I’ve been a long time Diet Coke and Coke Zero drinker for many years. I thought I was being smart about not drinking regular soda, and still enjoying the caffeine and soda fizz. Seriously, 1-3 bottles a day.
Lo and behold, it may be a lot less healthier than I previously understood. I may not suffer from the excessive calorie intake, but diet soda may result in a wider waist, and may also linked with an increased risk of stroke and heart attack. I mean, look, I started this journey to a healthier life last year because I wanted to avoid 1) being a big fat jerk and 2) not developing diabetes later in life. I started eating healthier by cutting my portions and eating more fruits and vegetables. I still drank copious amounts of Coke Zero and Diet Coke, figuring that I had cut my sugar intake down, and managing my calories. However, there has been research that states otherwise. Still, I had my doubts. Last week, I did read that artificial sweeteners may disrupt the bacterial flora in your gastrointestinal tract, and do all sorts of annoying things to your metabolism.
Consuming high amounts of fructose (a type of sugar), artificial sweeteners, and sugar alcohols (another type of low-calorie sweetener) cause your gut bacteria to adapt in a way that interferes with your satiety signals and metabolism, according to a new paper in Obesity Reviews. (If you’ve noticed you’ve been feeling tired all the time and gaining weight, your metabolism may be slowing.
No thanks. I need to kick the habit. I’m on Day 6 of my sojourn, and I’m drinking more water and diet iced tea instead. It’s not a terrible life. Writer Laura Schocker wrote a recent article in Feb 2012 about how she kicked the soda habit. I’m not outright banning all diet soda, but I’ll drink it maybe once a week in the future. For now, I want to see if I can go at least one week. So far, so good.