Thirsty Thursday #3

The Diet Coke Conundrum...

For today's Thirsty Thursday, I've researched why diet coke (or all diet sodas) are bad for you.

Let me start by saying that I LOVE DIET COKE!  I really do...  There were days, not long ago, where I could have a can for breakfast, lunch, snack, and dinner!  Something about a nice cold can of diet Coke just hits the right spot and perks me up... probably the caffeine and fake sugar...

 

I was recently reminded by a very smart friend of mine, that consuming Diet pop (of any type) is a dangerous thing to do.  We all know that Soda in general is a bad thing to consume regularly (if at all), because of the high sugar content and weird additives and stuff... but what's wrong with Diet... The ingredients that make it "diet" are worse for you than the ingredients in regular soda.

Effects of Ditching the Diet Soda

According to an article I found from Prevention.com, the following 8 benefits come when you stop drinking diet soda:

1. Migraines disappear and focus sharpens
2. Taste buds are more sensitive
3. The Scale goes down!
4. Bones Strengthen
5. Attitude towards food changes
6. Handle booze better
7. Fat storage and diabetes risk decreases
8. Kidney function improves

Research is still being done to fully understand all possible side effects of artificial sweetener consumption.  One study showed links between regularly drinking Diet Coke and vision impairment (and argued that professional pilots for commercial airlines are prohibited or discouraged from drinking diet drinks due to this link).  Scary Stuff!

 

A friend's warning

My friend (who is a nursing professor) explained it to me like this:

When you drink Diet Soda, it tastes sweet -- so the body tells the pancreas to produce insulin so that you don't go into Sugar overdose... but the sugar never comes (since it's flavored with artificial sweeteners) so there's an excess of insulin in body that the kidneys have to clean up!  

Excess insulin in the blood stream causes blood sugar levels to drop -- so after the caffeine wears off, you'll be left feeling tired and probably hungry (which is your body trying to regulate itself).  You end up eating more calories to balance out the lie that was diet soda.

 

Sticky Points

**When a point is poignant, I call it sticky because I remember it -- like a sticky note helps me remember to buy milk...**

• Diet Coke (and really all artificial sweeteners) is a lie you're telling your body.  I want my body and I to be on the same team!  Lying to your body is not the way to get healthy.
• I don't want diabetes, brittle bones, obesity, or migraines!  There are already risk factors based on my family history for all of these issues -- I don't want to make matters worse with bad habits!

What will I do?

I can honestly say it's been nearly 3 weeks since I've had a diet drink.  This Thirsty Thursday #3 marks the 3 week anniversary!

• I've stopped putting Splenda in my morning coffee (I'm cream and coffee only now -- sometimes Almond milk and coffee only),
• I've stopped drinking diet soda (if I'm super craving a Diet Coke, I'll have a sip or two of regular.  Surprisingly, a few sips into the super sugary drinks and I'm no longer interested... weird huh?
• I've been drinking unsweetened iced tea when I'm feeling like a cool, yet flavored refreshment.
• I've started drinking more water!  Hence Thirsty Thursday -- to remind myself why water instead of diet soda.

What's your favorite drink?  

What are you drinking this week?

Do you have any Diet Drink Addictions??? Please tell me I'm not alone :-/