Diet Soda vs. Regular Soda – which is best?

Diet Soda vs. Regular Soda – Americans consume large quantities of soft drinks (defined as any drink with added sugar or artificial sweetener, including sports drinks, energy drinks, “ades” etc.). But overconsumption of soft drinks may be leading to health issues such as Type 2 diabetes, heart disease and other related illnesses. So, people turn to diet soda. But what’s the difference between diet soda vs. regular soda?

One can of regular soda contains about 150 calories, almost all of which is sugar in some form! Just drinking one can a day and keeping your diet the same, can cause you to gain 15 pounds a year! So what is it about the debate between diet soda vs. regular soda?

Diet Soda vs. Regular Soda

So what about artificially flavored drinks? They have zero fat and calories – this should be a great solution. In the short-term, switching diet soda vs. regular soda might help with weight loss but, in the long term, the results are less clear. One theory is that when you switch to diet soda vs. regular soda, you get the benefit of more energy (even if it is low quality). Your body develops a connection between sugary drinks and energy and therefore your body may require less energy (calories) throughout the day.

Diet soda vs. regular soda – is it the best alternative?

Artificially-flavored drinks don’t provide any energy because they have no calories. This may signal to your brain that you need to consume even more calories than you otherwise would have. So diet soda vs. regular soda may not be the best choice.

Of course, the best option for a beverage is water and it should be your main choice throughout the day. It gives our body everything it needs from a beverage. However, for some, water is just too plain. So think about the following options when you want an alternative.

Diet Soda vs. Regular Soda – Some Alternatives

1. Infused spa water – Add citrus fruits herbs and sliced cucumber to water with ice.

2. Tea – Black or green, caffeinated or decaf, leaf or herbal, hot or cold, tea is an excellent choice for a calorie free beverage.
3. Coffee – Coffee is calorie free, as long as you don’t load it up with cream and sugar.
4. Sparkling water with a splash of juice – 12 ounces of sparkling water and an ounce or two of juice.
5. Fresh fruit coolers – this drink is only about 18 calories for each 12-ounce glass.

1. 1/2 cup of ice
2. 3/4 cup of sugar-free sparkling water
3. 1/3 cup of melon or berries
4. blend then garnish with mint or an orange slice

6. Low-sodium broth or miso – Learn to read food labels.

Diet Soda vs. Regular Soda – Company Requirements

Beverage manufacturers are required to list the amount of sugar in the products, but not where the come from. If you are drinking 100% juice, then you know the sugar is coming from the fruit. But otherwise, you need to look a bit further at the actual ingredient list to find out if you are drinking a beverage with added sugar. Also, it’s important to note that ingredients are listed on food labels in descending order starting with the most prevalent ingredient listed first. So make sure you evaluate diet soda vs, regular soda!

Diet Soda vs. Regular Soda – What to Look For

The following lists ingredients that you may see on your beverage label that just mean sugar! If any of these are listed as one of the first few ingredients, you know there is too much sugar in it!
Agave nectar
Brown sugar
Cane crystals
Cane sugar
Corn sweetener
Corn syrup
Crystalline fructose
Dextrose
Evaporated cane juice
Fructose
Fruit juice concentrates
Glucose
High-fructose corn syrup
Honey
Invert sugar
Lactose
Maltose
Malt syrup
Molasses
Raw sugar
Sucrose
Sugar
Syrup

For example, check out the Coca-cola label:

This tells us that after carbonated water, high fructose corn syrup is the next prevalent ingredient. This is just sugar and water!

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Diet Soda vs. Regular Soda – not always the best choice!