Soda- good, bad, or just ugly?

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  • FlaxMilk
    FlaxMilk Posts: 3,452 Member
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    Almost nothing cheers me up more quickly than a perfect hit of diet soda. It's one of the things that I don't care if it's healthy or unhealthy.
  • snazzyjazzy21
    snazzyjazzy21 Posts: 1,298 Member
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    Of course, you'd have to define healthy or unhealthy before you could have an absolute answer.

    But soda doesn't contain any nutrients (or so few that they don't much matter), so I don't see how they could ever be considered healthy.

    Every time I see a thread or comment where someone claims that soda isn't bad for you, I can't help but wonder how much the beverage industry is paying them.

    Most sodas contain enough artificial colors and flavors to definitely put them on the "bad" list, and that is before you even begin to look at the form of sweetener used.

    I disagree, normal soda has carbs. Carbs is a macro, right?

    And diet soda contains no nutrients. Kinda like water...
  • JessieSky
    JessieSky Posts: 79
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    I cut out soda altogether; never could stand the taste of diet but now even regular tastes disgusting to me. They're obviously not healthy for you, but if it's something you really enjoy, moderation is the key.
  • amejia79
    amejia79 Posts: 8
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    Stay away from both! See some studies below regarding regular and diet soda!

    Replacing caloric beverages with water or diet beverages for weight loss in adults: main results of the Choose Healthy Options Consciously Everyday (CHOICE) randomized clinical trial
    http://ajcn.nutrition.org/content/95/3/555.long
    Summary: No difference in weight

    The effect of sucrose- and aspartame-sweetened drinks on energy intake, hunger and food choice of female, moderately restrained eaters.
    http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/9023599
    Summary: "These results suggest that in females with eating restraint, substituting sucrose-sweetened drinks for diet drinks does not reduce total energy intake and may even result in a higher intake during the subsequent day."

    Added Sugar is The Single Worst Ingredient in The Diet. Period.
    http://authoritynutrition.com/sugar-the-worst-ingredient-in-the-diet/?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=Feed:+AuthorityNutrition+(Authority+Nutrition)
  • Strokingdiction
    Strokingdiction Posts: 1,164 Member
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    Of course, you'd have to define healthy or unhealthy before you could have an absolute answer.

    But soda doesn't contain any nutrients (or so few that they don't much matter), so I don't see how they could ever be considered healthy.

    Every time I see a thread or comment where someone claims that soda isn't bad for you, I can't help but wonder how much the beverage industry is paying them.

    Most sodas contain enough artificial colors and flavors to definitely put them on the "bad" list, and that is before you even begin to look at the form of sweetener used.

    Really? You think they're worried about what people say on some internet forum and would spend money to plant 'moles' on MFP.

    Here:

    a57bd5d9-0b8e-42d1-b8ed-5f821106b9e3_zps21029b87.jpg
  • establishingaplace
    establishingaplace Posts: 301 Member
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    There is nothing in the world better for an upset stomach than a ginger soda, the kind with the chunks of ginger floating around.

    *waits patiently for $10 check to arrive from Big Soda*
  • redversustheblue
    redversustheblue Posts: 1,216 Member
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    Of course, you'd have to define healthy or unhealthy before you could have an absolute answer.

    But soda doesn't contain any nutrients (or so few that they don't much matter), so I don't see how they could ever be considered healthy.

    Every time I see a thread or comment where someone claims that soda isn't bad for you, I can't help but wonder how much the beverage industry is paying them.

    Most sodas contain enough artificial colors and flavors to definitely put them on the "bad" list, and that is before you even begin to look at the form of sweetener used.

    Really? You think they're worried about what people say on some internet forum and would spend money to plant 'moles' on MFP.

    Here:

    a57bd5d9-0b8e-42d1-b8ed-5f821106b9e3_zps21029b87.jpg

    Man I wish Diet Dr. Pepper was paying me. Any Diet Dr. Pepper executives out there reading this, please feel free to contact me with your offers.

    Seriously though, moderation. I drink 64-100oz of water everyday and I also usually drink a diet soda a day. Not planning on giving it up.
  • ubernym
    ubernym Posts: 2
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    This is a weird question. Soda is too broad a term, for one, and some folks are throwing around scare words like "not natural" and "full of chemicals".

    Newsflash: Everything. Is. Full. Of. Chemicals.

    Don't be afraid of chemicals. YOU are full of chemicals! Here's a list, in order from most present to least present,of the
    average human's chemical (ooh scary!) composition:

    oxygen, carbon, hydrogen, nitrogen, calcium, phosphorous,
    potassium, sulfur, sodium, chlorine, magnesium, boron, chromium,
    cobalt, copper, fluorine, iodine, iron, manganese, molybdenum, selenium,
    silicon, tin, vanadium, zinc

    These are chemicals that are inside your body right this very second. And they've been there for a long, long time. It's completely natural.

    Marketers and other folks with compromised morals love terms like "natural," "organic", "no artificial x", blah blah blah. More often than not, I'd wager, these proclamations are merely paying lip service to some idealized (and ultimately false) notion of "true health"...some pristine state of ultimate human potential that you haven't yet obtained but you *just might* if only you could stop doing that one horrible thing you do and HEY BY THE WAY I totally have a book to sell to you about that, or a new all-natural product to help you get off your horrible chemical addictions. Just sign right here. Yes, that's right...don't worry the blood dries quickly.

    I kid, I kid.

