Today I have given up Diet Coke forever...

[AsahinaKimi]

Mostly because of this:
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/dr-mercola/aspartame-health-risks_b_668692.html

I emptied two 2 litre diet cokes down my sink, and put the bottles in the recycle bin. I will be now drinking water, and since I still love Asian teas, (Green Tea, Pu Erh) will be drinking tea from now on.

I feel better now...

[proteus_lives]

1. I'm a Diet Pepsi man, myself.

[AsahinaKimi]

2. Diet Pepsi Ingredients

Diet Pepsi ™ - Ingredients

Carbonated Water
Caramel Color
**Aspartame
Phosphoric Acid
Potassium Benzoate
Caffeine
Citric Acid
Natural flavors Diet
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/dr-mercola/aspartame-health-risks_b_668692.html

[eShirl]

3. I've switched to iced tea (non-aspartame sweetened, with lemon)

just tried white tea (hot) for the first time this morning, WOW! mild taste, but very "tea" to the body and mind

[Crystal Clarity]

4. Thanks for the article AsahinaKimi

Alot of important stuff there! Wow! I used to drink alot of Tab which has saccarin in it. Gave it up about 5 years ago mostly because of the caffeine. I remember the caffeine withdrawal being unpleasant for awhile, so if your Diet Coke was the caffeinated kind, you might want to withdraw from it slowly. The article mentions that. Of course you mention switching to various types of tea which *may* help replace some of the caffeine if they have caffeine in them... I don't think Green Tea does but I could be wrong.

What I'd like to know though is, what other sweeteners are bad? I've heard vague things about saccarin causing cancer and already knew some things about aspartame before this article... But I use alot of Splenda (sucralose) and I can't find a whole lot of info on it. Does anyone else know? I'd use more Stevia if I could afford it, but they come usually in small amounts thus making it WAY more expensive. My local grocer used to provide 'Stevia In The Raw' in the bigger, more affordable bags, but has stopped carrying it for some reason.

If anyone has some info on the safety of Splenda, can you please fill me in? Others may want to know too. Thanks! :-)

[qb]

6. If you're just using Stevia to sweeten beverages, get a jar of Stevia powder.

Not Stevia Plus, which has added fiber to make it easier to measure, but the actual powdered extract. The tiniest sprinkle will sweeten a cup of coffee.

[Schema Thing]

5. probably for the best overall, but

Dr. Mercola seems to me to be a complete charlatan.

[qb]

7. Damn, it's hard to kick the habit, but the broken pop machine at work helped me immensely.

Now I keep teabags and a refillable water bottle at my desk.
I am eagerly anticipating the arrival of stevia-sweetened "All Natural" diet soft drinks, however dubious that claim may be. It is sure to drive Nutrasweet & Splenda sales into the dirt.

[AsahinaKimi]

8. According to Wiki Nutrasweet is

an artificial sugar substitute sweetener made with **aspartame.
As for Splenda, it seems to be the best. I don't want any thing with Aspartame in it. Thats the main reason I am giving up diet sodas.

DIET DR. PEPPER:
Carbonated Water, Caramel Color, ** Aspartame, Phosphoric Acid, Artificial and Natural Flavors, Sodium Benzoate (Preservative)Caffeine.

[NewJeffCT]

9. I rarely drink any sort of soda

ginger ale once in a while if my stomach is bothering me, but I almost never drink coke, pepsi or anything like that. I won't let my daughter drink it, either.

[TZ]

10. Dr. Mercola is the biggest con man ever

And 99% of the "scientific facts" on Huffington Post are complete bullshit. Hey but go ahead and believe everything you read on teh nets. Stupid is as stupid does.
http://www.quackwatch.com/11Ind/mercola.html
But what does a bunch of scientific professionals on the FDA know anyway? :sarcasm:

[AsahinaKimi]

11. So your saying go ahead..drink diet Cola..

Even if his claims about aspartame is complete "bullshit" there are not other things in Diet Soda that are not harmful? I think I will take my chances with Green Tea.

[krazykikikat]

13. I don't know about Dr. Mercola or Huffington...

But I've known about aspartame and its risks for a long time, and it continues to baffle me how many people are ignorant of it.

