Diet Coke. No calories, so good for you if you’re dieting yes?
Apparently not. Unless you like forming formaldehyde in your liver.
Formaldehyde is what embalmers use to preserve dead things. It’s also something that gets created when you consume something with aspartame in – such as a diet drink, or ‘low sugar’ food.
The science is that, in the gastrointestinal tract, aspartame is hydrolysed to one of its component materials, methanol, as well as the two amino acids, phenylalanine and aspartic acid. This methanol is taken up by the cells of the body and metabolised first to formaldehyde and then to formate.
Now that doesn’t sound too healthy does it? But is it…well…okay anyway? There is a view that tomatoes are worse for you as they supply even more methanol to your system. Is that supposed to make me feel better? Er no, it just puts me off tomatoes!
There’s also a lot of research going on about aspartame’s links to cancer (as well as a plethora of other diseases, such as Multiple Sclerosis). Nothing conclusive as yet but, personally, I think I’ll avoid it.
This is just one thing that I’m learning as a result of following a more Paleo-based diet. So far I’m 6 weeks in to a ‘no sugar’ life and it’s blooming marvellous. My hunger cravings are under control, I’ve got more energy than ever before (or for at least as long as I can remember) and my brain is working! Woo! I’m also starting to pay a helluva lot more attention to what goes into my body. So, agree or disagree with some of the stuff I’ll be highlighting as I continue on this journey of food discovery. If it makes you stop and think then I’ll have done my job.
Image copyright: Niall Kennedy, Diet Coke racks. Under Creative Commons license CC BY-NC 2.0
12MonthsOfFitness 
Sodas are like crack–all joking aside. I don’t know what illnesses they cause but they are addictive and it’s hard to quit. I know , my name is Debbie and I’m a soda addict. Quiting is hard but you’ll feel better and look at food differently if you do.
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