I love a can of Coke Zero (if you prefer Diet Coke you need to find a bin to go live in), but some geniuses on the internet are telling us to drink water instead. The refreshing, sweet & delicious taste of fizzy pop is undeniably fantastic. We all love an ice-cold Fanta ‘Limon’ on holiday, a G&T, or a Coke pairing with our favourite rum, but we are constantly reminded of the negative health effects of fizzy drinks. Is their truth in it? Yes. But there is another way in which you can slot these drinks into your diet guilt-free.
Everyone has been told by Graeme in the kitchen at work that “a can of Coke contains 10 teaspoons of sugar don’t ya know!” Which is true... but so what? The effects of fizzy drinks are:
- A fair few extra calories (about 130 for a can of pop), mainly due to the sugar content.
- A negative effect on dental health if not looked after.
- There’s also far more caffeine in fizzy drinks than we allow ourselves to think about, which (alongside the sugar) explains why they can be so addictive. One can of Coke contains nearly twice the amount of caffeine as a cup of instant coffee.
- Some people may also be concerned by the acids & processed ingredients in fizzy drinks.
- Now for the big one, the dreaded CARCINOGEN’s! These famous substances are labelled as cancer causing contents of food & drinks. The same reason your annoying Aunty Janet tells you not to eat bacon or steak at every family gathering. Coke Zero & similar diet fizzy drinks supposedly contain these carcinogens.
So, you’re probably sat hating me right now for reminding you of every reason to avoid fizzy drinks. Let’s give you some solutions here…
High calories ➡︎ Zero calorie (& sugar) options are available in all fizzy drinks now, so give them a go and get that fix you need. This is an awesome way to easily cut out 1000+ calories every single week if fat loss is your goal!
High caffeine ➡︎ Guess what? The same is true for decaf products, which are also now readily available. However, the caffeine isn’t too much of a problem during the day. Added bonus, these drinks also contribute to hydration, despite what some of the fitness industry will have you believe.
Dental health ➡︎ Brush your bloody teeth! If you want to pay extra care, try to only consume fizzy drinks with food as this prevents the acid & sugar from coating your teeth.
Processed ingredients ➡︎ Now I’m not saying these ingredients are a positive, but whilst you sit worrying about that I can guarantee you aren’t getting in enough sleep, water, exercise or mental wellbeing work. These areas of health will have far more impact than a Dr Pepper with your lunch. Maybe that should be more where our concerns lie initially?
Carcinogens ➡︎ Do you know what causes cancer 100x more than fizzy drinks? Alcohol, smoking, obesity. The cancer-causing ingredients in fizzy drinks (mainly aspartame) are not only unproven, but also so minute that maybe we should worry more about the 5 pints we had last Sunday or the 400 calorie donut we had with lunch. Do you know what is proven… 50mg of aspartame is completely safe for EVERY SINGLE KG you weigh. I weigh 70kg, so I could consume at least 41 cans of Coke Zero every single day before I need to even consider the carcinogenic effects.
The take-away from this is article is consume fizzy drinks as much as you like. How lovely!
If fat loss is your goal, stick to diet beverages, but it’s important to enjoy the little wins every day. Whether that’s a Pepsi Max or a flapjack at the weekend. Keep an eye on prioritizing the basics of sleep, water, exercise & mental wellbeing wherever possible & give us a shout if you need any help with the nutrition side. Thanks for reading, see you soon!
Elliot Hutchinson // 10.11.2024
© 2024 The Coaching Collective
Comentarios