Competitive eating is a unique sport that pushes the boundaries of human consumption. While it may seem like a simple matter of eating as much as possible, successful competitive eaters employ various strategies to maximize their intake. One such strategy involves the consumption of Diet Coke during competitions. This article explores the reasons behind this practice, delving into the science and strategies that competitive eaters use to achieve their impressive feats.
The Initial Stages of a Food Challenge
In the beginning of an intense food challenge, everything is great. You are fresh and feeling strong, the food tastes absolutely delicious, and you know you have plenty of time to finish the meal sitting in front of you. As time goes on though and you begin making serious progress, you start feeling full, the flavor of the food weakens, and that big smile you once had significantly decreases. Anybody can start an eating challenge, but it takes a lot of hard work and effort to be able to successfully finish one. Those first few bites will go down quickly, but those final few may take forever to chew and swallow. You may even need multiple minutes per bite, depending on how prepared you were for the challenge you chose. Even the best food challengers need help finishing sometimes, especially when the last few bites are cold and mushy.
Why Diet Coke? Strategic Advantages
Competitive eaters often drink Diet Coke during competitions for several strategic reasons. One primary reason is that Diet Coke, being a carbonated beverage, helps expand the stomach, allowing eaters to consume more food. The carbonation in Diet Coke can create burps, which release gas and make more room for additional food intake. Another key reason is that Diet Coke is calorie-free. Competitive eaters need to maximize their food intake without adding unnecessary calories from beverages, making Diet Coke an ideal choice. Additionally, the caffeine in Diet Coke can provide a quick energy boost, helping eaters stay alert and focused during intense eating contests.
The Science Behind the Strategy
Carbonation and Stomach Capacity
As your stomach begins to approach its full capacity limit near the end of a big challenge, the food you are still shoveling in will have a harder time finding places to go and rest while waiting to be digested. There will basically be one big game of “Tetris” going on inside your stomach, and you don’t want any air taking up precious spaces that you need food to fill. By drinking carbonated soda or some other carbonated beverage, you will allow the carbonation to enter and permeate throughout your stomach. The gases will help free up and remove existing air inside your stomach to make room for the remaining food you have left. That air will come up via a series of burps, and you will immediately feel a sense of relief.
Acidity and Digestion
Many different studies have been done regarding the acidity in soda beverages like Coca-Cola, Pepsi, and Dr. Pepper. The intense amount of acid in Coke and Diet Coke can break down meats and other thick materials, which is why most doctors and health enthusiasts do not recommend drinking soda (you may call it pop?). While Coke and Diet Coke may be able to break down meats and other dense foods, they are even better and more efficient when it comes to helping to break down less dense items such as breads and french fries. Help your jaw finish the remaining carbs and food by drinking your favorite soda. By this time, it will be taking you longer to chew and swallow each bite. After each series of bites, sip on some soda and let the acidity go to work.
Read also: Diet Plan for Picky Eaters
Flavor Fatigue and Overpowering Flavors
As mentioned above, the flavor of the meal may start out absolutely delicious in the beginning, but you will surely be tired of it towards the end of a large challenge. Even if you are eating your absolute favorite food, you will get tired of the flavor if you eat enough of it in one sitting. Using liquids is one of the main ways to Mix Things Up To Minimize Flavor Fatigue, and soda is definitely the most powerful option. The flavor is up to you and your own taste buds, but sweet and intense soda can definitely help you power through finishing the last few cold, bland, and mushy bites of your challenge, and especially the buns, french fries, and other carb-loaded side items.
Techniques and Strategies
When to Drink Soda
During the first 2/3 of the challenge, I stick to drinking water and other non-carbonated liquids like lemonade. In the beginning, not only is your stomach fresh and empty, but your jaw is fresh and feeling strong too. Late into a challenge, especially with chewy foods like pizza and steak, your jaw will begin to get tired from all the intense chewing, and it will want a break. You still have to finish your challenge though so a break is not an option.
