I quit soda 3 weeks ago. Feeling so much better. Used to mainline Coke Zero.

Even though these drinks are ‘0’ calories, I’ve heard that they can trigger an insulin response in the body making you feel hungry throughout the day.

If people knew what these drinks are made out of I'm sure they'd steer clear. The industrial chemical processes that go into making a drink like coke zero, involving 100s of compounds created in dozens of processes, are as disgusting as they are impressive, in their own way. That stuff is basically toxic waste. I don't really understand why these companies are allowed to sell this shit without facing the kinds of market discipline, in terms of special taxes and controls at the point of sale, that other producers are faced with.

Every bottle of Coke Zero is a bottle of water you didn’t drink.

Coke Zero isn’t good for you, so this makes total sense

I drink it everyday. Have lost 65 pounds, sitting at 210 with about 14% bodyfat at 53 years old. It helps kill my sugar cravings:)

You dont need studies to know that reducing calorie intake from choosing zero drinks is benefical to weight loss, yet there are people claiming it does not help.

There are studies from 2021 showing that chosing zero over soft drinks has the same effect as drinking water. Zero drinks are 98% water so you can live on them an never get dehydrated. Drink as much as you wish and enjoy healthier life.

At the end of the day as well a lot of people are banging on about the detrimental affects of coke zero (some of it sudo science lol, some of it maybe but needs more data, its laughable how one sided people go when they think they have all the answers - I digress), but if true that needs to be weighed up against the potential health impacts of someone being over weight or even considered obese (and that's not to say the two always go hand in hand!I appreciate life style and genetics will also play a hand for some people) - and I don't know you but if it's something you are looking into as per the post then it's perhaps something you are considering too.

So we either look at weak data about potential changes to gut microbiome which may or may not be anything - more data required. Or we look at the existing piles of data around how body composition can affect future health outcomes and chronic comorbidities. And suddenly it makes sense in perspective. If diet coke helps someone acheive theirs goals and reduce those proven risks then...in perspective that's winning. Everything in life has risk for goodness sake 😅 reducing it over all is the best deal.

I drink Coke Zero. Idgaf. I don’t drink alcohol or smoke. I exercise 5 days a week and walk between 4 and 7 miles a day. There should be some form of joy in my life.

Wow this really blew up lol.

I think that might be quite individual, because there's also data saying the opposite that some people also feel less inclination towards sweet foods as a result. I can't remember exact findings however, but could find some info if interested.

I understand that though 😊

From a personal experience standpoint, it very much stops me from eating sweet treats if I have a can instead, although not always because sometimes you just want what you want and it's certainly not a replacement for a good bit of chocolate 😆 especially during certain phases of the cycle.

Enjoy your diet coke. I have some diet wisdom for you.

Coke zero and Pepsi max both have normal amount of caffeine, that's why they market it as closer to the sugar version. Diet coke has a zero caffeine version in gold cans that tastes off, shows how much we taste caffeine without realizing it.

Diet coke and diet Pepsi have double caffeine, that's the only difference and the taste difference comes from the caffeine. It's the original energy drink before the sugary tallboys became the norm. The caffeine dump is also why it's so popular, taste testers always prefer caffeine. Caffeine is addictive and we are wired for it, that's why people are addicted to it, I love it.

Don’t let perfect be the enemy of good - you’ve already cut out so much I’m sure your diet is healthier than the vast majority. We can always do just that little bit better, but you still have to live and enjoy your life. If you’re more likely to keep it up by having a can of Coke Zero once a day, I think that’s still a resounding success.

Diet Coke is for women.

Coke Zero is for MEN.

Just saying.

There’s no evidence it’s bad for you.

Not Bad. The study that showed artificial sweetener to be causing cancer is outdated and was performed on rodents. We are no rodents. Enjoy your Coke Zero.

Sorry for mistakes, I'm not a native speaker.

If you want to watch a video about it I'd recommend this one:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Mf82FfX-wuU

There's little to no evidence of risk for artificial sweeteners consumption. However people who consume diet drinks can over consume other things which have too much sugar in them because they feel good about cutting down on sugared drinks.

It depends on what you look at. It's better than regular coke when it comes to calories and there's no evidence to suggest that artificial sweeteners hold any more risk than the sugar of a regular coke.

However, there is something that a lot of people neglect about artificial sweeteners. When you ingest an artificial sweeteners you play a trick on your brain and body basically. Your brain experiences the sweet taste and prepares itself to receive sugar. Then it doesn't get any. If you're trying to lose weight this can be counterproductive because it can lead to more cravings because your body is craving real sugar.

Soda in general isn't good for your health, but diet soda is marginally worse than regular soda, mainly because of the artificial sweeteners (namely aspartame).

Interestingly enough, I type this as I'm drinking a Cherry Coke Zero. Go figure

Read "The case against sugar", book by Gary taubes. He would argue that sugary drinks are very very very very bad for you.

They're about the same health wise, calories are the only difference really

It’s zero carbs so from a ketogenic standpoint it is hunky dory.

I drink 10 zero sugar sodas a day. It doesn’t interfere with anything.

About two months ago I started guzzling Dr Pepper zero by the gallon, and I keep losing weight, though I’m no longer trying to. You’re fine.

