Diet Soda??? Your thoughts?
Options
Replies
-
I think people need to stop comparing the ingredients in soda to fruit, come on, just because something is naturally found in fruit does not mean it does not mean that soda is any better or any worse for you. The difference between soda and fruit, fruit is important to most peoples diets and what is found in them is natural, soda is the furthest thing from natural.
Do not get me wrong, I am not against drinking soda, I don't but that is because I am addicted to it and it's just better for me to remove it for the most part than deal with craving it all the time, but like I said unlike fruit, soda has nothing positive going for it other than it satisfies the craving for soda, and it could, I am not saying that is does, but it could have negative affects on the body.
Soda should not be compared to fruit, even if they are both acidic, what is found in soda is not the same as what is found in fruit, fruit is natural.0 -
Do you know what else contains chloride (an ion of chlorine)? Common table salt. Common table salt (Sodium Chloride) is made from chloride (an ion of Chlorine, which in gaseous form is extremely toxic and was one of the first poison gasses used in World War 1) and Sodium (a metal that reacts vigorously in water; i.e. explodes).From a weight-loss perspective, switching to diet soda is good if you're used to drinking a lot of the regular stuff... But from a health perspective, you should wean yourself off of the stuff altogether.
The sodas made with Splenda are a crock... "Splenda tastes like sugar because it's made from sugar"... sure, but what they don't tell you is that they strip the calories away by bathing the sugar in CHLORINE. Do you really want that in your body?
And I don't know about asparthame turning into methanol like one poster said, but there is a lot of reserach out there about how it breaks down into its parts in our bodies... and one of those parts is FORMALDEYHDE. Yep - the stinky stuff they use to keep dead bodies hydrated for disection. The debate is over how much of the formaldeyhde is absorbed by our bodies.
Personally, I've avoided diet sodas since I was 12 and discovered they were the reason for my stomach problems and headaches.
If you really don't want to give up sodas, pull a bait-and-switch. Make your own "soda" by mixing club soda or sparkling water with a little lemon juice and/or lime juice and sugar to make a 7-up sort of drink and over time decrease the amount of sugar you use. You can do the same thing with other drinks like iced tea, chocolate milk, kool-aid, etc. After a while you won't even notice the lack of sweetness.
Peace, Love & Veggies!
~Jacki
Formaldehyde is a natural ingredient in many fruits, vegetables, meats, and mushrooms. It is processed by your body just like it would be from natural sources. As mentioned earlier, methanol is produced by the body naturally, it's not harmful.
As for the chlorine argument, you know what else has chlorine? Salt. Splenda is sucralose which is just like sucrose except for three of the hydroxyl groups are replaced by chloride. Yes, I do want chloride in my body because it is necessary for most biochemical reactions.
Referring to chemicals such as formaldehyde and chlorine out of context is fear-mongering ignorance. Chemicals have many uses beyond the ones typically associated with them such as corpse preservation or pool cleanliness.
Personally I prefer to err on the side of safety. Anyway, as a previous poster said, I don't drink soda when I'm eating clean (not because of trying to lose weight), but I'll have a regular one every now and then on my cheat day.
Every single thing you eat is made of chemicals. There are only 118 known elements on the periodic table of elements. Every living thing and every inanimate object on the planet is made up of a mixture of these elements. You can't avoid "harmful" chemicals (unless you seal yourself in a vacuum and don't eat, drink or breathe). Water is comprised of hydrogen and oxygen (2 flammable gasses). Does that mean we should avoid drinking water?0 -
Do you know what else contains chloride (an ion of chlorine)? Common table salt. Common table salt (Sodium Chloride) is made from chloride (an ion of Chlorine, which in gaseous form is extremely toxic and was one of the first poison gasses used in World War 1) and Sodium (a metal that reacts vigorously in water; i.e. explodes).From a weight-loss perspective, switching to diet soda is good if you're used to drinking a lot of the regular stuff... But from a health perspective, you should wean yourself off of the stuff altogether.
The sodas made with Splenda are a crock... "Splenda tastes like sugar because it's made from sugar"... sure, but what they don't tell you is that they strip the calories away by bathing the sugar in CHLORINE. Do you really want that in your body?
And I don't know about asparthame turning into methanol like one poster said, but there is a lot of reserach out there about how it breaks down into its parts in our bodies... and one of those parts is FORMALDEYHDE. Yep - the stinky stuff they use to keep dead bodies hydrated for disection. The debate is over how much of the formaldeyhde is absorbed by our bodies.