Choosing the Right Soda
I typically choose dark sodas like Diet Coke over light sodas like Sprite and 7up, but that is just my personal preference. It would be smart to settle on a common soda flavor though because almost all restaurants and bars carry standard flavors. You may have a hard time finding restaurants that serve uncommon flavors such as Cherry Pepsi or Grape Soda. The use of carbonated soda during and towards the end of eating challenges and contests is totally up to you, but know that it is a common tool that many professional food challengers use around the world as part of their eating strategy. We don’t use it just for fun. We use it because it works!!
Alternatives to Diet Coke
If you are 100% against drinking soda, that is completely fine, and you are welcome to choose from the many other drink options available. Whether you choose diet soda or regular soda is up to your own personal preference too. Before you get really worried about the extra 200 or 400 calories consumed through regular soda, remember that the soda is sitting next to a multi-thousand calorie meal!! If you want carbonation to help release air bubbles in your stomach but you don’t want to use soda, feel free to use carbonated water, and even flavored carbonated water. It just depends on your personal preferences and what works best for you and your body. You may even need to experiment until you settle on which options you prefer.
Real-World Examples
To see firsthand how carbonated soda can help win a food challenge, please watch this video of me conquering Pizza Deck’s 22″ Colosseum Pizza Challenge in Cookstown, Northern Ireland. I had to finish an undefeated very chewy pizza in less than 22 minutes. The restaurant even added an extra full pound of chewy dough without telling me so that I would not be able win as quickly, if at all. It took a lot of intense chewing and effort, but thanks to some help from Coca-Cola, I was able to finish the crust and become the first person to win, well ahead of the time limit expiring.
Read also: Good Diet Plan
The Broader Context of Competitive Eating
Competitive eaters have to learn how to relax their esophagus so that it expands, allowing more food to go down. From there, the hot dog travels to the lower esophageal sphincter (LES), an involuntary bundle of muscles at the low end of the esophagus that prevents acid from getting into the stomach. Competitive eaters have developed various techniques for relaxing these muscles.
In the 2006 book on competitive eating called "Eat This Book," author Adam Nehr writes that competitive eating champion Don Lerman learned to overcome nausea when food hits his LES and relax the sphincter by downing a gallon of water every morning.
Then, once the food passes the LES, it enters the stomach. A normal eater has a stomach that feels full after consuming about a liter or a liter and a half's worth of food. Competitive eaters learn to stretch and relax their stomachs to fit in more food by eating large amounts of low-calories foods and liquids including water, diet soda, watermelon and cabbage. The stretching does not go on indefinitely, however. And they might not feel too good afterwards.
Risks and Side Effects
The side effects of such binges vary based on the competitor and the food being eaten. Gastroenterology and Endoscopy News states that hot dogs cause the most painful cramps. Other side effects of competitive eating include nausea, painful gas, vomiting, heartburn and diarrhea. More serious side effects could include choking, esophageal inflammation and stomach rupture.
There are always emergency medical technicians on hand during eating competitions in case there is a problem. "Safety is a huge consideration for us," George Shea, emcee of Nathan's Hot Dog eating contest told CBS News before the 2015 competition. Organizers of the competition go over the risks and issues with eaters prior to the competition and all contestants have been professionally trained.
Read also: Picky Eater Weight Loss Tips
Coca-Cola in Endurance Sports: A Parallel
Coca-Cola isn’t just a post-run treat many elite athletes swear by it mid-race. But is it actually smart fuel or just fizzy folklore? Discover the surprising truth behind Coke’s role in endurance running.
You know that mythical potion Asterix and his Gaulish pals used to down before charging into battle? Some runners think Coca-Cola might be the modern-day equivalent.
Despite the shelves being packed with cutting-edge sports drinks, a surprising number of endurance athletes still reach for a good old-fashioned Coke.
Let’s unpack whether Coca-Cola is actually a smart choice for runners or just a nostalgic sugar rush with a marketing halo. Plus, we’ll look at when to drink it, the science behind it, and safer alternatives.
