I drink too much soda

[private joker]

I've noticed my soda intake has gone up a ton this year. I drink upwards of 48 ounces of diet cola per day. It ranges from Diet Coke w/ Splenda to Diet Hansen's (from Trader Joe's, also sweetened with Splenda and lacking in caffeine as well) to the ones with both aspartame and caffeine, like Diet Pepsi. [I hardly ever drink regular sodas because I don't generally like sugar].

I also drink water -- I use a Brita filter at home and consume an average of 2 bottles of Sparklett's when I'm at work. I also have the occasional orange juice, coffee, beer, and wine. So it's not like diet soda is my only beverage. I drink a lot of fluids every day, and now soda (mainly Diet Coke w/ Splenda these days) is the predominant favorite.

I think this can't be good, since I should do everything in moderation, and 48 oz./day is not moderation.

Questions:

1) Is this as bad as I think it is; if so, why?

2) What should I do to help curb my soda intake -- namely, what to replace it with (besides water, when I yearn for something with a flavor), what the best way to curb it is, and is anyone else going through the same thing?

[jason_t]

Edit your post and offer the first person to reply $1000 if you don't cut your intake to 16 oz. per day within one week.

[Eurotrash]

edit and also offer the second person.

[ChipWrecked]

Jesus Christ, do you just keep a laptop in the bathroom?

[MyTurn2Raise]

on #2) try some of the artificially sweetened teas, such as crystal light raspberry tea. It gives more of a sweet kool-aid or soda taste, but doesn't hit the wasteline or digestive system so heavy.

[ChipWrecked]

[ QUOTE ]
on #2) try some of the artificially sweetened teas, such as crystal light raspberry tea. It gives more of a sweet kool-aid or soda taste, but doesn't hit the wasteline or digestive system so heavy.

[/ QUOTE ]

I drink a lot of this.

[sexdrugsmoney]

</font><blockquote><font class="small">En respuesta a:</font><hr />
Questions:

1) Is this as bad as I think it is; if so, why?

[/ QUOTE ]

Yes it's bad because it boosts your sugar levels and I think I read a study saying how it's easier to grow a gut because we're becoming immune to sugar or some [censored] like that because of the huge does we have of it.

Meh I don't know, soda tastes good but it's probably not the best for you.

</font><blockquote><font class="small">En respuesta a:</font><hr />

2) What should I do to help curb my soda intake -- namely, what to replace it with (besides water, when I yearn for something with a flavor), what the best way to curb it is, and is anyone else going through the same thing?

[/ QUOTE ]

Beer.

[whiskeytown]

I don't see what the problem is - 48 oz. is what, 2 pop bottles and part of a 3rd? - I mean, come on...

I drink two bottles a work shift - at least - and compare to the guys drinking coffee by the gallon....no biggie, esp. diet, I think.

RB

[Evan]

GoT, Catch of the Day and I made a bet at the beginning of the summer that for every soda someone drank they owed $20 to the group. We made an exception for mixed drinks (e.g. rum and coke), but other than that no soda. It's pretty easy after a few days. Stop buying so that it's not in your fridge and it won't be that hard.

[private joker]

[ QUOTE ]
Jesus Christ, do you just keep a laptop in the bathroom?

[/ QUOTE ]

I do pee a substantial amount. But you're supposed to drink something like 64 oz. of water a day, so I doubt I urinate more than the typical person should.

Oh, this brings up another question: since diet soda is mainly just carbonated water and a couple chemicals, what % of my daily water intake should I include in soda? Like, if I drink a 12 oz. can, which is probably over 11.8 oz. of carbonated water plus 0.2 oz of chemicals, should I say I've had 11.8 oz. of water so far that day? Or should I discount because of the chemicals and say 10 oz.? 6 oz? Zero?

[ChipWrecked]

[ QUOTE ]


Oh, this brings up another question: since diet soda is mainly just carbonated water and a couple chemicals, what % of my daily water intake should I include in soda? Like, if I drink a 12 oz. can, which is probably over 11.8 oz. of carbonated water plus 0.2 oz of chemicals, should I say I've had 11.8 oz. of water so far that day? Or should I discount because of the chemicals and say 10 oz.? 6 oz? Zero?

[/ QUOTE ]

Some doctor on our local news said diet soda is effectively water for what you're describing. Of course, he could have been a quack. /images/graemlins/smirk.gif

[MyTurn2Raise]

as to #1

from http://www.rawstory.com/exclusives/contributors/atkins_diet_dangers_pork_rinds_721.htm

[ QUOTE ]

Diet soda's, including C2 and Pepsi Edge, contain aspartame, sometimes marketed as NutraSweet.

