Are You Diet Duped? Ditch the diet soda @ Healthy Roots, Happy Life

Are You Diet Duped? Ditch the diet soda

February 6th, 2012
byKatie
Healthy Weight

Bonjour beautiful & hello handsome!

Did you have a good time watching the Superbowl? I always get excited that it’s on; I cook a whole bunch of food & then end up paying only partial attention to the game.

So, I know a lot of you are working hard to lose weight. You’re gettin’ that exercise in and you’ve overhauled your diet, right? But, what are you putting in that beautiful bod of yours? Time and time again, I see people struggle to lose weight because they’ve been duped by this one thing, a marketing pitch, really: “diet” foods. Today, diet soda goes down! If you know me, you know I’m an “everything in moderation” kind of gal. I’m not talking about people who have a soda every once in awhile; I’m talking about those daily diet soda, juice or -ade drinkers.

This is something that really gets me fired up because I see so many carts at the grocery store filled with diet soda pushed by people who are really trying to lose weight, but are not successful. Is their struggle caused soley by drinking diet soda? Probably not, but when you’ve cleaned up your diet and you’re still not losing weight, it’s something to consider removing. In fact, a study from the University of Texas found that those who drank two or more diet sodas per day had waistlines that were 500 percent (yep) larger than those who drank no diet soda. Another study, by the same folks, found that aspartame raised blood sugar levels in diabetes-prone mice. In addition, researchers at the University of Bristol, UK, found that diet drinks can dull taste buds and condition your body to crave more sweet things.

A round belly and an increased craving for sweets. Desired result? No way! In addition, all that caffeine is taking your energy for a wild ride. You feel great at first– focused and sparky. Soon, however, your energy dips as you lose that high. What do you do to feel better? Drink another soda or eat more food. I used to drink diet soda (many, many years ago) and it always made me thirsty. Diet soda has about 35-40 milligrams of sodium. I realize that doesn’t sound like much, but when the daily recommendation is 1500 milligrams or less, it adds up fast. A recent study has linked diet soda to poor vascular health and increased risk of stroke. Cola-type sodas have high amounts of phosphate– too much phosphate causes bone health issues. And, any drink with caffeine can lead to dehydration which leaves you feeling grumpy, achy and sluggish.

If you’re on a diet, get rid of the diet soda. Try these options instead:

First, if you drink more than 3 diet sodas per day, try to reduce it to one a day.
For the diet-soda addicts, a nice transition tool is drinking sparkling mineral water with small amounts of antioxidant-rich juice, like pomegranate.
Unsweetened iced tea… I’m talking homemade, preferably uncaffenated, iced tea. Raspberry, lemon zinger or mint teas taste great without added sweeteners.
Water with lemon, lime or cucumber floaters.

For more info:

http://www.uthscsa.edu/hscnews/singleformat2.asp?newID=3861

http://www.hsph.harvard.edu/nutritionsource/healthy-drinks/sugary-vs-diet-drinks/

http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2011-02/aha-dsm020311.php

http://www.guardian.co.uk/lifeandstyle/2011/jun/09/sugary-drinks-dull-tastebuds-study?CMP=twt_fd

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