DIET DRINKS?

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  • This mightve been suggested already - didnt have time to read all of above posts - but a good trick I used years ago when cutting down: whenever I got thirsty for a coke, I would make myself drink a big glass of water first. I still drank the coke, but the thirst wasnt quite the same, I felt satisfied quite quickly (say, after half to three quarters of a can, instead of a full can). Over time, my craving for coke died down completely.

    I still drink it now, but rarely! :-)
  • CuteAndCurvy83
    CuteAndCurvy83 Posts: 570 Member
    Would the Crysal Lite drinks be the same as a diet pop? I have stopped the diet pop but now drink crystal lite.

    Anything that contains Aspartame is dangerous.
  • goatskinlegs
    goatskinlegs Posts: 40 Member
    Wow, What a difference a few months makes! A few months ago I was having to argue with people about the dangers of artificial sweeteners. It's good to see more people are educating themselves on dieting not just buying it because it says "diet".

    In regards to not liking water, I can not relate at all. I find ice cold water poured over crushed ice cubes in a chilled glass to be the necture of the gods. But if you feel you need something "fancier" than water, try adding lemon juice or fruit juice ice cubes (homemade). Just remember though, as much as your mind may not like water, your body does... ALOT. Proper hydration is necessary for pretty much every aspect of health, longevity, stamina and energy. It helps regulate sodium levels, which helps with bloating. It keeps your vascular system purified so that illnesses not last as long if at all. It softens your stool which makes bowel movements more pleasent. And on and on I could go.

    Bottom-line, it's bad habits that has made you lose taste for the most natural thing and the source of all life on the planet, water. Juice, milk, and water is all that is really good for you; everything else is unnecessary. I don't mean to sound like a totalitarian about the subject but junk in, and junk is what you'll see in the mirror.
  • elainegsd
    elainegsd Posts: 459 Member
    Bottom-line, it's bad habits that has made you lose taste for the most natural thing and the source of all life on the planet, water. Juice, milk, and water is all that is really good for you; everything else is unnecessary. I don't mean to sound like a totalitarian about the subject but junk in, and junk is what you'll see in the mirror.

    It isn't quite that straightforward. There are many who would claim that juice isn't good for you because it has too much sugar and none of the fiber of whole fruit. Others would argue that drinking milk from another species is unnatural and our bodies aren't built to handle that. The statement above is your opinion and your opinion only.
  • Kezzanna
    Kezzanna Posts: 45 Member
    I was very addicted to Coke. First diet coke then coke zero, then a friend scared me enough about the contents of the diet coke to go to regular coke. OMG I had it bad. I struggled to wean myself off it. One of the steps I took was to buy sparkling mineral water and to put a fresh cut slice of lime in the bottom of the glass and pour the sparkling water over the top. This was quite good and had the 'bubble effect.' Later I struggled further with sugar and caffeine withdrawals - so I went to iced tea. Nerada have sachets that you mix with water and although it has 77 calories I incorporate it into my daily calories and have no problem and it helps me to drink more pure water. I don't have it everyday - just when I crave something a little more - and no headaches since.

    These days I'm trying to avoid 'diet' anything for the possible long term harmful effects and also low fat/skim because I find myself more satiated with full fat and the low fat tends to have higher salt/carb/sugar contents. As long as it's incorporated into the daily allowance - no probs! ...but other people will have different opinions and experiences....
  • Pebble321
    Pebble321 Posts: 6,423 Member
    I think they just prolong bad habits - of needing something sweet, also very bad for your teeth.
    If you can just drink one now and again that's OK, but if you are having them all day you will see damage to your teeth and maybe your health.
    Try drinking plain soda water (just fizzy water, no flavouring or colouring) with a splash of lime juice- not cordial but the plain stuff you by in a bottle and keep in the fridge. I find this really refreshing and have this instead of a beer or wine in the evening.
    Ultimately I think plain water is probably best, but the limey soda water makes me feel like I'm having a treat and I usually just have one.
  • goatskinlegs
    goatskinlegs Posts: 40 Member
    Bottom-line, it's bad habits that has made you lose taste for the most natural thing and the source of all life on the planet, water. Juice, milk, and water is all that is really good for you; everything else is unnecessary. I don't mean to sound like a totalitarian about the subject but junk in, and junk is what you'll see in the mirror.

    It isn't quite that straightforward. There are many who would claim that juice isn't good for you because it has too much sugar and none of the fiber of whole fruit. Others would argue that drinking milk from another species is unnatural and our bodies aren't built to handle that. The statement above is your opinion and your opinion only.

