Diet Soda; It Doesn’t Do a Body Good

The sound of a can of diet soda opening is music to a diet soda drinker’s ears. It doesn’t matter if the person drinks Diet Coke or Diet Pepsi the craving for a good cold drink of diet soda can be overwhelming. There has been an influx of news articles regarding diet soda and the bad chemicals that it contains which can be harmful to people’s bodies.

Reasons not to drink Diet Soda

1. Artificial sweeteners are not good for people in large doses, and diet soda often contains large doses of sweeteners in it, according to the Mayo Clinic and the Prevent Disease website.
2. Diet sodas such as Diet Coke and Diet Pepsi contain caffeine and if a person drinks a combination of coffee and soda throughout the day that will result in unhealthy amounts of caffeine intake which can cause people to not sleep well and feel jittery through the day.
3. Diet sodas can add to GI track distress and is a common cause of stomach problems in teens and young adults according to the Global Healing Center.
4. The acid in diet soda can eat away at tooth enamel and cause teeth to appear yellow and stained, as reported by the Global Healing Center.
5. People who suffer from migraines often have more frequent headaches according to the NaturoDoc website.
6. The Mayo Clinic states that drinking more than one soda a day is linked to weight gain and weight problems in both adults and teenagers.

Ways to cut back on Diet Soda and consume less of it.

1. Drink glasses of water in between every soda that is consumed. Water helps to keep you from reaching for the can of soda by making you feel less thirsty and full.
2. Limit soda to just having one with a meal, and do not have more than one soda a day. If someone is addicted to soda cut back slowly by drinking only a few ounces at a time and spreading the one can of soda throughout the course of the day.
3. Drink other carbonated beverages so that the feelings of bubbles are still tickling the drinker’s throat without having caffeine or diet drink in take.
4. Write down the feelings that occur whenever the person is craving diet soda. See if there is something that triggers the need for soda and then avoid the triggers as much as possible. Write down how good it feels to not drink soda.
5. Tell people about cutting back on soda and the plan to stick with it. Ask for advice and encouragement throughout your journey. Buddy up with friends who have habits that they want to break and encourage each other when the fear of failure is present.

A Hard Habit to Break

In the case of diet sodas less is most defiantly more! It is hard to break a habit that tastes good and is something that millions enjoy, however the body will be much happier without the influx of bad substances that enter it while you are drinking diet soda. Kicking the diet soda habit can be done and is well worth it in the long run.

Sources

• Mayo Clinic
• Global Healing Center Soft Drinks – America
• Prevent Disease: The Facts, Stats and Dangers of Soda Pop
• NatruoDoc: Aspartame