Diet Soda: How Healthy is It?

We live in a much more educated, health conscious era. Companies and advertisers prey on us. We are bombarded daily with ad claims that boast products as:

· newly improved
· contains less sugar
· light is better
· fat free
· no carbs
· low calorie

Most times we believe the testimonials and purchase our products accordingly. Other times we do it without research and justify our buys by telling ourselves: "If it's written on the label it has to be true." Don't take it as gospel.

Let me ask you this. Have you "truly" read the "fine print" on a can of diet soda? Well, get out those specs and educate yourself on THESE facts. In this article I use diet soda as a scary example of all of the above product content claims. Here are just a FEW of the ingredients:

Diet Soda
· Sodium
· Caffeine
· Aspartame
· Phenylalanine
· Phenylketonuria

I don't have to tell you the ill effects of sodium and caffeine. Research some of the ingredients listed. For those of you that might not be familiar with aspartame let me provide some healthy enlightenment.

Aspartame or "Sweet Poison", as some have called it, is a chemical that fools the brain to stop production of a natural component known as serotonin. The chemicals in aspartame block normal serotonin production in the brain.

According to Janet Hull - creator of the Aspartame Detox Program there are 92 different health side effects associated with aspartame consumption. It has been demonstrated that aspartame inhibits the carbohydrate-induced synthesis of serotonin. Serotonin helps limit the consumption of carbohydrate to appropriate levels by "blunting" the carbohydrate craving.

Serotonin originates in neurons that send messages to the brain that affects the way we think. An excessive amount of aspartame sends these neurons into an over-excited frenzy that actually "kills" the cells. This frenzy sends mass messages to the brain that says:

I'm still craving even though I know I'm full.

I have a headache but I don't feel stressed.

I'm feeling sad today and I don't know why.

I have severe PMS so back off.

When that balance of serotonin is interrupted the long term results could lead to depression, paranoia, compulsive disorders and even thoughts of suicide.

Now with all of that being said I ask you this. Do you REALLY want that can of diet soda loaded with all those chemical ingredients you can't pronounce much less spell? I don't know about you, but I'm not ready to neither sacrifice MY peace of mind nor render my emotional and physical functionality. I need all of that I can get!