Diet sodas. Yes or No?

BBBBennyandtheJets

I say no. The carbonation makes my tummy hurt now!

zombiewombie

Definitely, its a good way to get energy without calories. Just don't expect it to replace water. You should still have the minimum eight cups a day.

kathymillard1970

I don't drink soda that often when I do it's diet, mainly because I am diabetic and the sugar in one small can is enough to do a lot of damage. I mainly drink water and black coffee. Once in awhile I drink unsweetened tea.

Phoenix59

I drink Diet Cokes...at least one 20 oz. a day. This is considerably less than I used to drink, but I have no plans to give it up. It satisfies my sweet tooth and I do use it towards fluid consumption. It hasn't had a negative affect on me.

futuremalestripper

this. there's no benefit whatsoever to drinking soda (diet or otherwise) and so many potential dangers.

Benefit: no calories and helps to satisfy sweet tooth for many (including myself). Potential dangers? Alarmism like this is why many people are naive about how the body really works. What do you actually know about the ingredients in diet soda? Not what you've heard, but what you actually know?

A.C.E. Certified Personal/Group Fitness Trainer
IDEA Fitness member
Kickboxing Certified Instructor
Been in fitness for 28+ years and have studied kinesiology and nutrition

I know quite a lot. Some artificial sweeteners are okay, while others are terrible for the body. Me = chem major. I've had many discussions with a highly respected chemical engineer who was the head for one of the major brands of soda, as well as other food and medical companies. One of the best in his field. I wouldn't go near aspartame or sucralose. I check all of my food for those 2 items. I know people argue that it must be safe and have no ill effects to be allowed in food, but if you think the FDA only allows food that is perfectly safe then that's your problem.

Fieldsy

I would stay away from sodas, diet or not. They are very unhealthy for you and provide no nutritional value. I would stick strictly to water, teas (green tea) and juices (but not the store bought juices, I would try out a juicer).... The soda just adds toxins to your body.

False. They don't add toxins, since the ingredients are also found in fruits in vegetables. Also WATER has no nutritional value.
If it's something you want to stay away from that's fine, but spreading incorrect information is irresponsible.

A.C.E. Certified Personal/Group Fitness Trainer
IDEA Fitness member
Kickboxing Certified Instructor
Been in fitness for 28+ years and have studied kinesiology and nutrition

Jezebel9

no

DannyMussels

I switched to diet sodas and calorie-free drinks for a year or two (crystal light, etc) and it really helped me lose some needed weight.

2 or 3 years after I've been pretty serious about my excercise, I hardly drink anything more than water.

I actually gave up soda 2.5yrs ago now.

wellbert

I drink about a gallon of diet soda a day. Love the stuff.

AthenaErr

I dont really drink soda. But occasionally (read 'when I am seriously hung over') I want a coke. So I have a diet coke. If I drank a lot of soda maybe the sweeteners would be a bigger issue for me, but at a soda once a quarter I am more concerned about keeping to cals after having already had alcohol cals.

TexanThom

WOW!!! Some people on here act you are asking about drinking ONLY soda! It will not kill you to drink a diet soda. We all should drink water, but a soda diet or regular is alright every once in awhile. I have not drank a regular soda all year, I have drank diet sodas and don't feel like it has held me back.

jenj1313

Just wanted to know your thoughts on whether diet sodas were a good thing or not. Sure a regular soda has plenty of sugar, but at least you know what you're dealing with and so does your body. Diet sodas have sweeteners and supposed negative effects on your health.
Have I answered my own question?

Have you tried Zevia? soda made with Stevia all natural sweetener. they sell it at whole foods, trader joe's, and just about all health food stores.
I will never, ever, ever, have any artificial sweeteners, ever.period. those chemicals are super dangerous, and also make me sick. My grandmother died of pancreatic caner (horrible) and the doctors said it was from the Artificial sweeteners; and i believe that!

Stevia in it's raw form is natural, but what you're getting at the store it processed and there is some research out on Stevia too that say its' safety is questionable. Not saying you shouldn't use it, but if you are going to, make sure that you've done the leg work and you are making an informed decision.

mariannefick

I think you answered your own question :-) I LOVE Diet Coke. For me, I prefer the taste of diet vs. regular (my mom is a Diet Coke fiend, so I grew up on the stuff). I only buy it if it's on sale, but when I do have it at the house I drink way too much! I've really been cutting back and having it as an occasional treat. I've been drinking a lot more water and notice such a difference! My skin looks a lot better (glowier). A friend gave me a Tervis tumbler and that has helped me to drink a lot more water. If I'm going to run errands, I fill that with ice water rather than a can of Diet Coke. BUT I haven't cut back on caffeine (I drink a lot of coffee!)

mariannefick

LOL! I moved to the South a few years ago and can't believe how much sweet tea people drink! Diet Dr. Pepper is my favorite, too, over Diet Coke. But I only have it occasionally as a treat (one summer I stocked up on it as there was a great sale and I drank waaaaay too much of it each day!)

