Diet Coke

ebixa82

Hi,

What's the story with Diet Coke? It has less than 1% of almost everything which is handy.

I'd drink a few cans of it per week, usually with vodka.

What are the negatives of it apart from containing aspartame which is carcinogenic.
If it's just that then I'm not too worried, there's alot worse carcinogens we are in contact with on a daily basis.

Thanks

Gummy Panda

ebixa82 wrote: »

Hi,

What's the story with Diet Coke? It has less than 1% of almost everything which is handy.

I'd drink a few cans of it per week, usually with vodka.

What are the negatives of it apart from containing aspartame which is carcinogenic.
If it's just that then I'm not too worried, there's alot worse carcinogens we are in contact with on a daily basis.

Thanks

The acid in it causes tooth decay so be careful how much you drink.

SunnyDub1

Imo there is nothing "diet" about it..

Think about it they have to add something to make it taste and fizz- usually sweeteners , chemicals etc that are just as bad as sugars. Also as mentioned bad for teeth.

Bummppd

Yeah on the whole teeth thing, When I was about 14 till I was 17 I was totally addicted to the stuff, was drinking about 6-8 litres a day, Completely rotted all of my teeth had to get extensive cosmetic dental work done costing me in the range of 12-14k.. So in this case definitely think before you drink!!!!

ebixa82

SunnyDub1 wrote: »

Imo there is nothing "diet" about it..

Think about it they have to add something to make it taste and fizz- usually sweeteners , chemicals etc that are just as bad as sugars. Also as mentioned bad for teeth.

From a weight gain perspective, there are no actual sugars as such (other chemicals for sure) otherwise they would be misleading by saying it is sugar free, no?

ebixa82

Bummppd wrote: »

Yeah on the whole teeth thing, When I was about 14 till I was 17 I was totally addicted to the stuff, was drinking about 6-8 litres a day, Completely rotted all of my teeth had to get extensive cosmetic dental work done costing me in the range of 12-14k.. So in this case definitely think before you drink!!!!

Ok, I would say the max i would drink is about 1.5 litres in 7 days.

Bummppd

I know I was taking it to the extreme but if you continue to drink it all the time it will eventually cause problems, Obviously not to the extent I had, But definitely in some way. It could be a case of once bitten and all that but i would recommend cutting it out altogether to anyone.

SunnyDub1

ebixa82 wrote: »

From a weight gain perspective, there are no actual sugars as such (other chemicals for sure) otherwise they would be misleading by saying it is sugar free, no?

No there is no actual sugars but there is chemicals that are just as bad, think of this way if you imagine what damage it could do it your teeth imagine what it's doing to your insides.

Misleading advisement went out the door a long time ago when the likes of special K and activia claimed to be healthy eating and part of a healthy balanced diet :rolleyes:

why not just stop drinking diet coke, drink water and have vodka with tonic water and some lemon.

ebixa82

SunnyDub1 wrote: »

No there is no actual sugars but there is chemicals that are just as bad, think of this way if you imagine what damage it could do it your teeth imagine what it's doing to your insides.

Misleading advisement went out the door a long time ago when the likes of special K and activia claimed to be healthy eating and part of a healthy balanced diet :rolleyes:

why not just stop drinking diet coke, drink water and have vodka with tonic water and some lemon.

I drink 2-3 litres of water per day and I can't stand tonic water.

faceman

Diet sodas are like a wolf in sheep's clothing.

Leaving the aspartame and tooth decay issue aside, it also fecks with your body's demand for sugars. While it contains no sugar itself, the sweeteners in contains tricks your body into craving more sugary stuff. Therefore its a kind of addictive substance. Lab studies with animals have shown that this in itself has contributed to weight gain.

They're not good for rehydration either. The caffeine in diet coke causes you to pee more, therefore you lose more fluids then you take in.

All this being said if you are not drinking diet coke regularly I wouldn't worry about it.

I should add that your vodka drinking is doing more damage than the diet coke mixer!

adrian522

SunnyDub1 wrote: »

No there is no actual sugars but there is chemicals that are just as bad, think of this way if you imagine what damage it could do it your teeth imagine what it's doing to your insides.

