6 Reasons To NEVER Drink Another Diet Soda

Is this the one vice
every FOF needs to give up… now?

130711103358-soda-generic-story-top

When Dr. Vincent Pedre, MD, one of New York City’s most sought after internists, meets a new patient, he always asks her: “How much soda do you drink? How much diet soda do you drink?”

“I don’t wait for her to volunteer the information,” says Pedre. “Soda consumption is an important part of the overall health history.” The fact is, millions of us drink diet soda because we’re (a) trying to lose weight; (b) like it more than water; and (c) compared to soda, it’s the lesser of two evils… right?  Wrong, says Dr. Pedre, who insists that diet soda is just as bad if not worse for your body… and for your waistline.  Here, he offers seven reasons to stop drinking it right now.

1. It actually makes you fatter.

Scientists at the University of Texas Health Science Center San Antonio followed 474 people for 10 years and found that the more diet soda the subjects drank, the fatter they got. Diet soft drink users experienced 70 percent greater increases in waist circumference compared with non-users. Those who drank two or more diet sodas a day saw their waists grow 500% bigger than non-users, even when controlling for things like age and exercise. Wait… what? How could America’s favorite diet drink be making us fat? “We still don’t know for sure, why,” says Dr. Pedre. “One theory is that when you eat something sweet, it triggers insulin and the cascade of hormones that make you feel full. Diet soda triggers the sweet receptors on your tongue, but not the insulin, so you never feel full. It actually causes you to crave—and probably eat—more high-carb, processed foods.”

2.  It increases risk of stroke, heart attack and cardiovascular disease.

A recent study of 2,564 adults over 40 living in Manhattan (published in the Journal of General Internal Medicine) concluded that daily consumption of diet soda was independently associated with an increased risk for stroke, heart attack and death. Shockingly, consumption of regular soda was not associated with an increased risk. “Again, this doesn’t tell us why,” says Dr. Pedre, “but we know that people who drink diet soda seem to gain weight and have a greater chance of developing metabolic syndrome,” an increasingly common syndrome associated with abdominal weight gain, high blood pressure, high blood sugar, insulin resistance, an increased risk for heart disease and diabetes.

3. It gives you a super-powered sweet tooth.

“The level of sweetness in these diet drinks—the strength with which they stimulate your sweet receptors—is so strong, that you can lose the ability to taste the natural sweetness in foods like fruits and vegetables,” says Dr. Pedre. “You end up wanting to eat things that are going to stimulate those receptors, such as processed foods and other sweets. When you put someone on a detox, and take these things out of their diet for a while, their taste receptors come back. Suddenly they’re able to eat a blueberry, which maybe tasted bland before, and appreciate how delicious it is.”

4. It leaches calcium from your bones.

Diets high in phosphoric acid are associated with lower bone density, hip fractures and osteoporosis. Guess what contains phosphorous? That’s right, cola. Phosphoric acid gives your diet Coke that tangy, acidic taste that’s so fun to drink, plus it prevents mold and bacteria from forming in the can. Yum? “The addition of caffeine also causes reduced calcium absorption,” points out Dr. Pedre. “If you’re drinking a diet cola or two a day, you’re really setting yourself up for osteoporosis in the long run.”

5. Some experts insist that artificial sweetener is a neurotoxin.

The debate has long raged as to whether artificial sweeteners cause cancer. “It’s fine!” says your friend as she swirls five Equals into her coffee. “That answer is still up in the air,” admits Dr. Pedre, “But, aspartame is a neurotoxin, which means it causes irritation and over-stimulation of the nerves.” This is also a highly controversial statement. The FDA has assured consumers that aspartame is safe, however the debate has raged on, and in recent years many European brands have been slowly removing aspartame from their products. In addition, a minority of very vocal doctors, including Dr. Joseph Mercola, a Huffington Post blogger, and Dr. Russell Blaylock, a board certified neurosurgeon, have led crusades against the additive, insisting that it causes longterm nerve and neurological damage, with common symptoms being headaches and migraines. According to a widely quoted article by Dr. Mercola, “100 percent of the industry funded studies supported aspartame’s safety, while 92 percent of the independently funded studies identified at least one potential health concern.”

6. The caramel color is a carcinogen.

Coca Cola and Pepsi both use a chemical called 4-methylimidazole (4-MI) to give their drinks that signature brown, caramel color. Looks yummy, but 4MI is a known carcinogen that, in high doses, has been linked to cancer in mice and rats. As part of California’s new Proposition 65, a company must inform consumers if its products contain any substance “known to cause cancer or reproductive toxicity.” Reluctant to put a “toxic” warning on millions of cans, Coca Cola released a statement this week saying: “We have asked our caramel manufacturers to modify their production process to reduce the amount of 4-MI in the caramel.” Is the additive gone? No. Is this language sort of hazy? Yes. “The FDA has let this slide because they say the quantity of 4MI in the sodas isn’t enough to be harmful,” explains Dr. Pedre, “But these toxins are stored in fat, so if you’re overweight or carry weight in your mid-section, I can tell you that you’re likely not flushing this toxin out of your body. Each time you drink a soda, more toxins are going in than are coming out. That cumulative effect is very hard to account for.”

Ready to crack open an ice cold cola? Yeah… we aren’t either. So what should we drink? “Water,” says Dr. Pedre. “I can also get on board with sparkling water and a touch of organic berry juice or lemon. Bottom line: If you drink water, herbal tea and eat lots of plants, you just don’t have to worry about this stuff.” How… refreshing.

We’re curious… do you drink diet soda?

