Drinking Soda: Like eating a tablespoon of toxic chemicals in every glass!

Most people feel they need to avoid sugar at all costs and turn to diet sodas as a substitute. They think they'll get the sweet taste without the calories. Turns out the calories in sugar are probably better than the chemicals in aspartame.

We're not saying drink sugar filled soda instead. In fact, you shouldn't drink soda at all. There are all kinds of chemical additives in sodas that are bad for you. As a general rule, you probably shouldn't eat or drink things that contain ingredients that you can't pronounce without looking in your high school chemistry text book. Let's take a look at exactly what's on the ingredients list for Coke Zero:

"Carbonated water, caramel color, phosphoric acid, aspartame, potassium benzoate (to protect taste), natural flavors, potassium citrate, acesulfame potassium, caffeine."

The FDA approved acesulfame potassium for use in 1998. Before that, research indicated that there may be a link between the chemical and cancer. Phosphoric acid is actually more acidic than lemon juice or vinegar and it is commonly used for rust removal. Imagine what it does to your teeth! Caramel color sounds pretty harmless, right. But it's not the caramel you think of in candies and chocolates. To get this "caramel color" soda makers have to mix sugar with ammonia sulfite to create the dark brownish black color you expect from a cola.

If someone asked you to eat a spoonful of phosphoric acid, you'd say "no way!" So why is it okay to consume these chemicals in a glass of pop? Sodas are nutritionally bankrupt foods that don't add anything to improve your health or your life. You don't need to understand chemistry to know that drinking soda of any kind is unhealthy and dangerous. Don't be fooled by the bubbly sweetness!

Diet Soda: It's Not a Diet if Drinking it Makes You Fat and Diabetic

Shocking news for dieters!  Artificial sweeteners in sodas could be making you fat instead of skinny.  Two studies presented this week at the American Diabetes Association's Scientific Sessions offer evidence that diet sodas could expand your waistline and lead to diabetes.

Aspartame is the common factor in both studies.  It's what you put in your body every time you sip a diet soft drink.  Most dieters turn to these drinks looking for the sweet taste without the calories.  Turns out the calories aren't the only problem after all.

In the first study, researchers compared the waist size of diet soda drinkers to non-diet soda drinkers.  Surprise surprise! They discovered that the waistlines of the diet soda group grew 70% more than the non-diet group!  That's an incredible amount of weight gain for a group of people who you could call "dieters."

The second study focused on the relationship to aspartame and diabetes.  The researchers found that a group of mice fed aspartame laced food pellets had a higher glucose levels and lower levels of insulin production than the group of mice fed only plain food pellets.  The aspartame mice were well on their way to becoming diabetic mice.

An easier way to cut out calories from soda, is to just stop drinking it.  Don't buy it.  Don't have it in the house.  Don't order it at a restaurant.  Try doing this for just one week.  Once you've kicked the soda habit, you'll be free from the toxic dangers. It may only be a coincidence that the first three letters of the phrase diet soda are "die," but why chance it?

For more information on how you can lead a healthier life, go to the Sarasota Physical Medicine website.