Aspartame, meanwhile, has been documented to have over 92 different side effects ranging from seizures to slurred speech. Aspartame, via methanol poisoning, mimics the symptoms of Multiple Sclerosis, when individuals experiencing these symptoms discontinued use of aspartame products the symptoms dissipated. According to Dr. Wurtman, a professor of neuroendocrinology at MIT, an individual who consumes four to five aspartame sweetened drinks per day for a prolonged period is putting themselves at the risk of affecting their brain's neurotransmitters. This interference can result in irritability, moodswings, anxiety, insomnia, migraine headaches and depression.

While the risks of aspartame appear great, the product in diet sodas may also be responsible for promoting weight gain &amp;#8212; as counterintuitive as it may seem. The sweet taste of diet soda creates a cephalic phase response that causes the liver to prepare to receive sugar. When no sugar appears, the liver prompts the body to eat, which can result in increased hunger and over eating. Diet sodas also contain caffeine. Caffeine consumption can cause overindulgence when the body confuses the hunger and thirst sensations.


[/ QUOTE ]

from WebMD
[ QUOTE ]

The Mad Hatter Theory

"Take some more tea," the March Hare said to Alice, very earnestly.
"I've had nothing yet," Alice replied in an offended tone, "so I can't take more."
"You mean you can't take less," said the Hatter: "It's very easy to take more than nothing." Lewis Carroll, Alice's Adventures in Wonderland

There is actually a way that diet drinks could contribute to weight gain, Fowler suggests.

She remembers being struck by the scene in Alice's Adventures in Wonderland in which Alice is offended because she is offered tea but is given none -- even though she hadn't asked for tea in the first place. So she helps herself to tea and bread and butter.

That may be just what happens when we offer our bodies the sweet taste of diet drinks, but give them no calories. Fowler points to a recent study in which feeding artificial sweeteners to rat pups made them crave more calories than animals fed real sugar.

"If you offer your body something that tastes like a lot of calories, but it isn't there, your body is alerted to the possibility that there is something there and it will search for the calories promised but not delivered," Fowler says.

Perhaps, Bonci says, our bodies are smarter than we think.

"People think they can just fool the body. But maybe the body isn't fooled," she says. "If you are not giving your body those calories you promised it, maybe your body will retaliate by wanting more calories. Some soft drink studies do suggest that diet drinks stimulate appetite.

[/ QUOTE ]

[private joker]

I'm as skinny as a twig, so I'm not really concerned about diet sodas causing me weight gain.

As for the aspartame, I'm aware of its drawbacks, but as I said I drink a good amount of Diet Coke w/ Splenda and Diet Hansen's. Neither has aspartame.

[tonypaladino]

[ QUOTE ]
I'm as skinny as a twig, so I'm not really concerned about diet sodas causing me weight gain.

As for the aspartame, I'm aware of its drawbacks, but as I said I drink a good amount of Diet Coke w/ Splenda and Diet Hansen's. Neither has aspartame.

[/ QUOTE ]

If you're skinn as a twig, just drink the regular soda. Why ingest chemicals for no reason?

[Benholio]

Yes, everyone that doesn't like diet soda likes to preach about how bad aspartame is. Does it make you feel better for drinking your sugar filled softdrinks? Maybe..

Show me some articles from a real trusted scientific source and I will take them seriously...

In the meantime, here are some relevant reviews I could find at PubMed:
Aspartame. Review of safety issues. Council on Scientific Affairs. (http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?cmd=Retrieve&amp;db=pubmed&amp;dopt=Abstract&amp;li st_uids=2861297&amp;itool=iconabstr&amp;query_hl=3)
"... Available evidence suggests that consumption of aspartame by normal humans is safe and is not associated with serious adverse health effects. "

Aspartame: review of safety. (http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?cmd=Retrieve&amp;db=pubmed&amp;dopt=Abstract&amp;li st_uids=12180494&amp;itool=iconabstr&amp;query_hl=3)
"... The safety testing of aspartame has gone well beyond that required to evaluate the safety of a food additive. When all the research on aspartame, including evaluations in both the premarketing and postmarketing periods, is examined as a whole, it is clear that aspartame is safe, and there are no unresolved questions regarding its safety under conditions of intended use."

[GuyOnTilt]

[ QUOTE ]
GoT, Catch of the Day and I made a bet at the beginning of the summer that for every soda someone drank they owed $20 to the group. We made an exception for mixed drinks (e.g. rum and coke), but other than that no soda. It's pretty easy after a few days. Stop buying so that it's not in your fridge and it won't be that hard.

