HEALTH

Eat Right

Here's why diet soda sucks

You’ve heard it all before: soda is fattening, sugary, and hard on your skin. And believe us, even though we love the idea of a "healthier" sugar-filled fizzy drink, the word “diet” on a label doesn't exactly make it better for you. Plus, did you know diet soda may technically be worse for you than regular?

Here's why you should ditch it all together:

Fake Sugars

Diet soda stocked with sugar substitutes that have been linked to health issues like heart attack and strokes—and while these problems aren’t ones to really worry about right now while you’re a kid, it’s likely they’ll come back to bite you in the long run.

Soda-holic

Diet soda is caffeinated and caffeine is highly addictive. Kids who already have a lot of energy may become hyperactive when they drink caffeine, and once they start it’s hard to quit. MediResource Ince. says that caffeine withdrawal causes headaches, stress and even anger.

Dirty Dentures

Like reg soda, some diet sodas have dark, staining dyes that will make teeth look black and icky. Diet soda can also erode teeth. Dr. Mohamed Bassiouny discovered that excessive amounts of coke can eat away at teeth just as quickly and intensely as hard drugs.

Thirst Probs

Soda is dehydrating. Unlike water and sports drinks, diet soda does not refresh. Assia M. Mortensen from Livestrong says, “The caffeine in diet soda acts as a diuretic, so the more you drink, the thirstier you become. The sodium in diet soda increases that thirst.”

Do you drink soda on the reg or do you avoid it? Share in the comments below!

POSTED IN eating, how to cut out junk food, drink