Dietary and nutritional content reviewed by Jasmin Gorostiza, DT, DM, DSS, CFPP.️
You’ve dropped the soda a couple of years ago because you’re now drinking diet soda. Silently, you’re thinking it’s the best thing ever. Losing weight isn’t so bad with a diet soda on hand. You can still enjoy the fizz without the calories. Sounds pretty neat, right? Unfortunately, it’s not all that neat. As a matter of fact, it’s very dangerous.
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How Bad Are Diet Sodas?
It’s a fact that diet sodas aren’t good for the body. Based on a Northern Manhattan Study, people that drink diet sodas regularly are at risk for heart attacks and strokes. This study was featured on the CBS News.
A new study of people who drank diet soda everyday reports that they have a forty-eight percent higher risk of heart attack and strokes.
The study went on for nine years. There were about twenty five hundred respondents. They were followed and asked about their soda consumption. The findings were very alarming. People that drank soda everyday were at a higher risk for heart attack and stroke. Even with an intake of just one soda a day, the respondent was still at high risk.
Not Exactly A Safe Way To Lose Weight
Diet sodas give a false sense of security. You might think that you can take an extra bite of that juicy hamburger and get away with it. After all, you are partnering it with a cold glass of diet soda.
According to Dr. Jennifer Ashton, a medical correspondent, author, and physician, partnering your juicy hamburger with a diet soda doesn’t count at all.
… if you’re drinking something that has no calories, are you lulled into a false sense of security in thinking that … you can have that fatty food or those extra calories somewhere else …
This is something to think about. Diet sodas do give a false sense of security. So if you think you can take that extra bite, think again. Not only will you ruin your diet, you’ll also put yourself at risk. It seems like the dangers of drinking diet soda are more than the benefits you had always thought where there.
Time To Stop?
So you’re probably thinking, should I stop drinking diet sodas? Just like anything else, can it be taken in moderation?
We have to remember that our bodies are roughly sixty percent water. They’re not sixty percent soda or diet soda. So again, we say in moderation, probably fine. But moderation is a couple times a week not once a day.
Considering that a daily intake of just one diet soda is bad enough as it is, it’s better to find a healthier alternative for your daily beverage intake.
Go for more natural, healthy alternatives. So don’t go for the diet. So things like water, seltzer where you can put a little bit of fruit into it, if you want that extra flavor or unsweetened teas. They really are a much, much healthier alternative when you’re talking about your beverages.
More Dangers From Diet Sodas
According to Dr. Ashton, there are other health risks from drinking diet sodas.
We heard recently also that people who drink diet soda are at an increased risk for something called metabolic syndromes. So that’s a combination, again, of risk factors of obesity, high cholesterol, and high blood pressure that then … put you at risk for heart attack and stroke. Also, interestingly enough, women who consume diet soda are found to be at increased risk for kidney failure and kidney disease. So again, once in awhile okay, but as a regular part of your beverage intake, really not a good idea.
There seem to be more dangers than benefits from drinking diet sodas. It looks more like diet sodas are finally losing their fizz as a weight loss beverage.
Were you surprised about the ugly truth of diet sodas? If you don’t drink diet sodas, what drinks do you consume to help you with weight loss? Leave it in the comments and you may help others with their battle, as well.
Bistro Md recommends water. Although it does not stop you from enjoying alcohol and sodas, it does recommend that you drink them moderately. So don’t deprive yourself but be very mindful when it comes to drinking beverages like soda and alcohol.
Yes, it’s time to stop drinking diet sodas. As a matter of fact, it’s high time we all avoided sodas. Of course, the healthiest alternative is water but if you really can’t do without the fizz, try some soda water and lemon.
If you think diet sodas are any better than the regular ones, then you are absolutely WRONG. The artificial sweeteners diet sodas use make your sugar cravings a lot more unbearable. They’re too sweet that you end up craving for more sweets. Aside from that, they’re made out of some dangerous components that are totally bad for your health.
You are absolutely right. Between diet and regular, the latter is a better choice. Of course, that doesn’t mean that regular soda is good because it’s not. It’s just the lesser evil between the two. So if you can’t resist a soda, stick to regular instead.