Diet Drinks: Yes or No?

Here at Hilton Head Health, we love to educate our Guests on the best options for their dietary needs to help them navigate their own weight loss paths and wellness journeys and form a healthy diet plan.



This video may be a little on the crazy/goofy side. That is just my personality coming through.  On a different note, I would like to share some information in regards to diet drinks including diet sodas, non-caloric sweetened beverages and those carbonated drinks that always sound “oh-so refreshing.” Are diet drinks and diet soda healthy?  I think most people have a few concerns or questions regarding diet drinks and if they are indeed a healthy choice or not:

1.  Will diet drinks cause me to gain weight?


2.  Will diet drinks assist me in my weight loss journey?


3.  If I drink non-caloric sweetened beverages, will I start to crave certain foods?


4.  How much is too much?

Various studies have researched the influence diet sodas have among those who regularly consume them.  Instead of giving you lengthy descriptions of these particular studies, I will do my best to sum things up:

• Those that regularly consume sugar sweetened soda and/or diet sodas on a regular basis are at greater risk for weight gain.  There is not a direct cause and effect.


• Diet drinks typically provide 10 calories or less per serving.  If you consume 2-3 regular sodas per day then it may be beneficial to switch to diet if you know it could help you shed a few pounds.  However, the long term effects on food choices is something to consider—are diet sodas the best option?  Not for some.


• Look at the big picture.  If you rarely consume regular or diet sodas/beverages then maybe there are other things in your diet that could use some tweaking.


• Treat diet sodas like a nicotine patch (especially if you are used to regular sodas or sugar-rich foods). Non-caloric sweeteners are hundreds of times sweeter than table sugar. Your taste buds love this. Based on professional experience, those that limit and/or eliminate artificial sweeteners or diet beverages don’t regret the commitment.  In fact, most say they feel cravings for sweets have decreased and they are making better food decisions throughout the day.

At the end of the day, avoid being the food police.  It can be very easy to view certain foods or items as “good” or “bad”—if we continue to have this mentality then what happens when we choose something “bad”?  Have you blown the rest of the day?  NO! Are diet drinks the best, healthy choice?  Probably not and for multiple reasons.  However, evaluate your meal plan as a whole and decide where you can make the most realistic and sustainable modifications.

What do you like to drink instead of diet soda? Water? Tea?

More 10 Calorie Soft Drinks Hitting the Shevles this Winter

 



I have to admit that I am a diet soda drinker—or as we say in Georgia, a diet “coke” drinker. I enjoy drinking soda with dinner and if I’m going to drink soda, I personally think diet soda is the “better” option. There has been much debate over the years on whether diet soda is more harmful than helpful, and you can watch Bob Wright’s video on the topic if you’re interested in that debate, but this post is not focusing on that. I’d like to share some news with you that I’m actually pretty excited about.

According to a recent news report, Dr Pepper Snapple Group Inc, the makers of Dr. Pepper 10 specifically, are releasing five new versions of diet soft drinks: 7-Up, Sunkist, Canada Dry, RC Cola and A&W Root Beer. Each diet version, like Dr. Pepper 10, will only contain 10 calories sweetened by a small amount of high-fructose corn syrup.

You’ll be able to pick up the lighter versions of these drinks starting in January so if you’re looking for an alternate beverage to try, perhaps one of these 10 calorie drinks will tickle your fancy. I don’t believe that you should drink diet soda like it’s water; however, if you are a diet soda drinker or are looking for something other than water to quench your thirst, I don’t think there’s anything wrong with enjoying a diet drink instead. In fact, many soda drinkers have seen a difference in their weight after switching to diet drinks and water for several months.

If you’re a male who thinks it’s “girly” to order a diet drink, and I personally know several who feel this way, I encourage you to try one of these 10 calorie drinks—you may be surprised at how similar they taste to the original. No, they’re not exactly the same but at least they’re great tasting, satisfying and one step toward cutting excess calories from your day.