0 Responses to “6 Reasons To NEVER Drink Another Diet Soda”

  1. Kendall Grime says:

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  2. Rakesh says:

    Thanks for the sharing such informative article with us, Its very use full for all peoples. I recommend to drink herbal drinks like Shunya Fusion drink as follow.
    https://www.drinkshunya.com/

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  3. Avalina Kreska says:

    Check out over 100 research studies on Aspartame – you won’t touch it again! https://artificialsweetenerawareness.blogspot.com/p/aspartame-studies_4.html

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  4. Avalina Kreska says:

    You bet it’s the answer! Check out these testimonies… https://artificialsweetenerawareness.blogspot.com/p/blog-page.html

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  5. Avalina Kreska says:

    The formaldehyde that is broken down when consuming aspartame is cumulative. https://artificialsweetenerawareness.blogspot.com/p/health-comics.html

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  6. Avalina Kreska says:

    Splenda or Sucralose also has problems. Did you know that humans don’t metabolise Sucralose so it ends up in the waste water treatment plants – this could seriously affect aquatic life! https://artificialsweetenerawareness.blogspot.com/p/sucralose-studies.html

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  7. Avalina Kreska says:

    Actually, the diet industry is VERY persuasive! People are all different and under different pressures. I wrote a post called ‘zero calorie psychology – I hope it’ll make you think… https://artificialsweetenerawareness.blogspot.com/2019/12/the-psychology-of-consuming-zero.html

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  8. Avalina Kreska says:

    Please do quit consuming before it’s too late. Read the other testimonials of people injured by aspartame and be brave and QUIT! https://artificialsweetenerawareness.blogspot.com/p/blog-page.html

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  9. Avalina Kreska says:

    I would never touch another diet soda, both me and my husband have been seriously injured by it, my husband was hospitalised! Because of this, I’ve devoted a blog to informing people about it. It’s stuffed with info. Hope you folks find it useful. Also, Dr Roberts wrote a 1000 page text called ‘Aspartame – An Ignored Epidemic’ it’s full of his patients problems due to consuming Aspartame. It’s poisoning the world. Here’s my blog; feel free to add comments or get involved. https://artificialsweetenerawareness.blogspot.com

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  10. Dan Moore says:

    More junk science. Here’s a clue for all those “but we don’t know why” dummies. They’re looking at a group that drinks diet soda, which is why – surprise! – it has FAT people. The sampling intrinsically contains overweight individuals. And: surprise! They have health issues! Morons – this doesn’t mean the diet soda is causing them, which is why nitwits like Dr. Pedre keep saying “we don’t know why this is true”.
    As a matter of fact Dr. Pedre is a poster child for the dumbing down of America.

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  11. Tell It Like It Is says:

    Good for you listening to your Uncle!!! He was absolutely correct!!!

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  12. Tell It Like It Is says:

    Your body is a temple and you are told to take care of it, so if you continue to drink poison then God has nothing to do with when you die, you did it to yourself. Don’t use God as your excuse to put poison in your body, how shameful, you have control over what you eat, you don’t have control over the air, God protects us from what we can’t control.

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  13. seyton144 says:

    I kicked a diet coke habit by switching to soda water– what I liked about the coke experience as opposed to water was the fizziness so that worked for me. You can make a pretty decent drink from club soda, and a little lemon and/or lime juice. Or if you like the sweetness you can do half of a high quality juice and half club soda. Don’t know if it works for you, worked for me.

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  14. DJ says:

    Waters bad for you folks you can drown in it, and if you drink to much your stomach will explode. Hahaha To much water I should’ve said.

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  15. DJ says:

    Yea agreed this is another sugar scam. They didn’t even include solid Data, such as What else were they drinking, What were they eating?

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  16. Terry Hartsell-Meacham says:

    I drank 6-8 cans of Diet Pepsi per day for about 15 years. Yes, that is a LOT of soda. My mother had been warning me about the dangers of Aspertame for YEARS. I now drink Diet Pepsi once or twice per week but I drink about a gallon of sweet tea per day! I’m sure that the sugar is safer than the Aspertame and I don’t have weight issues so the sugar isn’t an issue as far as weight is concerned. (I do get headaches more frequently than I ever have but that can be partially contributed to the fact that I am raising three of my grandchildren.) I can definitely attest to the fact that Diet Pepsi causes immediate hunger pangs, but I would eat a handful of pretzels or something to control them. I was so addicted to it that I would sometimes wake up during the night and guzzle an ice cold Diet Pepsi before going back to bed. I still drink a diet soda once in awhile; I don’t like the taste of regular soda. Hopefully, I haven’t caused so much damage that it can’t be reversed.

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    • Avalina Kreska says:

      I hear this story over and over – addiction. What’s worse is that people don’t believe it’s the aspartame!

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  17. Heather P says:

    Casey, As an almost 40 I’m here looking for ways people stay healthy as they age. And while I see your point and was even thinking the exact same on 2 points. I would say soda, and diet soda especially is negatively impacting your health. You think you are “saving” calories by drinking it. But some research that I’ve done in prep for a muscle competition leads me to believe that the research here is 75% accurate as to it leading to increased fat storage/weight gain.

    Additionally, I have ADD and I know that when I cut out “diet” sugar my mental clarity/concentration/focus and memory all improve greatly. I could attribute t to my increased water consumption. However I know that drinking a gallon of water a day and NOT cutting sweeteners simply does not have the same effect.

    Best of luck on your proactive health plans.

    Heather

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  18. Angela Maria says:

    I don’t drink soda at all….that is also an option

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  19. jshields says:

    Agreed, HFCS is the real toxin! It is in everything! Weened my family off of it & we feel so much better, hubby lost weight without even trying.

