Diet Soda

rabbit45
rabbit45 Posts: 36
edited September 19 in Food and Nutrition
Hi all... I always hear that soda is bad (calories and sugar...), so does that technically include diet soda? I know that "diet soda=cancer" but if I have a diet soda with lunch every day, is that OK for my diet? I need the caffeine and I am not too fond of water but do choke down at least two large glasses a day.

Replies

  • 00Angela00
    00Angela00 Posts: 1,077 Member
    Diet sodas have aspartame in them which can be very bad for you if you happen to have a gene that makes you allergic to it. (It can cause brain problems, headaches, etc) At least that's what I've heard. soda in general has a lot of nothing in it. There's nothing good, lots of sugars, etc. I would try to stay away from it as much as possible. Water is so so so so so good for you! I would drink water and than have a soda as a treat every once in awhile
  • LiMer
    LiMer Posts: 112 Member
    I heard from one Doctor that water can count as 1/2 of your water intake, example, 12 oz counts as 6 oz water. But I also heard that regardless diet or not, it's still bad for you because of it's carbonation. I am confused too, but I do have a can every once in a while.
  • hulfordca
    hulfordca Posts: 9
    I would also like to know the answer to this. Sometimes a Diet Coke here and there offers the little energy boast I need plus, when I'm feeling extra hungry at lunch, I'll have a diet coke instead of eating more food. Does Diet soda ruin a diet?
  • 00Angela00
    00Angela00 Posts: 1,077 Member
    http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/diet-soda/AN01732

    Question
    Diet soda: Is it bad for you?I drink diet soda every day. Could this be harmful?
    Answer
    from Katherine Zeratsky, R.D., L.D.
    Drinking a reasonable amount of diet soda a day, such as a can or two, isn't likely to hurt you. The artificial sweeteners and other chemicals used in diet soda are safe for most people, and there's no evidence that these ingredients cause cancer. Some types of diet soda are even fortified with vitamins and minerals. But diet soda isn't a health drink or a cure for weight loss. Although switching from regular soda to diet soda will save you calories, some studies suggest that drinking soda of any type leads to obesity and other health problems. And healthier choices abound. Start your day with a small glass of 100-percent fruit juice. Drink skim milk with meals. Sip water throughout the day. For variety, try sparkling water or enjoy a squirt of lemon or cranberry juice in your water. Save diet soda for an occasional treat.
  • blackbeltfairy
    blackbeltfairy Posts: 66
    Other than the aspartame content, the carbonation can be bad for your teeth and stomach.

    You know how they carbonate soda? With carbolic acid. It's dilute, but still an acid. So it can damage your stomach lining if you're prone to hyperacidity, and it damages the enamel on your teeth.

    A soda here and there? IMHO, it won't hurt you one bit. I love my Diet Coke, and nothing's making me give it up!
  • LuckyLeprechaun
    LuckyLeprechaun Posts: 6,296 Member
    this is just my personal opinion, based on nothing but my own thoughts, but...

    I think the "link" between diet soda and obesity is because so many obese people use drinking diet soda as an excuse for overeating. I used to work at wendy's, I cannot tell you how many obese customers would order a triple stack, with extra cheese and mayo, a biggie fries......and a diet coke.
    as if the diet coke cancels out the 1000+ calories in the food.

    I could be wrong, but.......
  • LuckyLeprechaun
    LuckyLeprechaun Posts: 6,296 Member
    Other than the aspartame content, the carbonation can be bad for your teeth and stomach.

    You know how they carbonate soda? With carbolic acid. It's dilute, but still an acid. So it can damage your stomach lining if you're prone to hyperacidity, and it damages the enamel on your teeth.

    A soda here and there? IMHO, it won't hurt you one bit. I love my Diet Coke, and nothing's making me give it up!

    they carbonate soda with CO2 gas. (carbon dioxide)
  • ndiamond
    ndiamond Posts: 37 Member
    I never liked soda growing up because we we're allowed to have it at home until I got older and by then, I didn't care for it.

    Recently, I've grown fond of the coke zero. Which I have on occassion but have chose not to keep it at home. Soda can dehydrate you and that's part of the problem, diet or not. I once went to the dr for a bladder infection and he told me I had to drink 10 glasses of water a day with the antibiotic. I asked if I could have coffee and soda and he said, one or two glasses but I have to drink an additional glass of water for whatever coffee and/or soda i consumed. I try to stick to that and it has discouraged me from drinking too much soda.

    I drink crystal light. 1 packet for every 32oz of water (I drink between 64 and 96 a day). :)
  • iftcheiaf
    iftcheiaf Posts: 960 Member
    I also read somewhere on here and elsewhere that when you drink a carbonated soda while eating, you will tend to eat more, as opposed to water which will make you feel full. And although I can't find the scientific reasoning behind it, I actually did my own little trial and found it to be true in my case. So if I have a diet soda, I do it away from food because sometimes my mouth just wants the bubbles.
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  • ronkswife2000
    ronkswife2000 Posts: 176
    I'm was a big soda drinker but I switched to the mini me cans (8oz) and after a little while of those I didn't want any at all... it's like I weaned myself from soda... you could give it a try.

