Do you go to the gym to lose weight then have a Coke to cool off?
The biggest mistake many of us make is going to the gym and then failing to clean up our diet. For many of us, diets are a daily kitchen battlefield. And one of the biggest mistakes that individuals often make is by substituting diet soda for regular soda.
While cutting out soda is one of the smartest things a person can do – intaking calories via liquid is never a good ide. And yet that’s what many of us do. We even try it with the so-called zero calorie drinks. Be warned: the calorie count may read “0” – but there are still serious negative drawbacks associated with diet sodas.
A brand new study conducted by researchers at John Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health in Baltimore, Maryland shows that many, many overweight or obese people who drink diet sodas are more likely to consume a higher amount of calories from food than people who don’t drink soda.
Lead author of this particular study, Sara Bleich, stated that “overweight and obese adults who drink diet soda eat a comparable amount of total calories as heavier adults who drink sugary beverages, they consume significantly more calories from solid food.” This encompassed both meals and snacks and it should give cause for concern to people who may be looking at diet sodas as a quick fix.
Furthermore, people who drink diet soda are more likely to have a higher body mass index (BMI) according to this study.
The data set is strong: it involves information gleaned from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey from 1999 to 2010. That survey was focused on discovering nationwide patterns in adult diet beverage intake and also took into consideration overall calorie intake.
The researchers involved in the John Hopkins study found that drinking diet sodas did not promote excess eating in normal-weight individuals but that overweight or obese people who drank diet soda would eat significantly more and would also consume more snack food than those who drank regular sodas.
The reason for this is likely because of artificial sweeteners, which basically trick the brain into thinking you are less full than you actually are. This can cause cravings which ultimately ruin diets and lead to unhealthy food choices. The researchers involved with the study also noted in their abstract that consumption of diet soda has risen from 3% in 1965 to 20% as of 2013.
Ian: How about it? Where are you substituting liquid for solids with the idea it’s better?
