Rod recently shared with me this article on How Drinking Diet Soda Increases the Risk of Type 2 Diabetes.
It talks about how a study of over 66,000 French women had demonstrated that drinking just 12 ounces of diet soda a week increased the risk for Type 2 Diabetes by 33%, while drinking just 20 ounces a week increased the risk by 66%.
I don't know many diet soda drinkers who limit themselves to 12 or even 20 ounces a week, do you? Most that I know (including myself up until a few years ago) drink more than that everyday!
It appears that drinking artificially sweetened diet drinks make you crave sweet things and your body reacts to aspartame (Equal/Nutrasweet) by raising blood sugar, just like sugar.
Of course, I've learned to take all nutritional research with a grain of salt since for every study claiming one thing, there's another proving the exact opposite. And I've been duped by the research more than once. Remember when the experts told us that eggs would increase our cholesterol? That margarine was better for us than butter? That a low fat diet would make us slim?
I still read the research, but tend to use my instincts, inner wisdom, and personal experiences when it comes to making decisions and taking action about what to eat and drink.
Reading this article made me so grateful that I kicked the diet soda habit a few years back, mostly because it mirrors much of what I discovered on my own, by paying attention to my body and its signals. (And I love when the research proves me right!)
Why did I stop drinking diet soda and using artificial sweeteners?
Here are the top 4 Reasons:
1. Taste. Through the years I've become a bit of a food snob. Being picky is one of the ways I'm able to be satisfied with less. I decided that I deserve to eat and drink only what I think tastes really good and is worth the calories. Even after years of drinking the stuff, I realized that to me, diet soda tastes terrible. The more I started paying attention, the more I discovered all kinds of foods and drinks that I had been gobbling down without realizing I didn't really like them that much. It's much easier to give something up when you realize you don't even really like it!
If I want something sweet and bubbly, I much prefer sparkling water with a splash of cranberry juice -or even sometimes a splash of real coke.
2. Diet coke makes me hungry. Yes, it's true. I made this discovery several years ago while living in Wisconsin. One day I realized that about 30 minutes after drinking a diet coke I was ravenous and feeling out of control as I raided the cupboards looking for something sweet. It wasn't the first time. I had identified a pattern - Drink diet soda, then feel really really hungry. Who needs that? Not me. Since I've given up diet drinks I have a lot fewer cravings.
3. Splenda gives me a headache. When Splenda first began appearing in diet beverages I decided to give it a try. At a Weight Watchers meeting I attended another member spoke enthusiastically about a tasty grapefruit tasting diet drink that sounded yummy to me. So, I got a couple of bottles and began having a glass or 2 every afternoon. After a few days, I began experiencing terrible headaches in the late afternoon, similar to what I get when I am experiencing caffeine withdrawal.
The only thing that I could think of that was different in my routine was the diet drink, so I stopped drinking it and threw away what was left. Voila, the headaches went away! So I swore off Splenda. I thought, "If it's powerful enough to give me a headache, what else might it be doing to me?"
4. I deserve real food. I'm natural and real (mostly). I deserve real. I made this connection reading The Slow Down Diet: Eating for Pleasure, Energy, and Weight Loss by Marc David, who compared eating and drinking artificial, low quality, nonfat, fake foods to sleeping with a guy you really don't want to be with, but who happens to be available, so you settle for something less than you really want.
I am not the kind of girl who would ever sleep with a guy I didn't really want, so why should I be willing to settle for foods I don't really want? Why shouldn't I give myself what I truly desire?
It's funny because when I ate and drank lots of diet soda and artificially sweetened stuff, I struggled with my weight. Now that I continue to transition to more REAL food and avoid the FAKE stuff, I'm slimmer than I've ever been!
Coincidence? Maybe. But I don't think so.
Where do you stand on diet soda and artificial sweeteners?
2/17/13 Update: Here's a link to great article from Dr. Mark Hyman entitled "How Diet Soda Makes You Fat" that appeared in my inbox this morning. (Talk about a coincidence!) It talks about how artificial sweeteners increase cravings, weight gain, and type 2 diabetes. And are addictive.
The first comment, from Sheryl, was a real eye-opener too. She explained that she ate a fairly healthy diet, except for an evening habit of 2-3 diet sodas. She switched out the diet coke for regular, explaining that she knew she should be drinking water instead. Without making any other changes to her eating habits or exercise, she lost weight! 10 pounds in the first 2 weeks and 40 pounds over 6 months. She claims that she isn't hungry any more and is satisfied with less food and was so concerned that something was wrong, she went to the doctor and had extensive blood work done. Her results were better than ever!
Reading this caused me to feel both amazed and sad. Imagine losing 40 pounds while doing exactly the opposite of what the diet industry is telling you to do - drinking regular soda instead of diet!
Oh, and I forgot to mention the woman I met several years ago who worked in a soda bottling plant. She said she had decided to give up diet soda when she observed that the diet soda bottling equipment broke down and required extensive repairs much more frequently than the regular soda bottling equipment. She told me, "I thought, if the stuff is having such a negative effect on machinery, what is it doing to me?"
I meet so many people trying to lose weight who are filling themselves up with artificial sweeteners believing they are doing the right thing to support their efforts. When in fact, the research shows they are only exacerbating their problem. How sad is that?
I encourage anyone using artificial sweeteners while trying to lose weight to experiment with themselves to see what is true for them. Give them up for a week or a month and see what happens for yourself. It's the only way to know for certain whether you are helping or harming yourself!
