How can something that's basically chemicals and coloring be fattening? First, sweet diet soda fuels your desire for other sweets. Second, it has a "health halo" effect. You view choosing a "diet" drink as virtuous (all those calories saved!). So it feels like you can afford to reward that virtue with a hot fudge sundae or a fast-food burger that's bigger than Texas.
It's not the diet soda that's fattening. It's the sense that drinking it somehow erases the calories of what you eat with it. A diet drink now and then won't make you fat -- as long as you're not using it to wash down a fried calorie bomb from the drive-through.
Diet soda can affect weight on both a physical level and on a psychological level. On a physical level, diet sodas are full of artificial flavors and sweeteners. Even though diet soda has no calories, the artificial flavor and sweetness trigger the digestive process via your taste buds. And your intestine starts to secrete digestive juice in preparation for digestion. Problem is there is nothing to digest. This in turn, leaves your cells hungry for the sweetness that they thought they were getting but never did, sugar cravings ensue. Many people ultimately eat more later in the day. On a psychological level, when someone drinks diet soda knowing it has less calories it creates an attitude that they have extra calories to eat other foods. Often this leads to more eating. A good example of this phenomenon is when someone orders a diet coke with his or her double bacon cheeseburger and large fry. At that point the soda is minor compared to the burger and fries.
Believe it or not, drinking diet soda can actually lead to weight gain because it confuses your metabolism and sense of taste. Watch as psychotherapist Mike Dow, PsyD, discusses why drinking diet soda may have the opposite effect of what you want.
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Important: This content reflects information from various individuals and organizations and may offer alternative or opposing points of view. It should not be used for medical advice, diagnosis or treatment. As always, you should consult with your healthcare provider about your specific health needs.