Calling All Diet Soda Drinkers...

Well, I don't think it takes a brain surgeon to know that drinking soda is really not the best choice. I would like to dispel the myth, however, that drinking diet soda is better than drinking regular. (Of course, in my ideal world, my clients would not be drinking either, but I realize that not everyone has the same priorities.)

First off, diet soda contains some type of artificial sweetener (Diet Coke and Pepsi both contain aspartame though coke also has some saccharin to extend shelf life), which has been linked to cancer, tumors, lymphoma and various other diseases in several studies (see "The Aspartame Experiment"). Diet Coke has now released a new version which uses sucralose (Splenda) in its formulation, which is NOT sugar nor does it resemble sugar (it is a chlorine compound) as the advertising will lead you to believe. Dr. Joseph Mercola has a great book entitled Sweet Deception which dispels many of the myths about these sweeteners and exposes the truth about their harmful effects. You can also visit www.thetruthaboutsplenda.com or www.sweetdeception.com


Taken directly from Mercola's website: "Perhaps even worse, aspartame acts as a neurotransmitter in your brain by facilitating the transmission of information from neuron to neuron. But too much aspartame in your brain kills certain neurons by allowing the influx of too much calcium into your cells. This influx triggers excessive amounts of free radicals, which kill your cells. The neural cell damage that can be caused by excessive aspartame is why they are referred to as "excitotoxins". They "excite," or stimulate, your neural cells to death."

Secondly, if you are trying to lose weight, diet soda has been shown to potentially double your risk for obesity! Diet products, in general, will substitute sugar with artificial sweeteners, which usually does not change caloric value much, but instead fills your food with chemicals the body does not know how to process. This stimulates fat storage, increases appetite, and increases carbohydrate cravings.

Diet sodas increase the risk for metabolic syndrome, a group of symptoms which include high blood pressure, high cholesterol, diabetes, and heart related conditions.

So, am I suggesting you drink regular soda instead? Well, it would certainly be a better option than diet, if you don't mind sacrificing your bones and teeth as phosphoric acid will deplete the body of so much calcium it will give you osteoporosis and rotting teeth.

In conclusion, soda will make you fat, make you sick, or make you die a slow death with many health ailments along the way. Am I harsh? Maybe so. The soda manufacturers might argue that I am amplifying the risks, but they cannot deny what some of the studies have shown.

I bring this to you with the utmost respect, love and gratitude~
Erin