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Mary Flora
I have struggled with weight all my life - I just don't crave veggies! Diet soda was part of my diet - I am not a big drinker of fluids. Soda was something available to me in the school where I taught. It seemed a guiltless pleasure. I have had dental problems since I was a child. No matter the brushing or flossing - cavities galore. I have manage to keep all of my teeth - through 7 root canals and 16 crowns. I began going to a great dentist about 10 years ago. In her pre evaluation, she asked me if I drank soda. I proudly told her "only diet". Then she told me the havoc wrecked by carbonated drinks. So, I quit. Recently, I drank a diet cola because there was no other choice - it tasted terrible. So, teeth are my reason.
I enjoy your site and have made so many of your recipes since I discovered you at the first of the year. We rarely eat out due to my husbands heart issues. No salt or fat! A real challenge. MARY
Martha
Mary,
Thanks for your thoughtful comment! When my mom and uncle were growing up, my grandmother forbade them from drinking soda and chewing bubble gum because she new the sugar was bad for their teeth!! But, now we are learning that the artificial stuff is just as bad or worse! Glad you are finding my recipes helpful. I'm such a big believer in the power of REAL food healing our ills 🙂
Nina
Several years ago, I started having thyroid issues. I had to stop caffeine. I couldn't drive by a McDonalds without getting a diet coke. But it started making me feel really weird and not long after I found out I had a thyroid problem. So glad I quit. I have some of the Zevia sodas that have only Stevia in them. They are okay but really I don't care if I ever drink another soda. We are big tea drinkers.(caffeine free).
I'm curious to know what kind of sweetner you use or do you just use sugar? Nina
Martha
Hi Nina,
Sorry to hear about your thyroid problem, but giving up diet coke was probably a great thing for your health on so many levels. I tried the Zevia soda but didn't really like the taste. Can't honestly say I like the taste of Stevia, which is probably why. I'm definitely sugar sensitive so try to keep my intake in moderation. I use regular granulated can sugar when baking, but prefer the less processed kind that is non bleached. I also use maple syrup, which seems to really agree with me. I love it on my morning oatmeal or stirred into plain Greek yogurt.
Pam
I had to stop drinking all carbonated drinks when I was having digestive issues ( turned out to be a cyst on my ovary) and started drinking water and flavored waters. I have never gone back and don't miss it.
Martha
Pam, isn't it amazing how easily our taste buds can adjust to new ways of eating and drinking. There are so many foods/drinks that I don't even miss either!
cindy danton
I have been freeing myself of artificial sweetners, soft drinks, etc. for quite awhile now and my taste buds are really sensitive now! My body demands me to eat real food not "fake" food. I am not perfect but I try my best and i encourage others for your healths sake give it a try.
Martha
Hi Cindy, I agree that REAL food is the way to go. I too am human and far from perfect, but I don't think we have to be. I try to eat really well 80% of the time which allows me the freedom to indulge when I feel I want to.
Alyce Morgan
Great post, Martha. I had the same talk with my dentist that Mary did and put Diet Soda pretty much out of my life. I keep them in the house for those that want them, but I rarely reach for one myself. Real stuff is better; you're right!
Virginia
I notice that another side effect when I drink diet soda is that I often have to urinate not only more frequently but also more urgently. it doesn't matter whether it contains caffeine, it just seems to do something that increases frequency.
Sarah
I had a 2-3 cans of diet a day habit that I honestly just grew tired of. I cut back to 1 day and dropped 3lbs (I'm pretty small so 3lbs is something...) now I've sworn off diet coke for good. I'm not a coffee drinker so giving up that caffeine is hard, but I'm far less bloated and my hunger is much more consistent. Great post!
Martha McKinnon
Sarah,
Thanks for stopping by and sharing your diet coke experience.
Cat
I quit Coke light and all sodas two weeks ago. I immediately stopped feeling bloated, and stopped craving food so much. I replaced it with lots of water and the occasional lemonade. I used to drink a 600 cm3 bottle (a little less than 2 cans) per day, I was addicted, but I can do it, anyone can =)
ana
Omg!!!!! I'm addicted to diet dr.pepper I need to have one everyday in the morning is like my coffee :/ but reading all this is making think twice about drinking diet soda! Its scary! :/
holly
I switched from diet to regular a couple of years ago, and gained weight rapidly as a result. I am currently interested in trying out a raw vegan diet. My diet soda habit is only one of my bad habits, and supposedly this diet can help me eliminate my other. I believe from the research I have done that the less anything is processed the better. I ate my first raw food dinner, and it was pretty good. I was really inspired by frelee the banana girl, though I do not see myself going to that extreme. I don't crave sweets that much anyway. I like sweet drinks and salty oil laden foods. So, even though I weigh less drinking diet soda, I know that it is terrible for my body. I hate the taste too, but I love the extra caffeine in diet sodas. It is cheaper than redbull. I read before that is how they get people hooked on the diet sodas in the first place.
Martha McKinnon
Hi Holly,
Thanks for taking the time to comment about your experiences with diet soda v. regular. And best of luck with your raw vegan diet. I'm now 51 and after years of trying extreme diets, I finally settled on the only thing that has ever worked for me: moderation and slow and steady changes. It's what worked for my grandmother and it's what Weight Watchers teaches. I could never stick with any of the extreme approaches because they didn't work with my lifestyle. I love all kinds of foods, I love going out to dinner and I don't want my eating habits to interfere with getting together with friends and family. When you follow the path of moderation you can really eat just about anywhere. The only place I refuse to go with my mom is to a place that only serves fish & chips, because I know eating that much grease at one time would make me sick (or at least I think it would) and that's enough to keep me away. Other than that I can go wherever the crowd is going: for pizza, for Chinese, Thai, Burgers and can always find something that works and have a good time too and never fee deprived. I believe that if you are going to lose weight and get healthy you have to do it with habits you see yourself adopting forever!