Diet Coke

ah, the perennial diet coke thread!

i drink a lot of it.

let the flame war begin

Last weekend I decided to splurge a bit and get a diet coke with my lunch and I checked the ingredients and the only I saw was that it was sodium. Not the best but better than others, I suppose. Anywho, I told my husband how excited I was that my mouth was having a party because I got something other than water and he got upset and said that Diet Coke is almost as bad if not worse than regular Coke because of the artificial sweetener in it. It's not an everyday thing but a fun little splurge on the weekend would be nice without feeling guilty about it or it possibly having negative effects on my body. What's your take?

My take is that the dosage levels at which aspartame can become problematic are so high that you'd have to make a diligent effort to try and cause problems.

Aspartame is composed of aspartic acid, phenylalanine (amino acids), and methanol (toxic at high doses).

You know what? Chicken and Fruit have all of the above, in higher doses than a can of diet soda.


If Aspartame gives you headaches, which apparently a very small % of the population has this issue, then don't drink it. Otherwise, enjoy it in moderation. You probably don't want to drink a case per day.

EDIT: Actually, a case per day would probably be fine in terms of dosage limits. Might not want to do that for other reasons though.

You did the right thing. You can't have a successful journey if you try to eliminate everything that made you happy. Just plan for it. Diet Coke shouldn't replace water but as a treat now and then it can't hurt. Just remember to keep it so that such treats are occasional.

Look, anything other than water can be considered bad for you.

The truth is that a can of diet coke is a nice alternative to water sometimes, and a helluva lot better than drinking a regular coke.

I've had a hard time switching from Pepsi (which I LOVE) to diet Coke. But I've managed to start enjoying the taste of it and I may have a can a day or every other day. It has yet to affect my weightloss or anything else.

Enjoy your success and do not let minor things like this ruin it for you. Good luck! :drinker: :drinker:

I used to drink one diet soda a day, as I liked the bubbles. My husband also thought that it was incredibly unhealthy, and promised to buy me bubble water (Pellegrino) if I would stop the sodas. True to his word, he spent several years hauling home cases of Pellegrino from Costco (and hauling the bottles to recycling!). I would drink one large bottle with fresh lime juice each day -- it goes down so easily! He finally got tired of lifting the cases, so he bought me a SodaStream machine which lets me carbonate my own water at home. It works really well, and just uses our tap water. I'd highly recommend it if you're tired of regular water! I still have a diet soda about once a month, but I can't imagine that small amount will hurt me.

"Everything in moderation"

that's my mantra.

let the diet soda debate resume! *runs and gets popcorn*

This gon be goood!

I checked the ingredients and the only I saw was that it was sodium.

You didn't check the INGREDIENTS hun, you checked the nutrition facts. If you look at the ingredients, you'll notice all kinds of bad stuff for you!!

Not to mention the carbonation.

Diet Coke is not as bad as regular coke, but it is still bad.

Also, it can make you bloated for days from carbonation AND artificial sweeteners.

Sorry, if I were you, I would try to stay away from any soda

lol We all knew what I meant. Children and typing coherently don't mix. Thanks for your input, though.


Sorry, I thought you asked for our opinions. I was just giving mine. Didn't mean to offend.

I used to be a Diet Coke addict - in college I probably drank 4 or more per day. It destroyed the enamel on my teeth for sure, which left me wondering what all the acid may have been doing to my insides!! Regardless, it is a guilty pleasure of mine. I have cut back to one diet coke per day - still probably more than I should have, but I still think its better than drinking a full strength Coke or even a sports drink, both of which are loaded with sugar!! You need to allow yourself some treats to keep you from losing your will power - Diet Coke is a lesser evil than going off my diet and binging on cookies

Every time someone pulls out that "Diet coke is worse than regular coke" crap I buy a diet coke to celebrate. In my experience, that line has only ever been used by people trying to justify drinking calories.

I used to be a Diet Coke addict - in college I probably drank 4 or more per day. It destroyed the enamel on my teeth for sure, which left me wondering what all the acid may have been doing to my insides!! Regardless, it is a guilty pleasure of mine. I have cut back to one diet coke per day - still probably more than I should have, but I still think its better than drinking a full strength Coke or even a sports drink, both of which are loaded with sugar!! You need to allow yourself some treats to keep you from losing your will power - Diet Coke is a lesser evil than going off my diet and binging on cookies

4 a day destroyed the enamel on your teeth? I drink about a case a day, no problems here.

I used to be a hardcore Pepsi drinker, was nothing to have at least 4 cans a day and possibly more, had tried to stop numerous times, went through the withdrawals and would go right back to the stuff. Since starting my journey with MFP I've successfully stopped the bad habit. I must admit I still dislike diet sodas, I've managed to switch to Pepsi Next which is 60 calories compared to 150 per can but the big improvement is I have maybe one can a week now and I make sure it's always within my calorie budget. I'm like so many others on here, I'm probably not going to totally eliminate any one thing.

I love my diet coke. I only have a couple of week and yes, my mouth says thanks as well. Have you tried putting lemon, cucmbers or strawberries in your water. They all flavor it nicely.