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Post by Karen-in-Indiana on Feb 6, 2015 18:08:19 GMT
OK, so I have been a heavy 100% Dt. Coke drinker since my 20's. In the effort of trying to be healthier, everyone tells me I need to stop drinking it. I read the articles that explain why Dt. Coke is so bad for you. It lists symptoms of which I have none of them. I have no problem losing weight when I put to mind to it and am fine otherwise.
So, I have decided to stop drinking it this week. A co-worker is quitting smoking so if she can do that, I can quit Dt. Coke. Right? (still not sure why I need to though). How do I know what is safe as far as sweeteners? I have a hard time with just plain water so I've been using Black Cherry flavoring with vitamins to flavor my water. Is that any better than what's in Dt. Coke? I'm assuming it's the sweetener type to be cautious of. So what's good and what's bad?
Thanks, Karen |
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Post by scrappergonewild on Feb 6, 2015 18:18:05 GMT
Why not sweeten it with 100% fruit juice/fruit slices. Any of the artificial sweeteners are horrible. I drink a ton of water with citrus slices in it or mint/cucumber.
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Post by Merge on Feb 6, 2015 18:26:20 GMT
I quit Coke Zero (again) three weeks ago. Doctor's orders this time. I bought a case of those little cans of Izze, which is fizzy fruit juice, but they have calories so I limit them to a couple of times a week. I also found a brand of carbonated flavored water (unsweetened) that I like. But mostly I am drinking lots of water, usually with a wedge of lemon in it.
I've quit the sodas several times and this is the easiest it's ever been. Supposedly stevia is a safe sweetener, but for me, I think it just fuels the desire for more sweet carbonated drinks. It's been better for me to just cut out all no-calorie sweeteners entirely. JMO.
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georgiapea
Drama Llama
Posts: 6,846 
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Post by georgiapea on Feb 6, 2015 18:30:24 GMT
Congratulations on ditching the aspertame. You'll be so much healthier without it. I'd research all the names that dangerous sweetners like aspertame fly under because switching from one to another won't be any better.
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Post by Karen-in-Indiana on Feb 6, 2015 18:47:27 GMT
What I'm finding thru google is that Stevia is the only zero calorie substitute that is considered natural and safe.
Karen
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Post by sisterbdsq on Feb 6, 2015 18:51:25 GMT
I don't drink ANY artificial sweeteners.
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Post by scrappersue on Feb 6, 2015 20:31:02 GMT
I quick drinking Diet Coke 4 years ago. I mostly drink water now. I do like those Izzy drinks and if I need something when I am out I will get a non-diet 7 up.
Good Luck
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valincal
Drama Llama
Southern Alberta
Posts: 6,225
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Post by valincal on Feb 6, 2015 20:34:59 GMT
I love the flavoured Perrier. Lemon, lime and grapefruit too.
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Post by anxiousmom on Feb 6, 2015 20:40:44 GMT
I like the lime La Croix sparkling water. It isn't sweetened at all, just limey.
If I want it sweet though, I really like sparkling water with cranberry juice-but not the diet kind or any that contains artificial sweeteners. Really though, pretty much any kind of fruit juice works.
Typically though, I don't care for any kind of chemically sweetened drinks. I like sweet tea, but that is pretty much it.
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Post by rainangel on Feb 6, 2015 20:41:10 GMT
I have liquid Stevia that I use in my tea. But it doesn't have a flavour, just like sugar to make things sweet, and it is 100% natural and free of calories. With water I sometimes add a splash of regular fruitjuice to give it some flavour, maybe 1 part juice, 9 parts water. And GOOD FOR YOU giving up Diet Coke! It's probably going to be hard, but we the peas believe in you  |
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scorpeao
Pearl Clutcher
Posts: 4,524
Location: NorCal USA
Jun 25, 2014 21:04:54 GMT
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Post by scorpeao on Feb 6, 2015 22:22:29 GMT
I have a friend who is very into health...all organic, doesn't eat processed, etc. She says Stevia is the only sweetener she will use as it's all natural. However, when you buy it you have to be sure you are getting pure stevia. She said if the ingredients list anything other than Stevia it's not pure.
