September 18, 2017 · Written by Foodtolive Team
Why Diet Soda Is Bad for You and How to Replace It
Diet soda is bad for you. There is no arguing that fact because a drink containing lots of sweeteners can’t be ‘good’ by default. Studies indicate that intake of artificial sweeteners increases the risk of type 2 diabetes, dementia, stroke, and other dangerous conditions. Therefore, eliminating this drink from your diet is the best thing to do. And you can easily replace it with healthier options.
Why Diet Soda is Bad for You
It’s true that diet soda doesn’t contain sugar. Therefore, you don’t have to worry about the refined sugar effects on your body. However, that sweetener is replaced with various artificial substances. They pose as many dangers as sugar does, even if they aren’t as noticeable at first.
Health problems associated with large intake of diet soda include:
1. Reduced kidney function
This study shows that regular drinking of diet coke and other similar beverages can cause the drop in kidney function up to 30%. This can lead to severe health problems associated with kidney disease. Note that according to this research, drinking three or more cans a day can cause problems. One can daily is considered safe.
2. Depression
Surprisingly, people who drink more diet soda than regular coke suffer from a greater risk of depression. Bear in mind that the beverage itself doesn’t cause any emotional disorders. It’s simply associated with a greater risk of developing one. This might be connected to a depression induced by self-image issues and obesity.
3. Type 2 diabetes
Although the risk of diabetes is lower for those who drink diet soda as compared to regular. It’s still higher than for people who avoid unhealthy sweet carbonated drinks altogether.
You must know that artificial sweeteners interfere with the gut microflora. This can lead to the development of glucose intolerance and various metabolic issues.
The important thing to note is that despite the fact that diet soda is bad for you, it’s not as bad as regular sugary drinks. It also doesn’t cause weight gain. However, people indulging in two or more cans of diet coke a day are more likely to gain extra pounds.
In general, drinking 1-2 cans of this beverage on occasion shouldn’t cause any lasting damage. However, consuming it daily, especially more than one can, is dangerous.
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The important thing to note is that despite the fact that diet soda is bad for you, it’s not as bad as regular sugary drinks. It also doesn’t cause weight gain. However, people indulging in two or more cans of diet coke a day are more likely to gain extra pounds.
In general, drinking 1-2 cans of this beverage on occasion shouldn’t cause any lasting damage. However, consuming it daily, especially more than one can, is dangerous.
How to Stop Drinking Diet Soda
About 1 in 5 Americans drinks diet soda every day. Many people switch to it as a part of their weight loss program or in an effort to cut down on eating sugar.
However, as diet soda is bad for you, the best thing to do is to remove it from your diet altogether. Doing this will be easier if your start with replacing it by:
- Sparkling mineral water (with no sugar or sweeteners) flavored with fresh fruit juice
- Berry juice concentrate diluted with water
- Herbal cold teas with mesquite powder
Note that mesquite powder is a natural sweetener, which can be a healthy alternative to sugar and artificial sweeteners. If you are addicted to diet coke or other caffeinated drink, you might add a bit of cacao powder to your healthy substitutes. This will give you a small fix of caffeine for ‘withdrawal’ and also a boost of antioxidants from raw cacao.
