Is diet soda pop so bad?

[Courtney]

I understand that regular cola is bad since it contains lots of sugar, but is diet soda pop so bad? My friend keeps begging me to stop drinking diet pop and said that the sweetener is worse than sugar. I only drink 2 or maybe 3 cans a day. Does anyone see anything wrong with that?

[Elena]

Well, the truth is that artificial sweeteners have often been followed by various health controversies.
Now they’re mostly using aspartame, and it’s supposed to be okay, but… who knows what the future research might show?

If you need to lose weight, diet soda is better than the regular one, but if I was you, I’d try to gradually replace soda with water – that’s always the best choice while you’re on a diet.

[Jeremy]

I agree that water needs to be your choice of beverage. Save the diet pop as a once in awhile special treat. It’s not just the sweetener, but it’s also the amount of caffeine you’re consuming that might be of concern. In addition, some diet pops contain a lot of sodium to help boost its flavor. If you have a problem retaining water then diet pop will make this problem worse.

[Steven]

I did an experiment with how my body felt with soda consumption and without soda consumption. There was really a difference. Of course I felt better without it but I didn’t really realize how much until I actually did it. Now I just drink 100% juices and teas or lots of water. I can tell you there is a difference.

[Christa]

This is interesting because I drink a lot of diet soda. I think I will try the experiment to see how I feel on diet soda and off diet soda. Who knows I may even lose some weight when I am off diet soda. However it will be hard because I really really like diet soda.

[Tisa]

Hey Steven. Do you drink a lot of juices? I used to drink 100% juice, but was told that they contained too much sugar as well. I mainly stick with water and tea. Was never a tea drinker before, but am getting used to it.

[Ossie-Sharon]

Diet sodas aren’t a great choice for dieting because they do cause a series of processes in the body that may ultimately add to weight gain. If you really miss the carbonation, there are some lightly sweetened seltzers out there – small quantities of these vs. large amounts of regular soda can still make a big difference.
100% juice is OK, but not in large quantities – think of it more as a fruit than a beverage, which whole fruit still being the better choice.
Green tea is great a couple of times a day (again, not a lot, because it is a diuretic). Add a twist of lemon if you’re OK with the taste – it increases the health value.

[Stevie]

I drank some diet soda lately and one thing I can say is that it’s much worse than water. It made me feeling bloated all the time… And this made me prone to eating more food because I felt like a bad eater anyway (soda pop gave me a bad feeling in my stomach)… So, I’d really agree with Ossie – look for some alternatives…

[judygab]

I am trying to limit my soda, diet and othrwise by making one little bottle last for the day. I have some great tasting flavored seltzer waters and wonder if the selter causes bloating.

[Ossie-Sharon]

All carbonated befverages can cause bloating – not always an automatic reaction, but seltzer waters are ALWAYS a better choice than regular soft drinks, even “diet”.

[judygab]

Thanks! If I take the cap off the seltzer water will it be flat like pop? I actually prefer it flat.

[Ossie-Sharon]

Yes – it will be flat. Probably less of a chance it will cause bloating, too.

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