Diet Coke

Shar76 · Post by **Shar76** » Mon May 20, 2013 6:25 pm

Sorry if this is a repeat......still figuring out how to post.

I was just perusing the archives and someone mentioned having given up Diet Coke. I know I, too, am an addict who drinks 8-10cans of Diet Coke/day. (sober from alcohol for 18 years)

I'm getting the really frightening (to me) idea that this could be/IS a problem with MC.

Would appreciate your thoughts and insights on Diet Coke, and what I can substitute if necessary.

Shar

PS....this was the most difficult post I've made. lol Admitting my current "HABIT"

Vandolyn · Post by **Vandolyn** » Mon May 20, 2013 8:05 pm

Shar,

It could be my post. I gave up diet coke the end of January. I drank 6-10 16oz a day. I had gone gluten free the first of January and the d had not stopped. Thought I would try the diet coke. The d did not stop - I gave up fresh fruits and vegetables the first of March. That worked!

I would love to go back to the diet coke - I miss it. I am trying not to - not because of the LC - but because I think it not good for you period.

Good luck on your decision. It is very difficult when you have developed such a habit.

Vandolyn

Shar76 · Post by **Shar76** » Mon May 20, 2013 8:29 pm

Vandolyn,

I feel your pain. I'm so new at this I'm just starting to give things up, like working on becoming GF, but my Diet Coke too? Man, oh man! :( lol

May I ask what you substituted for the DC? Honestly, I think I'm more hooked on the carbonation than the Coke, so water, etc. just has never wet my whistle. Are any carbonated beverages OK, or is it the caffeine that causes problems? Color me confused

But I'm so proud of what you've been able to do. 3 cheers!! You may be much stronger than I! :-/

Shar

carolm · Post by **carolm** » Mon May 20, 2013 9:37 pm

HI Shar,
Generally speaking the acidity and artificial sweeteners of sodas are an irritant when you are in a flare and recovering from MC. In fact I suspect for some of us it will continue to be an issue.
I have been able to go back to coffee in smaller, weaker amounts, but otherwise I stick with water. If I get bored with just water, I add orange slices, even strawberries, to my water. I was an avid tea drinker but now it seems to give me heartburn-- this really makes me unhappy. But I'd rather be comfortable so I no longer drink it either.

sorry I don't have something more uplifting to say. It was a major change for me at first but I'm okay with water these days, and an occasional cup of coffee.

Carol

JFR · Post by **JFR** » Tue May 21, 2013 4:21 am

Hi Shar,

Apart from my morning coffee, I only drink water and herbal iced tea. The artificial sweeteners in diet soda would do me in. However hard it is giving up the Diet Coke it is probably necessary for you if you want to regain your health. You at least should give it a try. Maybe you could put the money you save from giving it up towards the Enterolab testing, if that remains something you want.

jean

maestraz · Post by **maestraz** » Tue May 21, 2013 7:33 am

Hi Shar,
I have mostly given up carbonated drinks since I realized they were likely the cause of after-lunch LOUD stomach gurgling and sometimes D. If I crave carbonation, I have seltzer or club soda. Mostly I stick to water and iced tea. I do drink a limited amount of coffee in the AM.

I do not eat/drink anything with aspartame if I can help it. If I have to use artificial sweetener, I use Domino Light (a sugar/stevia blend). I don't like the taste of straight stevia. In general, I'd rather do without sugar than use artificial stuff.

Do you get headaches? If so, aspartame could be a factor. I could only ever drink a very small Diet Coke--more would give me a headache, and also tear up my stomach.

As a former long-time smoker, I hear you about the difficulties of giving things up. But kudos to you! 18 years!

Zizzle · Post by **Zizzle** » Tue May 21, 2013 9:40 am

Hi Shar,
I am a firm believer that artificial sweeteners, especially Aspartame (Nutrasweet), are ruining many people's health. Aspartame breaks down to form formaldehyde in the body.

Not to mention the acids, phosphorus, and sodium benzoate in sodas...they are murder for your bones, teeth and stomach. And despite being a "Diet" beverage, studies show they do not aid in weight loss and can actually contribute to obesity. Your body tastes the sweet and it affects the activity of the brain and pancreas the same way.

Here are a couple of articles from Dr. Mercola that may help you kick the habit.

http://articles.mercola.com/sites/artic ... -food.aspx

Aspartame accounts for over 75 percent of the adverse reactions to food additives reported to the FDA.

http://articles.mercola.com/sites/artic ... ancer.aspx

A number of animal studies have clearly documented the association between aspartame and cancer, as the study points out. But what most researchers do not appreciate is that humans are the only animals that do NOT have the protective mechanism to compensate for methanol toxicity. So evaluating methanol toxicity in animals is a flawed model for testing human toxicity.

This is due to alcohol dehydrogenase (ADH). In humans, methanol is allowed to be transported in the body to susceptible tissues where this enzyme, ADH, then converts it to formaldehyde, which damages protein and DNA that lead to the increased risk of cancer and autoimmune disease.

I'm not a huge fan of plain water. I drink lots of green and white tea and watered down fruit juices (1/4 juice, 3/4 water or sparkling water).

gluten · Post by **gluten** » Tue May 21, 2013 6:57 pm

Hi, Years ago I drank a large diet coke every day, Finally when I stopped drinking the diet coke, I was having withdrawal symptoms. Now, I try to drink 8-8 oz glasses a day and water with my protein shakes and nutri-blasts. Jon

Vandolyn · Post by **Vandolyn** » Tue May 21, 2013 7:43 pm

Shar,

I drink mostly water. I do drink 2 or 3 diet 7-UP a day. I know the aspartame is not good for anyone but am hoping moderation will be my savior.