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  20. Roxy Dereje says:

    don’t care im drinking it

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  21. Barbara Wind Lagravinese says:

    I get the fact that its all chemicals, but when you are on a diet like Weight Watchers etc, they tell you you can drink diet soda..

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  22. Chris says:

    The first point about diet soda making people fatter is incorrect. It has nothing to do with diet vs regular soda. Most people who drink diet are already fat to begin with. Hence regardless of their soda intake, they are going to get fatter anyway since their diet will cause this.

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  23. Tim St. John says:

    By drinking it you also support the IDF and genocide in Palestine / Gaza.

    Check out Shane The People’s Chemist Ellison for ways to get over the withdrawal phase. Shane was a chemist for Eli Lilly for many years.
    He is a man of integrity that will always give it to your straight up: with no fillers.

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    • rbs76 says:

      I support the IDF. Go there. I was once stoned just for not wearing a tea towel in some village. Most of the Palesrinians do not support the radical haters, but they are murdered if they don’t go along. All Palestinian businesses have to pay extortion not to be burned down. About 25% of the Palestinians believe in 7th century murder of all non-believers, they kill without remorse and are the problem. The Jews would and due hire Palestinians, it is just that out of nowhere a killer joins in and destroys all. And, like anywhere, peaceful Muslims will not out the nuts.

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  24. Tim St. John says:

    How about that it is the most dangerous substance on the planet that is added to foods today?

    Proof? Here: http://goo.gl/zUBa0l

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  25. Tim St. John says:

    Your uncle is absolutely correct.

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  26. dialate says:

    Yeah its just the sugar lobbyists doing their job. The amino acids in aspartame are as safe as you can get. The headaches come from the insulin burst you get when sweet hits your tongue, and blood sugar drops because there is no actual sugar in there. They don’t happen if you only drink it with or just after a meal.

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    • Tim St. John says:

      BullS**t!

      Aspartame is By Far the Most Dangerous Substance Added to Most Foods Today.

      If you want the “Unbiased” truth, here it is.

      http://goo.gl/zUBa0l

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      • Tell It Like It Is says:

        AMEN! That’s the God honest truth – I almost died from it so I know firsthand that Aspartame is pure poison!!!

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      • dialate says:

        Read the list of symptoms at your link. Then read the list of symptoms for hypoglycemia here:

        http://www.diabetes.org/living-with-diabetes/treatment-and-care/blood-glucose-control/hypoglycemia-low-blood.html?referrer=https://www.google.com/

        The list is identical. I guess hypoglycemics find aspartame detrimental. It makes sense.

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      • Casey Whitcher says:

        I’m not sure how I came across this post again from a couple years ago. I will tell you that I have stopped Drinking Diet soda and I finally got my reason.

        I was always skeptical of the calcium leaching thing, but as it turns out, I’ve seen compelling evidence that it is an issue for middle aged women.. wouldn’t effect me… but I have a daughter, I’m not one of those do as I say not as I do guys, so we’re both done with it.

        That said though, I didn’t get a chance to read this link previously, I did now. It’s a big sales pitch, a diet plan at the bottom if you didn’t notice.. and .. a book you can buy about the dangers of artificial sweeteners.

        You can’t honestly unquestioningly believe this unsubstantiated marketing click bait sales piece can you? Really? with no medical support?

        Please find me an actual paper or body of research published in an actual medical journal, that shows causation, not correlation…. good luck.

        WOW…. did this article just say that aspartame causes AIDS??? SMH

        “A few of the many chronic illnesses that have been shown to be contributed to by long-term exposure to excitatory amino acid damage include:

        Multiple sclerosis (MS) Parkinson’s disease
        ALS Hypoglycemia
        Memory loss AIDS
        Hormonal problems Dementia
        Epilepsy Brain lesions
        Alzheimer’s disease Neuroendocrine disorders”

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    • Izula says:

      Kind of like the mercury in vaccines 15-20 years ago that was said to be “good” for babies, huh?

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    • Tell It Like It Is says:

      I’m aghast at your ignorance…you have no idea what you’re talking about, I agree with Tim St. John 100%

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    • Avalina Kreska says:

      Here’s a 100 studies that show it isn’t safe. https://artificialsweetenerawareness.blogspot.com/p/aspartame-studies_4.html

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  27. vla says:

    Do math much? That’s not what it said at all. They said diet soda drinkers – 70% greater increase than non; diet soda drinkers (2 or more a day) 500% greater increase than non. So if a non soda drinker gains one inch in a year, a soda drinker will gain 1.7 inches in a year, and a 2 or more diet soda drinker will gain 5 inches in a year. Doh. Simple ‘rithmetic.

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  28. vla says:

    I agree. I don’t understand the need for soda – diet or otherwise. I’m sure that those that are trying to find ways to debunk the author are simply addicted to it. It’s a shame. Their arguments are excuses rather than honest assessment and they don’t even see the major holes in their response to the author.

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    • Avalina Kreska says:

      There’s also a lot of industry trolls paid by the Glutamate industry that pounces on people who say negative things about aspartame. I’ve been campaigning against it for years and I haven’t been on one social media forum that doesn’t have six or seven of ’em! Here’s my blog devoted to warning people, hope it will be useful sometime. https://artificialsweetenerawareness.blogspot.com

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  29. Cheri Linster says:

    I Drink diet pepsi,i have idopathic Transverse Myelitis,woke up paralyzed my entire left leg,foot up to my pelvic and groin.5 years ago,Drs to this day,have no idea,other than i got hit with a virus,I did have a terrible two week virus and high fever right before.I NEVER thought of my diet soda consumption,in comparison….my god! Next on my list of quits..down to so much.It has to be.

