Maybe you finally kicked your regular soda habit, or maybe you’re a child of the 1990s, and diet sodas have been the only game in town all your life. Either way, if you find yourself reaching for diet soft drinks on a regular basis, you’ve probably wondered what exactly you’re putting in your body and how it compares to the sugary stuff. Soft drink companies have long pitched diet sodas as a healthy alternative to their full-sugar drinks, but that’s not medically accurate. Diet sodas are just as bad, but in a slightly different way. Understanding the potential downsides of diet soda is crucial for making informed decisions about your health.
The Problem with Diet Soda: An Overview
“Switching from regular to diet soda may offer a short-term cut in calories, but your body won’t be fooled for long,” says registered dietitian Susan Campbell, RD, LD. “Research suggests that your body reacts to certain nonnutritive foods, including the artificial sweeteners in diet soda, in ways that may actually harm your health.” While seemingly a healthier choice due to the absence of sugar and calories, diet soda presents its own set of potential health concerns.
Three Reasons to Ditch Diet Drinks
Here are three reasons why Campbell says it’s important to ditch the diet drink altogether.
Diet Soda and Weight Gain: A Counterintuitive Connection
Some research suggests that your brain reacts to artificial sweeteners much like it does to sugary sweets. Ingesting them frequently may increase your desire for high-calorie foods, putting you at a greater risk of weight gain. This is counterintuitive, as diet sodas are often chosen as a weight management strategy.
Another study found that people with overweight or obesity who switched to diet soda were likely to consume more calories in food than people with overweight or obesity who drank regular soda. In fact, those who drank diet soda had a higher BMI than their counterparts. This indicates a potential link between diet soda consumption and increased calorie intake from other sources, ultimately contributing to weight gain.
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Insulin Confusion: The Body's Response to Artificial Sweeteners
Your brain normally associates “sweet” with calories. In the realm of human physiology, that’s a good thing. It drives your body to release insulin as sugar’s chaperone to the cells to create fuel. In the past, people assumed this process couldn’t occur when we consumed artificial sweeteners because calories don’t follow the sweet flavor. The expectation was that artificial sweeteners would not trigger an insulin response, making them a safe alternative for those managing blood sugar levels.
But one study found the process could very well happen anyway. In the study, individuals who consumed a specific artificial sweetener (sucralose) had increases in both insulin and blood glucose levels. Frequent rises in insulin have been linked to insulin resistance and an increased risk of Type 2 diabetes. This suggests that artificial sweeteners may disrupt the body's natural insulin response, potentially leading to metabolic issues.
Altered Brain Reactions to Sweetness
Some research also suggests that those who drink diet soda have higher activity in the area of the brain associated with the desire to consume foods high in fat and sugar. Drinking diet soda seems to alter your brain’s sweet-sensing reward center. This means diet soda could potentially change how your brain reacts to cravings for high-calorie foods. This alteration in brain activity could lead to a preference for highly palatable, calorie-dense foods, making it more challenging to maintain a healthy diet.
Sugary Soda: Is It a Better Alternative?
With all the health concerns around diet soda, is it better to just drink the regular, sugary kind? Not so fast. There’s tons of data out there telling us that added sugar (even when it’s “real”) is bad for our health. While diet soda presents its own risks, regular soda is undoubtedly detrimental to health due to its high sugar content.
Breaking the Soda Habit: Practical Strategies
If your goal is better health, it’s time to kick your soda habit altogether. And that’s no small thing. Not only are many of these drinks caffeinated, but they also alter the sweet-sensing reward center of your brain. The stuff is addictive, just like sugar. Quitting a habit is never easy, and soda of all types can be addictive.
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If you’re ready to leave diet soda in your rearview mirror, here are a few things you can do to ease the transition:
Exploring Alternatives to Diet Sodas
Flavor, caffeine, carbonation: Diet sodas bring a lot to the table. The good news is you can find all of those things in healthier beverages, too! Finding suitable substitutes can make the transition away from diet soda more manageable.
- Get your caffeine somewhere else. If you crave caffeine (in moderation), you’re likely better off with plain coffee or tea. Just don’t load them up with cream and sugar! Opting for unsweetened or lightly sweetened options is key.
- Add natural flavor to your drinks. If flavor is what made diet soda your drink of choice, try freezing raspberries, cucumber, mint, lemon, or lime in ice cubes to add a hint of sweetness. Infusing water with fruits and herbs can provide a refreshing and flavorful alternative.
- Carbonation is key. Many diet soda drinkers relish the carbonation of soda even more than the sweetness. If that’s you, try putting fruit in seltzer or sparkling water to recreate soda’s bubbly appeal. There are also many flavored seltzers and sparkling waters on the market that work well as a diet soda alternative. Experimenting with different flavors and brands can help you find your preferred carbonated beverage.
- Try new things. There are a lot of alternative beverages out there. Have you tried kombucha? Coconut water? You can even get carbonated apple cider vinegar drinks these days! Just make sure you review the ingredients before you raise a toast to your new, soda-free life. Reading labels and choosing options with minimal added sugars and artificial ingredients is essential.
Lifestyle Adjustments for Success
Lifestyle changes can help.
- Avoid getting too hungry. Are you the type to skip breakfast? Do you stick to three square meals a day? That’s not setting you up for success because it makes you more likely to crave something sweet during the day. Maintaining stable blood sugar levels through regular, balanced meals can reduce cravings.
- Distract yourself. If you’re suddenly struck with the urge to grab a soda, respond by doing something that isn’t drinking soda. Drink a glass of water: It’s possible you’re just thirsty. Take a 10-minute walk. Call that friend you keep meaning to catch up with. Chances are, that craving’s going to drift to the back of your mind, and eventually disappear. Engaging in alternative activities can help redirect your attention and reduce the intensity of cravings.
- Plan accordingly. Make sure you bring a soda alternative with you to the neighborhood barbecue. Have cold water or iced tea waiting for you in the fridge, so it’s easier to make a healthy choice at the end of a busy day. Anticipating cravings and planning ahead can make confronting them less taxing.
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