Personally, I've avoided diet sodas since I was 12 and discovered they were the reason for my stomach problems and headaches.
If you really don't want to give up sodas, pull a bait-and-switch. Make your own "soda" by mixing club soda or sparkling water with a little lemon juice and/or lime juice and sugar to make a 7-up sort of drink and over time decrease the amount of sugar you use. You can do the same thing with other drinks like iced tea, chocolate milk, kool-aid, etc. After a while you won't even notice the lack of sweetness.
Peace, Love & Veggies!
~Jacki
Formaldehyde is a natural ingredient in many fruits, vegetables, meats, and mushrooms. It is processed by your body just like it would be from natural sources. As mentioned earlier, methanol is produced by the body naturally, it's not harmful.
As for the chlorine argument, you know what else has chlorine? Salt. Splenda is sucralose which is just like sucrose except for three of the hydroxyl groups are replaced by chloride. Yes, I do want chloride in my body because it is necessary for most biochemical reactions.
Referring to chemicals such as formaldehyde and chlorine out of context is fear-mongering ignorance. Chemicals have many uses beyond the ones typically associated with them such as corpse preservation or pool cleanliness.
Personally I prefer to err on the side of safety. Anyway, as a previous poster said, I don't drink soda when I'm eating clean (not because of trying to lose weight), but I'll have a regular one every now and then on my cheat day.
Every single thing you eat is made of chemicals. There are only 118 known elements on the periodic table of elements. Every living thing and every inanimate object on the planet is made up of a mixture of these elements. You can't avoid "harmful" chemicals (unless you seal yourself in a vacuum and don't eat, drink or breathe). Water is comprised of hydrogen and oxygen (2 flammable gasses). Does that mean we should avoid drinking water?
This just seems like a reason to not try to eat better. Okay say everything is chemicals, there are better places to get your "chemicals" than others.
If you want to drink soda, diet or other wise fine, do it, but that does not mean its good for you.0 -
Be aware that the sodium listed on the label is per SERVING, not per bottle or can. A 12 oz can is usually 2 servings, so if you drink the whole can, the sodium is double what is listed on the can.
I disagree. 12 oz of soda is usually 1 serving. (Bottles are usually 2 or 2.5 servings)
12oz can of diet coke
Serv. Size 1 Can
Cals = 0
Total Fat 0g 0%
Sodium 40mg 2%
Total Carb 0g 0%
Protein 0g
12 oz Mountain Dew (Regular, not diet)
Serv. Size 1 Can
Calories 170
Total Fat 0g 0%
Sodium 65mg 3%
Total Carb 46g 15%
Sugars 46g
Protein 0g
There are many worse / high calorie drinks to have. Example I had a Starbucks mocha for lunch. LUNCH! its was around 450 cals. Hot chocolate add to water packets are around 180. Add to milk is even higher. Teas can be better, but do you add sugar and honey? Even regular coffee, add some international delight creamer and you're creeping towards 60 cals. (per drink).
DON'T FEEL BAD ABOUT DIET SODA I am okay with using diet soda as a crutch to losing weight and getting healthy. I'd rather focus on the 20% of changes that will make 80% of impact. Keeping diet coke and not feeling bad about it gives me more mental energy to focus on the big changes I'm currently trying to tackle - exercising and figuring out how to make my favorite restaurant meal at home in a healthier way.
Once I'm eating veggies and fruit daily, have exercise as a normal part of my life (not having to force myself to do it, like I do now), and have a personal repository of meal plans that work for me. After all that is in place I might find it beneficial to consider trying to take out the 40mg (sometimes 80mg) of sodium I drink everyday.
I'll guess that 80% of us have bigger things to focus on then Diet Soda and its health implications in regards to actualizing our weightloss goals.0 -
Diet Soda rules...................... (psst,, I drink it daily too)
0 -
Where did I say anything about not eating better? My point was that people get into a panic because something has "chemicals" in it. If people really want to avoid everything that they think is harmful then they would have to stop eating and drinking completely.Do you know what else contains chloride (an ion of chlorine)? Common table salt. Common table salt (Sodium Chloride) is made from chloride (an ion of Chlorine, which in gaseous form is extremely toxic and was one of the first poison gasses used in World War 1) and Sodium (a metal that reacts vigorously in water; i.e. explodes).
Every single thing you eat is made of chemicals. There are only 118 known elements on the periodic table of elements. Every living thing and every inanimate object on the planet is made up of a mixture of these elements. You can't avoid "harmful" chemicals (unless you seal yourself in a vacuum and don't eat, drink or breathe). Water is comprised of hydrogen and oxygen (2 flammable gasses). Does that mean we should avoid drinking water?
