The FastDay Forum

I was reading some threads today and noticed a few tutting at people for drinking diet Coke. One person even referred to it as "pure poison". This went unchallenged - almost as though it's simply true and needs no further comment.

Well it surprised me so I'm asking for further comment

Thanks

Not sure if it's pure poison but it's definitely bad for us, especially in the quantity that was mentioned in the particular thread.

Coke and diet coke, I will drink the odd one with some rum, most of the time I use it to bring up our sinks to a lovely shine and clean the loos too- hate to think what it does to our insides!

Hmmm.... "pure poison" is perhaps a bit much but there's nothing nutritious at all in Diet Coke (or any other diet drink) and there's quite a bit of research out there that suggests it's actually bad for you.

There are several variants on that theme - I'm sure Google will bring back lots of results. You'll find some about aspartame (the sweetener used in diet coke) and whether it's carcinogenic or not. You'll find others about the body tasting 'sweet' and preparing to handle sugar and then not - leading to sugar cravings afterwards and a higher propensity to store fat. And there's another whole piece on how fizzy drinks (even sparkling water) have a propensity to reduce calcium in the bones.

Water (occasionally sparkling) with real slices of lemon/lime generally tastes better and will be better for you.

there's a lot of water in Diet Coke, so it isn't devoid of merit.

While there are a few unsubstantiated safety rumours around most artificial sweeteners, many have the look of an "Andrew Wakefield" about them and the artificial sweeteners used in food and drink are approved as safe by the relevant bodies in the EU and USA.

When I'm diet and I'm craving sugar, diet coke is my first choice. I don't care to drink pure poison

Poison or not, a diet coke will take away, or reduce, my sugar cravings. Otherwise, I'll be into a chocolate bar, which is probably worse.

If you crave sugar and you give your body a diet coke which has no sugar in it...
...can't you see the paradox?

Hmmm.... "pure poison" is perhaps a bit much but there's nothing nutritious at all in Diet Coke (or any other diet drink) and there's quite a bit of research out there that suggests it's actually bad for you.

There are several variants on that theme - I'm sure Google will bring back lots of results. You'll find some about aspartame (the sweetener used in diet coke) and whether it's carcinogenic or not. You'll find others about the body tasting 'sweet' and preparing to handle sugar and then not - leading to sugar cravings afterwards and a higher propensity to store fat. And there's another whole piece on how fizzy drinks (even sparkling water) have a propensity to reduce calcium in the bones.

Water (occasionally sparkling) with real slices of lemon/lime generally tastes better and will be better for you.

A few years back my mum did a lot of reading regarding the fact that our bodies don't know how to handle sweeteners and the problem that when we eat something sweet it expects sugar and there's a lot of confusion when we give something else to it.

Anyway, she told me a little trick which I always do. Whatever it is that you add a sweetener to (tea, coffee, yoghurt etc) add a sprinkle of brown sugar. That will give the body something to work with and there won't be worse sugar cravings later.

One more thing...
...it seems that many of us mistake the need for something that tastes sweet for sugar cravings.
Sugar craving is the need of our body to have something sweet. This, cannot be "cured" with eating aspartame, stevia etc.

I was a Diet Coke, Diet Pepsi, Tab (originally) junkie for more than 40 years. I drank a lot of it! I finally quit drinking it (or any cola product) when I read that the phosphorous in cola beverages leaches calcium from bones. Since, at the time, I was taking Fosamax for osteoporosis, it seemed pretty danged stupid to keep drinking something that was making the situation worse!

So, in one day, I completely switched over to selzer (fizzy) water because what I really craved was the bite of the bubbles. A few times a year I drink a diet coke or pepsi if there isn't any fizzy water or iced tea available. (I hate sugared drinks or other sodas, always have.) That was about 2 1/2 years ago and I haven't missed it one bit.

To clarify, it was the cola itself that was the problem, not the artificial sweeteners, although they may present their own issues. I should add that I am not taking any Fosamax at this time and my bone density has improved. Yay!

Well some people take the view that you should eat natural and that anything that has come from a factory is bad for you. I dunno, but I think that are a lot more important things to worry about than the evils of Diet Coke. If it works for you and helps you get through a fast day, I wouldn't worry about having it. I'm not sure who Andrew Wakefield is, but I think PhilT is a pretty reliable source.

[carorees]

I think the leaching of calcium from bones is a more worrying side effect than the aspartame, TBH. Since dieting can also have this effect, I think it wise to limit consumption. Personally I'm too stingy to spend a lot of money on non-alcoholic drinks...water or wine for me! (oh, well, and teas I suppose but that is cheap when you drink it as weak as I do!)

Personally, I prefer to have regular Coke from time to time, it has the taste of my childhood's Sundays and even a few sips of it brings back good memories.
I also drink Dr Pepper (even if it costs an arm and a leg here in Greece) because it reminds me of my second home, Britain.
All in moderation I'll say but I still can't get how something that doesn't contain sugar can satisfy sugar cravings.

I'm quite proud of the fact that I've stopped drinking those kinds of drinks. Before starting this fasting thing I used to buy and drink those bottles of coke several times a week on the way home. And since January I haven't had any, and to be honest I haven't really thought about or missed it and I also remembered that I don't really like it that much, I was just drinking it out of habit for some reason. I've never liked diet Coke at all and have always been suspicious of sweetners. I just don't know what they are.
I just have to find something else with which to mix my rum!