Misleading advisement went out the door a long time ago when the likes of special K and activia claimed to be healthy eating and part of a healthy balanced diet :rolleyes:

why not just stop drinking diet coke, drink water and have vodka with tonic water and some lemon.

When you say just as bad, what do you mean?

From my point of view the main problem with Sugars are the (empty)Calories they contain, so in that sense I would not say they are "just as bad"

SunnyDub1

adrian522 wrote: »

When you say just as bad, what do you mean?

From my point of view the main problem with Sugars are the (empty)Calories they contain, so in that sense I would not say they are "just as bad"

---

>>>>

faceman wrote: »

Diet sodas are like a wolf in Sherpa clothing.

Leaving the aspartame and tooth decay issue aside, it also fecks with your body's demand for sugars. While it contains no sugar itself, the sweeteners in contains tricks your body into craving more sugary stuff. Therefore its a kind of addictive substance. Lab studies with animals have shown that this in itself has contributed to weight gain.

They're not good for rehydration either. The caffeine in diet coke causes you to pee more, therefore you lose more fluids then you take in.

All this being said if you are not drinking diet coke regularly I wouldn't worry about it.

I should add that your vodka drinking is doing more damage than the diet coke mixer!

ebixa82

faceman wrote: »

Diet sodas are like a wolf in Sherpa clothing.

Leaving the aspartame and tooth decay issue aside, it also fecks with your body's demand for sugars. While it contains no sugar itself, the sweeteners in contains tricks your body into craving more sugary stuff. Therefore its a kind of addictive substance. Lab studies with animals have shown that this in itself has contributed to weight gain.

They're not good for rehydration either. The caffeine in diet coke causes you to pee more, therefore you lose more fluids then you take in.

All this being said if you are not drinking diet coke regularly I wouldn't worry about it.

I should add that your vodka drinking is doing more damage than the diet coke mixer!

The sweeteners cuasing cravings is an interesting point. Thanks

adrian522

Well when you say "just as bad" that would imply you would be just as well drinking normal coke and I wouldn't agree with that/ I don't think they are just as bad at all.

So what if you are craving more sugary stuff? To my mind it is a hell of a lot better than drinking normal Coke.

nocoverart

Tooth pain is just one thing I can't handle, so for that reason I never touch fizzy drinks. Diluted drinks are much nicer IMO but some people say they're bad for you too... ya just can't win

vard

If weight gain is your sole worry then you should be addressing your vodka consumption. Diet coke isn't good for you, but it's calorie free. You won't gain weight drinking diet cike... Vodka, and any alcohol, on the other hand.

Gummy Panda

faceman wrote: »

Diet sodas are like a wolf in Sherpa clothing.

Leaving the aspartame and tooth decay issue aside, it also fecks with your body's demand for sugars. While it contains no sugar itself, the sweeteners in contains tricks your body into craving more sugary stuff. Therefore its a kind of addictive substance. Lab studies with animals have shown that this in itself has contributed to weight gain.

Have they done any human studies though?

runawaybishop

ebixa82 wrote: »

Hi,

What's the story with Diet Coke? It has less than 1% of almost everything which is handy.

I'd drink a few cans of it per week, usually with vodka.

What are the negatives of it apart from containing aspartame which is carcinogenic.
If it's just that then I'm not too worried, there's alot worse carcinogens we are in contact with on a daily basis.

Thanks

Its grand, just don't drink 4 litres a day. A few cans a week is fine.

SunnyDub1

adrian522 wrote: »

Well when you say "just as bad" that would imply you would be just as well drinking normal coke and I wouldn't agree with that/ I don't think they are just as bad at all.

No that would imply that you would be just as well drinking neither :P

ebixa82

vard wrote: »

If weight gain is your sole worry then you should be addressing your vodka consumption. Diet coke isn't good for you, but it's calorie free. You won't gain weight drinking diet cike... Vodka, and any alcohol, on the other hand.

Well I'm not going to stop drinking alcohol, no weight issues but training for marathon in April so need to watch diet.

