You’re thirsty, but you’re trying to be health conscious. So, you grab the new Pepsi Max or Coke Zero. Maybe you are still drinking your old favorite standbys such as Diet Pepsi or Diet Coke. Either way, it’s so much better to have zero calorie soda than have a soda with all of that sugar in it, right? WRONG!
First, the sweetness of the soda with no calories actually makes your body crave more sugar as stated by a study in the Yale Journal of Biology and Medicine. This is because the sweet taste triggers your brain receptors to send messages to your tongue to salivate and so on, in preparation for the digestion process. Your body thinks it is getting food. However, there are no nutrients in the soda and therefore nothing to digest. It’s like watching a movie with no ending. It leaves you hanging. As a result of waiting for something to digest, your body tries to wake up whoever told the brain to prepare for the digestion of food by releasing the hunger hormone ghrelin. So, the false messages sent from the brain produce hunger pangs that make you hungrier. This can lead you to eat more than if you had no soda to begin with!
In addition, NutraSweet (or aspartame) or is the main artificial sweetener in these diet soft drinks. It has been linked to numerous adverse effects, including headaches, dizziness, mood changes, convulsions, memory loss and more. The FDA has received more complaints related to aspartame than any other food additive. I know this to be true personally as I experienced these symptoms myself when I was a Diet Coke addict. I actually thought I had Lupus as I had the same symptoms. However, as soon as gave up the Diet Coke, my symptoms immediately dissipated.
Then what is a good alternative? Obviously, the regular soda won’t cut the grade with a 12 oz. can of soda containing a mind blowing 10 teaspoons of sugar! For weight loss (and in general!), stick with good old-fashioned water or seltzer for a true zero calorie drink with no crazy side effects. I love adding lemon or fresh mint leaves for a refreshing taste. Sometimes I even add a drop of peppermint extract for a little zip. Whatever you do, steer clear of the Diet Sodas and Diet Drinks!
