How bad are diet cokes?

Alpharetta, Georgia

Bronze member

Subject: RE: How bad are diet cokes?

eabeam - 2009-05-26 9:48 AM
- Occasional Vitamin Water

I was checking out the label on the new Vitamin Water 10 calorie stuff... it appears to be all natural, no HFCS or chemicals or artificial sweetners or anything like that.

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Science Nerd

28760

Redwood City, California

Subject: RE: How bad are diet cokes?

kk74 - 2009-05-25 3:44 PM Well, you can also add Propel mix to your water. i love water with lemon. It's a great taste. There are times when I will still have a coke or diet coke, but know what the coke is doing to my body: carbonation, etc... with a coke, you can flush a clogged up sink! It does work and that's what is happening to the body.

Try to drink other things if water gets a bit boring. Moderation is key too. I would rather have a glass of wine or a piece of chocolate then a soda,, but trying to limit those too so I can be more focused with my training and weight loss.

Take it day by day. see if caffeine is the issue or mental, which another person said.

Propel has the same artificial sweeteners as diet soda. I can taste them way more in Propel than in diet soda.

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Master

2477

Oceanside, California

Subject: RE: How bad are diet cokes?

lisac957 - 2009-05-26 8:56 AM

eabeam - 2009-05-26 9:48 AM
- Occasional Vitamin Water

I was checking out the label on the new Vitamin Water 10 calorie stuff... it appears to be all natural, no HFCS or chemicals or artificial sweetners or anything like that.

I usually just water down the regular stuff - especially Vitamin Water or Gatorade.

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Master

1993

Riverside, IL

Subject: RE: How bad are diet cokes?

lisac957 - 2009-05-26 10:56 AM

eabeam - 2009-05-26 9:48 AM
- Occasional Vitamin Water

I was checking out the label on the new Vitamin Water 10 calorie stuff... it appears to be all natural, no HFCS or chemicals or artificial sweetners or anything like that.

It's sweetened with PureVia...a marketed brand of stevia. Some folks might argue that the verdict is still out on stevia...but I like it. It doesn't seem to be as sweet as the truly artificial sweeteners out there.

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Alpharetta, Georgia

Bronze member

Subject: RE: How bad are diet cokes?

nscrbug - 2009-05-26 4:18 PM

lisac957 - 2009-05-26 10:56 AM

eabeam - 2009-05-26 9:48 AM
- Occasional Vitamin Water

I was checking out the label on the new Vitamin Water 10 calorie stuff... it appears to be all natural, no HFCS or chemicals or artificial sweetners or anything like that.

It's sweetened with PureVia...a marketed brand of stevia. Some folks might argue that the verdict is still out on stevia...but I like it. It doesn't seem to be as sweet as the truly artificial sweeteners out there.

Well the difference is that Stevia extract (which was what was on the ingredient label) is a natural sweetner, as opposed to a chemically-engineered sweetner like Splenda or Nutrasweet.

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Expert

793

South Florida

Subject: RE: How bad are diet cokes?

Interesting article :http://www.time.com/time/health/article/0,8599,1711763,00.html

Some suggest artificial sweeteners can interfere with the way your body metabolizes the other natural sugars found in foods like fruits and carbs. I noticed when I switched to diet sodas I lost about 5lbs but slowly gained it back over a couple months. When I went back to regular soda I gained 5lbs but slowly lost it to go back to the weight I have been at for the last 10 years.

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8936

Subject: RE: How bad are diet cokes?

Turnin2 - 2009-06-05 8:34 AM Interesting article :http://www.time.com/time/health/article/0,8599,1711763,00.html

Some suggest artificial sweeteners can interfere with the way your body metabolizes the other natural sugars found in foods like fruits and carbs. I noticed when I switched to diet sodas I lost about 5lbs but slowly gained it back over a couple months. When I went back to regular soda I gained 5lbs but slowly lost it to go back to the weight I have been at for the last 10 years.

Some suggest a lot of things, but none of it has ever been confirmed by any studies. The "people get fatter on artificial sweeteners" theory has been attributed to eating more. Ummm.....so if I eat more, I gain more fat? This is revolutionary? It's not as if Splenda takes over your brain and causes you to march over to the Chinese buffet. People need to stop worrying so much about the minutia and worry about how much food we're shoving into our mouths.

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Expert

793

South Florida

Subject: RE: How bad are diet cokes?

