Diet Soda??? Your thoughts?

From a weight-loss perspective, switching to diet soda is good if you're used to drinking a lot of the regular stuff... But from a health perspective, you should wean yourself off of the stuff altogether.

The sodas made with Splenda are a crock... "Splenda tastes like sugar because it's made from sugar"... sure, but what they don't tell you is that they strip the calories away by bathing the sugar in CHLORINE. Do you really want that in your body?

And I don't know about asparthame turning into methanol like one poster said, but there is a lot of reserach out there about how it breaks down into its parts in our bodies... and one of those parts is FORMALDEYHDE. Yep - the stinky stuff they use to keep dead bodies hydrated for disection. The debate is over how much of the formaldeyhde is absorbed by our bodies.

Personally, I've avoided diet sodas since I was 12 and discovered they were the reason for my stomach problems and headaches.

If you really don't want to give up sodas, pull a bait-and-switch. Make your own "soda" by mixing club soda or sparkling water with a little lemon juice and/or lime juice and sugar to make a 7-up sort of drink and over time decrease the amount of sugar you use. You can do the same thing with other drinks like iced tea, chocolate milk, kool-aid, etc. After a while you won't even notice the lack of sweetness.

Peace, Love & Veggies!

~Jacki

Formaldehyde is a natural ingredient in many fruits, vegetables, meats, and mushrooms. It is processed by your body just like it would be from natural sources. As mentioned earlier, methanol is produced by the body naturally, it's not harmful.

As for the chlorine argument, you know what else has chlorine? Salt. Splenda is sucralose which is just like sucrose except for three of the hydroxyl groups are replaced by chloride. Yes, I do want chloride in my body because it is necessary for most biochemical reactions.

Referring to chemicals such as formaldehyde and chlorine out of context is fear-mongering ignorance. Chemicals have many uses beyond the ones typically associated with them such as corpse preservation or pool cleanliness.

Personally I prefer to err on the side of safety. Anyway, as a previous poster said, I don't drink soda when I'm eating clean (not because of trying to lose weight), but I'll have a regular one every now and then on my cheat day.

Do you know what else contains chloride (an ion of chlorine)? Common table salt. Common table salt (Sodium Chloride) is made from chloride (an ion of Chlorine, which in gaseous form is extremely toxic and was one of the first poison gasses used in World War 1) and Sodium (a metal that reacts vigorously in water; i.e. explodes).

Every single thing you eat is made of chemicals. There are only 118 known elements on the periodic table of elements. Every living thing and every inanimate object on the planet is made up of a mixture of these elements. You can't avoid "harmful" chemicals (unless you seal yourself in a vacuum and don't eat, drink or breathe). Water is comprised of hydrogen and oxygen (2 flammable gasses). Does that mean we should avoid drinking water?

Do you know what else contains chloride (an ion of chlorine)? Common table salt. Common table salt (Sodium Chloride) is made from chloride (an ion of Chlorine, which in gaseous form is extremely toxic and was one of the first poison gasses used in World War 1) and Sodium (a metal that reacts vigorously in water; i.e. explodes).

Every single thing you eat is made of chemicals. There are only 118 known elements on the periodic table of elements. Every living thing and every inanimate object on the planet is made up of a mixture of these elements. You can't avoid "harmful" chemicals (unless you seal yourself in a vacuum and don't eat, drink or breathe). Water is comprised of hydrogen and oxygen (2 flammable gasses). Does that mean we should avoid drinking water?

See, now you're getting a little ridiculous. Of course everything is made up of all the elements - any 6th grader can tell you that. Arsenic and Mercury are also on the table of elements, but I don't see people reccomending you drink THEM by the liter.

People need to educate themselves on what is being put into our bodies, that's all I'm saying. Smokers have been ignoring the health warnings associated with smoking for decades, some vegetarians stopped eating meat because they didn't want to consume the hormones and whatnot that ends up in our meat supply, and the Organic movement is stronger than ever because people don't want pesticides and other chemicals on the food they eat. If you do the research and say "meh - I'm cool with that" then do whatever you want.

I'm not being ridiculous. It is a valid point.

Check the chemical composition of anything (including organic vegetables) and you will see that you are consuming harmful chemicals.