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Deleted
Posts: 0
Aug 18, 2025 19:46:15 GMT
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Post by Deleted on Feb 6, 2015 22:34:52 GMT
I don't do any artificial sweeteners at all. I do eat a bit of sugar but not that much.
I drink *water*. I drink a lot of water. I drink more water than anyone you will ever meet. I not only learned to like water, I crave it and love it. I drink filtered water most of the time (99% of the time). I have a water bottle on the go at work all times and I go through at least 3-4 in 5 hours. (I like my water). I do pee a lot and I do get annoyed with it but I know it's because of my water consumption.
Try drinking bottled/filtered water (very cold) to replace Diet Coke. I had to give up iced tea. I was on 5-6 big glasses a day (many years ago). I have 1-2 a year now. You can get a Britta filter which works great (fill it and keep it in your fridge) or get a filter for your tap. They aren't that expensive and you do need to change the filter every so often. I would like a water cooler like we do at work, but we don't have room for it in the kitchen. We do have a filter going from the tap to the tap to the fridge and freezer and it makes good cold water and ice.
Try cutting down on the Diet Coke. If you do it all at once you may get headaches from it. (I don't know that for a fact, but the lack of caffeine and the lack of aspartame may give you grief). Giving it up, though, will make you feel better!
Good luck!
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Post by Spongemom Scrappants on Feb 6, 2015 22:37:59 GMT
Why not just make the break from artificial sweeteners altogether? Better to "go cold turkey" so to speak and re-train your taste buds than to get hooked on a substitute. You might be surprised by how quickly those previous drinks will come to taste too sweet to you. I can no longer drink any soft drinks or most people's sweet tea -- just too, too sweet.
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Post by gramasue on Feb 6, 2015 22:38:57 GMT
Artificial sweeteners are bad for you! Over time and with heavy use, they can create a whole host of medical problems. I drink maybe one soda a week, and I go for the real stuff, sugar and all. Other than that, I am fine with water. I really don't like the flavoured waters, so thank goodness I like plain Brita water.
Good luck in giving it up! I think it's a good thing you're doing.
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Post by birukitty on Feb 6, 2015 22:40:38 GMT
I quit drinking Diet Coke about a year and a half ago cold turkey and went directly to plain water. Have you considered that option? I won't lie to you, the first few days were rough. But it got easier day by day, and after two-three weeks I didn't even miss it. Your body goes through a withdrawal process and your tastes literally change. It's almost like withdrawing from drugs. You no longer crave it as time goes on and at some point (maybe 2 months out) I tasted it again and it tasted nasty to me! Just horrible. Flat, syrupy and much too sweet. I literally could not drink it.
For me that was the best way to break the bond I had with Diet Coke-just flat out go to water and not stop in the middle with another sweetener or flavor enhancer for water.
I crave water now and drink it all day long. Other than water I only drink 1-2 cups of coffee each day with 1 teaspoon of raw sugar (organic turbinado sugar that hasn't been bleached). I tried Stevia but it tasted to much like an artificial sweetener to me.
Debbie in MD.
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Post by birukitty on Feb 6, 2015 22:45:21 GMT
PS. Elannah has some good points. Using a water filter or drinking bottled water makes going from soda to water much easier, because that type of water tastes good! Personally where we live we have a well with hard water. Ever since we moved in this house we've had a water cooler and we get 5 gallon jugs of water delivered every week that we use for our drinking water. My parents who live 5 miles away live within the city limits so they are on "city water"-they don't have a well. They use a water filter on their facet and on their fridge.
Debbie in MD.
