In your humble opinion you have got it goin' on: brains, good looks, good heart, God-fearing, rule abiding citizen. In fact, you are practically one tummy roll away from landing the front cover of 'Men's Health' or 'SHAPE' magazine. In preparation of your rising star status, you turn to diet soft drinks to help you lose those unwanted lb's (aka pounds). So how could it be possible that your accomplice to all things skinny may actually be sabotaging your big break?!
BREAKING NEWS: you may have come across shocking accusations that the risk of obesity may be linked with diet soda. I admit, I too was flabbergasted at the thought! I found it hard to wrap my noggin around the fact that a calorie free drink could cause a 'Winnie the Pooh' like appearance. So naturally, the next step was to go all 'Nancy Drew' on these accusations & get to the bottom of this mystery.
Behind door #1 we have wishful thinking.
"I'll take 2 triple cheeseburgers with mayo & bacon, a super-size fry, large soda & a cherry turnover to go please. CRAP! It's swimsuit season, REWIND...go ahead & add some lettuce & tomato to my burgers & better make it a diet soda, wouldn't want to overdo it!"
The detective in me is gonna point out that maybe diet beverages are not the problem for your need for bigger pants. If that situation sounds all too familiar for you then maybe practicing healthier food choices is the better route to take. In case you were wondering, french fries don't count as a vegetable serving & your cherry turnover would not make it as a fruit serving. I know, it's way more fun to put the blame on something else but I am forced to provide you with a little tough love. Just because you choose diet soft drinks does not mean you can eat whatever else you want.
Behind door #2 we have science.
God was no dummy when he created you. In other words, you may be able to trick your taster, but there is no sweet talking your brain. You see, when you drink a diet beverage your body tastes sweetness & goes looking for calories, but with diet soft drinks there are no calories to be found! The theory is that your body may potentially go looking for those calories in the form of cravings. This may be why some soft drink studies have suggested that soft drinks may stimulate appetite. Studies in rats support this theory.
Behind door #3 we have practicality.
If your regular soft drink intake is comparable to that of a camel's, switching to diet beverages may be helpful in losing some poundage. Fingers crossed, you will eventually forgo carbonation for some thirst quenching water.
Please make sure you understand that diet soda doesn't necessarily CAUSE obesity. Those of us with a carbonated beverage crutch are more than likely not over doing it on fruits, veggies, lean meats, & whole grains. What I concluded is that there are still lots of questions that need answers. Articles also discussed the need for larger control studies. 1-2 glasses a day of diet soft drinks are probably not going to affect you. Once again, it's all about moderation. Case closed.
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