[/ QUOTE ]
You failed to mention that you were the only one of us that broke the bet. I want my $6.67.

GoT

[tonypaladino]

[ QUOTE ]
Yes, everyone that doesn't like diet soda likes to preach about how bad aspartame is. Does it make you feel better for drinking your sugar filled softdrinks? Maybe..

Show me some articles from a real trusted scientific source and I will take them seriously...

In the meantime, here are some relevant reviews I could find at PubMed:
Aspartame. Review of safety issues. Council on Scientific Affairs. (http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?cmd=Retrieve&amp;db=pubmed&amp;dopt=Abstract&amp;li st_uids=2861297&amp;itool=iconabstr&amp;query_hl=3)
"... Available evidence suggests that consumption of aspartame by normal humans is safe and is not associated with serious adverse health effects. "

Aspartame: review of safety. (http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?cmd=Retrieve&amp;db=pubmed&amp;dopt=Abstract&amp;li st_uids=12180494&amp;itool=iconabstr&amp;query_hl=3)
"... The safety testing of aspartame has gone well beyond that required to evaluate the safety of a food additive. When all the research on aspartame, including evaluations in both the premarketing and postmarketing periods, is examined as a whole, it is clear that aspartame is safe, and there are no unresolved questions regarding its safety under conditions of intended use."

[/ QUOTE ]

Whatever, there are multiple studies saying aspartame and sucralose are either safe or unsafe.

The point is, a can of soda has 110 calories. It's not gonna kill you. Why ingest synthetic materials for no reason?

[Benholio]

[ QUOTE ]
The point is, a can of soda has 110 calories. It's not gonna kill you. Why ingest synthetic materials for no reason?

[/ QUOTE ]

1) 110 calories is a reason. Also, taste is a reason. Some people like the taste of diet soda more than regular soda.

2) You think because your coke uses sugar that you aren't ingesting synthetic materials? Take a look at the contents of your coke sometime... For that matter, take a look at the contents of most packaged foods and drinks.

[tonypaladino]

I don't even drink soda.

So I guess if you prefer the taste of diet, keep it up.

[silkyslim]

i started treating pop like the olden days, where it was a novelty desert type thing, over two years ago. It really tastes awesome when i do drink it, which is hardly ever. Thats my philosophy on a lot of vices, like drugs. pop is the devil and will make you thirsty, jittery, and fat.

[BruinEric]

[ QUOTE ]
i started treating pop like the olden days, where it was a novelty desert type thing, over two years ago. It really tastes awesome when i do drink it, which is hardly ever. Thats my philosophy on a lot of vices, like drugs. pop is the devil and will make you thirsty, jittery, and fat.

[/ QUOTE ]

Cool -- add to this that you should attempt to find sodas that use real sugar (i.e. not corn syrup). A nice cola made with cane sugar can be a really tasty treat.

I'm told that in some USA regions, you can actually find Coke with cane sugar (and no corn syrup) during Passover. The cap is different.

For some awesome sodas, go here:

http://www.sodapopstop.com/

you've gone from a human to a test lab animal. that is way too much nutrasweet/splenda/other chemical.

[Blarg]

Actually, 48 oz is just three cans of soda, and I do think that's moderate. A single king sized soda at a fast food dump can be much bigger than that.

Still, it's best to cut back. The sugar content alone is all the reason you need to reconsider drinking much soda at all. It messes with your sugar cycle and can lead to ups and downs and even wild swings physically, mentally, and emotionally, whether you're alert and aware enough to detect them, or not. This much sugar can make you more susceptible to adult onset diabetes Saying something like that could be considered a borderline scare tactic in earlier days when we ate very few prepared foods, which usually have a huge amount of sugar and salt in them, ate less, and exercised and simply walked more. But in the context of the average modern diet and lifestyle, we have to look at the cumulative effect of everything we're doing, not take things in isolation. Soda is an excellent way to accumulate negative health effects both immediately and carry negative health momentum into the future.

I say this as someone who has been a major cola addict myself, drinking huge amounts sometimes. I've cut back tremendously, and replaced it almost entirely.

For me, the thing is, I have normally had a fast metabolism and needed liquid of some sort to keep up with it, being frequently thirsty. I also got and get some kind of joy from the flavor and effect of cola -- for whatever reason, I find carbonation really great. I like the mouth feel of it, and an ice cold carbonated drink is heaven to me. I'd drink carbonated milk if they had it, seriously.