    But seriously. Is salt bad for you? Is sugar bad for you? Is caffeine for you? The answer is as always: it depends.

    Here's an anecdote for you (meaning my results don't represent all results). I drink TONS and TONS of Diet Mt. Dew, Diet Coke, Coke Zero, every single day. I never drink sugar soda. I also stick to my meal plan. Over the past 7 months I lost 45 pounds. I never stopped drinking soda. I merely restricted myself to diet. Does that mean I got a lot more sodium than I needed? Yes, definitely. So I eased up on the salt in my foods to compensate a little.

    Is drinking that much caffeine great for me? I honestly don't know, I can only say that it hasn't caused me any problems yet, so I'll continue to use it as an aid to keep me from eating all the potato chips in one sitting. That's how I use diet soda. It's a tool to keep me on track, because at a MACRO level it's just flavored water. Getting your macros right is the primary concern. Once you've got those down you can focus on fixing your micros, take that next step. But if you prematurely fret over the micros you may end up getting so overwhelmed that you give up and make no progress at all!

    Moderation works both ways.

    Good health and good fitness, ultimately, are about understanding *your own personal* responses to eating AND exercising. Everyone will be different. Getting to grips with your body's mental-physical feedback system is what will ultimately help you decide what you can and cannot eat.
  • Derpes
    Derpes Posts: 2,033 Member
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    michael_jackson_dans_la_pub_pepsi_reference.jpg
  • VoodooSyxx
    VoodooSyxx Posts: 297
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    Regular soda? Nope. I've been there and was drinking a 12 pack or two a day. I have no desire to get back on that sugar roller coaster.

    I'll have a can of Coke Zero once a day or every other day though.
  • 970Mikaela1
    970Mikaela1 Posts: 2,013 Member
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    There is nothing in the world better for an upset stomach than a ginger soda, the kind with the chunks of ginger floating around.

    *waits patiently for $10 check to arrive from Big Soda*

    only 10? They send me a twenty for every post like this:)
  • ccf_trainer
    ccf_trainer Posts: 86 Member
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    Soda is bad, period. You're better off not drinking that stuff. There are healthier alternatives that have less sugar (or no sugar), and no HFCS.
  • establishingaplace
    establishingaplace Posts: 301 Member
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    There is nothing in the world better for an upset stomach than a ginger soda, the kind with the chunks of ginger floating around.

    *waits patiently for $10 check to arrive from Big Soda*

    only 10? They send me a twenty for every post like this:)

    I'm on their newbie program. I'll get bumped up after six months hopefully.
  • prattiger65
    prattiger65 Posts: 1,657 Member
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    Soda is bad, period. You're better off not drinking that stuff. There are healthier alternatives that have less sugar (or no sugar), and no HFCS.

    You are obviously just trolling the forums looking to pick up some money off of unsuspecting noobs. NO, soda is not bad, period. NO, you are not better off just not drinking the stuff. Define healthier. If someone has no underlying medical condition and meet their nutritional requirements, it s not unhealthy to drink soda in moderation. Of course, its harder for some people to make money off of people without the help of the boogyman.
  • KnM0107
    KnM0107 Posts: 355 Member
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    Now I want a soda...


    I used to drink numerous sodas a day. At some point I lost the taste for most sodas. I still have sprite or dr. Pepper every once in a while.

    Moderation!
  • MystikPixie
    MystikPixie Posts: 342 Member
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    I love soda!! I am very very addicted to it! BUT I can't lose weight whilst drinking it, so I've had to quit it, but once in a while I do indulge(maybe once a month). Even drinking just one and still being under calorie goal, I wasnt losing at all. I had to kick it and then I started losing. So I guess it's bad, but I hate having to admit that.
  • lamps1303
    lamps1303 Posts: 432 Member
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    Soda is bad, period. You're better off not drinking that stuff. There are healthier alternatives that have less sugar (or no sugar) , and no HFCS.

    Yer - like diet/zero drinks!
    Diet coke :heart:
    Diet coke cherry :heart:
    Dr pepper zero :heart:
    Coke zero :heart:
    All diet soft drinks :heart: :drinker:

    *ETA: Pepsi Max - the ultimate :heart:
  • prattiger65
    prattiger65 Posts: 1,657 Member
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    I love soda!! I am very very addicted to it! BUT I can't lose weight whilst drinking it, so I've had to quit it, but once in a while I do indulge(maybe once a month). Even drinking just one and still being under calorie goal, I wasnt losing at all. I had to kick it and then I started losing. So I guess it's bad, but I hate having to admit that.

    If you are really consuming less than tdee you will lose weight. If you aren't losing weight, you are eating too much.
  • asciiqwerty
    asciiqwerty Posts: 565 Member
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    sodas are another source of calories

    sugar -sodas will be high calorie and bad for your teeth, but IIFIYM and you brush after drinking then it's probably fine
    sweetener-sodas are lower calorie, but the jury's out on the sweeteners

    everything in moredation and IIFIYM is FINE

    but if you drink it > LOG IT
  • ninerbuff
    ninerbuff Posts: 48,503 Member
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    Just don't drink soda, period. It's not natural. Straight up chemicals.
    Name one food or drink that isn't chemically bonded. Nightshade and arsenic are natural. Fail

    A.C.E. Certified Personal and Group Fitness Trainer
    IDEA Fitness member
    Kickboxing Certified Instructor
    Been in fitness industry for 30 years and have studied kinesiology and nutrition

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