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    • vla says:

      Diet soda plays havoc on people. My stepfather is epileptic and was consuming a *lot* of diet soda. His meds stopped being effective, he had to eat two bananas a day to keep his potassium levels up, and he still had increasingly bad seizures. Once he got off the diet soda, he was able to regulate again with no issue.

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  30. kpbert1203 says:

    I went from drinking reg Pepsi to Diet Pepsi 20 yrs ago on Halloween. I lost 186 lbs and w/ little exception drink ONLY Diet Pepsi.Actually, I bet PepsiCo could hook up to my veins and would get straight Diet Pepsi out if they tried! I am addicted to it. I know it. I tried to quit drinking it but then I go through caffeine withdrawal and then I get horrendous headaches. I do want to stop drinking it, but I really hate water. I am trying to incorp. it into my diet now. It would be like losing a good friend. I am sorry to hear all of this but I guess now I will TRULY have to try…

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  31. Susan Eskander says:

    My uncle retired from Monsanto in the 90’s from his position as a chemical sales rep, his original profession was a pharmacist but the lucrative chemical industry that was booming in the 60’s, 70’s and 80’s lured him away. I remember back in the mid-70’s that my cousins seemed to have a good handle on terms like “Monosodium Glutamate” and “Aspartame.” My uncle strictly forbid his family to consume either of these products, he insisted (despite reports to the contrary in the media) that they weren’t safe. As a pharmacist who was very well read, I took heed and to this day avoid those two things (as well as a list of others I’ve added over the years).

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  32. Lori Howe says:

    Never consumed on purpose … our family is riddled with allergies, one of which is some odd reactions to aspartame, so we avoid it as much as possible in all products.

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  33. JoAnn says:

    Yes, I drink Diet Coke, but only the one with Splenda. I don’t like the taste of aspartame. However, I only drink 1-2 a week. I would gladly drink a regular Coke if they quit making it with high fructose corn syrup. That stuff is so much worse than artificial sweeteners. I had to give up Blue Bell Homemade Vanilla ice cream for the same reason. And I absolutely love their ice cream. Anything in moderation, just not stuff with HFCS!

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  34. 101 reasons to never, ever, ever drink diet soda - The Bold Abode says:

    […] 6 Reasons To NEVER Drink Another Diet Soda from Fab over Fifty {and no I’m not over 50…yet.} […]

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  35. Tami Kenney says:

    This is crap!I drink 6 Diet Cokes a day & that doesn’t make me crave carbs or sweets! I don’t eat bread, pasta or rice. My DC is the only “sweets” I eat besides fruit.

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  36. Harley Harmon says:

    I’m 82.5 years old and have always non-diet soda but never ever diet soda. I’m actually trying to gain weight and apparently I erroneously shied away from diet soda as I thought it would make you lose weight!!

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  37. M. Pigg says:

    I have severe neuropathy at night in my arms and migraines. Nothing shows up for the doctor. So I am looking for answers on my own. About 6 months ago, I started drinking diet Coke again. I drink one to one and a half per day. I am giving it up today yo see if this will stop the pain. I am gaing waist girth as well. Hope this is the answer!!

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  38. Donna Sam says:

    I drink Crystal Geyser flavored sparkling Mineral Water for the carbonation, is that better than soda?

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  39. Ellen says:

    what about Zevia cola? What about carbonated water? What about bottled coconut water?

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  40. grace matos says:

    DIENT SODA GAVE A LOT OF PAIN IN MY BODY AND FEET..

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  41. » 7 Foods That Make You Sad says:

    […] [Read: 6 reasons to NEVER drink another diet soda] […]

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  42. » 7 Foods That Make You Sad says:

    […] [Read: 6 reasons to NEVER drink a diet soda] […]

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  43. Cynthia Henderson says:

    I gave that stuff up 20 years ago and couldn’t be happier!! Water for me!

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  44. Hanno Kärki says:

    To be honest soda is one of my favorite drink specially when i am baking my favorite bread,cause instead coffee i use soda to partner the bread or cookies i bake.Sadly i really need to avoid now.

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  45. Garcinia Cambogia Extract says:

    Greetings! This is my first comment here so I just wanted to give a quick shout out and tell you I really enjoy reading through your blog posts. Can you recommend any other blogs/websites/forums that deal with the same topics? Thank you so much!

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  46. Casey Whitcher says:

    I’m still looking for a reason to not drink diet soda, lets look at your assumptions;
    1. Diet Soda makes you fatter, Where is your data? You said people who drink it get fatter, if that is the case then people who sign up for jenny craig, buy weight loss videos and health gadgets on late night TV must be getting fat from that as well right? Wrong. The fact is people that go out of their way to buy diet soda are generally leading unhealthy lives, that leads to weight gain, not the soda, diet soda is an indicator not the cause anymore than the Tony Little Glider is causing people to get fat.
    2. Diet Soda Increases risk of stroke. Again, where is your data? Like issue #1 you said people that drink diet soda are more likely to have strokes, well people that wear size 54″ waist pants are more likely to have strokes too, should we stop wearing levis? It’s that they are overweight that causes strokes, again, drinking diet soda, along with other habits of overweight people IE spending money on weight loss gimicks are an indicator, not the cause.
    3. Gives you a sweet tooth. Ok, this may be true, however, this does not effect an individual who has a controlled balanced diet. The only people this would apply to are those who have no self control over what they eat, and are not counting calories, or planning meals, if you eat healthy the “sweet tooth” is irrelevant.
    4. Too much phosphorus leaches calcium, Again, this goes back to diet. A cup of skim-milk yogurt has 7 times get that 7 TIMES! the amount of phosphorus in it than a can of soda! Again, the majority of people who drink diet soda are fat, do to poor diets, poor diets=osteoporsis and decreased calcium levels, again, not the diet soda’s fault.
    5. Aspartame, What are you going to do with this one, tomato, tomatoe, experts on both sides claiming this or that, the majority say it’s totally fine. This becomes a personal judgment call, who you going to believe, The majority of scientists, or the few? People might say, “why risk it” but, if you’re consistent, you could apply that theory to any possible item you could consume and be dead in a few days from dehydration and/or starvation.
    6. 4MI, You guys seen the warnings at Starbucks and McDonalds saying their stuff causes cancer? You know why? it’s cooked. If anything has black on it, it’s considered cancer causing, what isn’t cancer causing these days? Is this a major cause of Cancer I don’t see the data, again, if you say why risk it, be consistent, stop toasting your bread.

