Diet Soda

[Naira]

Hello all,

I was reading the Coca-cola thread and I was quite surprised that many people only drink diet sodas. Why is that?

If I recall correctly, a (330ml) can of coca-cola is about 135kcal (or so it claims). Coca-cola light claims it is under 1kcal.

So what? Assuming that you drink moderately (say one or two cans a week), the calories of regular coke are not that many. Also, diet sodas usually have sweeteners that are supposed to be of lower quality (as much as you can count quality when it comes to sodas).

I certainly do not think that people drinking diet sodas are doing anything wrong, but I wonder sometimes why some of them (some of my real-life friends included) are so very disturbed when they cannot have a diet version of their soda and act like a single can can make them fat (the irony is that this can usually comes with a burger and fries...)

Also, on a related subject: Do Coca-cola light and Coca-cola zero taste so differently to you? I was looking at the ingredients and they were almost identical. Personally, I believe that Zero is just a "male" version of Light created for advertisement reasons but many people (again, some of my real-life male friends included) claim it is so much better...

 

[Roger Wilco]

Well, there are people who drink it by the litre every day...

 

[Amaris]

Hello all,

I was reading the Coca-cola thread and I was quite surprised that many people only drink diet sodas. Why is that?

If I recall correctly, a (330ml) can of coca-cola is about 135kcal (or so it claims). Coca-cola light claims it is under 1kcal.

So what? Assuming that you drink moderately (say one or two cans a week), the calories of regular coke are not that many. Also, diet sodas usually have sweeteners that are supposed to be of lower quality (as much as you can count quality when it comes to sodas).

I certainly do not think that people drinking diet sodas are doing anything wrong, but I wonder sometimes why some of them (some of my real-life friends included) are so very disturbed when they cannot have a diet version of their soda and act like a single can can make them fat (the irony is that this can usually comes with a burger and fries...)

Also, on a related subject: Do Coca-cola light and Coca-cola zero taste so differently to you? I was looking at the ingredients and they were almost identical. Personally, I believe that Zero is just a "male" version of Light created for advertisement reasons but many people (again, some of my real-life male friends included) claim it is so much better...

When I did drink diet soda, I drank it because of my diabetes.
Also, there is a big taste difference between Coke and Coke Zero, with Zero being "off".

 

[6079SmithW]

I normally just drink diet coke but I'll drink regular coke too if its the only kind available, or sometimes just for fun. I usually drink a cup or bottle of coke with every meal and if I'm thirsty so that's why I prefer diet.

 

[iguana_tonante]

Assuming that you drink moderately (say one or two cans a week)

I think this is where you assumption went wrong. It's very difficult to believe for me too, but there are people who drink, say, a six-pack of soda a day. I know. People are weird.

Also, on a related subject: Do Coca-cola light and Coca-cola zero taste so differently to you? I was looking at the ingredients and they were almost identical. Personally, I believe that Zero is just a "male" version of Light created for advertisement reasons but many people (again, some of my real-life male friends included) claim it is so much better...

I dunno. I only drank Coca Cola Light and Coca Cola Zero once or twice and just for curiosity's sake. I noticed the Zero version tasted a little less "artificial" and more close to the normal version than the Light, but I won't swear it.

 

[thestrangequark]

The sad thing is that people drink diet soda thinking it's the healthier option, when really it is doing equal or possibly greater harm to their health than would a regular soda. Again, not a big deal if you drink soda once or twice a week, but a lot of people have a minimum of 2 cans a day.

 

[RoJoHen]

Assuming that you drink moderately (say one or two cans a week)

I think this is where you assumption went wrong. It's very difficult to believe for me too, but there are people who drink, say, a six-pack of soda a day. I know. People are weird.

Also, on a related subject: Do Coca-cola light and Coca-cola zero taste so differently to you? I was looking at the ingredients and they were almost identical. Personally, I believe that Zero is just a "male" version of Light created for advertisement reasons but many people (again, some of my real-life male friends included) claim it is so much better...

I dunno. I only drank Coca Cola Light and Coca Cola Zero once or twice and just for curiosity's sake. I noticed the Zero version tasted a little less "artificial" and more close to the normal version than the Light, but I won't swear it.

I have found that Coke Zero tastes more like the original than Diet Coke (and I always pause a moment when people say "Coke Light," because we don't have that in the US).

