Is diet soda really bad for you? I mean it’s got to be better than the regular stuff. It even says “diet” after all. Changing from regular soda to diet may trick some people into thinking that they are making health improvements. Sorry to break it to you, but that couldn’t be farther from the truth. I want to share with you some reasons that you might want to keep diet soda off of your drink choices.
Everyone needs to treat themselves to something that they enjoy. You can’t deny yourself all the time or else you will go crazy. So if diet soda is something that you like, by all means, have at it. But drinking it on a consistent basis can have some detrimental side effects.
….But I Just Had A Diet Soda, So Everything’s Cool!
I noticed that this effect happens a lot when people drink soda. Your mind whispers, “I know you just ordered a supersize quarter pounder meal, but you got the diet coke instead of the regular. Everything’s cool!”.
It doesn’t work that way. Yea diet drinks might not have calories in them, but they all have extra sodium and other chemicals that can have negative effects overtime. Oh yea, and the diet drink DEFINITELY doesn’t help you burn off that quarter pounder either…just in case you were wondering.
Sodium Wars
On many diet sodas you might find 0% in all the nutrition categories except for Sodium. Everyday the United States is struggling with a sodium epidemic.
It plays a huge role in high blood pressure and heart disease. We need to save ourselves from sodium anywhere that we can, and diet soda is definitely one of them.
You Have 2 Kidneys. Use Them Wisely
A study on 3,000 women at Harvard came to the conclusion that having 2 or more diet sodas per day doubled their chances of having kidney failure.
The findings weren’t associated with the regular sodas, so one of the main culprits had to be the artificial sweeteners in the soda.
There needs to be more studies on artificial sweeteners to find out how they really effect our bodies, but they are definitely one of the food ingredients to stay away from.
Metabolism Meltdown
Diet soda can mess up your metabolism by making it harder for your body to regulate calories. A study from University of Minnesota suggested that the drink promotes belly fat, undesireable cholesterol, and also promotes heart disease.
It’s unclear whether the diet soda is directly linked to these side effects, or if it has something to do with the food that’s eaten along with it. If I had to take a guess, I would say it’s probably a little bit of both.
1 chemical, 2 chemical, 3 chemical, floor….
Diet soda contains chemicals and preservatives that normal soda doesn’t. Now, don’t just go back to drinking regular soda though! That has a whole different set of garbage in it.
The sodium benzoate and potassium benzoate are two preservatives and mold inhibitors that can really have negative effects on your body cells.
Even worse, think about this for a second. The Ph (acidity) level of battery acid is 1, and water is 7. Soda has a ph right over 3. That’s just asking to tear down the enamel of your teeth and cell membranes.
If you’re really trying to make health strides, your best bet is to experience the health benefits of water. Keep diet soda as your “cheat day” drink, after you have done a good job all week. I hope this article was informative. Please take a second to share it on facebook. If you use soda as a pick-me-up, try replacing it with these 9 foods that will get rid of your afternoon slump.
About Adam Pegg