    7. This one was not on there, and to date this is the best answer I’ve heard, I honestly don’t know the science behind this but I’m curious. The theory I heard was that You liver has to break down chemicals, and fats, and that when your liver is busy breaking down chemicals it does a poorer job of breaking down fats, causing you to store more. If this is true, I’d like to know at what level, is it a negligible amount, or is it significant? I’d be curious.

    In general I eat very healthy and clean, I’d like a reason to stop my Bane which is diet soda, but I’ve yet to find a convincing argument.

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    • Tami Kenney says:

      Thank You!!!

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  47. GhostOfZiva says:

    I probably drink diet soda more often than I should. At least 3 times a day – it’s my coffee in the morning. But it doesn’t make me crave anything sugary nor do I eat any sugary snacks to satisfy any cravings. I certainly don’t have any headaches or migraines either. But nobody could tell me exactly what was wrong with diet soda till now and will reduce my intake accordingly. I still find #1 a little hard to believe since I don’t eat anything sweet after having any diet soda. It is frustrating though to find “yet another thing” that should be better for you to be bad for you.

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  48. Junior Student says:

    I honestly tried a little bit because my mom drinks it and I was wondering what it tasted like. All I can say is, it’s absolutely disgusting. Regular soda is much better for you because unlike regular soda, diet soda contains aspartame which basically eats away at your brain, and it has an extremely high intake of sodium. When I looked at the soda can, I noticed right away how much sodium diet soda has. I don’t understand why my mom is trying to kill herself and trying to make her brain cells deteriorate. Aspartame is basically another type of sugar. People just want you to believe that it’s much better since regular sugar is more fattening. Untrue at all. Diet soda is extremely harmful to your health and your basically setting yourself up for your death bed, a trip down memory lane, but you won’t have a memory by then.

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  50. Frank says:

    Wait… 500% increase? That’s a wee bit unbelievable. If, being conservative, a normal waistline size is 25, then 500% bigger would be a waistline size of 125. As very, very few overweight people are quite that big–in fact, are any?–either people who drink two diet drinks a day are exceptionally rare, or that number was just pulled out of thin air. That blatant error makes the rest of the article questionable as to whether diet sodas really are worse than regular sodas.

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  51. VJ says:

    Isn’t that the truth?! We put an article in our newsletter this month about bottled water. Isn’t is scary!! The amount of money people spend!! if you compare it to auto fuel, the bottle of water in you hand costs about $10 a gallon!! Hello!!! Our research determined that a bottle of water costs 10,000 times more than tap water. And producing the bottle costs three times more than filling it. Four out of five empty water bottles go into landfills, enough to wrap around the planet three times!!!

    Seventeen million barrels of oil, enough to run one million vehicles for a full year, are used each year to just make water bottles. And twenty-two percent of bottled water contains contaminants at higher than heathy levels.

    All this information if readily available on the internet. Do people just not care? Or is it just easier to grab a bottle from the frig? This is not hype. These are true numbers.

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  52. Helen says:

    Haven’t had a drink (of soda) in years.
    There are so many healthy/delicious options available.

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  53. V says:

    I drink TONS of water every day (more than 100 ounces, easily), and add a heaping 1/4 tsp (at least) of pharmaceutical-grade vitamin c (which I buy on amazon, 35 grams at a time, for a song) to every glass. Usually with ice.

    The vitamin c crystals makes the water taste lemony, but there’s almost no vitamin c in lemon water. For those who like “sweet,” a bit of organic raw honey or maple syrup would add more healthy stuff to the mix — eh, voila! Lemonade.

    The only thing to remember is that the vitamin c crystals should NEVER TOUCH METAL!!! So I keep a plastic scoop next to the tub of c crystals and another in my bottomless (glass) mug/stein. Wish it were otherwise so I could use my 40oz steel kanteen and not have to refill so often, but. Oh, well!

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  54. FOF Editor says:

    Hi there – I interviewed Dr. Pedre for this article. I actually looked up the ingredients in Propel and it does contain a number of preservatives as well as artificial sweetener (sucralose), which I know Dr. Pedre is not a fan of. Here is the complete list of ingredients:

    WATER, CITRIC ACID, SODIUM HEXAMETAPHOSPHATE (TO PROTECT FLAVOR), NATURAL FLAVOR, POTASSIUM SORBATE (PRESERVES FRESHNESS), ASCORBIC ACID (VITAMIN C), SUCRALOSE, SODIUM CITRATE, POTASSIUM CITRATE, ACESULFAME POTASSIUM, NIACINAMIDE (VITAMIN B3), CALCIUM DISODIUM EDTA (TO PROTECT FLAVOR), VITAMIN E ACETATE, CALCIUM PANTOTHENATE (VITAMIN B5), PYRIDOXINE HYDROCHLORIDE (VITAMIN B6)

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  55. FOF Editor says:

    Hi there! I interviewed doctor Pedre for this story and he talked a lot about caffeine as well…perhaps that’s the next story!

