Diet Soda & Weight Loss

In an attempt to watch what they eat, some people forget about what they drink. Many people could lose weight just by cutting their daily soda habit. While diet soda will cut or eliminate the beverage calories you consume, it is important to know the facts about the fizz before you pop the diet soda pop top.

Low Calorie

Most diet sodas have five or fewer calories per serving. But, new research shows that consuming sweetened beverages, even those artificially sweetened, may increase a person's craving and preference for sugary foods.

Nutrient Free

Diet sodas are nutrient free. Consuming diet soda in place of more nutritious beverages may keep you from getting all the vitamins, minerals, and dietary benefits that you could get from other calorie-free beverages, such as water and antioxidant-rich teas.

Aspartame

Many diet sodas contain aspartame, an artificial sweetener. The FDA has cleared aspartame as safe, but some who drink it experience dizziness, headaches, diarrhea, mood swings and memory loss from it, according to a Men's Health article by Dave Zinczenko and Matt Goulding.

Kidney Stone Prevention

The April 28, 2009, issue of Science Daily reported that drinking diet soda may reduce the risk of kidney stones. The study, conducted at the University of California in San Francisco, said the citrate and malate content in many drinks may inhibit kidney stone growth. Diet Sunkist Orange and Diet 7-Up had the greatest concentrations of citrate among the drinks used in the study.

Increased Weight Gain

Some people think that drinking diet soda saves them calories, so they often splurge on other foods. When a person drinks a diet soda with a large burger and fries, the "saved" calories are quickly exceeded.