Mostly, it's best just to learn not to make a big deal of nature and resent it -- you don't NEED flavor all the time in everything, and shouldn't make a thing out of it. Water tastes like what it's supposed to, and that's perfectly fine.

However, it's nice to satisfy that flavor and moouth feel thing at least sometimes, too. I've found I really like seltzer water a lot. A LOT. The carbonation and light flavoring makes it actually almost as good as soda to me, but of course, there's no sugar or caffeine. Schweppes makes a lime flavor seltzer water that I love, even though it can be hard to find in stores.

Also, iced tea can be great, even without sugar. The straight, simple stuff, not the cans of it. You get the flavor but again get no sugar or weird crap, and get less caffeine by far than in soda. Heck, green tea even has been studied quite a bit for things like fat burning and anti-oxidant effects(killing off bad crap in your body).

There are cool tea sites on the internet that sell all kinds of really cool types of tea, from the ordinary stuff you might be used to, to exotic Chinese, Indian, and Japanese flavors, to of course things like herbal tea. Really good tea can be very tasty, hot or cold. It's got a lot of flavor if you're making it from the real leaves, not the powders you get from Lipton or such.

Hmmm...I'm going to make a post about it -- there were some tea connoisseurs here in OOT who turned me on to a tea site I used to visit, but I can't find the damn thing in my confused bookmarks after much aggravated searching. I gotta find that site again.

Anyway, you'll probably wind up feeling a good deal better and be more healthy if you cut soda way back, and there are good flavorful substitutes. And water isn't really so bad, as long as it's good water. I get Arrowhead home delivered and have a nice dispenser, so plenty of it is always cold and available. I like the change I made a lot. And, I like green tea, hot or cold, quite a bit too.

[IndieMatty]

Just want to say we have the same exact liquid habits. Of all the things I put in my body, diet soda is the least of my issues.

[IndieMatty]

He's drinking diet soda.

[BradleyT]

It's weird, I switched from regular Mt. Dew to diet and lost 30lbs. over 4 months without changing anything else. Now 2 years later I've gained back all that weight - eating habits haven't changed just my intake of diet soda.

I drink about 2x what you do though - I know it's terrible...

[TheBlueMonster]

your teeth are gonna rot and you're gonna get fat. Mr. Fatty fat fat. Drink more water and beer. /images/graemlins/tongue.gif

[Cancer Merchant]

[ QUOTE ]
your teeth are gonna rot and you're gonna get fat. Mr. Fatty fat fat. Drink more water and beer. /images/graemlins/tongue.gif

[/ QUOTE ]

*cough* it ain't called a soda gut now, is it.

[Blarg]

Ah, I'm no fan of that either.

Gives me a headache and makes it hard for me to sleep if I drink much of it. The muscles at the back of the neck and base of my skull knot up like iron. Phenylalanine sensitivity -- a strong amino acid that is actually given to schizophrenics and depressives sometimes -- is fairly common, apparently.

All types of soda suck health wise.

[BruinEric]

[ QUOTE ]
Actually, 48 oz is just three cans of soda

[/ QUOTE ]

Nitpick moment:

A typical can of soda in my part of the country (CA) is 11.5 to 12 oz. This makes 48 oz of soda about FOUR cans.

If there is some part of the country where 16 oz cans are the predominant item sold, then I understand the disparity.

A while ago, el diablo posted about Calistoga Mineral Water which comes flavored in Lime and Lemon. I completely dropped soda (I had approx a 2L per day problem drinking soda, I know I was completely out of control but I was using the caffeine to maintain focus at the tables) in favor of these drinks. On a side note, I moved from Vegas to Chicago and now I cannot find the [censored] Calistoga anymore. Thus I am stuck on Perrier which costs like 2x as much. Hijack, anyone able to help me find some cheaper sparkling mineral water?

BTW, this has already been mentioned but whatever alternative you pick just stop buying soda. It is impossible not to drink it when it is around, but once you stop buying it you pretty much forget all about it.

[TheHammer24]

Splenda is sugar, and, thus, Diet Soda is basically water. After you drink a lot over a long period of time, logic tells me that your liver begins to realize it's not getting sugar. If you're not fat don't worry about it.

My standpoint is, Splenda is fine, Nutrasweet is probably ok but less EV+ /images/graemlins/wink.gif.

I ended up here after Toss's SS thread about losing ten dollars on the river because he was reading this post. And I ended up reading every post inside the thread.

[private joker]

Update. It's 4:30 pm and I'm only on my first can. I'm going to try to do no more than 2 cans today.

[Blarg]

All this has given me a powerful craving for some ice cold seltzer water.