If you can suggest another alcohol lower in calories I'd be delighted to know.

adrian522

SunnyDub1 wrote: »

No that would imply that you would be just as well drinking neither :P

No, you say they are equally bad, I think that's nonsesne. Neither of them are healthy. You shouldn't really drink either but from a calorie perspective:

Coke 500ml 202 Caloies
Diet Coke 500ml 0 Calories.

So from a weight loss perspective they are not the same at all. If you are going to drink an occasional fizzy drink you are much better off with the one without the sugars and the excessive calories, that would seem pretty obvious to me.

Bummppd

nocoverart wrote: »

Tooth pain is just one thing I can't handle, so for that reason I never touch fizzy drinks. Diluted drinks are much nicer IMO but some people say they're bad for you too... ya just can't win

Really? I never heard that diluted drinks were bad for you, Do you know why?

ebixa82

Bummppd wrote: »

Really? I never heard that diluted drinks were bad for you, Do you know why?

Probably because they contain sugar.

SunnyDub1

adrian522 wrote: »

No, you say they are equally bad, I think that's nonsesne. Neither of them are healthy. You shouldn't really drink either but from a calorie perspective:

Coke 500ml 202 Calories
Diet Coke 500ml 0 Calories.

So from a weight loss perspective they are not the same at all. If you are going to drink an occasional fizzy drink you are much better off with the one without the sugars and the excessive calories, that would seem pretty obvious to me.

Original post

ebixa82 wrote: »

What are the negatives of it apart from containing aspartame which is carcinogenic

I simply answered this question for the OP.

There was never any mention of "calorie perspective" or " weight loss perspective" so really don't know what exactly you are getting at here?

I agree that if you are going to have an occasional fizzy drink you are much better off with the one without the sugars, but at the same time the diet version still has it's negatives - the OP was looking for these negatives!!!!

nice_guy80

solution?

drink water.
its free

faceman

Gummy Panda wrote: »

Have they done any human studies though?

Not that I'm aware. But anecdotally just count the overweight people in fast food restaurants ordering diet coke with their food!

Mr Simpson

faceman wrote: »

Not that I'm aware. But anecdotally just count the overweight people in fast food restaurants ordering diet coke with their food!

Would that not be more to do with the food? I've heard these arguments about aspartame over and over again, I've never seen any definitive studies on it. I can see the logic behind the theories, I've just never seen proof (tested on humans)

ebixa82

nice_guy80 wrote: »

solution?

drink water.
its free

Vodka and water tastes rotten so not a solution.

thegreatiam

ebixa82 wrote: »

Vodka and water tastes rotten so not a solution.

grey goose + ice is gorgeous. actually any good quality vodka over ice is nice.
Youre just drinking crap vodka

ebixa82

thegreatiam wrote: »

grey goose + ice is gorgeous. actually any good quality vodka over ice is nice.
Youre just drinking crap vodka

Out of curiosity how do you know what brand of vodka I drink?

thegreatiam

cos you said it taste rotten, good vodka tastes nice

ebixa82

thegreatiam wrote: »

cos you said it taste rotten, good vodka tastes nice

No intention of spending a night just drinking straight vodka. Wouldn't be too long hitting the floor. Grey Goose is pretty bog standard vodka btw.

thegreatiam

grey goose is a top shelf vodka for most pubs, common enough that you can get it anywhere, but above the standards of smirnoff, tastes nicer too, and mixing it with water or ice doesn't affect the flavour, vodka is like tequila, the stuff you get as standard in pubs (smirnoff red, jose gold) is crap, but if you spend a little more its a whole different flavour, spend a lot and its a whole different drink.

water will have less negative qualities than diet coke.

failing that, change drink to one you do like the taste of.

nice_guy80

who said anything about vodka?

just water

thegreatiam

nice_guy80 wrote: »

who said anything about vodka?

just water

in the OP, he drinks diet coke with vodka.

Which is probably fine, vodka with water would be better,
but if you dont like the taste, then stick with the diet coke.

but strictly for weight loss purposes you should avoid alcohol in all forms. unless you are going the for the rock star body, then switch to jack daniels and drink it neat, by the gallon, with a chaser of smack, and the weight will fall off you.

vard

ebixa82 wrote: »

No intention of spending a night just drinking straight vodka. Wouldn't be too long hitting the floor. Grey Goose is pretty bog standard vodka btw.

