I used to be a diet soda addict.
We were obsessed, and the more I drank, the more I wanted it.
Here are just a few of the changes you could experience when you put the diet soda down.
Once this initial hungover feeling passes, you should start feeling better.
Food will taste better
Did you know your diet soda can actually affect the wayallother foods taste?
You’ll lose weight
Here’s the great diet soda paradox.
When we drink diet soda, since it tastes sweet, our bodies get ready for sugar.
When that sugar never comes, our bodies start craving the real stuff.
You may not even want the whole thing!
However, it’s not just sugary beverages putting you at risk for chronic diseases like diabetes.
Many of us assume the sugar is the problem, but artificial sweeteners are just as bad.
Drinking diet soda can lead to bloating, which is never a good look.
“Also, I noticed that I had less food cravings and could manage my hunger better.”
The artificial ingredients in diet soda make anyone who drinks it crave more sugar.
Once you cut out the soda, you should notice your cravings calming down.
And you won’t just be craving less sugar.
You will probably crave less food altogether.
This is because of the way diet soda ingredients affect appetite.
A study inAppetitelooked at the effects of diet soda on appetite and cravings.
“Artificial sweeteners affect our sense of satiety,” nutritionistIsabel Smith, MS toldEat This Not That.
“It can actually send some people searching for more food, out of lack of satisfaction.”
That’s why drinking a diet soda in the afternoon can leave you craving a bagel an hour later.
You’ll feel happier
You know those people in the diet soda commercials?
They are laughing with friends, riding bikes together, and skipping along the beach.
They are extremely happy, and it’s all because of that delicious drink in their hands!
The only problem is that drinking diet soda can actually make you feel worse.
If you’ve been feeling blue, consider cutting out the diet soda.
A study inPLoS Onefound that drinking diet drinks may put older adults at higher risk for depression.
Researchers also found that coffee and tea drinkers who did not sweeten their drinks had lower rates of depression.
You’ll get sick less
Did you just come down with the sniffles again?
It may not just be your kindergartener bringing home the germs.
A study in theAmerican Journal of Clinical Nutritionstudied the effects of diet soda on pregnant women in Denmark.
Interestingly, the regular soda drinkers were not at increased risk for preterm labor.
This change surprised me, because I had been drinking diet soda to get more energy every afternoon!
The sugar will eat away at our enamel, putting us at higher risk for cavities.
However, it looks like diet soda is just as bad.
Cut out the diet soda for healthier, whiter teeth.
You may opt for a vodka diet instead of mixing your liquor with a sugary soda or drink.
Don’t be surprised if you seem drunker than your friend drinking a beer.
Trick yourself
So you’re ready to cut out the diet drinks?
The only problem is that it can feel so hard.
One of the easiest ways to start is with tiny changes.
to a diet soda that I didn’t love so much.
“Eventually I cut right down until I swapped it out for a naturally flavored water.
Take small steps to avoid becoming overwhelmed.
Start with simply drinking more water.
Jacobsen recommended focusing on drinking more water, including flavored seltzers as long as they contain no additional sweeteners.
You could also try slowly cutting down on the amount of diet soda you’re drinking.
Cohn also recommended eating a healthy diet to make this change easier and avoid your tastebuds getting confused.
