Any “diet” pop (soda) worth trying out there?

[Monty]

Making some major revisions to my overall health objectives and am more than disappointed in the diet versions of my favorite pops.  Hard to replace real Mt Dew, Dr Pepper or a few of the others I’d drank for years.  Tried some “flavored waters” but they sucked and still had aspartame in them.  Pass.  Am I just out of  luck?

[slusher]

I have always liked diet soda since my 20’s first was Diet  Mountain Dew then Diet Coke now I have drank Diet Pepsi for 24 years.

[TonyK]

I never liked diet pop. It was real Coca Cola all my life but after I got diabetes many years ago I had to switch and Coke Zero is a step above any diet drinks. It might just be me but that is my favorite as it doesn't taste like other diet drinks. We all have different tastes so you're just gonna have to try them all.

[1972coronet]

All of the "diet" pops / sodas/ et alia are going to have that godawful aspartame in them. 

That being said - Coke Zero is the best tasting , IMO. 

[NOBLNG]

You could try a Sodastream maybe. You can get all sorts of flavourings for it And you can control the amount of sugar/flavour.

[bobss396]

I like flavored seltzers best. I look foe sales. I buy Pellegrino mineral water as well. 

Edited September 21, 2024 by bobss396

[Mike 1017]

I don't know how many cans of real pop you drank a day. Try to limit yourself to 1 or 2 a day.

Good luck

Mike

[Ace-Garageguy]

There's ongoing research that looks like excessive or long-term use of any artificial sweeteners may have negative health effects.

https://www.mayoclinic.org/healthy-lifestyle/nutrition-and-healthy-eating/in-depth/artificial-sweeteners/art-20046936

If you can get in the habit of making a whole-fruit smoothie in a blender, or eating a handful of blueberries or strawberries or just about any fresh fruit instead of drinking a soda, you'll be doing yourself a big favor. Fruit, though naturally sweet, is low in calories and is full of stuff that's actually good for you.     https://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/324431

Unfortunately, most commercially processed "fruit juice" is not a good alternative, as it's usually sweetened and stripped of most everything beneficial, like fiber, and is just empty calories.

[TonyK]

Funny thing about soda pop. A few years ago the wife and I realized we weren't drinking much of it anymore. We only drank it when we felt like it anyway but we just quit. Now we might have 1 in a month. We're both huge water drinkers with our meals so that always helps.

[echo]

Be careful with diet sodas as others have mentioned the health risks involved. I second the soda stream as at lease you have some control over what goes in the drink. Also the smoothies in  a blender is great though not a soda or pop.

[Ace-Garageguy]

1 hour ago, echo said:

...Also the smoothies in  a blender is great though not a soda or pop.

You can always mix straight "sparkling" or carbonated water in it if you really want something fizzy.

https://fitwell.recreation.ucla.edu/file/27a0358b-896a-4c8e-bab9-30b5ad4e51a9

Edited September 18, 2024 by Ace-Garageguy
ADDITIONAL INFORMATION

[Fat Brian]

I can't stand basically all diet drinks but I've been looking for something because I've got to get some weight off. I've been trying the Mio flavoring squirters. Some flavors are better than others but there are a few I can drink without gagging.

 

Edit:

I've been having increasing light sensitivity and headaches for the last two weeks. It turns out Sucralose is a migraine trigger. I hadn't really had a migraine before, I thought I had an aneurysm and almost went to the ER. Maybe don't try that stuff after all.

Edited September 21, 2024 by Fat Brian

[jaymcminn]

Can't stomach diet soda, my favorite substitute is "Spindrift" flavored sparkling water. It uses a small amount of fruit juice for flavoring and a hint of sweetness, which leads to a nominal amount of sugar calories per can (5-15 calories per can depending on the flavor). The blood orange tangerine and lemon lime are awesome.

[LDO]

I love Coca-Cola. LOVE IT. But type 3 diabetes had me cut down to pretty much no soda. A friend got me to try Arnold Palmer Lite (half tea and half lemonade) from Arizona Ice Tea. It’s really good. It has about half the sugar and carbs of Coke. Costs less, too. 

[Fat Brian]

1 hour ago, LDO said:

I love Coca-Cola. LOVE IT. But type 3 diabetes had me cut down to pretty much no soda. A friend got me to try Arnold Palmer Lite (half tea and half lemonade) from Arizona Ice Tea. It’s really good. It has about half the sugar and carbs of Coke. Costs less, too. 

Coke was my favorite soda but after getting covid last year something about it tastes off and I can't drink it anymore.

[1972coronet]

About 10 years ago I wanted to cut back on my sugar intake - not eliminate the intake, just reduce it - so I switched to Coke Zero. When that wasn't available, I'd consume 'regular' Diet Coke. 

I noticed that since I changed to "diet" colas, my brain was acting wonky : I'd feel electrical pulses zap through the centre and to -typically- the left hemisphere of (what's left of) my brain.

To be sure that I didn't prejudice myself on aspartame vs. sugar, I simply switched back to regular pop...

Within one week, my brain was back to 'normal'. 

Then I researched aspartame and its effects. It was of no surprise to me that that godawful aspartame has a propensity to cause one's brain to misfire (to put it prosaically).

[Russell C]

14 hours ago, Mike 1017 said:

.... Try to limit yourself to 1 or 2 a day.

Or 1 or two a week. What I do since I am both on the poor side and also could never drink an entire can in a single sitting, I buy the grocery store cheapo brand flavors like orange. lemon lime, or cherry cola in the one liter bottles. I take a swig out of 'em when I feel like a taste, the bottle usually lasts three or so weeks. On top of that, I hate it when I accidentally buy a diet version because I didn't look closely at the label, I have to add sugar to 'em. Worse was the last bottle of orange flavor where I thought they'd just redesigned the label to look more trendy, and after I drank just a little of it, I thought the quality at the cheapo bottling plant had finally gone unacceptably over the cliff. Then I looked closely at the label - "zero sugar."  Had to add a half cup of sugar to that one and a bunch of teaspoons of Tang mix to it so that I wouldn't have to throw it out. (yeah, I'm that short of money, can't even throw away a buck & a quarter)

[1930fordpickup]

Mountain dew zero has a better taste than the regular diet. Along with any of the zero flavors. 

If you are looking for the caffeine in your drink there are flavor packets at Walmart and Kroger here that have thay in them as well. You just ad them to a 16 or 24 ounce bottle of water. 

 

[webestang]

Never could drink diet soda, hated the after taste. I did gave up regular soda many years ago when my triglycerides were through the roof. I drink Kool-Aid now and my triglycerides are back to normal levels. 

[NitroMarty]

Really like Diet Pepsi... Has a nice crisp bite to it.

Diet Coke on the other hand is simply undrinkable. (Can barely stand regular Coke.... Just as well drink syrup straight from the bottle?)

Edited September 20, 2024 by NitroMarty

[Thom]

My body reacts to aspartame and sucralose so I have never been able to drink diet soda. I now limit myself to about one 8oz.glass of RC Cola(Royal Crown) or as I call it Racer Cola with dinner. I’ve been finding that a lot of my favorites like Shasta Crème Soda, Nestle’s hot chocolate, and most protein drinks/ powders now have added sucralose, so they are now off my drink list choices as well.

[slusher]

On 9/19/2024 at 2:31 AM, 1930fordpickup said:

Mountain dew zero has a better taste than the regular diet. Along with any of the zero flavors. 

If you are looking for the caffeine in your drink there are flavor packets at Walmart and Kroger here that have thay in them as well. You just ad them to a 16 or 24 ounce bottle of water. 

 

I’m going too try that, Andy..