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Deleted
Posts: 0
Aug 18, 2025 19:46:15 GMT
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Post by Deleted on Feb 7, 2015 0:35:42 GMT
Why not just make the break from artificial sweeteners altogether? Better to "go cold turkey" so to speak and re-train your taste buds than to get hooked on a substitute. You might be surprised by how quickly those previous drinks will come to taste too sweet to you. I can no longer drink any soft drinks or most people's sweet tea -- just too, too sweet. I went cold turkey and I was fine. I was 100% fine the next day. I was looking for something to drink as i had my iced tea (that is highly sweetened with sugar and had a ton of caffeine in it and this is REDUCED sugar iced tea LOL) and just started drinking water. There are things you can do to enjoy drinking things other than sweetened pop...i.e. some people need a glass glass to enjoy drinking. They just hate the feel of plastic. If you are this way, invest in some cheap tall glasses. When I get motivated I will go to Bed Bath and Beyond and get some Tervis Tumblers. I could do it today. I am too lazy and I have a couple of water bottles that I keep refilling. They will work until I get my derriere in gear. I like cold drinks. I need my ice and I use a lot of it. If you don't have an ice maker attached to the fridge you can get some ice cube trays at the dollar store (or Walmart or Target etc). They are cheap and you just keep refilling them once they freeze. Do this over and over so you always have ice. My BFF here doesn't like cold drinks. She likes her coffee EXTRA hot so she doesn't need ice. She drinks water out of a Britta filter and doesn't make or need ice. Do whichever you prefer. You could also start buying lemons or limes and squeeze some in the glass. I love lemon water and lime water. I would say I really love it a LOT. We have a lemon/lime plant on the deck and we get a token 1 fruit from it a year (it is a pretty plant!) I do admit to drinking cranberry with pomegranate sweetened with sucralose. I have a glass a month maybe. It has 10 calories in it and while I don't do it often, I do it occasionally. I had a glass a couple of weeks ago and might have a glass tonight. It is nice for a change. It isn't sweet by any means. It is just something else to drink with very few calories. |
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Post by rumplesnat on Feb 7, 2015 0:51:44 GMT
I agree with going cold turkey. I've tried them all and they all are gross, even Stevia. I'd rather have a small amount of real sugar than unlimited artificial sweeteners.
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Post by AussieMeg on Feb 7, 2015 1:39:29 GMT
Artificial sweeteners are of the devil. I despise the taste. I pretty much only drink coffee and water, so I don't understand having an addiction to Diet Coke, or any kind of soda for that matter. Which makes it easy for me to say just go cold turkey, but in reality I guess it's going to be hard for you. Hey, I was a smoker once upon a time, so I do understand addiction.  ETA: I do enjoy a sarsparilla or ginger beer, even a raspberry lemonade every now and then, but it would only be once or twice a month, and usually only somewhere like a BBQ where everyone else is having a beer or a wine (I don't drink alcohol). This summer DD and I started drinking a lot of iced tea. Not the highly sweetened commercial brands, I mean sugar free tea leaves that we infuse in hot water then put into the fridge to serve icy cold. There are a gazillion and one awesome flavours to try where we buy ours. Our favorites are Strawberries and Cream mixed with Pumping Pomegranate, Gone Surfing, or Lemon Myrtle. Other than tea, I also enjoy plain water with fresh lemon juice squeezed into it. When I first gave up having sugar in my coffee, I went cold turkey. For the first week or so I really didn't enjoy my coffee as much. Then after 2 weeks I accidently took a sip of DSO's coffee with one sugar in it, and it was disgusting, really sickly sweet. So it honestly didn't take long to retrain my tastebuds. You might find that after not having any poison, I mean Diet Coke, for a week or 2, you will find the taste awful if you tried a sip. Good luck!! |
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Post by flanz on Feb 7, 2015 3:47:34 GMT
What I'm finding thru google is that Stevia is the only zero calorie substitute that is considered natural and safe. Karen my DENTIST tells me to chew gum with xylitol... and it is sold in sugar form = brand name Xyla. Haylie Pomroy of the Fast Metabolism Diet is a fan. |
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Post by momof3pits on Feb 7, 2015 3:55:05 GMT
I agree with just trying to do water with fruit infused in. You will feel so much better and more energized.
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Post by crimsoncat05 on Feb 7, 2015 4:59:14 GMT
no real help from me; I don't believe any of the stuff they publish about diet sodas being so horribly bad for you. I do know I should cut down on mine, partly because it would save me money.
As for flavoring your water, I just got an infuser lid for a Mason jar; it's a small holder that has slots cut into it that holds fruit slices, lemon, cucumber slices, etc. and infuses the flavor into the jar of water thru the slits. I had used a lot of those powder stick-packs that you can use to flavor water, but go through phases where I like flavored water and then switch to plain water.
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