Hardly a ‘great question’, but I’d appreciate any informed responses. I quit booze a few months ago, cunningly substituting it with a mother of a Coke zero habit. Nutrition in general is one of the many things in life about which I know next to nothing, and I just got to wondering - how bad is it for me? Which parts of myself am I punishing? Let’s say I’m on between 2 and 6 cans a day (God, I feel ashamed just typing that, and yet I don’t know why!)
It seems to me you’ve gotten rid of an alcohol addiction by substituting a caffeine addiction. That’s quite a step up, in my book. Just be aware that if you find yourself without a caffeine fix, the withdrawal is major headaches, but only for a day or so. (Lots more info about caffeine available elsewhere.)
Coffee… um, 2 or 3 cups a day, more at the weekend. More than I used to drink, anyway. I know I’m jonesing for caffeine, which I never did before, so I guess I have gotten myself hooked (‘getting hooked’ is one of my talents). Caffeine’s bad for the heart, right? (Told you I was ignorant!)
That’s been debated back and forth by the medical community for decades. I’d say, though, anything that ups your pulse sans exercize probably isn’t the best for you.
But nobody ever get’s out of here alive anyway. I, for one, love caffeine, and have no shame over my junky-like addiction to it. I’d freebase the stuff if it were possible. But for now I settle for a 20 ounce coffee or 2 cans of Vault Zero. It’s 6:10am and I am NOT getting to work without my fix!!
All things considered, Coke Zero isn’t that bad for you. It’s just water, CO[sub]2[/sub], artificial sweeteners and caffeine. All the caffeine isn’t great, but you could do a lot worse. For example, drinking that volume of sugared soda would probably earn you 50 extra pounds.
Regarding the caffeine content, Coke Zero only has about 35 mg per can. According to the Mayo Clinic, most people are fine having 200 to 300 milligrams a day. You’d probably know by now if you had a caffeine sensitivity and if you’re not on certain medications that caffeine doesn’t agree with, you’re probably okay having 2 to 6 cans a day.
I can’t prove this, but the two people I know who drink the Real Thing like there’s no tomorrow (including nursing a bottle throughout the day) have had serious health prblems after about 20 years of this habit. Now, most of it is the sugar, but I understand the phosphoric acid is hell on the teeth. So, even if you indulge in Coke Zero, they say to use to a straw to give your teeth’s enamel a fighting chance.
If curious, the damage to their bodies is serious teeth and/or bone loss and kidney stones. Can’t prove this, but it does make one think about the impact of all-soda diet, virtually.
I wonder if the thing about phosphoric acid which you’ve heard is just a re-telling of the old “teeth dissolved in coke” canard.
You can dissolve several suprising things in coca cola, if you leave it in for long enough, but it turns out this is just because of the carbonation, and it turns out its no big deal since coke gets well diluted once its in your system and doesn’t stay (esp. stay carbonated) in your system for very long anyway. I think Unk Cece did a column on this once.
Diet drinks are great, especially if they curb cravings. The only area for debate is the artificial sweetener and how much faith you have in all the tests that show the sweeteners go unnoticed by the body.
Caffeine is not an issue for many people. If you have hypertension or other issues and were alerted to avoid it, then it’s an issue.
Diet drinks are a decent way to help you avoid calories. Generally, you should never consume calories via your beverages; this will help you avoid sugar, insulin spikes and weight gain.
I said, “Generally”. Further, I drink good old fashioned beer, from tap/keg, and never ‘lite’ or ‘light’ beer. All those light and lite beer bottles say something like 90 calories or 110 calories per serving – All of 'em I tell ya.
I have looked and looked at my cold mugs hundreds of time, and never saw the mention of a single calorie. Conclusion: Real beer has no calories.
I’ve heard just the taste of something sweet makes your body produce insulin, which could be harmful if there’s no actual sugar to spend it on. Any truth to this?
