Diet Pop. Enemy? Why?

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I'm not advocating for Diet pop. I just need some clarity. Why is it so bad? It's diet, no sugar, low sodium. Need some feedback.
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  • teawithtennyson
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    Wish I could say it all scientifically correct...but basically because it is chemical based, your body doesn't really know what to do with it. I know "Dr. Oz" has said things that I have found to be true - that it sets you off on major cravings - particularly sugar and carb cravings. So you are saving the calories with the diet pop - but you are consuming more because you feel you need them when you don't. Any chemicals are hard on your system - and I think he said diet pop ages you faster too. You might go to his website and check it out. Hope you get some more solid info - in the mean time - stick with water - it helps in so many ways and you never have to worry about it hurting you (unless you just drink more than 8 - 8oz glasses in a day and flood your system). Pop dehydrates you - the opposite of what the water does. I drink tea with real sugar when I need a sweet and caffeine fix, then count it on my calories and feel no guilt!!
  • kellyscomeback
    kellyscomeback Posts: 1,369 Member
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    It's because of the sugar substitutes, those aren't too great for us. I don't drink soda often but when I do I'll reach for a Diet Coke. Does that make me the least interesting woman in the world?
  • beatlemom
    beatlemom Posts: 250 Member
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    Some people have issues with the artificial sweeteners...
  • BethanyMasters
    BethanyMasters Posts: 519 Member
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    Your body doesn't actually know the difference between real sugar and fake sugar and will still release insulin when you drink it which can cause you to become more hungry and can slow down fat burning.

    Not to mention that artificial sweeteners have chemicals in them or have been chemically changed and have been known to cause other health issues.
  • TinaS88
    TinaS88 Posts: 817 Member
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    The fake sugar in it is proven to make you crave real sugar. What is the purpose of it? The taste... it taste disgusting! Sure no calories, but there is 0 nutritional value in it. Just a waste.... and this is coming from someone who drank 6-8 real sodas a day! Now I am down to pretty much 0!! (Gave in today and had literally 1/4 of one. )
  • ShannonGeorgopoulos
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    Ty, I think you answered my question perfectly. Day 2 and no pop. My husband works for coke so it's readily available to me.
  • candistyx
    candistyx Posts: 547 Member
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    There are some good reasons and some bad.
    Diet coke for instance is very acidic, the more acidic food you consume the more your body leeches calcium from your bones to buffer the acid.
    Diet coke contains aspartame, even though it's heavily maligned it's basically made out of nutrients your body naturally uses anyway and unless you suffer from phenylketonuria there's no real evidence it does much harm. However artificial sweetners do have some proven problems. They are many times sweeter than sugar which strangely tricks the body into craving more sweetness and increases cravings for sweet foods.
    Finally any drink in plastic bottles has a risk of absorbing PCBs and phytoestrogens from the plastic and possibly other problematic plasticising chemicals with unknown effects. The overall risks of those chemicals in our diets at the levels they exist are not fully understood but there is a risk there (but this wont make a difference if a) your local water contains similar levels of such chemicals anyway and b) you dont replace the diet drinks with other drinks in similar bottles or containers).
  • utaviator
    utaviator Posts: 55 Member
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    I used to drink a lot of diet soda until I read the connection between carbonation and bone loss. I've been diagnosed with osteoporosis, and on meds for years. I continued to suffer bone loss until I gave up the Diet Coke, and then rebuilt some bone density. If you have been drinking soda for years, a bone scan would probably be a good idea.
  • maryd4love
    maryd4love Posts: 164 Member
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    - What everyone else have said is triue. I would add that since I stopped drinking pop my skin looks and feel better.....my complextion is so much better. Plus it feels so good that it no longer has control over me.
  • HeyLisa
    HeyLisa Posts: 201
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    I really dig diet soda.

    I have maybe one a day (I do try to drink lots of water too) .. I do feel a little air/bloat with the carbonation, but I dig it and i'm still losing so ..
  • anthony438
    anthony438 Posts: 578 Member
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    I'm not advocating for Diet pop. I just need some clarity. Why is it so bad? It's diet, no sugar, low sodium. Need some feedback.

    Diet pop stole my truck, made long-distance calls on my phone, and ate my lunch!!!!

    RAWR!!!!! :mad:
  • Mirabilis
    Mirabilis Posts: 312 Member
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    Pretty hard to drink soft drinks when you have to drink 8 glasses plus of water every day. That's why I gave it up.

    Re chemicals... we're made of them. My chemistry teacher in high school said "don't do drugs kids" before it was a popular thing to say, but he gave a real reason for it. They're made up of organic chemicals and our bodies love them as the building blocks of our organic form. Being complex organic chemicals, they sometimes have unintended consequences for our poor bodies, which only understand that they're something that can be used.

    Sometimes the bottom line is simpler than that. Your body wants sugar in the greatest quantities for the least amount of energy conversion possible. It's prepared to deal with things it recognizes as sugar because that's fuel. We suffer for that in the form of cravings for it.

    I seriously doubt aspartame and other sweeteners have a serious effect in the small quantities they're used in, but there could very well be a psychological effect that has nothing to do with the organics other than our brains recognizing what we like.
  • zudleymarie
    zudleymarie Posts: 100 Member
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    I'm not advocating for Diet pop. I just need some clarity. Why is it so bad? It's diet, no sugar, low sodium. Need some feedback.

    Diet pop stole my truck, made long-distance calls on my phone, and ate my lunch!!!!

    RAWR!!!!! :mad:

    Epic.
  • VeganGal84
    VeganGal84 Posts: 938 Member
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    I'm on the side of diet sodas. For me, anyway!

    I am a diet soda addict, and I'm not planning to quit drinking them any time soon. There are worse things out there that I've done in the past and given up (binge-eating and smoking come to mind), so I don't see diet sodas as being "bad".
  • teawithtennyson
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    trading one addiction for another is still living in slavery to something :(
  • summalovaable
    summalovaable Posts: 287 Member
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    I feel like i've posted this once or twice lol.

    From simple grade 12 chemistry, aspartame contains a benzene ring. This benzene ring (i wrote a great essay on it...just saying) contains alternating double bonds. Double bonds are all ready quite reactive but its the "alternating" part that makes them so dangerous. Benzene is a carcinogen, but also oxidizes into formaldehyde(the stuff used on dead animals before we dissect them). Formaldehyde leads to formaldehyde poisoning and so on. Other people have mentioned the pH level issue and what not, which is certainly a concern as well as the insulin problem. Overall, its artificial DONT DRINK IT... or maybe just cut it down? I know I'm addicted to diet pop, so its much easier said then done.
  • EricInArlington
    EricInArlington Posts: 557 Member
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    I think its because they taste so damn good, it has to be bad
  • lauristewart
    lauristewart Posts: 379 Member
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    I'm on the side of diet sodas. For me, anyway!

    I am a diet soda addict, and I'm not planning to quit drinking them any time soon. There are worse things out there that I've done in the past and given up (binge-eating and smoking come to mind), so I don't see diet sodas as being "bad".


    I can't agree more!! I have given up pasta, bagels, pancakes, and sweets and other stuff I love!! I have kept a 100 lbs loss off for 3 yrs!! I will keep drinking my diet soda and along with my water every day!! Love it!