This just seems like a reason to not try to eat better. Okay say everything is chemicals, there are better places to get your "chemicals" than others.
If you want to drink soda, diet or other wise fine, do it, but that does not mean its good for you.
People saying that something is bad for you because it contains "x, y, or z chemical" without educating themselves about things is just scaremongering.0 -
just no.0
-
I have had my boss spew about artificial sweeteners increasing food cravings. Mind you I dont drink soda, but I do drink Crystal light, or other flavored water additives. I have not noticed any spiking in food cravings, I have not gained any weight. There is so much conflicting information - if you have not noticed anything with your weight loss and drinking soda, do what you desire.
You will hear people preach at you right and left - and all of it would be different.0 -
I have diet soda occassionally, mostly if I go to the movies...but Aspartame can trigger my migraines so I try to stay away. Other than that, I think if you don't have any aversions to it, then enjoy. I eat/drink whatever I want (in moderation) and make sure I stay within my goals, I'm still losing weight.0
-
And my point was that there are better places to get those chemicals. I do think that people are too quick to freak out when they hear that a scary sounding ingredient is used, but those ingredients being found in other sources does not change the fact that soda really does not have any positive nutritional value.0
-
QUOTE:
Do you know what else contains chloride (an ion of chlorine)? Common table salt. Common table salt (Sodium Chloride) is made from chloride (an ion of Chlorine, which in gaseous form is extremely toxic and was one of the first poison gasses used in World War 1) and Sodium (a metal that reacts vigorously in water; i.e. explodes).
Every single thing you eat is made of chemicals. There are only 118 known elements on the periodic table of elements. Every living thing and every inanimate object on the planet is made up of a mixture of these elements. You can't avoid "harmful" chemicals (unless you seal yourself in a vacuum and don't eat, drink or breathe). Water is comprised of hydrogen and oxygen (2 flammable gasses). Does that mean we should avoid drinking water?
[/quote]
See, now you're getting a little ridiculous. Of course everything is made up of all the elements - any 6th grader can tell you that. Arsenic and Mercury are also on the table of elements, but I don't see people reccomending you drink THEM by the liter.
People need to educate themselves on what is being put into our bodies, that's all I'm saying. Smokers have been ignoring the health warnings associated with smoking for decades, some vegetarians stopped eating meat because they didn't want to consume the hormones and whatnot that ends up in our meat supply, and the Organic movement is stronger than ever because people don't want pesticides and other chemicals on the food they eat. If you do the research and say "meh - I'm cool with that" then do whatever you want.0 -
Do you know what else contains chloride (an ion of chlorine)? Common table salt. Common table salt (Sodium Chloride) is made from chloride (an ion of Chlorine, which in gaseous form is extremely toxic and was one of the first poison gasses used in World War 1) and Sodium (a metal that reacts vigorously in water; i.e. explodes).From a weight-loss perspective, switching to diet soda is good if you're used to drinking a lot of the regular stuff... But from a health perspective, you should wean yourself off of the stuff altogether.
The sodas made with Splenda are a crock... "Splenda tastes like sugar because it's made from sugar"... sure, but what they don't tell you is that they strip the calories away by bathing the sugar in CHLORINE. Do you really want that in your body?
And I don't know about asparthame turning into methanol like one poster said, but there is a lot of reserach out there about how it breaks down into its parts in our bodies... and one of those parts is FORMALDEYHDE. Yep - the stinky stuff they use to keep dead bodies hydrated for disection. The debate is over how much of the formaldeyhde is absorbed by our bodies.
Personally, I've avoided diet sodas since I was 12 and discovered they were the reason for my stomach problems and headaches.
If you really don't want to give up sodas, pull a bait-and-switch. Make your own "soda" by mixing club soda or sparkling water with a little lemon juice and/or lime juice and sugar to make a 7-up sort of drink and over time decrease the amount of sugar you use. You can do the same thing with other drinks like iced tea, chocolate milk, kool-aid, etc. After a while you won't even notice the lack of sweetness.
Peace, Love & Veggies!
~Jacki
Formaldehyde is a natural ingredient in many fruits, vegetables, meats, and mushrooms. It is processed by your body just like it would be from natural sources. As mentioned earlier, methanol is produced by the body naturally, it's not harmful.
As for the chlorine argument, you know what else has chlorine? Salt. Splenda is sucralose which is just like sucrose except for three of the hydroxyl groups are replaced by chloride. Yes, I do want chloride in my body because it is necessary for most biochemical reactions.
