Intermittent fasting is gaining popularity due to its manifold health benefits. A highlighting reason behind this popularity is that you do not have any restrictions while eating, and you can have calorie-free beverages in the fasting window. Since they do not contain calories, many people like having diet sodas while fasting to improve their mouth taste and kill their cravings. Around one-fifth of the American population consumes diet drinks on any given day. [1]
Technically, you could have diet soda while fasting since it does not contain protein or calories. But there is more to diet soda that you need to know before making it part of your intermittent fasting routine.
Why do you fast? Most people do it for weight loss, gut rest, or specific health benefits. Unfortunately, consuming diet soda helps achieve nothing and harms your health in more ways than one. The reasons for this are hidden in the composition of diet soda which we will discuss below.
What is Diet Soda?
These popular beverages contain artificial sweeteners instead of regular sugar. Diet soda is mainly marketed to people who follow a dieting plan and do not wish to consume empty calories. A few popular diet soda brands include Diet Dr. Pepper, 7Up Zero Sugar, Zero Coke, Diet Coke, Sprite Zero, and Diet Pepsi Wild Cherry.
Diet Soda Ingredients
The diet soda ingredients might slightly differ depending on the type and brand of the soda you pick and the country you buy it from, but the broad list of ingredients used in diet soda includes:
Carbonated or Sparkling Water: Sparkling water occurs naturally due to natural geological processes, while carbonated water is made artificially by combining carbon dioxide with water.Artificial Sweeteners: Common sweeteners in diet soda include acesulfame-k, aspartame, saccharin, cyclamates, plant-based sweeteners, or sucraloses such as Splenda and stevia. Added Colors: Carotenoids, caramels, and anthocyanins are the most common colors used in diet soda.Flavors: Fruits such as strawberry, citrus oils from orange or lemon, herbs, ginger, cola, berries, caffeine, and cinnamon are the most common flavors.Acids: If your diet soda has tartness, it might be infused…
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