[AsahinaKimi]

14. found this..

Debate over health issues


The most commonly distributed version of Diet Coke (and majority of beverages using artificial sweeteners) relies on aspartame, which has been blamed by some scientists and medical professionals for possibly causing serious illnesses (such as cancer, brain tumors, brain lesions, and lymphoma) when consumed in large quantities. Other symptoms include, headache, seizures, depression, allergies and several more. The use of aspartame can cause aspartame disease as well as clinical addiction and can be difficult to discontinue because of serious withdrawal effects. Coca-Cola has now released Diet Coke sweetened with sucralose (also known as Splenda), although it is not as common. See also soft drink controversy and health concerns.

The sodium benzoate was found to break down mitochondrial DNA in living yeast cells. Research published in 2007 for the British government's Food Standards Agency suggests that sodium benzoate (E211) is linked to hyperactive behavior and decreased intelligence in children. In January 2008 sodium benzoate (E211) was removed from production lines for Diet Coke sold in Britain, however it remains in other Coke products and other production locations.

Recent studies conducted at Princeton University state that the artificial sweeteners, such as NutraSweet, that are present in Diet Coke are actually substantually more sweet than natural sugars, making your body crave sugar more, due to the absence of the natural sugar.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Diet_Coke

[Flaxbee]

16. oh please, TZ, the FDA is not infallible, never has been, never will be

In general, it is probably a good idea for all living, breathing creatures to limit intake of artificial anything, sweeteners or otherwise.

And there is no denying that scientific professionals of any political persuasion can be BOUGHT.

[Silver Swan]

12. I've been drinking Diet Coke since 1982

When should I expect to get sick?

[Prisoner_Number_Six]

15. I simply don't like the taste of diet drinks.

To me they ALL taste like chemicals.

Besides, I rarely drink soda pop of any brand at all. I prefer iced tea.

[Iggo]

17. Congrats.

I'm getting ready to give up soda entirely.

It'll be tough, but I've already given up drugs (weed, coke, speed, and the rest), drugs (beer, wine and spirits), and drugs (nicotine).

I know it'll be a tough ride. But I already know how it ends, so...

[mike_c]

18. all I need to see is Mercola's name associated with this to dismiss it utterly....

Not saying it's necessarily incorrect-- I don't have data one way or the other, but I will say that Mercola is NOT a credible source.

[GoCubsGo]

23. Yup.

Mercola says anything that will get more people to buy his vitamins and supplements. He's not an MD, BTW. A quack in my book. It's a shame HuffyPoo gives him a soapbox.

As for aspartame, what people don't bother to mention is that it's something like 300 times sweeter than sugar. So, there's barely a drop of the stuff in a can of diet soda. The phosphoric acid in diet colas, and the carbonation in ANY carbonated beverage are a far bigger problem They erode the enamel on one's teeth, and leach the calcium from one's bones.

[UTUSN]

19. Reminder: RUMSFELD is who profited by getting Aspertame FDA approved n/t

[elleng]

20. REAL SUGAR in coffee/tea; ice in water.

NONE of the other junk, EVER!

[hippywife]

21. That's what I've been doing, too, for years.

I love, love, love ice cold water better than anything now, and I used to totally despise it.

:hi:

[MorningGlow]

22. Good for you!

:applause:

It may be a tough addiction to kick, but you can do it. Hang in there.

Great article--a wonderful compilation of research. I've heard all of these accounts of aspartame (note: not originated by Mercola)--that it's a neurotoxin, that it decomposes dangerously when left to sit at high temperatures (and that there's speculation that it may be the cause of Gulf Syndrome), that it's a cause of and/or can exacerbate MS, etc.

Yes, there's conflicting research, but what damns it for me is it wasn't FDA approved despite campaigning for decades...till Rumsfeld was chairman of Searle, which was absorbed by Monsanto...and then poof! magically approved. That man is teh evil, as is everything he touches.

[The Velveteen Ocelot]

24. Mercola is reputed to be something of a crackpot

who is guilty of sloppy science, to put it mildly. Not saying I know for a fact that aspartame is totally harmless, but I'm not panicking and I'm not giving up my diet Coke.