    Were as Vegans would argue that drink milk from "other animals" is unnatural; drinking breast milk into adulthood would be disguising. None the less your body needs Calcium, and no were else can you find such a high dose of calcium and it's absorbion partner Vitamin D than in Milk. So that is not opinion, that is fact. And as for juice, yes your right of you drink crappy highly processed and filtered juices like Topp's, Mott's, Welch's, Tropicana, Ocran Spray, etc. then yes, you won't get any of the fiber you do from eat whole fruit, but of you go to alternative grocery stores you can find all kinds of unprocessed natural even organic juices that are rich in pulp and thus, fiber. Either way, I never said anything about juice as a substitute to real fruit, actually, if you read any of my other posts I always recommend REAL FOOD over anything else.

    But this is a forum about drinks, more specifically, diet drinks. And anything (regardless of YOUR opinions) is better than something a scientist cooked up in a lab and sweetened with High Fructose Corn Syrup or an Artificial sweetener. So if you still think that's my opinion, do a little research for yourself on the dangers and health risk associated with HFCS and the laundry list of artificial sweeteners because those too are facts. Seems to me your the one spouting off opinions here, not me. Have a great day and best of luck on your dieting plans, you're gonna need it with a giant chip like that on your shoulder.
  • Water is by far the best for you. If you are looking for something a little different, maybe try the SOBE Life Waters, they are Zero Calories (Zero Everything) and Sweetened with Stevia Extract. They are pretty tasty when you are looking for a something with a little flavor.
  • goatskinlegs
    goatskinlegs Posts: 40 Member
    Water is by far the best for you. If you are looking for something a little different, maybe try the SOBE Life Waters, they are Zero Calories (Zero Everything) and Sweetened with Stevia Extract. They are pretty tasty when you are looking for a something with a little flavor.

    I agree water in the source of all life on this planet and Stevia is a better alternative to any of those other "diet" sweeteners. Good post.
  • lessertess
    lessertess Posts: 855 Member
    Opinions on this subject vary and people will get pretty hot about their point of view. Are diet drinks healthy? No, probably not. Will they hurt your diet? For some people they do. Some people report that having the sweet taste makes them crave more sugar or high calorie foods. Other people tend to over compensate and eat more because they think they've earned it by drinking a diet drink.

    This isn't true for everyone. I actually find that maybe one a day helps me curb my cravings for sweets and to control my calories.

    As with most things, practice moderation. One a day won't hurt you. Six a day is probably a bad choice but it's entirely up to you.
  • Man, there are lot of diet soda haters. Lets list the benefits of diet soda. 1.) it is calorie free. If you replace your diet soda with some other flavored beverage with "natural" sweeteners, your adding calories and will lose less weight. 2.) It usually has caffeine, which is a stimulant and increases metabolism and has been shown to increase atheletic performance 3.)It's mostly water. Whether or not it has added ingredents doesn't really matter. No clear evidence has said that drinking pure water compared to carbonated water produces any greater weight loss.
    I would think the worst attribute of pop is the acidity and the havoc it can take on your tooth enamel. Aspartame has been found to be harmless at reasonable intake levels. Sure, it may cause cancer in huge amounts, but what doesn't? Of course water is better for you than drinking artificial sweeteners and preservatives, but think people get carried away when they say "it's soooo bad for you".
    That all being said, I've severly restricted my diet soda intake because i felt I was in bondage to it, and don't think that I should be addicted to anything.
  • HLRoberts1987
    HLRoberts1987 Posts: 139 Member
    I have heard that diet drinks are just as bad for you as regular sodas. your body doesnt know the difference between sugar and artificial sweetner. So your body is still processing those drinks as regular sodas. Like your pancreas. It just thinks its sugar....just what I've heard. but yes diet Mt dew is so good haha
  • Pandorian
    Pandorian Posts: 2,055 Member
    Got a laugh from one post in here

    "I hate water too but I drink bottle waters and they are 100 times better than faucet water and I've been on this diet for two weeks now and nothing but water and u will honestly find yourselves not craving cokes "

    Depending on the brand your bottled water is nothing but faucet water anyway, if it's sourced from Coke or Pepsi it's from your local bottling plants water connection to the city, where they get it at what $1 for 1000L and sell it to us at $1.50 per 500mL?
    Great for drinking water, it is a great addition and helps me out when I'm not really sure if I'm hungry or thirsty, a glass of water quenches it so I'm mindlessly eating less.
  • elainegsd
    elainegsd Posts: 459 Member
    Bottom-line, it's bad habits that has made you lose taste for the most natural thing and the source of all life on the planet, water. Juice, milk, and water is all that is really good for you; everything else is unnecessary. I don't mean to sound like a totalitarian about the subject but junk in, and junk is what you'll see in the mirror.

    It isn't quite that straightforward. There are many who would claim that juice isn't good for you because it has too much sugar and none of the fiber of whole fruit. Others would argue that drinking milk from another species is unnatural and our bodies aren't built to handle that. The statement above is your opinion and your opinion only.

