Diet drinks - what's your take?

ebony__

I know it's been covered to death but what's your take on diet drinks?

TheVimFuego

I'm no fan of the Aspartame, I hear all the 'the dose is tiny and look at the tests it's been through (funded by ...)' but the results speak more for me.

I tend to get headaches and somehow hungrier when I have a Coke Zero. Probably due to fooling my body that it's going to get sweet stuff that never arrives.

I still indulge once or twice a week but each time I do I seem to notice stuff that is just telling me to stick to water.

I low carb but I somehow feel less guilty about taking a swig or two of full sugar Coke than chugging a bottle of Coke Zero. At least the cane sugar (in Oz, HFCS isn't used here) is going to provide energy ...

CyeRyn

There's a significant taste difference with diet soda's versus real.. so I don't drink it. I miss drinking real soda but I get my fix from making what I like to call "healthy" soda. I mix real fruit juice with sparkling water. Still sugar but I always sought out soda for the carbonation so I get a tasty carbonated drink for fewer calories.

wannabeafitmum

I'm a Pepsi MAX girl...

Or Coke Zero if I have to.

cahilfoley

I use diet drinks like the new Pepsi Max Kick for a caffeine boost before work outs which works well and helps me avoid other more damaging pre-workouts (like jack3d). If you are talking in terms of weight loss they aren't bad to kill sweet cravings and can help to fill you up after a small meal.

ebony__

I vaguely remember when I was a kid that there was an ingredient banned in Australia that wasn't banned in US
And it was whatever was in diet coke but being such a huge company they couldn't stop it being sold here? I was only about 8 so it's pretty vague but remember hearing about it

cahilfoley

I'm a Pepsi MAX girl...

Or Coke Zero if I have to.

Bump... but not so much a girl

lisamarney

For diet soda's - trying to stop altogether, but love them. They seem like cheating if you do think of them as posion., All the diet "shakes" are motivation for me to make a real meal with the same calories/nutritional intake. I have a few in the garage to remind me that food is better.

ebony__

I like coke zero
Pink energy drink ( think that's just an Aussie one)
And pink rockstar.

Something in the back of my head tells me don't have to much.
At the moment I have maybe 2 or 3 a week.

But I don't tent to have au side affects, I find they satisfy me quite well.

sparklelioness

Cant deal-they taste nasty to me. Once in a while i make room in my calories for a real glass of Coke

Brendajo510

Diet soda is not great for you, but it can be a good alternative for low cal. Thirst after drinking it could be related to the sodium. Diet sodas cut out calories but something has to be in that drink, turns out its sodium (among other things). My diet DP has 55mg per can. I wouldn't recommend drinking it all day. I usually limit myself to one can a day. I never buy 2 liters because that makes it too easy to over indulge.

bugiya

I try to avoid them altogether as they are either high in sodium or calorie count I stick to plain water and allow myself a coffee or protein shake

Jellyphant

the fake sugars give me migraines. i used to love fresca peach and more recently, pepsi next paradise mango. q_q

BelindaDuvessa

Not just no, but Hell no!

I can't stand Aspartame. It leaves a bad taste in my mouth, and it gives me a headache. I don't use the little packets for water either because they all use it.

I'll take my full sugar Dr Pepper. I know it's bad for me....and I drink alot less than I used to. One of these days I'll manage to cut it out completely.

AmandaTWaH

I drink a few a week but I'm working on cutting down. It has been more of a stop-gap between regular soda and cutting soda out almost altogether. I like Coke Zero because it doesn't taste like diet. I also like Diet Dr. Pepper.

I can't wait until they make a good diet soda with stevia though! I would love to give up aspartame for good.

BinaryPulsar

The one thing that I do know about diet soda is that they have high levels of citric acid and phosphoric acid and they are very bad for teeth enamel. For some reason people don't seem to know that, but you can just ask any dentist. And they have no nutritional value (such as vitamin c in citrus fruits), so that makes the damage to the teeth not worth it (for me). I don't care if other people drink them. But, it's not for me. They also cause me bloating and abdominal distress. And I don't like the taste, so it's not a deprivation to me. Regular soda is also bad for your teeth (of course). I like stevia.

jesuskroeger

I know all about how unhealthy diet pop is for you, but my family has gotten diet pop for as long as I remember, so real pop seems gross to me. I know the best choice is always to drink water, but I love the taste of Diet Pepsi. It's like a nice little refresher for me. I don't get enough sleep at night and have a small cup of pop before I go to school in the morning to help me stay awake in my classes. But I try to avoid having too much, or else my body starts to become immune to all the caffeine and it begins to have a reverse effect on me and make me more tired.

PiggySweet

i drink diet iced tea cuz it's cheap and sweet without being too bad. I don't like the taste of diet soda, but i do like zevia which is a diet soda made with stevia. i've tried their cream soda and ginger root beer. very yummy.