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  56. MarianW. says:

    I use to drink Diet Peach Snapple all the time, even though
    my doctor told me the artificial sweetener in it would not be good for my brain. I looked it up and the results I found were 50/50 pro and con. So of course I went with the 50%
    that meant I could keep drinking it. Well I should have chose then other 50% because now I have real problems with my memory.

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  57. Roach says:

    My family and I haven’t drank soda in years (including my kids). On a very rare occasion (at a party when there were no other options…yes we have been to a party where soda was the only drink option) we have had some soda and my kids didn’t even like it especially the diet soda. We are not missing out on anything that is for sure.

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  58. LL says:

    Never liked the taste of diet sodas!

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  59. DB says:

    I drink diet Pepsi for the caffeine. Period. I don’t like coffee and diet Pepsi has more caffeine that tea.

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  60. Dawn says:

    My diet soda drinking became out of control, I was drinking about 4-5 cans a day! I’m trying to make a change for the better and went cold turkey. My last soda was 3 weeks and 1 day ago. I still crave it quite a bit, but I hope I can make it a lifetime change.

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  61. mizliz96 says:

    Never drank diet soda, never will. I don’t eat or drink anything with artificial sweetners. I want the real deal!

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  62. Susan says:

    I drink 4-6 diet Cokes a day. My weight has been stable for years and I am 5’7″ with a 27″ waist. I am fit but don’t have a fitness routine. I don’t eat vegetables either. Diet Coke will continue to be a part of my life.
    I think genetics plays a larger part in a person’s health than is given credit. As a nurse I take care of MANY patients 15-20 years younger than I am who don’t drink as much diet soda as I do and look and act 15-25 years older who also have numerous illnesses, ie diabetes, cancer, thyroid issues, obesity, etc. Again genetics seems to have a substantial contribution to a person’s health in spite of what they eat or drink.

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  63. Joan says:

    I never drink diet or regular soda.
    I used to drink mostly water, some skim milk and occasionally some OJ or a diet hot chocolate.

    Lately I’ve been decaf diet green tea because I was barely drinking any water. I probabably should go back to the water.

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  64. Sandy says:

    Yes, I do — about 2 a day, diet Mt. Dew and diet Dr. Pepper. I, too, haven’t had a problem, with my sweet tooth. I’ve actually cut way down on my sugar because I have Chronic Fatigue Syndrome, and I think that adds to it flaring up. Plus, my husband is a Type 1 diabetic (‘Juvenile Diabetes), so we rarely have sugar around anyway. So – I live healthily, but I’m deprived most of the time. Sometimes fruit just won’t cut it. I cut way back months ago on the diet soda; don’t know if I can elminate it. I’m going to check out that “Zevia” mentioned earlier; I’m very interested in natural, zero-calorie sweeteners.

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  65. MattH says:

    I drink Diet soda for the caffeine since I don’t drink coffee. I think I will switch to tea. I wonder if there are types of tea with higher levels of caffeine? I know Green Tea is very low.

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  66. Diane says:

    I do not drink diet or regular sodas unless there is absolutely nothing else to drink. I probably drink 2-3 a year. I can most definitely do without them.

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  67. kaymarcie says:

    I just won’t drink diet soda. I am a real pain when it comes to artificial ingredients, but I just don’t think our bodies are capable of dealing with them in a benign way.

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  68. eddyrobey says:

    Yes, I drink one each day

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  69. Sunshinejb says:

    Isn’t that the true!!!

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  70. bonnie says:

    After my son told me about these facts, I’ve stop drinking Diet drinks altogether.. thank you for this info

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  71. Phylis says:

    I do but after reading this article I will definitely leave it alone.

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  72. Diana S. says:

    What about natural soda such as “Zevia” sweetened with stevia. I try to avoid all refined sugar and even foods that convert to sugar including high glycemic fruit. If I did not treat myself with a natural diet soda a day for a treat I might not be able to be as diligent. It is expensive but so worth it and comes in many flavors. Cream soda is my favorite. Cola if I need a caffeine pick-me-up.

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  73. VJ says:

    I got mine from http://www.sodastreamusa.com/store.aspx?gclid=COWtxouX564CFSdgTAodBVi8jA

    I love it! It makes it very easy to drink water. If you like the fizz of sodas this gives you that without any of the bad stuff of soda.

    Tip. We have had our Fountain Jet for 3 years and it hasn’t given us any problems. Those are the least expensive. It will use a 33.0 oz cylinder or the 14.5 cylinder. We have found that the smaller one doesn’t last hardly anytime. We always use the larger cylinder bottle. Lasts a long time. And we “charge” 2 or 3 bottles per day. It is easy to order online. You just return the unused bottles when you receive your new order. Bed, Bath and Beyond carries them but you can only get the smaller cylinder bottle there.

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  74. VJ says:

    I quit drinking any kind of soda almost 2 years ago and I have never drank diet sodas.

    With all the current information on what these diet drinks do to your body, and it isn’t just hype, why would anyone continue to drink them?

    What is wrong with water. I use a Soda Stream to carbonate it. Gives it a little fizz and is more interesting to drink than just plain. And it’s good for you! Really. And I don’t mean bottled water. What a scam!

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  75. Teresag says:

    My drink of choice is water or iced tea. I drink a Diet Coke occasionally. What about coke Zero? As of today, absolutely no pop for me!!!!

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  76. vclark500 says:

    Occasionally I drink soda but not oftern.

