Something that we see really often is that people will drink diet soda because they think, "hey there's no calories, fat, or sugar, so there's no harm in drinking it!". And as shown by this nutrition label of diet coke, they are correct in that it contains no calories, fats, or sugars.
Sorry to burst your bubble for the people out there who think this way, but diet soda is actually worse for your health compared to drinking regular soda and I will get into the reasons why.
1) The first reason deals with some simple psychology. By drinking diet soda, you figure that you aren't getting any caloric intake from it, so then you feel like you can afford to eat more food and not feel as bad. This leads to us overeating and taking on a lot of calories that we don't need ( In fact, there have been studies that show artificial sweeteners increasing our appetite, thus causing us to eat more). In general, the calories we add on from the extra food is far more severe than any calories we would get from soda (unless you are one to down like 5 glasses of soda in a meal, which I obviously suggest you don't do).
2) Artificial sweeteners are detrimental to our health. The 1st red flag is that artificial sweeteners are unnatural chemical compounds, and any non-natural food is bad news for your health, as the chemicals will wreck your body after a period of time. The 2nd red flag is the most astounding, as I will list off some of the known side effects of artificial sweetener consumption: hallucinations, seizures, brain tumors, cancer. To add onto that, common associations with eating artificial sweeteners are Type 2 diabetes, obesity, and cardiovascular disease. Do you really wanna deal with that just to save some calories? Didn't think so.
3) Your teeth will become disgusting. Consumption of diet soda can cause tooth damage that is comparable to the effects of using meth or cocaine. Diet soda drinkers suffer from tooth erosion, rotting and decay, and your teeth can get to the point where they are beyond saving. A study was performed referencing a woman who had to get all of her teeth removed and replaced with dentures because of consistent diet soda consumption. Her teeth resembled those of a 51 year old cocaine user who had an 18 year history of drug use. You may be drinking diet soda to improve your figure and lose some weight, but do you really wanna trade that for rotted teeth?
So what should you drink instead? The best choice is water - about 8-10 cups a day. Our body is made of 60% water and our normal bodily functions (digestion, circulation, nutrient transport, etc.) depend on a well hydrated body in order to work. Water is also good for maintaining healthy kidneys and skin. If straight up water gets too boring for you, throw in a lemon or lime to give it some extra flavor. Another good option is milk, as its packed with calcium and other vitamins that are essential for strong bones.
Sources:
http://myweigh2onederland.files.wordpress.com/2011/10/essentia-nutrition-facts.jpg
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