What's the deal with diet soda?

[Angleraise]

First of probably many questions from a complete newbie:
I understand the importance of drinking plenty of water, but what is it in diet soda that makes it a negative? Or Crystal Light or sugar-free Kool-Aid for that matter?

[as a Canadian, I should've called it diet pop, but when in Rome... ]

[RobBroadhurst]

Some people freak out about artificial sweeteners and try not to drink any. I've heard so many conflicting views on it, that it's hard to make an argument either way.

I personally have a Crystal Light packet in a water bottle every other day or so just to get some extra flavor and make drinking water feel like less of a chore.

The main argument against diet soda (or "pop" in your case), or any beverage with carbonated water, is that it's a diuretic. You need to drink so much water in the first place, so drinking a lot of Diet Coke will only dehydrate you. My opinion (though I'm interested to see others) is that an occasional diet soft drink is okay every once in a while as a treat, but try to drink an extra bottle of water to compensate for the diuretic effect.

[Chris]

Yes, I agree with Rob. It's not that diet soda is bad for you per se, it's just that it's far from optimal. Phillips says it's ok in the book, and that you should just chase it with an equal quantity of water. But as Rob said, it's full of artificial sweeteners. Those fake sugars can reportedly spike insulin much like sugar, contributing to fat storage (although I haven't seen peer reviewed evidence of this). They also contain a lot of acid, artificial coloring, artificial flavoring, and can dehydrate you. I'm more of a purist. I don't like eating a lot of manufactured, artificial foods, so diet drinks are a no-no for me... and I don't care for the flavor either, so it's easy to say no for me..

For you, it's a personal choice. Drink them if you want, but be aware that it's far from optimal nutrition.

[Adam]

In terms of the insulin spike caused by diet pop (because I'm canadian too hah) I have mostly heard it's only a rumor. I would believe that it's potentially different from person to person.

About a year ago I got quite lean following a ketogenic diet (basically 0g carbs a day...just protein and lots of fats) and I would drink quite a lot of diet soda and it never ever knocked my body out of ketosis (wich eating anything that spikes insulin would do once your body is in that state)...

So in my books diet pop is fine. I would even say have one a day if you really need to, but I think that it's better to break that habit because if you're drinking one a day you are probably addicted. I know I've been there before

[Hamoth]

Originally Posted by Angleraise

First of probably many questions from a complete newbie:
I understand the importance of drinking plenty of water, but what is it in diet soda that makes it a negative? Or Crystal Light or sugar-free Kool-Aid for that matter?

[as a Canadian, I should've called it diet pop, but when in Rome... ]

Evil.

1. The chemicals used to produce the sweet flavor strike me as highly dubious.
2. The body reacts to them as if they were sugar...producing insulin - this drops your blood sugar and causes you to over eat! So the calorie free status of the soda really just means it's a lazy food that shifts the guilt to your next meal.

Doctors Agree.
Research shows a link between diet soda and obesity <-- seriously...ever see the slim person in the commercial drinking a diet soda in real life? I only see people shaped like me drinking them.

There is no free ride. You knew that when you decided to change your habits. Soda is a bad habit all around. Kick it. You are here to transform so look for excuses to eliminate bad habits - not to keep them. There's no light cigarette, there's no diet soda, imho.

Try a fruit smoothie every day! You won't crave those sodas for long

[RobBroadhurst]

Interesting article, Hamoth. Just to play devil's advocate, I thought one of the comments after the article was pretty interesting:

Diet pop is better than regular pop. Water is even better yet. Finding a link between overweight people and diet soda is like finding a link between ice cream and drowning deaths. (Ice cream sales are higher in the summer, as are drowning deaths, but one does not cause the other to happen. In statistics, the phrase is "correlation does not indicate causation".)

I have many skinny, skinny friends who drink regular Coke and Pepsi. Why do they drink the regular stuff? Because they're skinny. All of my overweight friends drink diet. Why? Because they're over weight.

Diet pop is not the answer to weight loss. It is merely one facilitator in a whole plethora of issues. To lose really lose weight for the long term, you will require a lifestyle change. Not a pop change, not a potato chips change, and not a meal change. Think about everything you put into your body; think about every chemical. Learn what the purposes of those ingredients on the label are. Then, make an educated decision about what you want in your body.

So is it optimal? Definitely not. But how many of the surveyed "overweight diet cola drinkers" are doing a program like Body For Life? My guess is close to none.

So I say drink them as an occasional treat and not a once a day thing (I would say the same about a glass of wine). Sometimes when you're at a bar with friends, you don't want to look like a gomer drinking ice water.

[Hamoth]

True nuff. All good things in moderation. Still...pilots aren't allowed aspartame. I just can't trust it...

I would rather just have a coctail at the bar. lol.

I have actually, done some research into drinking low-calorie. It's a bit like sex with three condoms on...but sometimes, daddy needs a cocktail. I also enjoy the light beer on occasion.

My only dietary slips are afternoon drinks and late night chocolate. I managed to kick the chocolate and severely reduce the drinking on the weekends, but not kick it entirely.