What’s in Coke, Really?
Although “Coke” now refers to a whole family of fizzy drinks, the original Coca-Cola came from a 19th-century pharmacist seeking a cure for his morphine addiction.
It once contained coca leaves and kola nuts hence the name but modern Coke has a much tamer formula:
- Carbonated water
- Sugar
- Coloring
- Phosphoric acid
- Flavorings
- Caffeine
Despite the simple label, the exact recipe remains a closely guarded secret, reportedly locked in a vault at the Coca-Cola Museum in Atlanta.
How Coke Became a Runner’s Go-To Drink
Coca-Cola’s link with sport runs deep. The brand has been an official partner of the Olympic Games since 1928, and over time, its presence spilled into running events too.
By the 1970s, marathoners were getting wise to the performance perks of sugary drinks.
Running legend Hal Higdon recalled how he and others would stash Coke along the course with help from friends well away from official aid stations to avoid disqualification.
Why Coke and not another drink? Familiarity and consistency. No matter the country or city, the taste of Coke didn’t change, making it a comforting and predictable choice.
Even Olympic champion Frank Shorter swore by it drinking flat Coke during the 1972 Olympic marathon, which he won.
Coke vs. Isotonic Sports Drinks
Coke might be a quick pick-me-up, but it wasn’t made with athletes in mind.
Isotonic drinks like Gatorade were born out of necessity developed to rehydrate football players who ended up in hospitals from heat exhaustion.
These drinks combine water, glucose, and electrolytes to replace what athletes lose in sweat.
Coke, on the other hand, has about 10% sugar double the recommended concentration for hydration.
That high sugar content can actually slow down water absorption.
Plus, Coke contains no electrolytes, and some experts argue that its caffeine content may further deplete vital minerals.
Still, it’s the caffeine and sugar combo that makes Coke appealing to ultrarunners and cyclists, especially when the going gets tough.
When Should Runners Drink Coke?
The nervous system tends to fatigue before the muscles do during long efforts. That’s why some runners turn to caffeine late in a race for a quick energy and mental boost.
Ted King, a pro cyclist, said nearly 90% of Tour de France riders use Coke.
The cold sugar-caffeine hit gives them the jolt they need in the final stretch.
Just don’t down it right before the race starts. The phosphoric acid in Coke might upset a stomach already loaded with your pre-race meal.
Still, some, like Hal Higdon, admitted to sipping flat Coke at the start line. The key, he stressed, is testing what works for you in training not on race day.
Bubbly or Flat: Which Coke Is Better?
Flat Coke is often recommended to avoid burping and bloating. But some athletes, like three-time 100K world champ Konstantin Santalov, prefer it ice-cold and fizzy-even during races in sweltering heat.
Santalov once consumed 40 liters of Coke during a 100K race in Brazil. He claims the only side effect was sore teeth. He never used it during training, only during competitions after extensive trial and error.
The lesson? If Coke is going to be part of your race strategy, experiment with it early and often during training.
Do Elite Runners Really Drink Coke?
Absolutely. Coca-Cola is a staple in many endurance events, including Ironman triathlons and ultramarathons.
Trail legends like Kilian Jornet and Camille Herron have both relied on it mid-race.
Chris McCormack, a two-time Ironman World Champ, once called it “the best sports drink in the world” after it helped him bounce back during a brutal race in Hawaii.
Is Coke Bad for You?
There’s no denying Coke’s ability to clean jewelry or strip rust. It’s equally true that excessive consumption can harm your health think ulcers, obesity, and even heart complications.
But moderation is key. The extreme cases (like drinking 8 liters a day) aren’t representative of occasional use during races.
Coke is high in calories and sugar far more than you’d get from eating a few apples.
So while it’s convenient and tasty, it's not exactly a health food.
For those with diabetes or hypertension, it's best to steer clear or consult with a healthcare professional first.
What Can You Use Instead?
For endurance events, your body needs:
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