So the question is, is diet soda really a healthy choice over other drinks? You may be shocked to find out that the answer is a resounding no! And not only are diet sodas not good for you, they can actually lead to obesity.
The drink companies really do not want you to know this and they spend millions each year to keep it quite and make you believe that they will make you young, healthy and beautiful.
But, if you are a diet drink addict, like, I was you need to at least hear this and make the decision for your self.
First, let's talk about what diet sodas really do to your body.
The major culprit in diet drinks is aspartame.
One of the components of aspartame is methanol or wood alcohol, which is highly toxic.
The drink marketers want you to believe that methanol is safe since it is also found in a lot of fruits and vegetables.
The thing is, methanol is never present in natural food without ethanol and pectin.
Ethanol is actually a common treatment for methanol poisoning.
Ethanol and pectin both stop methanol from turning into formaldehyde in you body.
Yes, you are actually embalming yourself.
A build up of formaldehyde in your muscles and joints can cause severe joint pain and other symptoms of fibromyalgia.
Keep in mind that these pains will work directly against what is really needed to lose weight, exercise! As for diet soda leading to obesity, a study by Sharon Fowler (University of Texas) and colleagues showed links between consumption of regular sodas and weight gain as expected.
The surprising part was that people who drank only diet drinks were even more likely to see weight gain.
The eight year study revealed that for every diet drink consumed per day, there was a 41% increase in the likelihood of being overweight.
Other studies have yielded similar results.
One theory for this weight gain is that the sweet taste of the diet soft drinks tricks your body into producing insulin to absorb the sugar, which is not there.
Since the insulin is there with nothing to do, this triggers your appetite and you will tend to go out and eat junk food to appease the insulin.
Another theory is that the aspartame blocks serotonin production.
This causes you to crave foods that stimulate serotonin production such as carbs and other comfort foods.
Low serotonin levels can also cause depression.
So what is the answer? Well, if you are trying to lose weight, it is certainly not diet soft drinks.
By far, the best thing to drink is good old water.
If you need or want something sweet to drink, natural juices can satisfy your cravings better than any soft drink.
As for caffeine, your best bet is just a cup of coffee in the morning to get you going.
Although you will be off if you can completely get away from caffeine altogether.
A good protein drink is also an excellent choice after a hard workout.
And remember, the key to weight lose is not diet sodas, it is a balanced diet and exercise program.