When I was in my 20s, I lived on a diet of Cola Light, Marlborough Lights and chewing gum, preferably all at the same time. I was convinced this was the secret to staying skinny.
Little did I know.
Turns out sugar substitutes like Aspartame are just as bad, if not worse, for your waistline.
According to research, consumers of diet soda experience a 70% greater increase in waist size than non-drinkers. But, astonishingly, those who consume more than two or more daily diet sodas see their waist increase 500% more than non-drinkers.
In other words, drinking diet sodas makes you fat.
Here are 6 reasons to never drink them again:
1. They actually make you gain weight [Source]
2. They increase your risk of stroke, heart attack, metabolic syndrome and cardiovascular disease. [Source]
3. They overstimulate your sweet receptors and make natural sweetness taste bland. [Source]
4. Phosphoric acid in diet sodas drains calcium from your bones, leading to weak bones and fractures.
5. Aspartame, the artificial sweetener in most diet sodas, is a neurotoxin.
6. The caramel colour in sodas is a known carcinogen.
Breaking up with it is often easier said than done. It’s so ingrained into the daily routine that it is often hard to stop this habit. My advice is to wean yourself off slowly and replace it with homemade flavoured water or cold green tea if you need the caffeine.
Kombucha is another alternative but be careful because too much of it can cause bloating. Plus, the alcohol and sugar content – even though it’s minor – adds up, and before you know it, you run around with a bloated belly feeling slightly tipsy!
Source: Happy Gut by Vincent Pedre