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  77. thewordsmith says:

    I stopped drinking sodas a couple of years ago. I’ve also lost almost 80 pounds in the last couple of years! I also made other lifestyle changes so I can’t credit the non-soda lifestyle change solely for the weight loss. But I am certain it was a contributing factor. I also don’t drink powdered drinks like Kool-Aid (too many artificial ingredients!), or Crystal Lite (won’t drink artificial sweetners – at all)

    I have developed an aversion to artificial additives in food. I’m not artificial – the real deal – and I see no reason to be putting artificial things in my body. I have, however, develped an addiction to frozen fruit juices but I stick to the non-sweetened ones like Welch’s grape juice. Natural fruit and berry sweetness only. Absolutely NO SUGAR ADDED! It’s not an easy transition at the start but, after a couple of months, you just stop thinking in terms of sodas.

    I do, of course, still consume sugar. Green tea, my drink of choice, just would not be the same without a dose of sugar in it. I actually tried artificial sweetener in it once or twice but … it just doesn’t taste the same. Cured me of that in a hurry!

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  78. jmb0923 says:

    I am desperately trying to kick my diet coke habit. What are your thoughts on flavored waters like Propel?

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  79. aernest says:

    Oh heck yes, I drink them, but far fewer than I used to. Maybe one a day now, as opposed to 2-3 a day before. It’s the caffeine.

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  80. Angela K says:

    What about things like Crystal Light? Have there been studies on those? Obviously some of the factors would be the same but others (like caramel color, which isn’t in my flavor) aren’t.

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  81. Cindy says:

    I’ m trying to kick a 64 oz a day habit. Every day I tell myself today is the day. I tried 1/2 seltzer water 1/2 diet coke. Not so great maybe I should start 25/75 then build up.

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  82. Brad Roth says:

    I can vouch the claims of aspartame is a neurotoxin, and the color of soda is worse if its dark soda. I have lymes disease or a form of it. Before i found out offically i had lymes disease, i was drinking 3 or 4 diet sodas a day! I had a terrible shooting paints through my nerves and rashes and sores. Finally I put 2 and 2 together, diet soda, was like adding gasoline to a fire burning with the lymes disease. With in 2 minutes of drinking i would have HORRIBLE pain in nerves. That was the end of diet soda! I found drinking only CLEAR soda (sprite, 7up, seirra mist) , and non diet. Cause NO reaction to the lymes disease nerve pain. POOF of what is written above.

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  83. Rachel says:

    Understand the facts, can’t quit.

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  84. Kathy Handerhan says:

    I don’t drink soda (regular or diet). I have never let my kids have diet soda (they are now 26 and 23) and to this day will not touch a diet soda. They were allowed to have regular soda on special occasions and to this day I ask them to only drink regular soda if they must have one. I don’t think we need studies to tell us these artificial sweeteners are very bad for you- I’ve known it for 30 years!

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  85. Mag Pie says:

    Water and Lemon..treat it with a spring of mint

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  86. Reese G says:

    VJ, Bottled water a scam? Oh yeh! If people only knew how many of those bottled waters get their supply from a tap they would probably lay down and cry for all the money they blew on it!

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  87. Reese G says:

    My line of thought on WHO to believe is … believe your grandparents and great grandparents. That is the generation that worked hard, always tried to be honest in dealings with others, and their food was honest, too. They drank coffee in the morning and in the evening. They ate potatoes and corn and real butter. They didn’t drink soft drinks much because they just weren’t around and, at least in the case of great grandparents, they were marketed as a medicinal! They balanced what they consumed with the work they did. It was only after WWII when women had gotten a taste of working and getting a paycheck and they decided they liked it and didn’t want to go back to the old “barefoot and pregnant” life they had known before that we started seeing Mr. Birdseye’s frozen dinners and foods with artificial preservatives and all the additives in them. People began eating in front of the old Bendix tv set instead of sitting around the table. And it was only on the tv shows – Leave It To Beaver, Father Knows Best – that families sat around the table. The rest of us just watched them living the fantasy “perfect” life. And the more we moved away from “living” in the kitchen and laundry room, the more we moved toward the convenience of pre-packaged foods – and all of those additives and preservatives and artificial fillers and sweeteners. It was fast and easy and convenient and, although the foods didn’t really taste exactly like the old gen counterparts, they weren’t bad. So we kept buying (and eating) the chemical melange that now passes for real food.
    Face it. Whatever you do in life … or eat … or whatever, whether you exercise a lot or not at all, SOMETHING is gonna kill ya. The trick is to be happy and healthy until that time. Enjoy life! And to do that, you have to be able to get in there and ‘play the game’, kick a little asterisk every now and then, laugh as often as possible, and love and embrace the world! So … who do you listen to? Listen to your ancestors. Eat the way they did. It was good for them. Chances are, it’ll be good for you, too.

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  88. Susie says:

    The story talks about people dieting, but what if you are diabetic and can’t drink regular sodas? I’m not over weight and I don’t smoke anymore so I think I will stick with my Coke Zero. The pollution in the air is going to kill me and so are the toxins in all of the food I eat. I’m going to go when GOD says it’s time for me to go.

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  89. gail says:

    this was very useful. i know people say not to drink diet sodas, but i hadn’t seen the reasons.

    i stopped drinking a lot of soda when i went from working in an office with a soda machine to working at home. carrying home cases of diet pepsi just wasn’t worth it, even though i was drinking 2 to 3 cans a day at the time.

    i also have a water carbonation system, the penguin. i love it. using that has really helped me transition to just plain water also. (they sell syrups to make your own sodas, but they’re not good. i just use a little lime, and occasionally cranberry, when i think to buy it.)

    i’ve been very curious about the carbonated water, if it’s just as bad as soda or diet soda, so i’m glad the doctor gave it the ok in the article.

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  90. Gregory Anne Cox says:

    The biggest problem is the artificial sweetener so Crystal Light would fall in to the same category as diet sodas, sadly.

