Caffeine

lisamt83
lisamt83 Posts: 119 Member
edited September 2024 in Health and Weight Loss
Is Caffeine really bad for you??? Like a diet dr. pepper? Or any diet drink...

Replies

  • binary_jester
    binary_jester Posts: 3,311 Member
    Is Caffeine really bad for you??? Like a diet dr. pepper? Or any diet drink...
    Caffeine...no. The stuff that comes with it...usually.
  • 4lafz
    4lafz Posts: 1,078 Member
    They say you need to drink additional water as caffeine is a diuretic - if you have an 8 oz cup of coffee or soda that means an additional 8 oz of water for the day (plus the 8 cups).
  • smuehlbauer
    smuehlbauer Posts: 1,041 Member
    The caffeine really isn't, the aspertame or artifical sweetner is what is bad for you.
    But - I drink it every day.
    I don't have many bad things anymore - I don't drink, I don't smoke - I drink diet Pepsi - I think that I'll be ok! haahaa!
  • smuehlbauer
    smuehlbauer Posts: 1,041 Member
    They say you need to drink additional water as caffeine is a diuretic - if you have an 8 oz cup of coffee or soda that means an additional 8 oz of water for the day (plus the 8 cups).

    Who says that?
  • blueelephant1212
    blueelephant1212 Posts: 100 Member
    oh lisa, don't do diet sodas! anything diet w/ splenda, aspartame, or the likes of chemically concocted sugar substitutes is really really bad for your body. in fact, the main ingredient (methyl alcohol) turns into formaldehyde in your system. you know, the stuff medical examiners used to use on corpses??? yeah, that stuff. if you're going for soda, use the real stuff. i'm attempting to cut back significantly on my pepsi intake and it's going to be a long, rough journey. i'm allowing myself one bottle of 20oz pepsi from lunch til dinner. and if i need a caffeine injection when i get home from work, i'll maybe have a small cup of it til i can kick the habit fully. i just love the stuff. it's like crack to me (no, i've never done crack... but the addiction would still be there for soda/caffeine).
  • melizerd
    melizerd Posts: 870 Member
    I allow myself one or two diet drinks a week and usually one sugar free energy drink. I used to drink 6 sodas (regular or diet) a DAY! So I figure it's better. Someday I'd like to cut them out completely but right now I can't. If I said I wasn't going to have any I'd binge somewhere else LOL.

    I do try Tea for my caffeine more too.
  • catcrazy
    catcrazy Posts: 1,740 Member
    yes but its oh so nice. Actually I'm very sensitive to caffeine, gives me serious palpitations so I have caffeine free coke. I know the stuff in diet drinks is supposed to be bad for you but then if you read every report we'd be living off fresh air and oooops oh dear even thats not fresh! Moderation is the key. Dont live off the stuff but if having it occasionally is likely to help you stay on the straight and narrow then go for it


    Some myths explained or busted......http://tafkac.org/ulz/nutrasweet.html
  • hozik
    hozik Posts: 369 Member
    Soda is pretty hard on your bones; it takes calcium out of your skeleton and the artificial sweeteners can cause changes in your brain, trigger headaches and strangely cause you to crave more sweets. Caffeine is okay in moderate amounts, my doctor says no more than 4 espresso shots per day (about 4 6 oz cups of drip). She prefers that I drink tea for my caffeine. Both coffee and tea are full of antioxidants. As binary jester said be careful what you add to it. I drink my tea hot/iced with no sugar/cream. I drink my coffee unsweetened, but like to add a bit of organic milk/soymilk.
    Added bonus, caffeine can give you a little more pep when consumed before you workout.
  • meggonkgonk
    meggonkgonk Posts: 2,066 Member
    1- because caffeine is a diuretic many people recommend drinking extra water to compensate for the dehydration caused.

    2- Caffeine itself can have both positive and negative effects on the body. It is an addictive drug of sorts and can have negative effects on your nervous system:
    http://www.pe2000.com/caffeine.htm

    But studies have also shown that , in moderation-- 1-2 8oz cups--it can have positive effects on memory (more short term than long term), on overal mood, and mental productivity (the abilities to prioritize and organize).

    I usually stick to 1 cup or so a day. I like it. If its "bad" I'll deal with that later.

    *edited to correct amount of "moderate" coffee/caffeine
  • kmtetour
    kmtetour Posts: 300 Member
    I am a major caffeine addict, but I don't like coffee or tea (without all the fatty creamer added, at least). A few years ago, I tried cutting soda out of my diet completely, and it lead me to sleeping all day everyday when I didn't have class (I was in college at the time). So, I allow myself some soda everyday... regular, built into my calories... and I counter-intuitively drink Water Joe (water with caffeine). I drink 1-2 bottles of that, and then the rest of my water as regular water (plus extra if I can make myself... I hate water).
  • pmjsmom
    pmjsmom Posts: 1,926 Member
    They say you need to drink additional water as caffeine is a diuretic - if you have an 8 oz cup of coffee or soda that means an additional 8 oz of water for the day (plus the 8 cups).

    Technically, a diuretic is ANY substance that increases urine output, therefore, water is also a diuretic.
  • ashley0616
    ashley0616 Posts: 579 Member
    anything diet w/ splenda, aspartame, or the likes of chemically concocted sugar substitutes is really really bad for your body. in fact, the main ingredient (methyl alcohol) turns into formaldehyde in your system. you know, the stuff medical examiners used to use on corpses??? yeah, that stuff. if you're going for soda, use the real stuff. ).

    I've heard this about anything artificial. Real butter, real soda, real sugar, real anything is better than artificial. It's all about moderation. I buy a 12 pack of Coke a month (max) because I am in love with it. I drink it when I get bad headaches and sometimes if I really don't feel like coffee and I need the caffeine. I never have more than 3 a week, and even that is a LOT. Sometimes that 12 pack will last me a few months if my husband doesn't get to it.
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