IMYarnCraz33

I vote no... too much artificial junk.
If I want something sweet drink, I will have regular (non-diet) pop, juice or homemade iced tea with honey.
For the most part I stick with water or homemade iced tea with no sugar or honey.

wisebadger53

I drink at least 3 diet sodas almost every day, and it has not seemed to affect either my health or my weight loss. My blood pressure is down, cholesterol is down, energy is way up, and I'm still losing consistently.

Hollirot

I drink over 100 ounces of water a day, but I still looove me some Diet Dr. Pepper. I keep them on hand, and drink one every other day or so. I also really like Mio. Which has zero calories and flavors your water.

Everything in moderation, I say.

Except maybe heroin. Don't do heroin.

:flowerforyou:

Grissay

No! I think sparkling water with a splash of natural fruit juice would satisfy your soda cravings

jenni375

I like drinking diet soda on occasion. I find it helpful in the afternoon around 3 or 4 when I'm hungry and tired and water isn't curbing my appetite. I know diet soda is "supposed" to make you feel hungrier and crave sugar, but I find it does the opposite for me. It satisfies my sugar craving and it helps me feel full. I typically have 0-3 diet sodas a week. But I also enjoy sparkling water with a squeeze of lime

AlwaysInMotion

FWIW, I gave up diet soda last October (having quit regular soda years ago). When I went from 260+ down to 150 lbs, it seemed like my hunger never subsided - we're talking years after losing the weight. When I switched to "maintenance mode" after the initial loss, my weight slowly crept back up to 170 (where I am now). It's like my body wanted to eat to maintain 260, even though my metabolic needs were much lower and had been for a while. I thought perhaps that's the curse of losing weight, that the body would fight to get back to its old "set point" weight.

I poured over medical journals looking for anything explaining the effects of hunger hormones (ghrelin, leptin, etc.) or the possible effects of artificial sweeteners on blood sugar levels to try and figure out what was going on. I found nothing wholly conclusive...

Well, shucks. I gave up diet soda to see what would happen if I dramatically reduced sweeteners/additives in my diet, and - lo and behold - my bizarre excessive hunger issues finally went away. I realize this is anecdotal evidence, but I'm staying OFF the artificial sweeteners as much as possible. It has been a massive relief to finally be free of that nagging, persistent hunger.

Jensaystoyou

http://jubilantjenzen.wordpress.com/2012/04/15/serious-sunday-why-i-dont-drink-diet/

I posted lots of information about why I don't drink diet anything on my blog. I drank TONS of it for years and gave it up after learning more about it.

poncito

ew no.. no sodas period

Il_DaniD_lI

Once in a while is fine! (2-3 times a month)

Debbe2

Not here.

BrokenButterfly

Absolutely not. Studies have shown that drinking diet sodas are correlated with increased appetite. You're more likely to snack on something if you drink diet soda. This was just from a show I watched very recently called 'secret eaters'.

TitanGM

Any sugar drink or soda for me is = with a big NO!
Any diet soda is again = with a big NO!
Man-made drinks/sodas of any kind = Trash!

tigersword

Absolutely not. Studies have shown that drinking diet sodas are correlated with increased appetite. You're more likely to snack on something if you drink diet soda. This was just from a show I watched very recently called 'secret eaters'.

You can correlate anything with anything else in a study, that doesn't make it true. Correlation does not equal causation.


I'm more likely to snack without an occasional diet soda.

lklascala

NO NO NO...They are full of artificial sweetners that give me ghastly migraines. Plus, your body has a harder time processing and eliminating them because they are a foreign chemical substance. And the aftertaste....YUCK! I'd rather drink water any day of the week than guzzle an artificial soda!

foot2wood

I only have diet soda whenever i'm eating crap like fast food, or if i sometimes get a craving for a cold fountain soda on a hot summer day. I'd say just consume very sparingly and use as an occasional treat that is no more than once or twice a week(times not days)

wanderinglight

No! It's just not worth it! Fake sweeteners and a whole lot of other stuff that is just plain bad for you. Yes, I think it is possible to lose weight and still drink them, but what's the point? They are not good for you. If you give them up for a certain amount of time you'll see that your tastes change and after a few weeks a glass of sparkling water with a squeeze of fresh lime and some mint tastes heavenly!



ETA this infographic is obviously about full sugar soda