I quote from the article: Swithers stops short of saying that the animals in her study were compelled to overeat to compensate for phantom calories. But she says that the study does suggest artificial sweeteners somehow disrupt the body's ability to regulate incoming calories. "It's still a bit of a mystery why they are overeating, but we definitely have evidence that the animals getting artificially sweetened yogurt end up eating more calories than the ones getting calorically sweetened yogurt."

How we eat and what we eat are not always totally concious decisions.

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Alpharetta, Georgia

Bronze member

Subject: RE: How bad are diet cokes?

Turnin2 - 2009-06-05 9:03 AM
How we eat and what we eat are not always totally concious decisions.

I completely disagree with this statement.
I choose what I eat every meal of every day. Sometimes I want something bad for me and I stop and say no. It's as simple as that. Some people do not have that mental will power, but it is definitely a concious decision.

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Extreme Veteran

464

Louisville, KY

Subject: RE: How bad are diet cokes?

HA...I was suprised to see this thread still going.
UPDATE: Gave up those diet cokes I was inquiring about. (with the occasional slippage..very occasional). Suffered with BIG headaches for about a week, but after that, nada!! I've become a big fan of green tea, and now drink much more water. As long as it is COLD!!! Thanks for all the advice.

Michelle

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Subject: RE: How bad are diet cokes?

Turnin2 - 2009-06-05 9:03 AM
How we eat and what we eat are not always totally concious decisions.

Sorry, but I disagree completely. I choose every single thing that I eat and drink and how much of it that I consume.

What you're getting at is that people don't take the time to monitor how much they're eating. Also a conscious decision. I drink Diet Cokes/Coke Zero/green tea with Splenda all the time, but I watch what I eat otherwise and maintain a very healthy weight. Again, it's not some parasite that takes over your appetite and cranks it into overdrive.

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Lafayette, CO

Subject: RE: How bad are diet cokes?

lisac957 - 2009-06-05 8:49 AM

Turnin2 - 2009-06-05 9:03 AM
How we eat and what we eat are not always totally concious decisions.

I completely disagree with this statement.
I choose what I eat every meal of every day. Sometimes I want something bad for me and I stop and say no. It's as simple as that. Some people do not have that mental will power, but it is definitely a concious decision.

I agree. It's a cop out to blame lack of will power on something like an artificial sweetener. I'm not saying my will power is perfect (far from it) but that's me and shouldn't be blamed on an outside force. I am down to only one item in my house that has artificial sweeteners (fudge pops) and working getting it down to none. I don't drink diet drinks very often (only on a rare occasion when I'm out, don't buy it for home). I make the conscious decision whether to consume artificial sweeteners so even if they have some power over our appetites I make the decision to consume the sweetener in the first place and could avoid the issue all together.

Our society tends to look for things to blame our issues on. First it's too much sugar so we get artificial sweeteners. Then the sweeteners make us want more calories. Really we need to take ownership of our nutrition and exercise and understand that we control our own battle. The sooner we stop looking for cop outs the sooner our society as a whole will be better off. (Obviously, I know there are certain medical conditions that contribute to some people's weight issues.)

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Expert

793

South Florida

Subject: RE: How bad are diet cokes?

I guess I should have said "How most people eat is not always a concious decision"

By "we" I meant people in general. I eat whatever sounds good to me at the time and rely on exercise to keep myself in shape. I have never worried about calories or fat and if I feel like eating I eat. That to me is one of the most important benefits of training. I know I won't be an elite athlete this way, but I'm doing this for fun also.

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Alpharetta, Georgia

Bronze member

Subject: RE: How bad are diet cokes?

Turnin2 - 2009-06-05 12:29 PM I guess I should have said "How most people eat is not always a concious decision"

By "we" I meant people in general. I eat whatever sounds good to me at the time and rely on exercise to keep myself in shape. I have never worried about calories or fat and if I feel like eating I eat. That to me is one of the most important benefits of training. I know I won't be an elite athlete this way, but I'm doing this for fun also.

This is still a concious decision.
As it is with the "rest" of the general population. You, I, and "they" choose every meal of every day what to put in their/our bodies. Every single time.

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Lafayette, CO

Subject: RE: How bad are diet cokes?

lisac957 - 2009-06-05 12:34 PM

Turnin2 - 2009-06-05 12:29 PM I guess I should have said "How most people eat is not always a concious decision"

By "we" I meant people in general. I eat whatever sounds good to me at the time and rely on exercise to keep myself in shape. I have never worried about calories or fat and if I feel like eating I eat. That to me is one of the most important benefits of training. I know I won't be an elite athlete this way, but I'm doing this for fun also.