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  91. carolineno says:

    ugh-no!

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  92. ShemCreek says:

    No, I never use artificial sweetener.

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  93. Linda Depoy says:

    I had a 30 yr old nephew who passed away in June 2010 of a very rare lung cancer. He was addicted to diet soda. I have always wondered if that may have caused his cancer. He was not a smoker. We are all still heart broken over the loss of him.

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  94. Patty Smith says:

    This really made the case for me to stop a heavy addiction to diet
    soda. I have relied on it for a long time as a sort of daily IV drip.
    I have been drinking them instead of water for a long time. Back to
    water. What a startling article. I have read others, but this one
    (regarding the ever increasing waist circumference) really made me
    take notice. And yes, my waist has gotten bigger, much bigger.
    Off to find some detox tea! Thank You…

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  95. Leona Gibbs says:

    I sure do. Not every day however lately I have found myself drinking more than I used to. I was limiting myself to one diet pepsi a week but seem to have fallen off the wagon. This article is inspiring me to get back on my soda diet.

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  96. 1955nurse says:

    OMG – yet one MORE thing that’s going to kill me! If the air that I’m breathing doesn’t get me, then the CRAP that’s in my tap water will – or the additives in my food, the microbes ON my Fresh Food, & on & on! Then 1 day they tell us that our coffee is causeing cancer – then a year later they tell us NO – it’s actually GOOD for you! It can all be very confusing, and anxiety-producing!!! It gets to the point where you don’t know WHO or WHAT to believe anymore….

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  97. debi says:

    what is soda stream??? Where can you buy it? Is it safe?

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  98. Debi says:

    I drink diet soda all the time. It started when I was gaining alot of weigh and the diet soda helped now I taste all that sugar in regular soda and my tongue curls. I did loose the weigh and on top of that it helped me cut down alot in taking sugar in my coffee and tea. I dont have such a sweet tooth anymore. I was very concern about sugar because my dad passed away years ago from complications with diabetes. He took the insulin for years. He had a weigh problem to, he was injured in the army and was hospitalized for that for years. So you can see why I watch what I eat and drink. Is this certain and what about the caffeine in regular soda? I’ve also been drinking decaf coffee for 13 years is there a study on that too?

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  99. Lori Haacke says:

    My husband has been after me to quit drinking diet soda, or at least cut back, for quite some time. After reading this article I know I will be cutting back and am going to work hard at quitting it altogether. I know that diet soda is bad for me. I just didn’t realize how bad. My favorite restaurant just got flavored sparkling water and I am going to drink that from now on. Thanks for the info!!

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  100. 1955nurse says:

    I agree w/you – up to a point. Growing up, I lived in the MidWest & had a Grandfather who ate very little “Store-bought” food. He grew vegetables, raised chickens, & cattle. He died @ the age of 62 from Heart Disease & Atherosclerosis. His arteries had hardened from all the animal fat (butter, lard, beef fat etc.) he consumed on a daily basis. He was very active and worked every day until he fell ill. So EVERYTHING about the old way of eating wasn’t all good! Also I do agree that the very nature of our lives has become sedentary – whether from necessity (job related) or choice. I think the most important thing to remember is that we ALL have to become our own Health Advocate, & filter the information we receive. When I become too overloaded w/all the information that bombards me (with Health-related things @ least) I take my questions to someone who is educated & can help sort it all out – A Medical Doctor. Our world has changed in ways my Grandparents couldn’t even begin to foresee – both good & bad. It’s my responsibility to sort out what I can, so I can be as Healthy as I can be!

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  101. FOF Editor says:

    Agree! It is hard to know. At the end of the day, there are some pretty heated opinions on both sides of this issue. Thanks for your comment…

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  102. FOF Editor says:

    Hi Teresa G! thanks for your comment . . . We looked it up, and Coke Zero contains both caramel coloring and aspartame, so it certainly counts as the type of diet soda we describe in this article…

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  103. FOF Editor says:

    Congratulations on your weight loss! That’s amazing . . . So interesting to hear that kicking your soda habit helped. Also interesting that you developed an “aversion” to artificial sweeteners. Makes sense if you consider that these things may be building up in our systems for years. Thanks for the comment!

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  104. Corky says:

    Another reason not to drink soda of any kind: most citrus flavored sodas and sport drinks contain bromated vegetable oil. This product has been banned in India for a few years and is on the unapproved additives list in the EU. Please check out this website to learn more and to find out which soft drinks contain this corrosive additive: http://fooddemocracy.wordpress.com/2009/07/29/bvo-brominated-vegetable-oil-toxic-additive-in-many-sports-drinks-and-sodas/
    Water is the way to go, with tea a close second (for its antioxidants). I have turned to SoBe’s Lifewater drinks on the rare occasion I want something a little sweet. It uses stevia for its sweetener.

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  105. Donna says:

    I used to drink diet coke usually more often in the summertime. It’s been about 7 years since I drank any and I feel better. I was often dealing with splitting headaches and sometimes felt jittery. Now only once in a while I experience a bad sinus headahe especially during allergy seasons. My neighbor died suudenly of a heart attack about 6 years ago. She drank diet soda by the quart, regularly and was pencil thin.

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  106. sarahbaldwin says:

    About 25 years ago, I used to drink about a case of Diet Coke per week.

    Then my dad, who was a journalist, did an investigative report on diet sodas and artificial sweeteners. After he learned the inside scoop on how dangerous these sweeteners are (did you know that aspartame, a known neurotoxin, was developed as a chemical warfare agent before researchers discovered how sweet it is), my dad begged me never to drink diet soda again.

    I promised him. Even though he’s been gone five years now, I haven’t broken that promise, and stay clear of the stuff!

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