There is no such thing as low calorie alcohol, but if you're looking for maximum effect with minimum calories then Vodka + diet coke is probably the best option. A few once a week won't do much harm, but if you're looking to get your diet on track then it shouldn't be a regular thing.

High concentrate sugar free cordial does the job too. Vodka+Lime+water/soda water.

thegreatiam

vard wrote: »

There is no such thing as low calorie alcohol, but if you're looking for maximum effect with minimum calories then Vodka + diet coke is probably the best option. A few once a week won't do much harm, but if you're looking to get your diet on track then it shouldn't be a regular thing.

High concentrate sugar free cordial does the job too. Vodka+Lime+water/soda water.

Actually, thats a good suggestion, id forgotten about that drink. but the lime does take away the rough taste of dodgy vodka. try to get real lime rather than cordial, just tastes nicer

rubadub

faceman wrote: »

The caffeine in diet coke causes you to pee more, therefore you lose more fluids then you take in.

I don't think that is true. I was reading about regular coffee and they said the diuretic effect of it did not lead to dehydration, and it would have more caffeine per ml than coke. You will pee more for sure, but overall it should be hydrating.

http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/caffeinated-drinks/AN01661

I've been seeing ads that say cola and coffee drinks hydrate you as well as water does. Is this true?
Answer
from Katherine Zeratsky, R.D., L.D.

It is true. Researchers used to believe that caffeinated drinks had a diuretic effect. This means that you would urinate more after drinking them, which could increase your risk of becoming dehydrated. Recent research shows that this is not true and that caffeine has a diuretic effect only if you consume large amounts of it — more than 500 to 600 milligrams (the equivalent of 5 to 7 cups of coffee) a day.

Still, caffeinated drinks can make you jittery, sleepless or anxious. Water is probably your best bet to stay hydrated. It's calorie-free, caffeine-free, inexpensive and readily available.

faceman

rubadub wrote: »

I don't think that is true. I was reading about regular coffee and they said the diuretic effect of it did not lead to dehydration, and it would have more caffeine per ml than coke. You will pee more for sure, but overall it should be hydrating.

Its not dehydrating however it offers no hydration benefits. (According to the boffins)

melekalikimaka

thegreatiam wrote: »

g but if you spend a little more its a whole different flavour, spend a lot and its a whole different drink.

water will have less negative qualities than diet coke.

grey goose is just marketed well... i wouldnt be considered very good vodka by anyone who would be a fan of finer vodkas

TerrorFirmer

Bummppd wrote: »

Yeah on the whole teeth thing, When I was about 14 till I was 17 I was totally addicted to the stuff, was drinking about 6-8 litres a day, Completely rotted all of my teeth had to get extensive cosmetic dental work done costing me in the range of 12-14k.. So in this case definitely think before you drink!!!!

You only have yourself to blame for that in fairness - 6-8 litres a day is absolutely ridiculous and pretty much irrelevant to the original post. It's like someone asking how bad a bag of crisps a day for them might be, and someone coming along and see think before you eat, I ate 2 multi-packs a day and now I'm fat!

grey goose + ice is gorgeous. actually any good quality vodka over ice is nice.
Youre just drinking crap vodka

Who are you to tell him how his taste buds work? I love vodka with diet cola myself, drink it one night every week, yet I hate straight vodka on ice. That's not down to the brand I drink, it's more so the fact that I simply do not like vodka on its own; no different to the fact that there are millions of foodstuffs, drinks, consumables out there because you know, people are obviously different.

Sometimes people get far too worked up about what's in what they're consuming...everything in moderation is a simple but effective way to govern your intake habits.

thegreatiam

TerrorFirmer wrote: »

You only have yourself to blame for that in fairness - 6-8 litres a day is absolutely ridiculous and pretty much irrelevant to the original post. It's like someone asking how bad a bag of crisps a day for them might be, and someone coming along and see think before you eat, I ate 2 multi-packs a day and now I'm fat!