Birdie

I hate all the fake sugars. They all leave a terrible aftertaste. And this new generation of diet drinks with half the calories like pepsi next are horrible too. Only half the calories but all the nasty aftertaste of a diet drink. yuck :sick:

jesuskroeger

The one thing that I do know about diet soda is that they have high levels of citric acid and phosphoric acid and they are very bad for teeth enamel. For some reason people don't seem to know that, but you can just ask any dentist. And they have no nutritional value (such as vitamin c in citrus fruits), so that makes the damage to the teeth not worth it (for me). I don't care if other people drink them. But, it's not for me. They also cause me bloating and abdominal distress. And I don't like the taste, so it's not a deprivation to me. Regular soda is also bad for your teeth (of course).

My mom is a dentist and ironically, she drinks more pop than anyone else in our family! (usually 3-5 cans a day)

(sorry for being off topic)

Brendajo510

The one thing that I do know about diet soda is that they have high levels of citric acid and phosphoric acid and they are very bad for teeth enamel. For some reason people don't seem to know that, but you can just ask any dentist. And they have no nutritional value (such as vitamin c in citrus fruits), so that makes the damage to the teeth not worth it (for me). I don't care if other people drink them. But, it's not for me. They also cause me bloating and abdominal distress. And I don't like the taste, so it's not a deprivation to me. Regular soda is also bad for your teeth (of course).

Very true, my dentist tells me this all the time. He really encourages never "sipping" on soda or coffee because its terrible for your teeth. He is also very against lemon drops.

ebony__

The pink energy drink I like doesn't use aspArtame.

ebony__

A heap of people are saying they know how unhealthy it is what why exactly is it that bad?

BinaryPulsar

The one thing that I do know about diet soda is that they have high levels of citric acid and phosphoric acid and they are very bad for teeth enamel. For some reason people don't seem to know that, but you can just ask any dentist. And they have no nutritional value (such as vitamin c in citrus fruits), so that makes the damage to the teeth not worth it (for me). I don't care if other people drink them. But, it's not for me. They also cause me bloating and abdominal distress. And I don't like the taste, so it's not a deprivation to me. Regular soda is also bad for your teeth (of course).

Very true, my dentist tells me this all the time. He really encourages never "sipping" on soda or coffee because its terrible for your teeth. He is also very against lemon drops.

Also adding lemon to your water and drinking that all day is not good for the teeth (but at least it has vitamin C and bioflavonoids and all of that). I still have lemon juice, but not all day long.

ebony__

i drink diet iced tea cuz it's cheap and sweet without being too bad. I don't like the taste of diet soda, but i do like zevia which is a diet soda made with stevia. i've tried their cream soda and ginger root beer. very yummy.

May have to look for that. Stevia is great

JennyLisT

I don't drink soda often enough that this is a major issue in my big picture. However, I CANNOT stand the taste of the sweeteners in diet sodas. I can't even use drinks like diet coke in things like rum & coke because no amount of rum can make that crap tolerable.

baptiste565

there is nothing wrong with diet drinks. love em. real sugar is dangerous if not taken in moderation.

Mellie289

I can't stand the taste of aspartame and I consider it poison. I drink water, and if I really want a soda, which is a few times a year, I go for the sugary ones. I'm not a soda addict.

Diet soda doesn't sound much better than the sugary version. A little quote (slide 2) out of this link http://www.everydayhealth.com/photogallery/reasons-to-kick-your-soda-habit.aspx#/slide-1

"Diet Soda and Weight Gain
We know that drinking sugar- and calorie-filled soda leads to weight gain, but it may surprise you to learn that even diet soda can contribute to unwanted pounds. In the San Antonio Heart Study, which tracked 3,682 adults over a seven- to eight-year period, those who drank artificially sweetened beverages had body mass indexes up to 47 percent greater than people who did not imbibe. It’s not completely clear why zero-calorie drinks lead to weight gain, but researchers believe that diet soda drinkers have unhealthier diets overall than those who skip soda completely."

I don't know about all the research that's out there, but I do know, as others have already discussed, that the acidity in soda (diet or regular) eats away tooth enamel. It is also linked with osteoperosis. Is it cause and effect though or that soda is being consumed instead of something healthier? I don't know.

AmandaTWaH

A heap of people are saying they know how unhealthy it is what why exactly is it that bad?

The long term effects of aspartame haven't been tested and many people think that it may lead to cancer. There isn't any proof of this but there isn't any solid proof against it either.

One big issue is that it makes you crave carbs. It is also very high in sodium. Generally, a bit isn't going to hurt you but it is a good idea to consume it only in moderation... like with most foods.

baptiste565

Diet coke has alot of sodium??? i have to look that up

ebony__

A heap of people are saying they know how unhealthy it is what why exactly is it that bad?

The long term effects of aspartame haven't been tested and many people think that it may lead to cancer. There isn't any proof of this but there isn't any solid proof against it either.

One big issue is that it makes you crave carbs. It is also very high in sodium. Generally, a bit isn't going to hurt you but it is a good idea to consume it only in moderation... like with most foods.

Cheers. Is it just the aspartame though because that's not in all diet drinks!!!
And I can just cut down on those ones.

The suggestions that it makes you crave things isn't an issue for me. I'm counting my calories so Im strict About what I eat regardless. ( I haven't noticed anything like this though, I seem to eat less on days I have one )