Referring to chemicals such as formaldehyde and chlorine out of context is fear-mongering ignorance. Chemicals have many uses beyond the ones typically associated with them such as corpse preservation or pool cleanliness.
Personally I prefer to err on the side of safety. Anyway, as a previous poster said, I don't drink soda when I'm eating clean (not because of trying to lose weight), but I'll have a regular one every now and then on my cheat day.
Every single thing you eat is made of chemicals. There are only 118 known elements on the periodic table of elements. Every living thing and every inanimate object on the planet is made up of a mixture of these elements. You can't avoid "harmful" chemicals (unless you seal yourself in a vacuum and don't eat, drink or breathe). Water is comprised of hydrogen and oxygen (2 flammable gasses). Does that mean we should avoid drinking water?
First of all I don't use common table salt in my cooking, even though I'm sure it's in other packaged goods I buy now and then. Second of all, just because chemicals is in everything we eat doesn't mean I shouldn't avoid the ones I can. I don't NEED diet soda to survive, but I do NEED water.0 -
I drink more than one diet pepsi a day and I've lost 70 lbs. You can lose weight drinking diet pop. It's not going to hold you back to any extreme, because if you're determined to lose weight - you will.0
-
These 43 lbs that have melted away say that Diet sodas have not affected me at all. I work at a fast food place and our water tastes like a monkey's *kitten*, so if I forget my water or diet green tea, I drink Coke Zero or Diet Dr Pepper or Diet Coke. I aways have some diet drink at home. I'm pretty partial to Diet Root Beer, Diet MT Dew and Diet Pepsi with cherry. I have lost my pounds just fine, every time I go to the dentist, I get a clean bill of health. I'm almost or might be the same weight I was for my senior year (class of '07 baby) I drink about 3 cans of of diet a day. I also drink my water too, but if I don't get in my 8 glasses a day, I don't freak out. My coffee is made with water and the unsweetened tea I have with my artificial sweetener is made from water too. It's to each their own really.0
-
I'm not being ridiculous. It is a valid point.Do you know what else contains chloride (an ion of chlorine)? Common table salt. Common table salt (Sodium Chloride) is made from chloride (an ion of Chlorine, which in gaseous form is extremely toxic and was one of the first poison gasses used in World War 1) and Sodium (a metal that reacts vigorously in water; i.e. explodes).
Every single thing you eat is made of chemicals. There are only 118 known elements on the periodic table of elements. Every living thing and every inanimate object on the planet is made up of a mixture of these elements. You can't avoid "harmful" chemicals (unless you seal yourself in a vacuum and don't eat, drink or breathe). Water is comprised of hydrogen and oxygen (2 flammable gasses). Does that mean we should avoid drinking water?
See, now you're getting a little ridiculous. Of course everything is made up of all the elements - any 6th grader can tell you that. Arsenic and Mercury are also on the table of elements, but I don't see people reccomending you drink THEM by the liter.
People need to educate themselves on what is being put into our bodies, that's all I'm saying. Smokers have been ignoring the health warnings associated with smoking for decades, some vegetarians stopped eating meat because they didn't want to consume the hormones and whatnot that ends up in our meat supply, and the Organic movement is stronger than ever because people don't want pesticides and other chemicals on the food they eat. If you do the research and say "meh - I'm cool with that" then do whatever you want.
Check the chemical composition of anything (including organic vegetables) and you will see that you are consuming harmful chemicals.
Raw apples (including organically grown apples) contain: Sodium, Magnesium, Copper, Zinc, Phosphorus, Chloride, and Iodine.
http://www.food-allergens.de/symposium-vol1(3)/data/apple/apple-composition.htm0 -
I'm not being ridiculous. It is a valid point.Do you know what else contains chloride (an ion of chlorine)? Common table salt. Common table salt (Sodium Chloride) is made from chloride (an ion of Chlorine, which in gaseous form is extremely toxic and was one of the first poison gasses used in World War 1) and Sodium (a metal that reacts vigorously in water; i.e. explodes).
Every single thing you eat is made of chemicals. There are only 118 known elements on the periodic table of elements. Every living thing and every inanimate object on the planet is made up of a mixture of these elements. You can't avoid "harmful" chemicals (unless you seal yourself in a vacuum and don't eat, drink or breathe). Water is comprised of hydrogen and oxygen (2 flammable gasses). Does that mean we should avoid drinking water?
See, now you're getting a little ridiculous. Of course everything is made up of all the elements - any 6th grader can tell you that. Arsenic and Mercury are also on the table of elements, but I don't see people reccomending you drink THEM by the liter.