    I know when I did weight watchers they said it was fine to have diet soda but I'm sure it's bad if you drink a lot of it just like regular soda. If I were you I would really try to have it as a treat from time to time???
  • ildi007
    ildi007 Posts: 107
    I'm not a soda drinker...and I guess now I have a reason to never become one.
    My daughter got a g-tube last year, and I was told in Children't Hospital that if it gets clogged, or if the inside of the tube gets in any way dirty from food, just put soda into it, let it sit for a few minutes, and that will "burn off" the gunk. Well......if that's what soda does to the side of the g-tube, I hate to know what does it do to the side of my tummy, or what's in there for nutrition.......................................:noway:
  • Georg
    Georg Posts: 1,728 Member
    I'm a water drinker - all the way - but I think a lot of people feel justified in eating more when they have diet soda.
  • mnichol
    mnichol Posts: 642
    try to switch to water or tea, soda in any form leaches the calcium from your bones!!!


    who calls it pop or soda????? depends on where your from.
  • jenninsocal
    jenninsocal Posts: 419
    I have gone around and around on this topic with so many people!

    In small doses, it's not a big deal, IMO. it can make you crave sugar, give you headaches, make you sick. If one a day doesn't make you sick, you're probably ok.

    I definitely agree it isn't healthy, but I have 1-2 cans a day. Not only do I LOVE diet coke, but I need the caffeine, and I hate coffee. Sometimes I drink tea but I really like something cold.
  • sportygal
    sportygal Posts: 221 Member
    Ever try switching to tea? You get the caffeine, but not all the chemicals of soda. There are a lot of great blends of tea out there! :)
    Even diet Soda can spike your sugar since it similates real sugar, so my view is all soda is bad and has no nutritional benefit.
    I'd say an iced coffee has more nutritional benefit! :)
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    Created by MyFitnessPal.com -
  • Tekamahmom
    Tekamahmom Posts: 15
    Diet soda will make you gain more weight than a regular soda.. I'm not sure exactly how but something about it has more sugar or something... Not sure... What you're supposed to do is just cut back on the soda to where you're eventually off the soda completely..... They had a huge thing on the news about it... Just thought you all should know...
  • jeannalwright
    jeannalwright Posts: 3
    I am an RN and take this as an opinion only but we even carry diet soda in our department for patients. If it was that harmful would all of our physicians allow our patients to have them. Plus if you completely deprive yourself of something like one diet coke a day the diet process will be way harder on you. Diet coke is empty calories it does nothing for you or against you. YOU GO FOR THAT DIET COKE!!!
  • GIBride01
    GIBride01 Posts: 328 Member
    Even diet Soda can spike your sugar since it similates real sugar, so my view is all soda is bad and has no nutritional benefit.

    Ok, explain to me how something with no sugar or carbohydrate in it will spike your blood sugar..:noway:

    Diet sodas will not make you gain weight, they will not cause you to wreck your diet. Are they a nutritional powerhouse? Not so much, but a diet soda now and again isin't going to kill anyone. There is a study out there about how excessive comsumption of diet sodas can possibly lead to overweight due to higher overall caloric intake, but its not the soda itself causing people to gain extra weight, its the extra calories they eat on top of the diet soda.
  • rabbit45
    rabbit45 Posts: 36
    Thanks for all of the info everyone... seems like I wasn't the only one confused :wink: I drink coffee in the morning and need a bit extra caffeine at lunch, hence the diet soda. I work in a school with an almost constant stream of children at my door so I rarely have time to even finish a whole can, much less make some hot tea. I will definately try the mini cans, especially since I waste so much of a full can anyway. As for eating more with a diet soda - must not be true for me because I actually eat less at lunch with a diet soda than at dinner with water and skim milk, but that's also how I plan my calories out.
  • rabbit45
    rabbit45 Posts: 36
    And it's definately called SODA :wink:
  • thumper44
    thumper44 Posts: 1,464 Member
    My Opinion Only.

    I'm one of those lifetime POP drinkers. Pepsi, Coke, Mountain Dew, Diet Coke, Sprite, Ginger-ale.
    I've been doing excellent for the last month drinking my water, and got off the 2-3 pop a day.

    I thought "I need the caffiene". IMHO, "you need the caffiene is a BS excuse".
    We can all live without pop, and our bodies will get used to not having that extra jolt of caffiene
    (Jolt, wasn't that a great pop, talk about being wired)

    I had my first diet ginger ale in a month. The gas(CO2) that I had from that pop reminded me of other reasons. Bloating, gas, burping, you get the picture.

    Aspartame. There is lots of information on the internet about this. Every now and then might be ok, but in exceeding amounts, yes it DOES AFFECT THE BRAIN.

    I have a sister in-law -in-law. Brothers wife, her brother's wife. (did that make sense)?

    She was addicted to Diet coke, and used to drink a 2 Litre of Diet coke daily.
    For the record, she is skinny and not obese.

