Since Coca-Cola first hit the market in 1886, it has been one of America’s favorite beverages. What is it about Coca-Cola that makes it so irresistible? As a heavy diet coke drinker, I myself could not seem to put it down. One day, I looked at the ingredients on a can of diet coke and was astounded by my findings; I had no idea what some of the ingredients were. Diet coke contains: carbonated water, caramel color, aspartame (an artificial sweetener), phosphoric acid (used primarily in the manufacture of fertilizers, detergents, and pharmaceuticals), potassium benzoate (a chemical preservative), natural flavors, citric acid (a natural preservative, benign cleaning agent, and acts as an antioxidant), and more caffeine (a stimulant) than both coke zero and classic coke. Concerned about the toxins I was taking into my body, I decided to give up diet coke for two weeks and see how I felt. In the meantime, I planned to research and figure out what all the mysterious ingredients were. On day one of my two week trial, I sat down and figured out how much diet coke I was actually drinking; the numbers were startling. On average I drank 60-90 ounces of diet coke daily. As my consumption of diet coke had become a consistent part of my day, so did headaches, bloating and gas, digestive problems, and fatigue. To counter-balance the fatigue, I drank more diet coke and even some coffee. On day one I was feeling pretty good, but I could tell fatigue was setting in. By day three and day four, I was in bad shape. I had extreme fatigue, headaches, and agitation; I was going through caffeine withdrawal. After day seven, all my side effects had subsided and my health related problems significantly reduced. It has been two months now since I chose to give up diet coke and I’m feeling better than ever; I’m able to focus without the use of any caffeine. I don’t think that give up soda cold turkey is the best suggestion for everyone, but cutting back can’t hurt. Maybe it’s time you evaluate your own soda consumption and see how it may be affecting your health.
1 Comment
Amy is a lovely student I met in a Fitness Class I guest taught at ISU this summer.
She was curious about the topic of aspartame poisoning after we discussed the top ten food additives to avoid and why . She decided to stop drinking diet pop.
I am really glad she did.
Thank you Amy for sharing your story!
Why I Gave Up Diet Coke?
By: Amy Wilson
Since Coca-Cola first hit the market in 1886, it has been one of America’s favorite beverages. What is it about Coca-Cola that makes it so irresistible? As a heavy diet coke drinker, I myself could not seem to put it down. One day, I looked at the ingredients on a can of diet coke and was astounded by my findings; I had no idea what some of the ingredients were. Diet coke contains: carbonated water, caramel color, aspartame (an artificial sweetener), phosphoric acid (used primarily in the manufacture of fertilizers, detergents, and pharmaceuticals), potassium benzoate (a chemical preservative), natural flavors, citric acid (a natural preservative, benign cleaning agent, and acts as an antioxidant), and more caffeine (a stimulant) than both coke zero and classic coke. Concerned about the toxins I was taking into my body, I decided to give up diet coke for two weeks and see how I felt. In the meantime, I planned to research and figure out what all the mysterious ingredients were. On day one of my two week trial, I sat down and figured out how much diet coke I was actually drinking; the numbers were startling. On average I drank 60-90 ounces of diet coke daily. As my consumption of diet coke had become a consistent part of my day, so did headaches, bloating and gas, digestive problems, and fatigue. To counter-balance the fatigue, I drank more diet coke and even some coffee. On day one I was feeling pretty good, but I could tell fatigue was setting in. By day three and day four, I was in bad shape. I had extreme fatigue, headaches, and agitation; I was going through caffeine withdrawal. After day seven, all my side effects had subsided and my health related problems significantly reduced. It has been two months now since I chose to give up diet coke and I’m feeling better than ever; I’m able to focus without the use of any caffeine. I don’t think that give up soda cold turkey is the best suggestion for everyone, but cutting back can’t hurt. Maybe it’s time you evaluate your own soda consumption and see how it may be affecting your health.