Generally speaking, I prefer to leave the preachin' to the preachers! But, I am so passionate about a particular subject, that I have decided to jump on my soapbox and share my heart with you.
Recently, as you know, I have become very proactive in learning about nutrition and the role it plays in my health personally. Well, the more I learn, the more I just have to share with my husband, kids, dad, lady at the post office, guy at the cleaners, etc. (Bless their hearts!)
One subject that really concerns me is the drinking of diet sodas. Let me start by saying, Hello My Name is Michele and I am a [recovered] Cola Addict !! I would wake up in the morning and neeeeed my soda. I probably had a ten soft drink a day habit back in the day. So, as I share this information with you, please know that I get it!! I get how great a soda tastes. I get how you just need it to kick start your day and then help you get through the day. I get how a soda just calls your name. I get it. But, I am here to tell you that if I can cut down and eventually eliminate all sodas from my diet, anyone can!
Many of us feel like we are doing something good for our health by switching from sugary sodas to the low cal or no cal substitutes. But as time passes and more and more studies are conducted, it is becoming clear that diet soft drinks might be very bad for us. We may be causing damage to everything from our head to our hearts; our kidneys to our bones; our teeth and even our hopes of losing weight. To briefly summarize:
1. Diet sodas use a variety of artificial sweetners in place of sugar. Aspartame is one of them, which acts as a neurotoxin. Neuro (the nervous system) + Toxin (poison) = something I really don't want to choose to put into my body. Made from L-aspartyl-Lphenylalanyl-methyl-ester, aspartame is 200 times sweeter than sugar. Once in the body, it breaks down into phenylalanine, aspartic acid, and methanol (a wood alcohol poison that, when heated above 86 degrees, converts to formaldehyde. Additionally, aspartame is an excitotoxin that builds up in the brain and can possibly cause cellular death. Another common artificial sweetner, sucralose, can possibly cause other health problems, including headaches, gastrointestinal issues, and thymus gland damage. Another concern in diet sodas is caffeine. Caffeine excessively taxes the liver and can hamper its ability to cleanse and filter toxins from the body.
2. According to Hannah Gardener, an epidemiologist at the University of Miami Miller School of Medicine, in a 2009 Nurses' Health Study women tested found a 30% drop in kidney function for participants who drank 2 or more servings of diet soda a day. That means that they had 30% less blood filtering ability than those who did not drink diet soft drinks. Reports show that it is believed that the artificial sweetners scar kidney tissue. Another study from the same group followed 2,500 people for over nine years. It concluded that the people who drank diet soda every day had a 61% higher risk of vascular episodes, including heart attack and stroke, than those who did not drink diet beverages.
3. All soda is hard on our tooth enamel, with sugar and acid being the major culprits. Although diet sodas eliminate the sugar, the acid remains. The enamel on our teeth is the barrier that protects us from decay and acid can destroy that. Used for carbonation, phosphoric acid and citric acid can erode our teeth. Additionally, bone loss is a concern. Phosphoric acid causes calcium to be excreted more quickly than normal. Our bones then lose some of their calcium.
4. As crazy as it sounds, drinking diet sodas may lead to an increased risk of obesity!! In a 2005 University of Texas study, 57.1% of the participants who drank more than two diet sodas a day were obese. There are some theories about why this is true. It is possible that some people may feel that drinking a diet soda then gives them permission to eat some foods higher in calories. Another theory is that drinking diet soda may have an impact on insulin, similiar to that of sugar ingestion. When we taste the sweet in diet soda, our body perceives it as sugar and causes the pancreas to release insulin.
As I have said before, I am not a doctor, a dietician, a nutritionist, or a scientist - I am just trying to learn the facts and make educated, wise, and healthy choices. After reading all of the startling information on sodas and specifically diet sodas, I am so thankful that I am no longer drinking them and at the same time, very concerned for the people that I love who are still drinking them.
So, as I step down off my soapbox, I beg you to please consider the information I have shared with you. Every single thing we ingest will affect our bodies one way or another.
got almond milk? got coconut water? got chamomile tea? got water? - all better choices
As I mentioned earlier, it has been awhile since I have blogged. Crazy as it sounds, this little guy is the reason why.......Emmitt Smith, aka Tino. Emmitt was my daughter and son-in-laws beloved ten year old Boston Terrier. He got really sick in April and came to live with us (because the vet didn't think it was wise for him to be around the grandchildren.) For nearly six months, my kiddos did everything they could to get him the best medical care in search of a cure. Well, it was not to be, and Tino is now frolicking in Heaven, no doubt bringing laughter and joy. He truly was a one in a million kind of pup. Emmitt Smith was a funny little guy and he is dearly missed by all of us.
I gave up sodas 2 months ago! I have found a huge difference in energy! Instead of cokes, I drink unsweet tea or water w/ lemon!
ReplyDeleteMy focus is different and i dont feel weighed down :).
Thanks for your info! Makes me feel even better about my decision...There are time I do want to smell a fountain coke with ice....then I remember all the reason why I dont.
I am sorry to hear about Emmitt. So sorry.