People need to educate themselves on what is being put into our bodies, that's all I'm saying. Smokers have been ignoring the health warnings associated with smoking for decades, some vegetarians stopped eating meat because they didn't want to consume the hormones and whatnot that ends up in our meat supply, and the Organic movement is stronger than ever because people don't want pesticides and other chemicals on the food they eat. If you do the research and say "meh - I'm cool with that" then do whatever you want.
Check the chemical composition of anything (including organic vegetables) and you will see that you are consuming harmful chemicals.
Raw apples (including organically grown apples) contain: Sodium, Magnesium, Copper, Zinc, Phosphorus, Chloride, and Iodine.
http://www.food-allergens.de/symposium-vol1(3)/data/apple/apple-composition.htm
What exactly makes them harmful? Especially in small doses, from natural sources, that is not the same as diet soda which is the furthest thing from natural and all of those things I am sure do something for the body, like magnesium to quote "Magnesium plays an important role in at least 300 fundamental enzymatic reactions and for that reason is of vital importance in our health."
Sodium also not bad for you, extra chloride leaves the body in urine so yes your argument is just silly.
There is nothing unhealthy about eating fruits and vegetables, so yes it is ridiculous and it is not the same as drinking soda or other unnatural sources of these chemicals.0 -
You and I are definitely on the same page, Christibear...
0 -
You are still missing the point that I am making. To claim that Diet Soda or even regular Soda is harmful because it contains chemicals is what is silly. No matter whether something is organically grown or a processed food, it is going to contain chemicals. There is no avoiding them.I'm not being ridiculous. It is a valid point.
Check the chemical composition of anything (including organic vegetables) and you will see that you are consuming harmful chemicals.
Raw apples (including organically grown apples) contain: Sodium, Magnesium, Copper, Zinc, Phosphorus, Chloride, and Iodine.
http://www.food-allergens.de/symposium-vol1(3)/data/apple/apple-composition.htm
What exactly makes them harmful? Especially in small doses, from natural sources, that is not the same as diet soda which is the furthest thing from natural and all of those things I am sure do something for the body, like magnesium to quote "Magnesium plays an important role in at least 300 fundamental enzymatic reactions and for that reason is of vital importance in our health."
Sodium also not bad for you, extra chloride leaves the body in urine so yes your argument is just silly.
There is nothing unhealthy about eating fruits and vegetables, so yes it is ridiculous and it is not the same as drinking soda or other unnatural sources of these chemicals.
The claim that the artificial sweeteners used in diet drinks are harmful has been going on for at least 30 years (I remember hearing these claims being made when I was a child).
You claim that sodium isn't bad for us, well that is incorrect. Excessive sodium has a correlation with high blood pressure.0 -
Thomas is not trying to claim that soda is healthy because it contains the similar chemicals as fruits. He is simply stating that you cannot say soda is bad because it contains these chemicals.
No one is making the claim that soda carries the same health benefits as fruit. Fruit was only used as an example to show that these "harmful chemicals" in soda such as formaldehyde and chlorine also exist in natural foods.0 -
I am not missing your point I replied to your point, chemicals are in everything yes, but some sources of chemicals are better than others. And having chemicals is something does not make it unhealthy because chemicals are necessary to our bodies natural functions, they are not only necessary but good for us.
And many things that are good for us can be dangerous if you receive to much, that does not make them unhealthy, it means your not supposed to get to much. Sodium is not bad for us, you provided a very specific example of getting to much which but that does not make it unhealthy, getting to much of it is unhealthy there is a difference, a BIG difference.
Another point you made was "Check the chemical composition of anything (including organic vegetables) and you will see that you are consuming harmful chemicals" when in fact those chemicals not harmful.0
Categories
- All Categories
- 1.4M Health, Wellness and Goals
- 392K Introduce Yourself
- 43.6K Getting Started
- 259.8K Health and Weight Loss
- 175.7K Food and Nutrition
- 47.4K Recipes
- 232.3K Fitness and Exercise
- 403 Sleep, Mindfulness and Overall Wellness
- 6.4K Goal: Maintaining Weight
- 8.5K Goal: Gaining Weight and Body Building
- 152.8K Motivation and Support
- 7.9K Challenges
- 1.3K Debate Club
- 96.3K Chit-Chat
- 2.5K Fun and Games
- 3.4K MyFitnessPal Information
- 23 News and Announcements
- 999 Feature Suggestions and Ideas
- 2.4K MyFitnessPal Tech Support Questions