Missing diet coke

I don't know how having an occasional soda would hurt you. Years ago, when I was doing Richard Simmons, he said to limit soft drinks (including diet ones) and coffee to not more than two a day. I have always thought that was good advice for everyone.

Google aspartame and you won't be tempted any more.

Everything in moderation. Diet coke didn't cause your breast cancer.

I found an acceptable substitute for my soda craving - or rather my diet soda craving - I think that soda is addictive and its very hard to have the occasional soda - it turns into regular behavior for me - so I buy plain Soda Water (its just plain water with bubbles) and I add a finger of Pomegranate juice.  Its healthy!  I guess any fruit juice could be used - I just like the color and the antioxidants.

I don't have to worry or feel guilty about killing myself with regular or diet soda and I still enjoy the bubbles.

hi kamm, i am curious to know where you found the research showing that aspartame is no more harmful than sugar.  i haven't been able to find it. thanks.

And Libby, I do understand the desire, but have you tried some bottled flavored waters?  Or some "natural" sodas?  Some of them have stevia in them,, I'm not 100% in favor of stevia either, but again it's WAY better than aspartame.

I've become an iced tea addict. I have a lot of different flavors of tea. And I found that the longer I stayed away from soda,, diet or regular,, the less I like the taste. 

Wrenn- Aspartame has been around for a much shorter amount of time then sugar. The research is still out on what the long term effects are if any. I'm a nurse and have taken care of enough diabetics to sink a ship. I have seen directly how sugar contributes. I have yet to see the same with artificial sweetners. So far there has been no disease that I am aware of linked to Aspertame or any other artificial sweetner. Maybe in the end they will find some link to something. Who knows? But as of this moment that does not appear to be the case.  As you see above, studies are a dime a dozen. Pro/con. But until we begin to see consitstent results it really doesn't mean much as far as it's "safety". It also depends on what your definition of safety is. Sugar on the other hand has a well documented history of contributing to disease. Like I said before. Just because someone may have a sensitvity to something doesn't make it inherently dangerous. For example, people have reactions and sensitivites to healthy foods as well such as peanuts. I don't think that makes them unhealthy. I think this has become almost an urban myth. I've heard people blame everything and it's mother on Aspertame. They used to do it with Saccharin. Maybe in the end drinking it in large quantities will be harmful. Who knows. But I don't believe in demonizing something if there is not consistent proof that it does real harm. I hear people say I feel guilty for wanting to have one. Guilty? I think the jury is out and as much as people want it to be in now it can't be. It sounds like I'm advocating for it and I'm really not. 

I didn't intend for my original post to be an "advisement". I didn't tell her to do anything. I'm not in the business of telling someone what to eat and drink. I expressed an opinion as you have regarding Aspartame. I'm sorry if you took it that way but that was not the case. I believe smoking  clearly falls in to the category of having been proven to be harmful so I agree with you. I'm sorry about your neighbor though.

seems to me our bodies would have no idea how to process aspartame. Sugar rots your teeth and makes you fat but our body's don't recognize it as 'foreign' or non food.

But if you are releasing all kinds of happy chemicals when you drink a diet coke then it has a benefit. . Rituals in general are a good thing.

I don't normally drink any soda, juice or anything with sugar in it.  I drink water and thats it. But once in a while if Im indulging in pizza (homemade) or burger (also homemade) I will have a diet coke - maybe 2-3 a month (some months nothing).  I don't know if this is bad but I figure its so infrequent that it should be ok.  However, Im not addicted to it, that 2-3 a month is fine, I don't crave it as much as I crave it with certain foods.  I wouldn't feel good about having it on a regular basis, aspartame is not natural

My response is not scientific either. But, I never drank diet soda, or soda period. Sugar free for the most part, veganfor over 20 years. , in shape, worked out. Mammograms every year . Still have Stage 3 cancer in my 50's. Oh and took supplements all my life. , really clean eating. Non smoker. I did it because I enjoyed it, and felt good while doing it.

Do you spell it tomato or tomatoe?

I have diet coke drinking, smoker friends, still healthy, not facing this terrible disease yet. My 86 year old mother snacks, and drinks diet pepsi every day. 86. So I'm saying some chemicals we learn are harmful, others we don't know . So I'm still planting my organic garden, eating clean, but I may just have a diet coke one day.

i will say we can't tell for sure if there is a relationship between BC and diet coke. But obviously you should stop drinking these kind of beverage and switch to some other healthy drinks.

After I am diagnosed as DCIS, the first thing I did is to throw away those diet drinks and also packed all the processed food. From now on, I will try to only eat fresh food.

Everything in moderation. I don't think an occasional diet drink will cause anyone harm, but if you're drinking them in place of water, probably not such a good practice. I don't like the caffeine and the fizz in diet drinks like cola, but I do make my own limeade/lemonade drink with a bit of truvia/stevia, water, and organic lime or lemon juice, over ice.

Claire in AZ

I'm always curious when I read old posts, 3 or more years for example, and people have totally changed their diets and lifestyle, if they kept it up long term. Making big changes all at once must be hard to keep up, old habits are hard to break.

I don't drink soft drink (soda) at all, diet or otherwise, they just taste way too sweet to me. We have great water, so I drink lots of that, and lots of coffee.

I gave up artificial sweeteners a few years ago and, thus, had to give up my addiction to diet Coke. I found that it was not necessarily my addiction to the caffeine, but my "need" for the fizz!! I now drink plain sparkling water--no artificial or "natural" flavorings or colors, sodium or caffeine--just carbonated water (you have to be really careful and read the labels since most have something artificial or sodium in it). While, for me, the sparkling water has to be cold, straight from the frig or over ice, that satisfies my cravings. Other than being sold in plastic bottles (except for Voss Water in the larger glass bottles), I feel it's about the best way to get the fizz and not the additives!! I don't blame diet Coke or other "artificial" ingredients for my BC but why put them in our bodies.