Who are you to tell him how his taste buds work? I love vodka with diet cola myself, drink it one night every week, yet I hate straight vodka on ice. That's not down to the brand I drink, it's more so the fact that I simply do not like vodka on its own; no different to the fact that there are millions of foodstuffs, drinks, consumables out there because you know, people are obviously different.

Sometimes people get far too worked up about what's in what they're consuming...everything in moderation is a simple but effective way to govern your intake habits.

Drink nicer brands of vodka then. I love vodka and coke, but poor quality vodka that tastes ok with coke tastes crap when drank neat. a good quality vodka tastes better when drank with no mixer. premium Vodka, and tequila and single malt whiskey are drinks that are better with no mixer. that's not up to me, thats how its made.

Tar.Aldarion

True, bad vodka tastes HORRIBLE on it;s own. Good stuff tastes really nice. Well, whatever somebody calls good stuff. I like Russian standard.

TerrorFirmer

Tar.Aldarion wrote: »

True, bad vodka tastes HORRIBLE on it;s own. Good stuff tastes really nice. Well, whatever somebody calls good stuff. I like Russian standard.

I'm no connoisseur, but I have drank several different types of Vodka straight; from Huzzar, Smirnoff, Russian Standard, to Grey Goose, and disliked all of them. I don't consider any of them 'good' or 'fine' vodkas however. I'm comfortable paying my 20 a week for a bottle of absolute/russian standard and enjoying it as a like it, with diet cola, or sometimes, sparkling pear.

Seems that according to thegreatiam, there's no area for movement on how one likes ones own vodka - it's a simple fact that it tastes better on its own, and to think otherwise, is wrong.

thegreatiam

TerrorFirmer wrote: »

.

Seems that according to thegreatiam, there's no area for movement on how one likes ones own vodka - it's a simple fact that it tastes better on its own, and to think otherwise, is wrong.

youre putting words in my mouth now.
poor quality vodka tastes like crap neat, good quality vodka doesnt.

mix whichever you choose its not going to change that fact tho.

I personally like smirnoff blue with a mixer and grey goose or belvedere or better neat or with ice.
Smirnoff red or equivalent vodkas are simply not meant for drinking neat. hence why they taste crap. If you want to drink neat vodka and enjoy it get a premium branded vodka, thats what they are for.

runawaybishop

thegreatiam wrote: »

youre putting words in my mouth now.
poor quality vodka tastes like crap neat, good quality vodka doesnt.

mix whichever you choose its not going to change that fact tho.

I personally like smirnoff blue with a mixer and grey goose or belvedere or better neat or with ice.
Smirnoff red or equivalent vodkas are simply not meant for drinking neat. hence why they taste crap. If you want to drink neat vodka and enjoy it get a premium branded vodka, thats what they are for.

You are putting your tastebuds in everyone else's mouth. How do you know the OP doesn't find tesco value vodka delicious.

thegreatiam

cos he said, it taste rotten, see i notice these things by reading them.
Seriously, its not my opinion, it is a fact, premium vodkas taste better. same as aged whiskey, wine or brandy. I dont make this stuff up you know. its been public knowledge for quite some time

vard

I'd argue that all vodka tastes like ****e.

ebixa82

thegreatiam wrote: »

cos he said, it taste rotten, see i notice these things by reading them.
Seriously, its not my opinion, it is a fact, premium vodkas taste better. same as aged whiskey, wine or brandy. I dont make this stuff up you know. its been public knowledge for quite some time

So you think everybody who tastes expensive vodka neat will like it, just because it's meant to be of good quality? That is total bollix and you are obviously a marketer's dream. Public knowledge? FFS

thegreatiam

ebixa82 wrote: »

So you think everybody who tastes expensive vodka neat will like it, just because it's meant to be of good quality? That is total bollix and you are obviously a marketer's dream. Public knowledge? FFS

where did i say that? and i also never said expensive. I said better.

Same with whiskey, same with gin, same with brandy, same with wine, get the swill they sell from the well in bars and mix it with water it will taste bad.
Bad stuff taste bad.

Get the better quality stuff, or premium stuff and it taste better. That's obvious

Zombienosh

wow 4 pages of talking about diet coke.... o wait no, its comparing alcohol now.