Diet Sodas...0 Calories, So What's the Problem?

I have heard people make fun of individuals who go get fast food and order a diet coke.  I guess their point is that if your already fat and ordering a fast food meal, then screw the diet coke.

Well on the basis of calories alone, it makes great sense to cut where you can.  If you eat 5 fast food meals a week and do drink a regular soda (let's say 32 oz.) then that would equate to around 400 calories per serving (without a refill).  Obviously multiplying that out would be 2000 calories per week.  Drinking that much soda a year would then be 104,000 calories or nearly 30 pounds of calories a year.  Not having those calories obviously does benefit weight management then.

But there is a darker side to soda.  Though there is an association with an increase in cancer in labs animals with saccharin and aspartame (only due to extremely high doses), the American Cancer Society suggests that both are fine to consume in normal amount.  There are other issues with diet soda.

Research suggests that diet soda's artificial sweeteners do such a good job that the brain registers the consumption of sweetness and begins to crave more.  The concern then would be having an uncontrolled sweet tooth that does you in later when cupcakes or cookies are available.

Secondly, soda (diet or regular) has a low pH or is acidic.  The body wants to control acidity and be more neutral.  One of the main ways that it does that is through minerals.  Using minerals in the body increases alkalinity and pH back to normal levels.  The issue is that the body uses minerals for bones and among other things to create hormones released from the thyroid that control metabolism or how fast your motor runs.  A slower metabolism equates to less calories burned throughout the day.

For Lent, I gave up diet sodas.  210.0