Tuesday, January 13, 2009

Milk Bad? Diet Soda...Not Bad?

I was talking with a co-worker about the challenge and we were discussing the merits of drinking enough water and what qualifies as a water substitute.  I had said that while soda actually counts in the water tabulator, it really isn't that good for you.  He contradicted me saying that there was no evidence that diet soda is bad for you and even went so far to say that MILK is bad for you.  Now, before I get into my rant, I need to give a little background information.  This particular fellow has admitted in the past that he likes to pick the opposite side of an argument, whether he believes it or not, just to get the other person to think about the issue...or to get them fired up depending on your perspective.  Anyway, if he wanted me to think more about my position he succeeded (and he taught me about Google Scholar, which only references scholarly publications).  I did quite a bit of research on both topics on regular google and found some interesting, although not very credible, results.  

There are a surprisingly large number of people who believe that milk is actually bad for you!  On regular Google you can find several links to websites professing the terrible things that milk will do to you.  I personally think it's all hogwash, so I won't repeat what I found here.  If you really want to know you can search it yourself.  However, on Google Scholar I didn't find anything beyond if you drink too much whole milk you'll get fat and have high cholesterol.  

Now for diet soda.  There are studies that suggest that drinking diet soda is a marker (not necessarily a cause) for obesity.  There are other studies linking diet soda to diabetes.  The main study cited in several different articles for these two findings was an eight-year study at the University of Texas Health Science Center in San Antonio.  My chiropractor told me that whenever she runs across a health issue that is a little odd she asks about diet soda consumption and more often than not the answer is that the person consumes quite a bit of the stuff.  I've also noticed this same trend in some friends of mine who drink a lot of diet soda.

Anyway, stick to water.

Any thoughts?  Feel free to comment.

Jason


3 comments:

  1. My personal opinion - if you're going to drink a soda drink the real thing not diet. And as with everything, moderation is the key. The research I've read about artificial sweetners isn't positive.

    As for milk - I like milk a lot - glad I'm not allergic. Heard that goat's milk is very good especially for young children who may have difficulty digesting cow's milk.

    Interesting that when looking at research it seems like you can find studies that support your opinion on a topic such as diet soda or milk...pro or con.

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  2. From what I have read (so far) when it comes to what we eat and drink, the most important thing to recognize is how toxic it is or isn't. ANY food or drink that is processed, refined (sugar, wheat), non-organic, genetically modified and/or hydrogenated, to name a few areas, is considered toxic to the human body. Kind of like little plastic pieces stuck in there. What the body can't release on its own is stored in our organs and fat cells, potentially causing all kinds of problems from lethargy to diabetes to cancer. (This is a huge subject that interests me...and I've been doing some reading ;-) SO! As far as I am discovering, if you love soda or milk and you intuitively know that it is okay for your body, then go for it! Every body is different. If you are having physical issues and you consume a lot of either or both, look at it. Be honest!!! I have done the same with coffee. Since being off of it, I feel so much better! It doesn't mean I will never have a latte again, it just won't be on a regular basis. I switched to loose tea, sweetened with a little bit of agave. Tea is awesome! So many flavors, etc. Anywho...I hope this helps someone!
    Love,
    Liza

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  3. Great points Liza! I have had several people tell me already that they have cut down on coffee and/or soda just due the simple fact that they have a glass of water in front of them. It seems that people are drinking these things because they are thirsty, not just because of the caffiene or the taste.

    Jason

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