Why I quit Diet Coke (and why you should, too)
A post from the Balcom Agency Facebook Page asked which beverage was consumed more. Almost everyone knew it was Diet Coke - because of me.
If you own any Coca-Cola stock, I’d recommend you to sell now. All of it.
I’m an addict. I can drink a lot of Diet Coke in a day, but it’s usually around 6 – 8 cans a day. Yes, that much. Diet Coke is literally my only vice (except being awesome…and humble).
What changed my mind? This article on how bad NutraSweet is for you. Just look at the FDA list of potential side-effects of aspartame (the generic name for NutraSweet):
- Headaches
- Migraines
- Tinnitus (ringing in the ears)
- Mood changes like anxiety, phobias, depression and aggression
- Memory loss
- Motor skills including dizziness, numbness in the limbs
- Seizures
- Fatigue
- Hypertension
- Vertigo
- Painful swallowing
- Gas, swelling or bloating
- Menstrual problems
- Thinning hair
- Diarrhea
If this was a medication, I’d hesitate taking it, wouldn’t you?
I had some bad ringing in my ears a couple of days ago, and thought it was related to Diet Coke. But after some further research, it seems that I was just suffering from Aspirin sensitivity. Ironically, I took the Aspirin because I had a headache (which was probably caused by too much aspartame).
And you wouldn’t believe it, but after two days without Diet Coke, I’m still alive.
I’m drinking a lot more water (which is always good for you) and drinking ice tea (non-sweetened, of course) if I’m going out to eat and want something besides water.
Did you know that 100% of the studies about aspartame funded by the aspartame industry found it to be completely safe (big surprise there)? While 92% of the independently funded studies found health risks with aspartame.
Am I going to drink Diet Coke again? Absolutely. But I’m going to limit it to my cheat days (where I throw almost everything out the window in terms of diet). For now, I’m going to try a full week without Diet Coke and report back.
Not to be a bad influence here, but when you do cheat, did you know you can get Diet Coke made with Splenda? (We’ve avoided aspartame for years, so we know you’ll definitely feel better without it!)
Good tip! I’ve tried the Diet Coke with Splenda and it doesn’t seem to have the same “burn” going down.
But I’ll give it a shot on Saturday!
I know EXACTLY how you feel, Chip. I was consuming more that you do, when one of my far-too-many doctors (recall, i am insulin-dependent diabetic) said (A) no more NutraSweet; and (B) don’t go thinking that means Diet Coke with Splenda, because the brown coloring they use in all colas, at that high level is really REALLY bad for kidneys. (You might ask your PCP about that for you. Kidney stuff already ran in my family, so I was already red-flagged.) Now I experiment with a variety of splenda-sweetened iced teas often “spiked” with a splash of various flavours of MIO “water enhancer.”
I missed the Diet Coke for about two months, had headaches after going cold turkey for about two weeks, but now … meh, don’t miss it. If I HAVE to have a spike of carbonated caffeine, there’s always the very occasional Diet Dew!
Thanks for the comment, Mick!
I’m trying to get rid of all artificially-flavored sweeteners. And I have to watch out for Mio – too much and things get ugly in the digestion department.
Thanks for the comment, Mick!
I’m trying to get rid of all artificially-flavored sweeteners. And I have to watch out for Mio – too much and things get ugly in the digestion department.
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