I simply do not believe all of the bunk about diet coke making you gain weight, etc. It certainly did not me. I have been within 4 pounds of the same weight for 19 years. When I stopped in January, nothing happened to my weight. Even during flares, I maintain my weight - by the grace of God, I believe.

Try really hard to give up the diet coke as I think it will help your overall health. You will get used to the water and then cannot do without it. I just read that our brain is 80% water and our body is something like 70% water. It is possible according to the article that if we do not drink enough water, it can bring on Alzheimers and Parkinsons. That is enough for me to grab the water bottle!

Good luck to you.

Vandolyn

ldubois7 · Post by **ldubois7** » Tue May 21, 2013 8:10 pm

Zizzle...what's your favorite brand of tea? I just got word from Stash that there may be gluten in it. They don't test it. :(

Zizzle · Post by **Zizzle** » Tue May 21, 2013 9:32 pm

ldubois7 wrote:Zizzle...what's your favorite brand of tea? I just got word from Stash that there may be gluten in it. They don't test it. :(

I have to admit, I don't really worry about the potential gluten content of tea (assuming there are no gluten ingredients or "natural flavors" on the label. I generally buy my teas from Trader Joe's and am partial to white teas and multiple brands of Organic Green tea and Organic Earl Grey (TJ's, Safeway's O Organics line). For mixed flavors/blends, I drink Celestial Seasonings (marked GF). I like Tazo teas too, but I wonder if they are GF.

I prefer organic because I've read that tea leaves can have high concentrations of fluoride, and my hope is that organic teas are more carefully grown and watered. Tea plants accumulate fluoride in their leaves over time, so the oldest leaves contain the most fluoride, while the youngest contain the least. Therefore, white tea (which is made from youngest leaves and buds) is your best bet to reduce fluoride exposure.

Mrs Turtle · Post by **Mrs Turtle** » Tue May 21, 2013 10:22 pm

I quit drinking my daily Diet Coke several months ago, after I read that artificial sweeteners could be bad for my MC. After I found this forum, I started working with a nutritionist. She commented that quitting Diet Coke was a must. She has worked with me on simplifying my food to eliminate processed foods along with gluten and dairy. I have been able to add some dairy back as my MC has improved, while I was on budesonide. I have been able to wean myself off the budesonide recently. All of these diet changes combined have made a huge difference to my MC.

I drink some black coffee and water mostly. Once a day, I have a drink called H2Oh from our local Pepsi bottler. It is carbonated water with a berry flavor. I recently discovered a new drink for the summer. It is True Blueberry herbal tea from Celestial Seasonings. I used a pitcher with an infuser to brew the tea, and then refrigerate it. I pour it over ice before I drink it. It claims to be gluten free. It has a bit of natural sweetness to it, which seems to satisfy that need that I used to fill with Diet Coke. I also bought this in Cherry to try that too.

jgivens · Post by **jgivens** » Wed May 22, 2013 7:12 am

Shar, I have always been a water drinker no matter what my parents tried to get me to drink. I was in the hospital for dehydration following "intestinal upsets" 10 times before I was 10 years old. Interesting in retrospect, just a preview of things to come! They tried getting me to drink juices and all manner of carbonated drinks. I don't know which I hated more--carbonation or the sickly sweet juices. Also tried to get me to drink boiled skimmed milk for D and I really hated that. Apparently our family Dr told my mother that it would take care if the casein in the milk to boil it. I HATE warm milk to this day.

I didn't mean to digress, but it IS interesting to think about how this MC has really been with me lifelong and a lot of things are much clearer now. I cannot relate of course, to your addiction to Diet Coke, but having a boatload of addictions in my family and having worked with substance abuse, I certainly understand the difficulty of having to "give up" one more thing. Be sure to give yourself the time to mourn your loss the same way you probably had to when you gave up alcohol. You haven't said whether you were a beer drinker in your drinking days, but I have become increasingly aware of people who've been in recovery with the same longevity (or more) as you, who suddenly develop gluten sensitivity and it makes me wonder if years of drinking gluten laden beer has not caught up with them. Something to think about anyway. The 12-step program can surely be used in sticking to this new lifestyle/diet change. It can be done one day at a time as it sounds like you know well!

Rooibus tea has become my favorite drink of choice (after water)--it is easy on one's stomach and I have a place I buy it where it is freshly made so I don't have to worry about what is in it (gluten or otherwise). My favorite flavor is vanilla.

ldubois7 · Post by **ldubois7** » Wed May 22, 2013 11:24 am

Zizzle....I checked at the grocery store today (they have the biggest selection of teas in my area), and was shocked to see how many teas had soy lecithin in them! I think I was always looking for the words 'gluten free', and didn't pick up on the soy in them! I came home and sure enough some of my favorite teas have the soy in them! Shoot!

I got a Celestial Seasonings green/white tea, but all the flavored teas either had the soy or weren't marked gluten free.

Zizzle · Post by **Zizzle** » Wed May 22, 2013 11:27 am

I also don't fret over a little soy lecithin or soy oil, particularly in the amounts that would be consumed from a tea bag. In theory, soy lecithin should not contain any soy proteins. My daughter is IgE allergic to soy and can tolerate soy lecithin.