Are you trying to cut calories by swapping regular soda for diet soda? Or do you prefer flavored carbonated water, like Hint or LaCroix? Perhaps you’ve finally broken your regular soda habit. Or maybe you grew up in the 1990s when most people were a fan of diet sodas. Anyway, if you regularly drink diet soda, you may wonder if is it really good for your fat-loss journey. For some, the “diet” label on diet drinks can be deceptive. Yes, they deliver the sparkle and flavor of soda without the calories. But what’s the truth behind the surface? The answer may surprise you—it certainly surprised me! Just don’t leave this blog post to find the answer.
What’s the difference between diet and regular soda?
Regular soda is usually produced with carbonated water, sweeteners such as high fructose corn syrup or sugar, phosphoric acid (for darker colas), natural flavors, and caffeine. Diet soda has similar ingredients but contains artificial sweeteners rather than sugar. Artificial sweeteners include aspartame, acesulfame potassium, sucralose, and stevia. These are generally non-nutritive, which means they contain little or no energy or calories. Reduced-calorie drinks combine sugar with artificial sweeteners such as stevia to save calories while keeping sweetness. In the following table, you can compare the ingredients and calories of diet Coke versus regular Coke:
It looks tempting, right? When you look at this table, you may say “ok, it has no sugar and many calories so I can drink it whenever I want.” But don’t count your chickens before they hatch! You didn’t see the surprising answer yet.
Does Diet Coke make you gain weight?
The short answer is: YES, it can be! But how is it possible when it has no calories? Studies show it can cause gain weight indirectly. So, if you want to lose weight fast, you should avoid it. Here we tell you why:
- Cravings for high-calorie foods: When we consume artificial sweeteners in diet drinks, our brains will be confused. As a result, it expects calories when tastes sweetness. This disparity can lead us to eat more high-calorie foods. When the brain expects a calorie surge but doesn’t get it, it may seek for more substantial, calorie-rich foods to fulfill its appetite.
- Gut microbiome changes: The gut microbiome is essential for metabolism and weight management. According to research, artificial sweeteners can disturb the balance of intestinal microorganisms. These alterations can result in weight gain by altering the way the body processes food and stores energy.
- Unhealthy behaviors: As studies show diet sodas can tempt us to overeat or eat more calories during the day, they are not a good option when we’re on diets like a Military Diet. This could offset any potential benefits from the lower calorie content of diet soda.
Why do diet sodas make you fat?
When it comes to weight loss and inch loss, diet cokes may seem a better choice. But actually, they can harm you more than you think. We told you how can they make you fat, but let’s take a closer and more detailed look at the reasons why should you avoid them during your fat loss journey.
It can disrupt normal insulin function
It may be interesting for you to know that your brain thinks sweet things mean food! So, when you taste something sweet, even if it has no calories, your body may prepare for a sugar rush. This can lead to issues like feeling hungry later or having problems keeping a stable blood sugar level. One study discovered that even when people drink something with artificial sweetener sucralose, their bodies still produce insulin, a hormone that helps control blood sugar. If your body produces too much insulin over time, it can get used to it and cease functioning properly. This is known as insulin resistance, which can progress to type 2 diabetes.
It can affect brain activity
When you drink this kind of soda, you gain no calories. This is the good part, but what is the bad part? In this case, your brain expects to get energy (calories) from the sweet thing. But it doesn’t and it will be confused. It may begin to consider, “Maybe I need to eat more sweet things to get the energy I want.” This is why consuming diet Coke may increase your cravings for sweet and fatty foods
Can we drink normal soda for weight loss?
While you noticed how diet sodas can make us fat, switching to regular sugary sodas isn’t a healthier choice. Actually, they’re worse! The extra sugars in common sodas can cause a variety of health issues, including weight gain due to the increased calorie and sugar content.
What about carbonated water?
So, the carbonated water must be the best choice, right? You might believe that carbonated water, with no added sugars or sweets, is a healthier option. However, a recent study reveals that even carbonated water may have some drawbacks. Even though carbonated water contains no sugar or calories, it can still make you hungry and may not be the ideal option for your gut health. It may also cause heartburn. If you’re seeking to lose weight or enhance your general health, plain water is usually a better choice.
Research on rats and humans
Seeing the following results of research conducted on humans and rats can help you make better choices.
- Rats: Rats given carbonated water, either regular or diet, ate more and gained weight quicker than rats given plain water or flat soda.
- Humans: A survey of 20 male students revealed a similar pattern. Drinking any carbonated drink, including carbonated water, increases hunger.
The researchers believe that the carbon dioxide in carbonated drinks could trigger stomach cells to release more ghrelin, a hunger hormone. This could cause increased hunger and weight gain.
So, what’s the best option?
If you want to maintain your weight, plain water can be the best option. But we can’t drink water all the time and sometimes we want some delicious drinks. Don’t worry, maintaining weight doesn’t mean avoiding delicious drinks. So, instead of sodas, you can make metabolism-boosting drinks at home and enjoy losing weight and drinking delicious things. All you need to do is learn how to make the 10 Miracle Weight Loss Drink Recipes.
How to quit drinking diet sodas?
With all that, you may be ready to cut diet and normal sodas from your life. It can’t be easy for every person, and that’s why we have solutions for you:
Drink healthier alternatives
Diet sodas offer flavor, caffeine, and carbonation, but you can find those in healthier drinks as well!
- Get your caffeine elsewhere: If you crave caffeine, try plain coffee or tea in moderation. Just avoid adding too much milk or sugar.
- Add natural flavors: If the flavor of diet soda appeals to you, try adding frozen raspberries, cucumber, mint, or lemon and lime to your water for a pleasant touch.
- Enjoy carbonation: If you enjoy fizz, switch to seltzer or sparkling water. To add taste, try adding fruit or using flavored sparkling water instead of soda.
- Experiment with new drinks: There are many soda substitutes available, like kombucha and coconut water. You can even try carbonated apple cider vinegar drinks! Just make sure the ingredients are nutritious.
Make lifestyle changes
With maintaining healthy lifestyle habits, you can make a big change to your unhealthy drinking habits:
- Avoid being too hungry: Skipping meals can lead to cravings, particularly for sweets such as soda. To control your desires, try eating more regular, balanced meals.
- Distract yourself. When a soda urge strikes, attempt an alternative activity. Drink a glass of water; often thirst is confused with appetite. Take a little walk or phone a buddy. Often, the urge will subside once you focus on something else.
- Plan ahead: Bring sparkling water to social gatherings and keep cold drinks, such as iced tea, in the refrigerator. Anticipating cravings can help you keep to your goals.
- Be committed: By committing to a healthier lifestyle, you can boost your weight management efforts and avoid sodas. If you want faster results and more commitment to your fat loss journey, you can try our non-surgical fat removal treatments in Dubai which have no dangers or downsides.
Final words
Diet soda isn’t as healthy as it appears. They can make you crave sugary meals and may even cause you to gain weight. Quitting soda is difficult if you’re addicted, but it can benefit your health. Water is the healthiest option, but if you can’t give up soda totally, consider the low-calorie options and don’t drink them every day. Simply watch what else you eat. New research is revealing more about how soda impacts our bodies. Meanwhile, maintain a balanced diet, exercise regularly, control your stress, and consider non-invasive fat removal treatments for faster results. Our weight loss clinic in Dubai is ready to help you in this journey.