 

[Roger Wilco]

I'm not certain I could differentiate between regular Coke, Diet Coke and Coke Zero in a blind test to be honest.

 

[Spot's Meow]

I would agree with you that one or two cans a week is moderate, but I doubt most people would. My boyfriend drinks about 2 or 3 cans of Diet Pepsi in a day. I've tried to get him to cut down but he tells me he is literally addicted to it. He doesn't drink it because he thinks it is any healthier, but because he says it tastes much better. To me the dark colas all taste icky. He basically has one with every meal. He doesn't like fruits so it is hard to get him to drink juice, and he says that water is just too bland. I have introduced some Sunny Delight and Propel flavored water into his diet though. It was the best that I could do.

 

[Alidar Jarok]

Assuming that you drink moderately (say one or two cans a week)

I think this is where you assumption went wrong. It's very difficult to believe for me too, but there are people who drink, say, a six-pack of soda a day. I know. People are weird.

Also, on a related subject: Do Coca-cola light and Coca-cola zero taste so differently to you? I was looking at the ingredients and they were almost identical. Personally, I believe that Zero is just a "male" version of Light created for advertisement reasons but many people (again, some of my real-life male friends included) claim it is so much better...

I dunno. I only drank Coca Cola Light and Coca Cola Zero once or twice and just for curiosity's sake. I noticed the Zero version tasted a little less "artificial" and more close to the normal version than the Light, but I won't swear it.

I have found that Coke Zero tastes more like the original than Diet Coke (and I always pause a moment when people say "Coke Light," because we don't have that in the US).

Coke Zero uses the original Coke formula, Diet Coke uses the New Coke formula.

 

[Mooch]

it always boggles my mind when people can't tell the difference between regular and diet versions of something because all diet pop tastes gross to me.

If it actually did taste the same I would drink it instead.

 

[cultcross]

I drink diet soda because I almost universally prefer the taste of the diet version - certainly do with Coke, I find the 'real' version has a nasty aftertaste.

 

[Canadave]

I'm not certain I could differentiate between regular Coke, Diet Coke and Coke Zero in a blind test to be honest.

I couldn't tell you the difference between them, but I can definitely tell the latter two from the first. Aspertame has such a distinctive (and awful, IMO) taste that I can always tell when I'm drinking a diet pop.

 

[Mr. B]

I don't get the appeal of diet drinks either... they all taste terrible. Caffeine pills and water is more appetizing.

 

[Mary Ann]

I don't drink soda often but when I do it's Diet Coke. I prefer the taste over regular Coke, and I find that regular Coke leaves a film on my teeth, which is really annoying.

 

[Shazam!]

I also prefer the taste of Diet Coke. Regular coke leaves me with a sickly feeling similar to when you're in the first throws of a cold and you feel like you're getting a sore throat.

 

[C.E. Evans]

At one time, it was nothing for me to drink three or four cans of Coke a day (perhaps a 12-pack a week). But when I learned that diabetes runs strong in my family, I immediately switched to Diet Coke. At first, I thought it was horrid, but I figured it was better for me to sacrifice my taste buds than my kidneys...

After awhile, though, my taste buds adapted and now I can't stand the regular stuff. But the unplanned benefit of drinking diet is that I've lost quite a bit of weight over the years without much having to go to the gym and my blood sugar levels have never been better.

 

[BDJ]

Diet soda's are an aquired taste. If you wish to save yourself the calories and sugar content then learning to like diet soda can save you many calories. It's been my experience that after you train your taste to diet cola going back to regular just doesn't taste right.
Of course my diet cola addiction needs to be fed many times a day. I love the taste and the feel of cola when it's cold and it's flowing down my neck! 'Scuse me...I'm thirsty.....

 

[The Boy Who Cried Worf]

Diabetes.

I really don't like the taste of diet Coke and feel it is vastly different than regular Coke. I do drink the caffeine-free version of Diet Coke and actually like it much better. Coke Zero I have only drank once or twice. Someone told me it was barely distinguishable from Coke, but it still had that signature "diet taste".

 

[thestrangequark]

For diabetics I'd recommend Zevia over diet sodas any day. It is sweetened with stevia which is natural, calorie-free, and increases insulin sensitivity, and so is beneficial especially to those who suffer from type 2 diabetes. It doesn't have any of the possible scary side effects of aspartame, and tastes much better. (Though the flavor can take some getting used to -- it doesn't taste like sugar.)