    She has gone wacko, her thinking, her reactions. She'll get mad if her hubby takes away the diet coke. Addicted!!!!! . Her doctor told her to quit drinking it, and she won't stop.

    Just found this interesting website.

    http://www.aspartame.ca/page_a13.html
  • thumper44
    thumper44 Posts: 1,464 Member
    I'm not a soda drinker...and I guess now I have a reason to never become one.
    My daughter got a g-tube last year, and I was told in Children't Hospital that if it gets clogged, or if the inside of the tube gets in any way dirty from food, just put soda into it, let it sit for a few minutes, and that will "burn off" the gunk. Well......if that's what soda does to the side of the g-tube, I hate to know what does it do to the side of my tummy, or what's in there for nutrition.......................................:noway:

    Reminds me of the tips I've heard that you can use coke to remove various materials.
  • angelajiniel
    angelajiniel Posts: 115
    Diet soda actually makes you crave sweets and can make you process sugars differently, usually leading to weight gain. That my said, I'm addicted to Diet Dr Pepper and usually have about 2 cans a day. I'm trying very hard to stop, but I know it's true. I crave sweets and chocolate constantly.
  • thumper44
    thumper44 Posts: 1,464 Member
    I am an RN and take this as an opinion only but we even carry diet soda in our department for patients. If it was that harmful would all of our physicians allow our patients to have them. Plus if you completely deprive yourself of something like one diet coke a day the diet process will be way harder on you. Diet coke is empty calories it does nothing for you or against you. YOU GO FOR THAT DIET COKE!!!

    I am all for the help that your profession provides, but I dis-agree with your comment, hospitals also carry morphine for patients.
    Doctors allow patients to have morphine too, and then will give them more morphine for certain conditions that the public is not aware of, that's NOT HEALTHY.
  • ShanIsRad
    ShanIsRad Posts: 31
    I am all for the help that your profession provides, but I dis-agree with your comment, hospitals also carry morphine for patients.
    Doctors allow patients to have morphine too, and then will give them more morphine for certain conditions that the public is not aware of, that's NOT HEALTHY.

    I don't understand your last comment... one of my best friends was in the hospital, and the only painkiller that would work for her is Morphine (they tried everything else). Yes, it can be bad, people can become addicted to it- but people can become addicted to almost anything.

    Anyway, I have also heard that diet soda makes you crave sweets, and I believe its true. I used to drink Diet Coke/Coke Zero CONSTANTLY. I would drink at least a 20oz bottle a day, and if I was at school, I'd sometimes drink 2 during one class! And I'd have to get some kind of candy to go with it, and if I didn't have candy, I would really want something sweet. I totally cut it out- I have it 1x a week, at most (and that's if we're ordering lunch at work, and the cup of soda is cheaper than the bottle of water)! Instead, I drink Arizona diet iced green tea- Blueberry or White Cranberry/Apple, and its so good, and only 25 cals/bottle!
  • April0815
    April0815 Posts: 780 Member
    I have read that drinking regular or diet causes belly fat. I used to drink more than 4 diet cokes a day. When I cut them completely out thats where I lost weight at first was my belly. That's where the majority of my weight loss has been. Total I have lost 43 lbs.
  • jeannalwright
    jeannalwright Posts: 3
    That is basically what I am saying...everything in moderation. Thank you for standing up for the health care professionals. We work hard!!!
  • rabbit45
    rabbit45 Posts: 36
    I agree as well with "everything in moderation". That is true for so many things. I just did a bit of research about aspartame on my lunch hour and found this on mayoclinic.com:

    The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has approved the following low-calorie sweeteners for use in a variety of foods. The FDA has established an "acceptable daily intake" (ADI) for each sweetener. This is the maximum amount considered safe to eat each day during your lifetime. ADIs are intended to be about 100 times less than the smallest amount that might cause health concerns.

    Aspartame (NutraSweet, Equal) - 50 milligrams (mg) per kilogram (kg) = 18 to 19 cans of diet cola
    Saccharin (Sweet'N Low, SugarTwin) - 5 mg per kg = 9 to 12 packets of sweetener
    Acesulfame K (Sunett, Sweet One) - 15 mg per kg = 30 to 32 cans of diet lemon-lime soda
    Sucralose (Splenda) - 5 mg per kg = 6 cans of diet cola

    (http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/artificial-sweeteners/MY00073)

    Since I'm drinking nowhere near 18-19 cans of diet soda a day, I'm not going to worry too much about the aspartame. I do agree I need to work on getting more water in my diet. I've never been good at that. As for all of the other information floating around the internet... you definately have to consider your sources. You can find anything on the internet to support a "fact", no matter how absurd it is.
  • Nich0le
    Nich0le Posts: 2,906 Member
    Diet or regular is a choice, just like thousands of other choices we make each day. Neither one is good for you and not even for the contents but the carbonation. Carbonated beverages have been linked to decrease our bone density and ladies, we need to keep all the bone we can!

    Moderation is key to everything! :flowerforyou:
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