Diet sodas. Yes or No?

this. there's no benefit whatsoever to drinking soda (diet or otherwise) and so many potential dangers.

Benefit: no calories and helps to satisfy sweet tooth for many (including myself). Potential dangers? Alarmism like this is why many people are naive about how the body really works. What do you actually know about the ingredients in diet soda? Not what you've heard, but what you actually know?

A.C.E. Certified Personal/Group Fitness Trainer
IDEA Fitness member
Kickboxing Certified Instructor
Been in fitness for 28+ years and have studied kinesiology and nutrition

I know quite a lot. Some artificial sweeteners are okay, while others are terrible for the body. Me = chem major. I've had many discussions with a highly respected chemical engineer who was the head for one of the major brands of soda, as well as other food and medical companies. One of the best in his field. I wouldn't go near aspartame or sucralose. I check all of my food for those 2 items. I know people argue that it must be safe and have no ill effects to be allowed in food, but if you think the FDA only allows food that is perfectly safe then that's your problem.

I think "everything in moderation"

I drink water, and only water 6 days of the week. Then once a week I have a 591mL of Diet Decaffeinated Pepsi (they don't make decaffeinated regular pepsi). I don't eat fast food, I don't eat fried foods, So some dark chocolate and deit decaf pepsi are my weaknesses for the week. And I'm ok with that.

Aspartame (Nutrisweet) which is in a lot of diet sodas actually turns into formaldehyde when you digest it. It chemically combines with a natural occurring chemical in your digestive system. Do you really want your liver and your intestines processing formaldehyde? Just to give you an idea, formaldehyde is what they use to preserve dead bodies or that frog you cut up in middle school biology class.

Splenda also has very negative side effects but I forget what they are at the moment. Artificial sweeteners have been linked to a myriad of health problems including diabetes and dementia.

Please excuse me if any of the information is specifically inaccurate but I am just reciting what I learned in several books I've read. (Rory Freedman, Kim Barnouin's Skinny *****, Robb Wolf's The Paleo Solution, Kris Carr's Crazy Sexy Diet, & Jillian Michaels' Master Your Metabolism to name a few)

If you are going to drink soda, opt for soda that lists SUGAR as an ingredient (better yet, honey or turbinado sugar sodas can be found in the organic section of your grocery store). Real sugar is always better than high fructose corn syrup which is a by product of fermented corn.

If you want to get even more specific and instead of making your own soda, choose to buy it and drink it; then try to avoid sodas made with regular white sugar. White sugar goes through a filter process that involves bone char to whiten it.

You can also make your own sodas through buying a carbonator (they were selling like hotcakes around early 2000). This turns basic tap water into soda through a pressurized carbonation unit. Instead of using the syrups they provide you with, play with your own variations. Add honey, agave nectar, REAL maple syrup or fresh squeezed fruit juice. You can also buy raw sugarcane and boil it (I don't know how to do this but this is how they used to do it before sugar could be bought in stores. It produces a sugar syrup that is completely natural and healthy for you.

This is a long diatribe but also keep in mind that sugar has been related to cocaine as far as addictions go. It activates the same portion of the brain when consumed as hard drugs do in drug addicts. Do not lie to yourself, your body is addicted to sugar. When sugar is combined with fat, it gets even worse.


Anyone who is really interested in learning what is healthy vs unhealthy, I recommend reading 'Skinny *****' and/or 'Skinny *kitten*'. They promote veganism but if you can overlook that fact, it is full of a lot of really interesting information that can be hard to find elsewhere. They are super amusing, in your face, and easy to read. If you are offended easily and choose to read this book, I recommend keeping in mind that the way it is written was intended to be so over the top in your face to get national attention. It was on the NYTimes best seller list and there's a reason for that!