Diet Coke No Sugar Cravings

What the ‘Diet’ in Diet Coke Really Means

Photo by: @brett_jordan from Unsplash.com

Kicking Sugar to the Curb

You finally did it. You’ve committed to a healthier lifestyle, you’re lowering your sugar intake for regular meals and snacks - and you’re feeling really good about it. 

But then, that craving for sugar starts to sneak in. 

And when you walk past the drinks aisle, all the soft drinks seem to jump out at you, encouraging you to buy them to quench your thirst. 

Don’t worry - it’s perfectly normal to have this craving when you’re lowering your sugar intake. You might even have a little angel or devil appear on your shoulders to weigh out what’s right or not:


And right when you’re about to walk away from the drinks aisle, your eyes land on Diet Coke. It’s like the saviour you’ve always wanted because it fits all the categories of a lower sugar diet - it’ll satisfy your cravings for a soft drink AND it has less sugar. What’s not to like? 

Say you decide to drink a bottle of Diet Coke. Within the first 20 minutes, there’s a burst of sweetness that’ll hit your tastebuds, activating your body’s response to sugar (1). And since there’s only artificial sugar in Diet Coke, you won’t gain any weight, right? This is generally a misunderstanding as artificial sugar can also turn on your fat-storing system. According to Switzerland nutritionist, Amanda Payne, artificial sugar will “...negatively react with your gut bacteria and unbalance your digestive system...” (1)

Within the next 40 minutes, your body will start to crave more since Diet Coke contains both caffeine and aspartame, raising your body’s adrenaline levels and stimulating your brain (1,2). After an hour, you’ll become more thirsty and hungry because your body releases sugar receptors but there’s no ‘real’ sugar to bind with them. This really throws you off-kilter because your body will then send out a signal to encourage you to ingest MORE sugar to fill those receptors. Ironically, Diet Coke won’t actually satisfy your craving and its negative impact will be felt throughout your entire body. 

Research has shown that if a person consumes an excessive amount of Diet Coke, it’ll induce degenerative changes in the cerebellum and kidneys (2). On top of that, it increases the risk of stroke and heart disease (3). 

In the end, don’t be fooled by the ‘diet’ in Diet Coke. If you’re looking to quench your thirst, satisfy your sugar cravings to maintain a low-sugar diet and healthy lifestyle, try our True NOSH lemonade instead! All of the sweetness comes from whole ingredients - like figs or dates. Check them out

True NOSH’s products are made to fit anyone who wants to live a healthy lifestyle without sacrificing taste. ‘Cuz we believe you’re ‘too sweet for sugar’!


Written by: Elisa Zhang 
Edited/Proofread by: Ev Wong


References:

  1. McHugn Michelle and McHugh Michael. “What Happens To Your Body When You Drink Diet Coke?” MINDFOOD, 26 Oct. 2019. 
  2. El-Wahed, Noha Abd, et al. “The Effect of Diet Coke and Monosodium Glutamate on the Cerebellar Cortex of Adult Male Albino Rats. Histological and Immuno-Histochemical Study.” Egyptian Journal of Histology, vol. 42, no. 2, Jan. 2019, pp. 437–452. 
  3. Parry, Lizzie. “Diet Coke 'Kills: Two Cans A Day Can Double Stroke Risk'.” The Sun, 15 Feb. 2019.
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