Giving Up Diet Soda

How glad am I that I gave up Diet Soda? So glad! And lately everyone seems to agree with that. Just this week I've read an article on Diet Soda causing strokes and cancer. An article in Time even said the state of California considers one of the ingredients a carcinogen and is considering making soda's having a cancer warning, similar to those on cigarettes. How crazy is that?

Before I started the Belly Fat Cure I drank lots of Coke Zero. People made negative comments to me about artificial sweeteners, but I just ignored it all. I felt like it was my life line, my one saving grace as a dieter. It tasted SO good and without it I'd be drinking the real thing. But thinking back to how strongly I was attached to my diet soda, I see it was a problem. Being that attached to a food isn't good and is a clear sign of addiction. "There is NO WAY I'm giving up diet soda" is a sign you should totally be giving it up.

Then there is a whole debate about Diet Soda actually making us overweight. But I have to say, which came first? The chicken or the egg. Overweight people drink Diet Soda. Skinny folks mostly drink Regular Soda. So does that mean it made us fat? Statistics are so easy to manipulate to get the answer you want.

This is one area I have not cheated in, not even a little bit. I realize that I have a very strong attraction to soda and diet soda, so I don't go near it. I still have some in the extra refridgerator and offer it to guests when appropriate. It has been over a year now, and I feel like it is a huge accomplishment. This interesting article in Elle gives good insight into diet soda and this one from the Huffington Post talks about the addictive qualities of it.

What about you? Did you stop drinking/eating something you really loved for a diet? Do you miss it? Here are some options to soda and diet soda that I have reviewed and liked the best. (To see the full reviews click HERE) None of these use artificial sweeteners or caramel coloring. Also, none of them are cheap, like regular soda. So I have linked to known coupons or specials I could find:

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 Hint Water has an ongoing sale on Amazon for 30% off. Enter the code HINTBEV5 at checkout to get the discount. I really love Hint, I thought all the flavors are great and very light. They come in tons of yummy flavors and are truly a favorite soda alternative for me.


LIKE Zevia on Facebook and you can get a $2.50 coupon to print and use in stores. Zevia is the officially approved soda on the Belly Fat Cure, and I thought it was pretty good. It uses sugar alcohols to sweeten it, so you need to limit the amount you have. They have lots of new flavors that just came out, including Decaf Cola and Grape, along with all their existing flavors.

Steaz sparkling tea is another great alternative to soda! Their drinks are light, not syrupy sweet and some sugar alcohol to sweeten them. They are just making the switch from clear bottles to cans. Be sure and look for the ones marked "0 Calorie". I couldn't find any current coupons for Steaz but if you buy a case at Whole Foods you can get 10% off.

A really good friend who has also had great success on the BFC turned me on to BlueSky Free. It is a little less expensive than Zevia, and just as good or better in taste. Be sure and choose the FREE flavors, as the others have lots of sugar. I really like these too, but are a little more difficult to find!

Sobe 0 Calorie drinks are also a good option and pretty easy to find. Jorge Cruise mentions them in his book also. Watch Target for sales, they sometimes offer them half off or 10/$10 with a free $10 gift card (so they are free!) If you find them to be too sweet, consider cutting it with water. They are also sweetened with sugar alcohols and come in several really good flavors.


I really love the cool refreshing taste of MetroMint waters. Ha, that sounds like an ad, but it is really a neat taste. They come in tall thin plastic bottles with minty flavors (I haven't tried all the flavors, but I hear the Cherry Chocolate isnt so good). If you LIKE them on Facebook you get a BOGO (buy one, get one) coupon. Thankfully my corner grocery store carries MetroMint.