This is still a concious decision.
As it is with the "rest" of the general population. You, I, and "they" choose every meal of every day what to put in their/our bodies. Every single time.

Exactly. But so many are always looking for something to blame it on and these studies give them that. I truly believe that to change my life and body I have to take ownership of every single decision I make regarding food, drink and exercise.

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Pro

4189

Pittsburgh, my heart is in Glasgow

Subject: RE: How bad are diet cokes?

I saw this and thought of this thread (and several others, but especially the OMGGGG! DIET COKE IS CANCEERRRRRRRRRRRRRR threads):

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Pro

4824

Houston

Subject: RE: How bad are diet cokes?

lisac957 - 2009-05-26 10:56 AM

eabeam - 2009-05-26 9:48 AM
- Occasional Vitamin Water

I was checking out the label on the new Vitamin Water 10 calorie stuff... it appears to be all natural, no HFCS or chemicals or artificial sweetners or anything like that.

I was interested so I checked a bottle at Target the other day and one of the first ingredients is crystalline fructose with natural sugar in parenthesis I think. Well, crystalline fructose isn't exactly natural and I've read it can be worse than HFCS. I don't know a lot about CF but enough that I think they are trying to sell us another version of HFCS without us knowing. I only read one bottle so it may vary by flavor.

Not saying it's bad or don't drink it, just know what you are drinking.

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Alpharetta, Georgia

Bronze member

Subject: RE: How bad are diet cokes?

KeriKadi - 2009-06-05 4:38 PM

lisac957 - 2009-05-26 10:56 AM

eabeam - 2009-05-26 9:48 AM
- Occasional Vitamin Water

I was checking out the label on the new Vitamin Water 10 calorie stuff... it appears to be all natural, no HFCS or chemicals or artificial sweetners or anything like that.

I was interested so I checked a bottle at Target the other day and one of the first ingredients is crystalline fructose with natural sugar in parenthesis I think. Well, crystalline fructose isn't exactly natural and I've read it can be worse than HFCS. I don't know a lot about CF but enough that I think they are trying to sell us another version of HFCS without us knowing. I only read one bottle so it may vary by flavor.

Not saying it's bad or don't drink it, just know what you are drinking.

Good catch!
Just reading up quickly about crystalline fructose, everything says it is made by allowing HFCS to crystalize. One post clarifies it amusingly:

So what’s up with crystalline fructose, Vitamin Water’s sweetener of choice? According to the Sugar Association, crystalline fructose develops when you take a “fructose-enriched corn syrup” (sounds suspiciously like high fructose corn syrup, no?) and then allow this syrup to harden into crystal form. The result is a product that, according to fructose.org (PDF), is almost 100% fructose.

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Pro

4824

Houston

Subject: RE: How bad are diet cokes?

Yep, I saw that too. Damn them!

I had just read an article when my husband calls me from Sams with "honey, I am reading the label on the new Vitamin Water and it has Crystal-something fructose in it, can I buy it?"

Thank you for calling sweetie .... NO.

We aren't perfect. I love the occasional cherry coke but I have 5 kids and they are my responsibility. We don't keep products containing HFCS in the house. I know they will get it other places and I know it won't kill them I just don't want it being an integral part of their diet like the average American kid. Granola bars, apple sauce, all the drinks, gummy stuff, cereals etc.

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Champion

5522

Frisco, TX

Subject: RE: How bad are diet cokes?

phoenixazul - 2009-06-05 3:43 PM I saw this and thought of this thread (and several others, but especially the OMGGGG! DIET COKE IS CANCEERRRRRRRRRRRRRR threads):

ROTFLMAO - that is great! As Klinger on MASH used to say - one half of family dying, other half pregnant... Keep turning up the drama and minimizing the science at each step...

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Champion

5522

Frisco, TX

Subject: RE: How bad are diet cokes?

lisac957 - 2009-06-05 1:34 PM

Turnin2 - 2009-06-05 12:29 PM I guess I should have said "How most people eat is not always a concious decision"

By "we" I meant people in general. I eat whatever sounds good to me at the time and rely on exercise to keep myself in shape. I have never worried about calories or fat and if I feel like eating I eat. That to me is one of the most important benefits of training. I know I won't be an elite athlete this way, but I'm doing this for fun also.

This is still a concious decision.
As it is with the "rest" of the general population. You, I, and "they" choose every meal of every day what to put in their/our bodies. Every single time.

How about we let the government regulate it for all us? i.e. - banning trans-fats, labeling on menu boards at McDonalds. Everybody knows the Big Mac, fries, and a shake is not healthy eating.