Anything with zero sugar, zero carbs... is fine.

I had a Coke Zero every once in a while as a treat and had no effect on ketosis.

Artificial sweeteners are fine

If your diet is soooooo good that Coke Zero is the worst thing you put in your body, then Coke Zero won’t harm you in any meaningful way.

If your diet is trash, then dumping Coke Zero for water won’t help you in any meaningful way.

Exactly. I wrote my dietetics thesis on artificial sweeteners. Basically you’re fine consuming a moderate daily amount. But when you start consuming a twelve pack of Coke Zero a day, then you should start to worry.

So they don’t impact appetite related hormones, subjective appetite or single meal intake.

In free living settings they reduce carbohydrate and sugar intake, in lean individuals protein and fat intake increases to hold energy intake constant. In overweight individuals this results in lower energy intake and facilitates weight loss.

There aren’t really any negative effects that you need to concern yourself with unless you drink like a crate of the drinks a day! Drinking them in moderation you are absolutely fine.

Source

I’m currently in college getting a degree in the fitness field. In one of my nutrition classes someone asked our professor this. She said basically if replacing regular soda with a reasonable amount of diet soda helps you lose 5-10 pounds or keep it off it is likely a net positive to your health. She wasn’t convinced the data was fair, as those who consume diet drinks are more likely to have health issues already, and hasn’t been convinced by a study herself.

Sucralose spikes blood sugar and is detrimental to one's gut microbiome. That count as an answer?

It blows my mind how so many people don’t realize a diet soda is a superior nutritional choice in every way to a sugar-sweetened soda.

Fucking naturalistic fallacy. Mother Nature literally produces millions of toxins that can kill you, but create a zero-calorie sweetener with an excellent safety profile and logic goes out the window.

I'm following this! Currently drinking a Pepsi Max with Aspartame while writing this

Pure anecdote, but my Coke Zero habit absolutely made me crave sugar and carbs and increased my appetite.

Switching to water and unsweetened tea made me realize I don’t get naturally hungry until early afternoon. Vs drinking Coke Zero I’d be eating pretty much from when I woke up Bc I was hungry (yes I drank Coke Zero in the morning

You ever try coke zero? Basically the same thing but 0 calories and it doesn’t spike insulin. Just take care of your teeth.

Oh... That kind of coke...

Yes, it's still bad for you.

It's terrible if you have a sedentary lifestyle and drink it daily. Empty calories and can also affect your teeth.

3x times a week if you're active and don't consume much sugar otherwise is fine. Could be affecting you in mild ways if you're sensitive to sugar, though.

Yes, but that's ok, just depends on your goals.

https://www.wsj.com/articles/the-athletes-who-train-with-soda-1418152993

No one, from the average person to an elite athlete intakes 100% healthy products 100% of the time, from athletes that use soda Pop for mid or post-workout to the plethora of bodybuilders who eat pop-tarts, there's a benefit to treating yourself.

Yeah it’s definitely bad for you. But eating a 100% healthy diet and not exercising at all is bad for you too. So like we all have to find a balance and you’re doing this in moderation while having a very active lifestyle and that is completely different than someone who is sitting on the couch drinking liters of soda.

I used to drink 2L of Coke Zero a day and my teeth are fine. If you’re worried you can gargle with water afterwards - a lot of dentists recommend this after a meal to wash away the bad things from damaging or staining the teeth.

Aspartame is one of the most extensively researched compounds by the FDA and we have yet to find definitive evidence of negative health outcomes.

Diet Coke will be bad for your teeth and it may make you hungrier but other than that all we have is speculation of gut issues and not much else. It’s not healthy, but don’t be afraid to consume it, especially to replace sugary alternatives. It’s definitely far better than normal sugar-filled sodas.

I disagree. I started to really like coke zero last summer right around the time I started eating way better, no crap and very little sugar. Every soda was even better than it would taste when I drank it with junk. I think sweet drinks always taste better the less sweets you’ve been consuming.

i disagree i still LOVE the occasional coke zero

I started working with a new restaurant client and they offer free lunch twice a week as a thank you to suppliers (it’s a family operated fast food style burger joint).

I went from zero diet cokes to 6-8 a month in less than a year. My dentist noticed straight away and told me to stop altogether before I make it worse.

I wouldn’t have thought that frequency in that timeframe would be enough to cause noticeable erosion of my enamel but I was very wrong!

I've been hearing that diet sodas interfere with gut biome, and that the gut biome is a lot more important than we thought.

But I don't drink diet drinks, so have never followed up to verify. This comment is basically a thread tag for informed answers.

It is true that drinking water helps controlling the blood sugar, and it is a recommendation drinking liquids if you have high blood sugars. Still, what you mom says its not true. You can’t drink both and think that the sugars are canceled. The sugars are going to be processed anyway. I wouldn’t recommend to drink any of them as a dietitian. Its okay to drink one once in a while, I would tell you to choose the Diet or Zero ones, although the sweeteners can make you more hungry later and they aren’t good for our gut. On the other hand, the regular sodas are full of sugars, which sometimes it’s acceptable (after a strong workout for example), the sugars would help refilling the muscle glucogen. Still, not the right option bc of all the additives like phosphoric acid, colorants.. Conclusion: these drinks are to have once in a while