The FastDay Forum

I enjoy the occasional glass of sugar free fizzy. I'm not unduly worried about artificial sweeteners as they're my only vice - I neither smoke nor drink alcohol anymore, and I am sorting out my diet for the better. I have to have some pleasures though!

I love the taste and mouth-feel of carbonation, and lately I've started having a diet soda on fast days. It feels like more of an eating experience than coffee or tea, because of the strong flavor and texture, for lack of a better word.

However I know that too great an intake of carbonated drinks can dissolve your teeth and promote osteoporosis, so I try to moderate myself.

Artificial sweeteners don't worry me at all. I've never had a headache or a craving for candy because of them, and I don't think they habituate me to everything having to taste sweet. Even with my increased intake of diet soda now that I've started 5:2, sweet foods taste too sweet to me.

I've managed to reduce my coke zero intake to one a day, which is quite an accomplishment for me. I'm having fizzy water (surprisingly hard to find in Japan) with real lemon, lime or shikwasa (Okinawa lime). I've heard that stevia is popular in Japan, but I haven't looked for it yet. I use Splenda/sucralose in fruit teas. I usually only drink those on fast days.