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8936

Subject: RE: How bad are diet cokes?

ashort33 - 2009-06-05 7:54 PM

lisac957 - 2009-06-05 1:34 PM

Turnin2 - 2009-06-05 12:29 PM I guess I should have said "How most people eat is not always a concious decision"

By "we" I meant people in general. I eat whatever sounds good to me at the time and rely on exercise to keep myself in shape. I have never worried about calories or fat and if I feel like eating I eat. That to me is one of the most important benefits of training. I know I won't be an elite athlete this way, but I'm doing this for fun also.

This is still a concious decision.
As it is with the "rest" of the general population. You, I, and "they" choose every meal of every day what to put in their/our bodies. Every single time.

How about we let the government regulate it for all us? i.e. - banning trans-fats, labeling on menu boards at McDonalds. Everybody knows the Big Mac, fries, and a shake is not healthy eating.

Maybe I'm missing something, but what does that have to do with anything we've been talking about?

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Champion

5522

Frisco, TX

Subject: RE: How bad are diet cokes?

DerekL - 2009-06-05 8:27 PM

ashort33 - 2009-06-05 7:54 PM

lisac957 - 2009-06-05 1:34 PM

Turnin2 - 2009-06-05 12:29 PM I guess I should have said "How most people eat is not always a concious decision"

By "we" I meant people in general. I eat whatever sounds good to me at the time and rely on exercise to keep myself in shape. I have never worried about calories or fat and if I feel like eating I eat. That to me is one of the most important benefits of training. I know I won't be an elite athlete this way, but I'm doing this for fun also.

This is still a concious decision.
As it is with the "rest" of the general population. You, I, and "they" choose every meal of every day what to put in their/our bodies. Every single time.

How about we let the government regulate it for all us? i.e. - banning trans-fats, labeling on menu boards at McDonalds. Everybody knows the Big Mac, fries, and a shake is not healthy eating.

Maybe I'm missing something, but what does that have to do with anything we've been talking about?

You all are exactly right about it being a person responsibility issue on what you consume. Unfortunately many don't accept the personal responsibility and want to blame others. Politicians see those being blamed as easy targets and then set about regulating them in the name of "public health", thereby limiting the choices of everyone. Nobody made me fat but me. When I was a smoker, I knew it was bad for me when I started, no slick marketing campaign by Marlboro convinced me to become a smoker, I did it all on my own.

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8936

Subject: RE: How bad are diet cokes?

ashort33 - 2009-06-05 10:15 PM

DerekL - 2009-06-05 8:27 PM

ashort33 - 2009-06-05 7:54 PM

lisac957 - 2009-06-05 1:34 PM

Turnin2 - 2009-06-05 12:29 PM I guess I should have said "How most people eat is not always a concious decision"

By "we" I meant people in general. I eat whatever sounds good to me at the time and rely on exercise to keep myself in shape. I have never worried about calories or fat and if I feel like eating I eat. That to me is one of the most important benefits of training. I know I won't be an elite athlete this way, but I'm doing this for fun also.

This is still a concious decision.
As it is with the "rest" of the general population. You, I, and "they" choose every meal of every day what to put in their/our bodies. Every single time.

How about we let the government regulate it for all us? i.e. - banning trans-fats, labeling on menu boards at McDonalds. Everybody knows the Big Mac, fries, and a shake is not healthy eating.

Maybe I'm missing something, but what does that have to do with anything we've been talking about?

You all are exactly right about it being a person responsibility issue on what you consume. Unfortunately many don't accept the personal responsibility and want to blame others. Politicians see those being blamed as easy targets and then set about regulating them in the name of "public health", thereby limiting the choices of everyone. Nobody made me fat but me. When I was a smoker, I knew it was bad for me when I started, no slick marketing campaign by Marlboro convinced me to become a smoker, I did it all on my own.

Ok, gotcha. I agree completely.

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Elite

2729

Puyallup, WA

Subject: RE: How bad are diet cokes?

So I'm "experimenting" by eliminating artificial sweeteners from my intake. I don't necessarily think it's a bad thing - but I thought I'd see how my stomache would react, see if it gave me more energy, etc. Just a personal exploration if you will...However, this thread mentions that aspartame (nutrasweet) and sucralose (splenda) are artificial while stevia is natural. While I agree aspartame is a chemical - isn't sucralose made from sugar - so wouldn't that be the same as stevia? I'm just curious...I was reading on yahoo about alternative drinks - and someone suggested making a reduced-sugar kool-aid. I might start experimenting...

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How bad are diet cokes? (Page 2)

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