that I'm more hungry after I have one. I've read research that shows how artificial sweeteners can actually make you more hungry because they still make your body think it's getting calories when it really isn't. When your body gets nothing, it wants something. I can't recall the source of the info or research so I take it with a grain of salt. There are plenty of arguments for and against. I figure, listen to your body and moderate.

Heather75

I almost never drink soda (not because I think it is evil, but because I don't like the way the bubbles burn), but after reading this thread, I could totally go for a Dr Pepper.

MrsCon40

No one ever talks about the possible link between soda and loss of bone density...

"Phosphoric acid, a major component in most sodas, may be to blame, according to lead study author Katherine Tucker, PhD.

Phosphorus itself is an important bone mineral. But if you're getting a disproportionate amount of phosphorus compared to the amount of calcium you're getting, that could lead to bone loss.

Another possible culprit is caffeine, which experts have long known can interfere with calcium absorption. In the Tufts study, both caffeinated and non-caffeinated colas were associated with lower bone density. But the caffeinated drinks appeared to do more damage."

Thriceshy

There is nothing wrong with it,people are going to try and tell you it causes cancer and such which is not true.Some will tell you it will make you gain weight which is also not true if you go by the 55 pounds ive lost all while drinking diet soda.

Great points. But, how much would you have lost without the soda in you day? I cut it almost completely and have lost nearly 100 lbs.

When I was in high school, I lost 135 lbs while drinking minimum a 6-pack a day of diet soda. Kept the weight off for almost 8 years. People worry about "substances the body can't process!" You mean like dietary fiber? People shout that diet sodas cause metabolic syndrome/insulin resistence, yet the American Diabetes Association and the American Association of Clinical Endocrinologists recommend diet sodas/artificial sweeteners to diabetics.

While I don't drink nearly as much diet soda as I did as a kid (I drink two a day, the rest is water), I don't think a sweeping statement like "diet soda causes weight gain" or "diet soda sabotages diets" can go unchallenged. There may well be folks who don't do well with diet sodas, and I would recommend they consider ditching them. But most people seem to do just fine.

And who knows? Since we can't go back in time and change your approach, who's to say YOU wouldn't have lost more weight, faster, if you'd had a couple diet sodas a day?

Kris

Tomhusker

There is nothing wrong with it,people are going to try and tell you it causes cancer and such which is not true.Some will tell you it will make you gain weight which is also not true if you go by the 55 pounds ive lost all while drinking diet soda.

Great points. But, how much would you have lost without the soda in you day? I cut it almost completely and have lost nearly 100 lbs.

When I was in high school, I lost 135 lbs while drinking minimum a 6-pack a day of diet soda. Kept the weight off for almost 8 years. People worry about "substances the body can't process!" You mean like dietary fiber? People shout that diet sodas cause metabolic syndrome/insulin resistence, yet the American Diabetes Association and the American Association of Clinical Endocrinologists recommend diet sodas/artificial sweeteners to diabetics.

While I don't drink nearly as much diet soda as I did as a kid (I drink two a day, the rest is water), I don't think a sweeping statement like "diet soda causes weight gain" or "diet soda sabotages diets" can go unchallenged. There may well be folks who don't do well with diet sodas, and I would recommend they consider ditching them. But most people seem to do just fine.

And who knows? Since we can't go back in time and change your approach, who's to say YOU wouldn't have lost more weight, faster, if you'd had a couple diet sodas a day?

Kris

I have been there, and no.
However, your point about people reacting differently to diet soda is spot on. Great post.

CaptainGordo

This is making me thirsty. Going to grab me a Diet Coke. Laters...

gregthegroove

Im a diet soda drinker myself. I dont think I can ever give it up. I will tell you waht though. Ever since Ive started to drink almost or up to a gallon of water a day, my diet soda consumption has almost been eliminated solely for the fact that my body just doesnt want it because it has so much liquid already with water.

I only drink diet sodas with a meal pretty much now. I used to drink it all the time when and wherever I was thirsty. Now I hardly ever am thirsty because I drink tons of water.