Raw apples (including organically grown apples) contain: Sodium, Magnesium, Copper, Zinc, Phosphorus, Chloride, and Iodine.

http://www.food-allergens.de/symposium-vol1(3)/data/apple/apple-composition.htm

I'm not being ridiculous. It is a valid point.

Check the chemical composition of anything (including organic vegetables) and you will see that you are consuming harmful chemicals.

Raw apples (including organically grown apples) contain: Sodium, Magnesium, Copper, Zinc, Phosphorus, Chloride, and Iodine.

http://www.food-allergens.de/symposium-vol1(3)/data/apple/apple-composition.htm

What exactly makes them harmful? Especially in small doses, from natural sources, that is not the same as diet soda which is the furthest thing from natural and all of those things I am sure do something for the body, like magnesium to quote "Magnesium plays an important role in at least 300 fundamental enzymatic reactions and for that reason is of vital importance in our health."

Sodium also not bad for you, extra chloride leaves the body in urine so yes your argument is just silly.

There is nothing unhealthy about eating fruits and vegetables, so yes it is ridiculous and it is not the same as drinking soda or other unnatural sources of these chemicals.

Why should we leave your post alone when it may contain incorrect or misleading information? It's a public forum and we are allowed to rebut your information. Everything that ninerbuff said is accurate.

Everyone has there own opinion and beliefs ...this site is here for us to have support and help and you being rude doesn't help anyone. What i posted is what i believe so please stop being rude and think about others feelings.

Yes, everyone does have their own opinions. Just because someone disagrees with you does not mean they are being rude. You are also correct that this site is here for support. Supporting means offering the best information and advice as possible. Your argument had flaws that were pointed out for the benefit of others forming their own opinions. Don't take it personally.

I am not missing your point I replied to your point, chemicals are in everything yes, but some sources of chemicals are better than others. And having chemicals is something does not make it unhealthy because chemicals are necessary to our bodies natural functions, they and not only necessary but good for us.

And many things that are good for us can be dangerous if you receive to much, that does not make them unhealthy, it means your not supposed to get to much.

Another point you made was "Check the chemical composition of anything (including organic vegetables) and you will see that you are consuming harmful chemicals" when in fact those chemicals not harmful.

Excuse me but you are being rude. And by the way i got that information from a website so stop being rude and your really upsetting me please just stop

I am not missing your point I replied to your point, chemicals are in everything yes, but some sources of chemicals are better than others. And having chemicals is something does not make it unhealthy because chemicals are necessary to our bodies natural functions, they and not only necessary but good for us.

And many things that are good for us can be dangerous if you receive to much, that does not make them unhealthy, it means your not supposed to get to much.

Another point you made was "Check the chemical composition of anything (including organic vegetables) and you will see that you are consuming harmful chemicals" when in fact those chemicals not harmful.

The example I gave was for an apple.

So according to what you have said it is safe to eat phosphorous?

If you aren't aware of it, phosphorous (like sodium) is also a reactive compound that self ignites when exposed to moisture.

I am not missing your point I replied to your point, chemicals are in everything yes, but some sources of chemicals are better than others. And having chemicals is something does not make it unhealthy because chemicals are necessary to our bodies natural functions, they and not only necessary but good for us.

And many things that are good for us can be dangerous if you receive to much, that does not make them unhealthy, it means your not supposed to get to much.

Another point you made was "Check the chemical composition of anything (including organic vegetables) and you will see that you are consuming harmful chemicals" when in fact those chemicals not harmful.

The example I gave was for an apple.

So according to what you have said it is safe to eat phosphorous?

If you aren't aware of it, phosphorous (like sodium) is also a reactive compound that self ignites when exposed to moisture.

Yes I am because phosphorus is found in the body, and actually "Phosphorus is the body’s next most abundant mineral after calcium."

http://www1.davita.com/diet-and-nutrition/diet-basics/phosphorus-and-chronic-kidney-disease/a/478

and extra amounts are excreted, so yes, phosphorus, sodium, magnesium and a whole bunch of others are essential to the human body. Apples and other fruits and vegetables are not harmful and you have yet to provide any proof that they are. Just because it is a chemical does not make it bad for us.

Everyone has there own opinion and beliefs ...this site is here for us to have support and help and you being rude doesn't help anyone. What i posted is what i believe so please stop being rude and think about others feelings.