A new year is upon us, and if you’re still drinking diet drinks of any kind that contain fake sugar substitutes (aspartame, sweet n low, nutra sweet, equal, etc), your resolution should be to quit immediately! If you drink diet sodas or use chemical sugar substitutes thinking you’re avoiding sugar and weight gain, think again. Diet sodas may actually double your risk of obesity. The study from this linked article shows that the participants were 65 percent more likely to be overweight if they consumed one diet soda a day compared to if they drank none. Two or more low- or no-calorie soft drinks raised the odds of becoming obese or overweight even higher. Those who drank diet soda had a greater chance of becoming overweight than participants who drank regular soda.
That’s right. Diet sodas may cause weight gain. How could this be? Drinking artificially sweetened beverages (and eating other sugar free diet foods) “tricks” the pancreas into releasing insulin, which increases fat storage, spikes appetite and carb cravings, and stimulates appetite, leading to overeating and weight gain. Increased insulin has been linked to heart disease.
Adding insult to injury, aspartame, the artificial chemical that makes diet sodas sweet, is neurotoxic, meaning it causes brain cell and neuron death. Neurotoxins are also classified as excitotoxins, meaning they excite or stimulate your neural cells to death. These chemicals have been linked to 90+ side effects such as migraines, dizziness, seizures, nausea, numbness, muscle spasms, weight gain, rashes, depression, fatigue, irritability, tachycardia (racing heart), insomnia, vision problems, hearing loss, heart palpitations, breathing difficulties, anxiety attacks, slurred speech, loss of taste, tinnitus, vertigo, memory loss, and joint pain. No thanks.
Time to give this stuff up for good. Keep in mind that it takes about 21 days to break a habit and that it may be rough at first, but STICK WITH IT. Eventually the cravings will disappear. If you’re drinking soda for the sweet taste, you may experience sugar cravings. Click here for info on how to smash your sugar cravings. If you’re drinking it for the caffeine because you need a boost, switch to green tea. Or better yet, determine why you’re so tired: not enough sleep? Eating refined foods like (bread, pasta, wheat/white flour products or sugar) that make you crash?
Here are some substitutes if you are bored with water (a complaint I hear frequently). Remember that dehydration can also sabotage your weight loss efforts and slow your metabolism!
1. If you are bored with water, jazz it up with lemon, lime and/or cucumber slices, or even ginger.
2. Drink herbal teas throughout the day or make homemade iced tea to sip on.
3. Make your own “soda” with sparkling water and a splash or unsweetened cranberry (or add a little stevia) or pomegranate juice.
One Comment
I don’t know enough about the biochemistry to judge the diet drinks and the artificial sweeteners, but I am very distrustful of all artificial ingredients in general. It’s a challenge for me, but I’m trying to stop consuming not only artificially sweetened diet colas and diet teas, but all foods with artificial ingredients. And — surprise!! — natural foods taste pretty good.