Diet Soft Drinks – The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly

Mind is All

You've decided not to drink full-sugar soft drinks, but is it any better to drink diet soda? Before you pour yourself another glass of Diet Coke, consider the recent health advice regarding artificially sweetened soft drinks.

Both diet soda and high-sugar soda will eat away at your teeth. The problem is phosphoric acid, a corosive acid that erodes enamel. Full-sugar sodas are the absolute worst because the acid and sugar mixed together becomes a potent corosive bath for your vulnerable teeth. However, diet sodas also hurt teeth.

Many people switch to diet soda because they want to lose weight, but unfortunately, diet soft drinks appear to impede weight loss. The latest studies show a link between diet soda consumption and obesity. These reports tell us that the more diet sodas you drink a day, the more the odds are that you will be overweight.

You may wonder how it's possible that a low or no calorie drink could negatively affect weight loss efforts. Doctors are trying to get to the root of this mystery. Some researchers hypothesize that artificial sweeteners trick your body into thinking it requires more sweeteners, making you crave and eat too many sweets overall. Another set of scientists have theorized that artificial sweeteners might affect metabolism negatively. In any case, it looks like dieters should limit the number of diet soft drinks they imbibe each day.

It can be difficult to stop drinking all soft drinks, so it may help to remind yourself that sound health advice recommends you do so. You may find seltzer water to be a palatable substitute. At least you'll get the carbonation, even if you don't get the intense flavor or sweetness. You can find citrus and berry flavored seltzer waters in most grocery stores.