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Health Problems with Diet Sodas

#1
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9/18/07 at 12:11am
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Diet Sodas May Be Linked to Metabolic Syndrome - Diabetes Health

Shel
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#2
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9/18/07 at 4:02am
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It is interesting that there are now studies showing that diet versions of sodas are not as healthy as one might think. I've always had problems with ingesting foods and beverages that contain low- or no- calorie sweeteners. Although I know this is clearly anecdotal, my experience when drinking diet soda is something that feels vaguely like a UTI.

I love gingerale and coca cola, but now only opt for sodas that are made with pure cane sugar and skip any with HFCS or Nutrasweet or Splenda.

That cloyingly sweet aftertaste does not make my limitation too difficult anyway.
Iced tea with lemon is an easy and cheap alternative.
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#3
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9/18/07 at 7:01am
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Hi Foodn ....

The link I posted was just one of several I came across. There are enough studies to give the consumer of these drinks something to think about. I found more studies and information about the harmful effects of HFCS, but in truth, I wasn't really looking for info about the potentially harmful effects of diet sodas - the info just popped up while looking for other things.

Iced tea with lemon is a great cooling drink in hot weather, as is .... water. Also, juices made with real fruit can be nice, no sugar, artificial sweetners, or corn syrup needed. Fresh watermelon juice with mint is nice, fresh-made apple juice with ginger and seltzer is a favorite here, as is plain, fresh-made apple juice, freshly squeezed grapefruit juice and other citrus, etc.

http://www.cheftalk.com/forums/recip...er-cooler.html

Like you, I rarely drink soda any more, and am staying away from processed juices as well. Many of the commercial juices are loaded with sugar water and other ingredients. If one cares about what they're eating/drinking, it's important to read the product labels. What's really in the bottle may not be what seems to be in the bottle.

Better get off my soap box ...

Shel
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#4
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9/20/07 at 2:06am
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Diet sodas have been linked to a large number of different problems. I just don't like the stuff - it has a chemical taste. Then again I am not a fan of soda drinks in general.

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#5
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10/4/07 at 7:34pm
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While I actually enjoy a diet soda occasionally, I far prefer water or seltzer. I recently found blueberry and pomegranite seltzer. They are quite flavorful, a fun beverage that even my kids think of as a treat!
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#6
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10/5/07 at 7:17am
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For those of us with diabetes (and mine appears to be genetically based), there are very few choices if one wants sweetness without sugar or chemical sweeteners. As innocuous and "natural" as honey and fruit juices may seem, to my body they are SUGAR- period. I'm limited to about 150 carbs per day by my doctor, so drinking 30 or 40 or 50 of them in a drink isn't a good nutritional bargain for me, even if they are natural fruit juices. I'm trying to limit my intake because I think it boosts my craving for sweets, but I cannot eliminate Splenda or Equal (my usual choices) completely.

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#7
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10/5/07 at 8:55am
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What about Xylitol ... I've tried it a few times and found it has a nice taste (not exactly like sugar, but close enough in most cases, and better than Splenda and that other horror, Aspartame). The made-in-USA or Canadian Birch bark derived stuff is my Xylitol of choice, but it's sometimes very hard to come by. There's also Stevia, which I've not tried.

Shel
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#8
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10/5/07 at 9:57am
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Shel, I do consume candy, etc. made with xylitol, maltitol and isomalt, however, I find the side effects of these substances are annoying (I won't detail them :eek: ) . I tried stevia some time ago and didn't like the aftertaste at all.

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#9
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10/5/07 at 3:30pm
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I understand what the side effects are, although I've never experienced them, even after eating an entire candy bar made with, IIRC, sorbitol. I guess I'm lucky.

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#10
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10/5/07 at 5:27pm
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It actually is a chemical, isn't it? Taste gives it away. :D
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#11
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10/6/07 at 3:38pm
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What about just eating - maybe drinking - plain old fresh fruit and fresh fruit juice. My favorites right now are grapefruit, cantaloupe, and apples (the small local natural foods market here has 34 varieties of apples now, all either locally or USA grown). Of course, I enjoy other fruits as well, although these are, for me, the most refreshing - oh, and grapes, too, but only in limited quantites because of the way their sugar affects me. Cantaloupe is at the end of the season, but grapefruit and apples are coming on strong. My juicer's broken, so I just eat the fruit plain, but my juicer works in such a way to give lots of pulp and fiber.

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#12
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10/6/07 at 7:29pm
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You'd think "whole fruit" juices would be good, but actually the fresh fruit is a better dietary bargain for me because you get more fiber from the whole fruit than from the juice, which has its virtues. I suppose juice from a juicer would be better, but I don't own one.

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#13
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10/6/07 at 8:05pm
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Yes, it was the fiber I was thinking of. When I said fresh fruit juice, I didn't mean bottled or canned - to me fresh means freshly made, at home or at a juice bar, made with a juicer. And it was the fiber I was thinking about when suggesting fresh fruit.

Some fruits can be juiced with a blender. There's a nice orange-banana-papaya juice I sometimes enjoy for breakfast, maybe throw some berries into it as well. <ango is great - mango-papaya is greater still <LOL> Refreshing, loaded with fiber, and will keep nicely in the coldest part of the fridge for a day or so - just seal tightly. They freeze well, too.

Watermelon juices great that way also. Add a sprig or two if mint, or some lemon/lime juice, and y'got a cool refrshing summer-early fall beverage. You can even make a nice grapefruit juice in the blender - likewise orange juice (but not quit as good by itself as grapefruit, IMO), but orange-pineapple is great - lotsa fiber.

Some stand mixers have optional juicer attachments. Don't know how well they work ...

Shel
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#14
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10/15/07 at 2:53pm
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I think the bigger problem is how much soda people are drinking. I know people who drink 3-5 a day. It's not a substitute for water (neither are things like Vitamin Water, for that matter...that stuff is so loaded with sugar). The occasional soda is okay, as is the occasional treat of any kind. The real problem, I think, is that people aren't getting enough of the good stuff in their diets any more-- fresh foods that aren't processed so much that they can last on your shelf for a year without even starting to go bad.
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