    Were as Vegans would argue that drink milk from "other animals" is unnatural; drinking breast milk into adulthood would be disguising. None the less your body needs Calcium, and no were else can you find such a high dose of calcium and it's absorbion partner Vitamin D than in Milk. So that is not opinion, that is fact. And as for juice, yes your right of you drink crappy highly processed and filtered juices like Topp's, Mott's, Welch's, Tropicana, Ocran Spray, etc. then yes, you won't get any of the fiber you do from eat whole fruit, but of you go to alternative grocery stores you can find all kinds of unprocessed natural even organic juices that are rich in pulp and thus, fiber. Either way, I never said anything about juice as a substitute to real fruit, actually, if you read any of my other posts I always recommend REAL FOOD over anything else.

    But this is a forum about drinks, more specifically, diet drinks. And anything (regardless of YOUR opinions) is better than something a scientist cooked up in a lab and sweetened with High Fructose Corn Syrup or an Artificial sweetener. So if you still think that's my opinion, do a little research for yourself on the dangers and health risk associated with HFCS and the laundry list of artificial sweeteners because those too are facts. Seems to me your the one spouting off opinions here, not me. Have a great day and best of luck on your dieting plans, you're gonna need it with a giant chip like that on your shoulder.

    You are missing my point. I think that WATER is all that we really need.
  • MysticMaiden22
    MysticMaiden22 Posts: 324 Member
    You are missing my point. I think that WATER is all that we really need.

    Well, you could've just said that then instead of attacking a person's fact-based opinion :)
  • That_Girl
    That_Girl Posts: 1,324 Member
    Should quit the Dew just to save your teeth.

    I was addicted to diet coke/pepsi.

    I am now drinking (when I do) a small portion of regular instead of a HUGE diet one that I never finished anyway.
  • goatskinlegs
    goatskinlegs Posts: 40 Member

    You are missing my point. I think that WATER is all that we really need.

    Really? Did I not say that at the beginning on the post I made that you attempted to chastise me for? Did I not agree with the woman directly below my last reply to you? I think it's you who has missed the point. We have a fellow dieter here asking us if diet drinks are good for you or alternatives to them. Fact: diet drinks have been proven time and time again to be EXTREMELY bad for you. As for alternatives, there's a whole forum here of great suggestions from alot of other people including myself. What you said about juices being too sugary and milk not being good for you is a half truth at best. I already addressed the benefits of milk in my previous reply, so I'll not repeat myself and focus on your concerns about juice.

    Natural sugars like the kind found in fruits and their juices have a lower glycemic index than even turbinado sugar, which means you break it down easier than processed sugars and it doesn't spike your insulin levels like artificial or high fructose concentrates. So in the long run it's better to ingest natural sugars than to drink processed sugar drinks and the chances of developing serious health complications are much lower. Just like anything though moderation is always the key.

    I agree that water is ultimately the best decision. I've never and will never argue that fact. But as alot of people have expressed in this forum; they, for one reason or another, do not like plain water. So what's wrong with recommendations that are healthy, safe, and won't totally ruin your diet or your health? Nothing. But there's always gotta be a critic.

    A wise man once said, "It is better to be silent and thought a fool; than to open your mouth and remove all doubt." I would never sink to the level of name calling, but there is wisdom in those words. Knowledge is power, and my entire goal on here is to empower those without the knowledge. I do not take kindly to be scoldeded for speaking the truth. Have a great day, and best of luck with all your plans. If you ever feel like have a true discussion about diet and nutrition feel free to message me in private, but I will not continue this discussion when other people would like to say things that are much more constructive.
  • I have not had a diet coke since february 8th. I can't believe that I actually quit drinking them. I am making myself drink water and I also drink crystal light or uns-sweet tea. So, if I can give them up, anyone can!!
  • Bootzey
    Bootzey Posts: 274 Member
    Diet sodas still may have caffeine. Caffeine is a no no if you are wanting to lose weight
  • I have not had a diet coke since february 8th. I can't believe that I actually quit drinking them. I am making myself drink water and I also drink crystal light or uns-sweet tea. So, if I can give them up, anyone can!!

    Crystal light is sweetened with the same ingredient, aspartame, as diet sodas.
  • elainegsd
    elainegsd Posts: 459 Member
    Diet sodas still may have caffeine. Caffeine is a no no if you are wanting to lose weight

    What is your source for this info? There is quite a bit on the internet that indicates that there is no clear-cut correlation (for example, from the Mayo Clinic http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/caffeine/HQ00369 )
  • cmbrysonussery
    cmbrysonussery Posts: 55 Member
    Very interesting. I was thinking about cutting diet drinks out, but now I definitely am.
    Thanks for the info!
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