Is Diet Soda Bad for You?

hwilliams519
hwilliams519 Posts: 428
edited 10:02AM in Food and Nutrition
So I know that coke zero & diet dr. pepper are not good for me, even though I love them so. I was doing a little research about them, to see if they were really that bad. Here's some things that I found....

Is Diet Soda Bad for You?
http://www.3fatchicks.com/is-diet-soda-bad-for-you/

4 Health Side Effects of Diet Soda
http://www.3fatchicks.com/4-health-side-effects-of-diet-soda/

34 Uses for that Can of Soda
http://www.thebachelorguy.com/34-uses-for-that-can-of-soda-other-than-quenching-thirst.html

I drink diet soda everyday. Can this be harmful?
http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/diet-soda/AN01732


My conclusion is that I do need to quit drinking them. They are not natural, and just because they are calorie free does not mean that I should drink them like they are going out of style. My only concern is coming off the caffeine. The last time I tried to quit, I was having major withdrawals including headaches and jitteriness.

What would you recommend to do in order to quit? And anyone up for the challenge of quitting those "evil" drinks with me?

Replies

  • gkomulainen
    gkomulainen Posts: 2
    How many a day are you drinking now? From there I would just slowly reduce the amount of Diet Soft drinks per day till you're down to maybe a couple a week, if thats reasonable?
  • jsh826
    jsh826 Posts: 3
    I decided to quit diet soda too. I drink mostly caffeine free diet cokes, but I drink 2 cups of coffee in the morning. I am going to try to replace my diet coke with iced tea. I'm not crazy about iced tea but I will try and see how it goes. It will be really hard not to drink diet coke with a meal.Good luck to you!
  • fergalizcious
    fergalizcious Posts: 42
    Get your caffeine intake from coffee or tea. Iced tea with lemon (or if you are from the south like me, "unsweet tea") is a great replacement for a soda if you are getting fast food, and it still has caffeine in it, so you don't have to deal with withdrawals. I personally like hot tea without sweetener, but it's not for everyone. If you aren't a huge fan of iced tea, you will get used to the taste over time and begin to enjoy the tea flavor.
  • CaptainMFP
    CaptainMFP Posts: 440 Member
    I'd be REALLY careful in putting any stock in these articles. I read one and, as someone who trains nurses in anatomy & physiology for a living, I'm not sure what science it's based on, but it wouldn't wash in my classroom. (The 4 side effect article is pretty inaccurate...it seems to say chemical = bad. Last I checked, glucose is a chemical as are amino acids...the dehydration thing only applies if you drink nothing but diet soda...I'm not clear what the author is talking about with reference to the brain detecting calories based on flavor...really bad science!)
  • runnermel
    runnermel Posts: 278
    I quit drinking sodas completely about 2 years ago. have probably only had 10 total in the last two years, and had the real thing then. My saving grace to be albe to quit drinking them (and still get my caffiene) was the Crystal Light energy packets that you add to bottled water. now....these still have the artificial sweetners....which I have learned just recently are bad for you also. but, at least they do not have the carbenation that the diet sodas do.

    I am going to try to phase out using these packets and try to get my caffiene from green tea. will see how that goes. I am just not a coffee drinker!!!!!!
  • punk_mama
    punk_mama Posts: 93
    How many a day are you drinking now? From there I would just slowly reduce the amount of Diet Soft drinks per day till you're down to maybe a couple a week, if thats reasonable?

    ^^^Thats what I did. ^^^
    I don't drink soda now beside a sip or two from someone else's.I drink a can of diet coke last week and it made me feel so crappy !!! Never again!!! I still drink too much coffee so the caffeine is still there. (<~~thats what I need to work on. )
  • froggzy1015
    froggzy1015 Posts: 178 Member
    I stopped drinking soda except occasionally. I would say if you are drinking 3 a day, drop down to 2 for a week and then 1 the next until you can cut the last one out. I drink a big cup of coffee in the morning and that is all I have. You can try to get your caffeine from other area's, if you feel that you need it....coffee and tea. Once you ween yourself you may not! :)
  • punk_mama
    punk_mama Posts: 93
    ** I DRANK:embarassed:
  • xxcatyxx555
    xxcatyxx555 Posts: 184
    oh honey, i stopped drinking it and stopped eating junk food and i lost 20 lbs without effort, SAY NO TO THE SODA! :)
  • Alacey88
    Alacey88 Posts: 486 Member
    I stopped drinking Soda about a month ago and haven't looked back...... Good Luck
  • TITA10
    TITA10 Posts: 3 Member
    Thank you for sharing the links. I am addicted to Diet Coke.
  • hwilliams519
    hwilliams519 Posts: 428
    First I like to say, that I know on posts like this, there are always going to be people who don't agree with these articles or don't understand how these people come up with their information. Really, we don't know the accuracy of this. But I did not find any research telling me that is was good for my body.

    Second, I drink a different amount everyday. I would say on average though, I have about 2 per day. On a good day, I might just have one or none at all. On a bad day, I dink about 3-4. I usually drink a lot of water, but on those bad days, it's mostly cokes. Yes, I do drink unsweet tea, but I add a little splenda. Between the artificial sweetener and the caffeine in the tea, I don't know if that's a better solution, minus the carbination. I don't really drink these drinks for the caffeine. It's mainly for taste.

    I know it's going to be mostly mental. When I try to cut things out of my diet that I am use to like that, I tend to crave it more.
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