Are Zero Fizzy Drinks Healthy?

trailingspouse

Stoke wrote: »

Because it tastes nice, same as any other food/drink?

But it's not real food. Why not just have something that's nice and good for you?
I genuinely don't understand why people eat rubbish.

Stoke

trailingspouse wrote: »

But it's not real food. Why not just have something that's nice and good for you?
I genuinely don't understand why people eat rubbish.

Coca Cola Free isn't a real food? Correct, it's a drink.......

As someone who has lost a lot of weight (I've gone from 20st+ to 13st 1lbs) in the past 12 months, I am speaking from personal and primary experience here:
to achieve any kind of sustainable weight loss, there are a few things you need:

1. Maintainable Calorie Deficit.
2. Increased Exercise/Movement (not as important as point 1, but aids the burning of calories)
3. Satisfaction.

I feel Number 3 is very often undersold, whereas the first two are super important. Anyone going on long term intensive weight loss programmes needs to have some satisfaction, otherwise they'll eventually crash, burn and snack 6000 calories in a night because your partner left you or you're feeling emotional and you now desperately crave whatever foods that contributed to your weight gain. I'm a male, and trust me, it's the same for men as women. Food cravings aren't unusual, and they aren't uncommon and slim people do it as well, but for someone losing weight, it's basically sabotaging all that hard work you've put in.

Diet drinks, like them or not, give satisfaction. I have drunk them every day for months up until recently. Green tea, as much as I enjoy it occasionally, doesn't really make you feel good.... and it never will.

Call it what you will my friend, but diet drinks, do help you on a diet. I have reduced the amount of fizzy drinks I drink since losing the weight. I don't need them as much now. I have been able to safely introduce other things to aid my satisfaction. I'm in control of my weight and still losing. I also know that if I fell heavily off the wagon, I could easily rescue my position. However, for someone just about to start their weight loss journey, diet drinks are a god send.... and I don't believe in god.

trailingspouse

I think your weight loss is fabulous - very, very well done.

But (and please please don't take this the wrong way, it's just how things are for me) - I haven't drunk Coke since I was in my teens, I very rarely drink any sort of fizzy pop (a lemonade in a pub if I'm driving maybe), I simply don't buy or eat food (or drink) that isn't 'real', so far as I can. And I've never needed to lose weight.

So, while diet drinks may well help weight loss, not drinking the pop may well help people to avoid putting on weight in the first place.

Stoke

trailingspouse wrote: »

I think your weight loss is fabulous - very, very well done.

But (and please please don't take this the wrong way, it's just how things are for me) - I haven't drunk Coke since I was in my teens, I very rarely drink any sort of fizzy pop (a lemonade in a pub if I'm driving maybe), I simply don't buy or eat food (or drink) that isn't 'real', so far as I can. And I've never needed to lose weight.

So, while diet drinks may well help weight loss, not drinking the pop may well help people to avoid putting on weight in the first place.

I have no reason to disbelieve you. The problem is, for people like myself, I grew up skinny. I was the skinny kid in school. There's an old photo from when I was at school that's on Facebook and I'm even tagged as 'the skinny kid'. How things change eh? I left school with no understanding of calories, calorie deficits and diets, carbs etc, just knowing I was the kid that seemingly remained perpetually skinny.... I got a job, started bashing fast food and rubbish down my throat every day and before you know it, the 11st wet through little boy is now a 20st monstrosity.

I now understand the difference between bad food and good food, but once you're fat it's too late. There is an obesity crisis in this country and while sugary fizzy drinks may have contributed to it, I honestly believe diet drinks can be a help in resolving it.

I agree though, once you're at a healthy weight, dropping the amount of fizzy drinks you consume makes sense. The problem is, you still need to satisfy that sweet tooth. Hence I asked whether sugar free cordial is better than fizzy drinks?

I do wonder if we put emphasis on carbonated drinks because of the stigma. Does carbonation make a drink significantly worse for you?

Red-Squirrel_2

trailingspouse wrote: »

I simply don't buy or eat food (or drink) that isn't 'real', so far as I can. And I've never needed to lose weight.

I'd have thought it was quite easy to tell if food is real or not.

Can you see it? Can you pick it up? Can you eat it and not die as a result?

If yes to all three, its probably real food.

Pennywise

trailingspouse wrote: »

If you asked the question in a slightly different way - 'What are my options for healthy drinks?' - do you really think fizzy pop of any variety would make the list??

Nor would spirits, wine, beer etc. It would be a very boring world if everyone only drank water.

Red-Squirrel_2

Stoke wrote: »

I do wonder if we put emphasis on carbonated drinks because of the stigma. Does carbonation make a drink significantly worse for you?

Yes, because the CO2 used to make it fizzy turns to acid in your mouth and erodes your tooth enamel.

Trust me on this, I've paid the price and its not good!

Toothsmith

Just CO2 dissolved in water isn't too bad. Still water is better, but drinking fizzy water wouldn't cause significant damage unless you were drinking tons of it, or wooshing it around your teeth (Don't laugh - kids swishing fizzy pop around their mouth before swallowing it is a 'thing' and causes horrendous damage!!!)

But - fizzy fruit drinks have the acidic 'fruity' components in it too (citric acid, etc) and Coke actually has phosphoric acid listed in the ingredients! Phosphoric acid is what we use in dentistry to acid etch teeth to help bond white filling! (Although at admittedly higher concentration)

So - fizzy water, not toooooo bad, but with anything mixed with it, or fizzy flavoured drinks are very acidic.

Stoke

Red-Squirrel wrote: »

Yes, because the CO2 used to make it fizzy turns to acid in your mouth and erodes your tooth enamel.

Trust me on this, I've paid the price and its not good!

Thank you, very useful to know. So sugar free cordials are better then? Quite happy to swap my fizzy vimto free to flat vimto free

Toothsmith

Stoke wrote: »

So sugar free cordials are better then?

'Less Bad' is probably a better way of thinking about it!

I would probably grade it

1. Still water, joint = with milk (0)
2. Tea or coffee with milk but no sugar (0)
3. Fizzy water (1)
4. Still sugar free cordials (3)
5. Fizzy sugar free drinks drinks (4)
6. Fruit juices (6)
7 Sugared fizzy drinks (10)
8. Smoothies (10)

The number in brackets are how much damage they are likely to do to teeth if consumed with uncontrolled frequency.

This is just relating to dental damage, not health in general. It's also just off the top of my head rather than quoting any proper study - so by no means gospel!