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Diet Soda Makes You Fat

FitSugar — Fri, 05 Jan 2007 10:45:00 PST

Most people drink diet soda because they are watching their weight, which means counting calories and fat grams. Makes sense, right?

Wrong! Recent research shows that the more diet soda people drink, the more weight they gain. Researchers are not exactly sure why this occurs, but fingers are being pointed at the fact that people consciously eat more if they drink diet soda because they think they can. The thought process they are referring to is: "I'll have a whopper with cheese and a regular coke. You know what, make that a diet coke and add on a large fry."

Soda's reputation is going down the toilet (literally, in some ways). First, we find out that soda makes for brittle bones, and now it can make you fat. I'll stick with juice, tea, water and coffee, thanks.

Fit's Tip: For food it's everything in moderation, no matter what you put in your mouth. A diet soda won't help in your weight loss quest if you're still getting way too many calories from other foods (not to mention the amount of artificial sweeteners you're taking in).

3 Reasons to Jazz Up Your Water

Leta Shy — Thu, 26 Apr 2012 09:09:11 PDT

Drinking enough water during the day is important for everything from fighting fatigue to controlling your appetite, but you could be doing more with those eight glasses a day. Here's why you should jazz up water to make it even better for your body and your taste buds.

Essential nutrients: Add flavor and vitamins with cooling cucumber or melon; not only will these fruits help hydrate, but they will also add a dose of vitamins and minerals. Cucumbers, for example, contain good amounts of silica to keep skin glowing and magnesium and potassium to help lower blood pressure. Watermelon contains lycopene, which can help lower your risk of cancer - so as the weather heats up, don't forget to add a few slices of hydrating fruit to your glass.

Better detoxing: Drinking enough water is one of the best ways to detox, since it helps aid in digestion. For added detox power, drink your water with lemon; the fruit helps cleanse your digestive tract and helps food break down properly.

Beat bad-for-you soda cravings: Now that we know that soda can cause gout and diet soda makes you fat, there's even more incentive to keep things strictly H2O. But if you're finding it hard to resist a can of cola, make your water a bit more easy to swallow with these bubbly ways to make your own carbonated beverage.

4 Surprising Things You Don't Know about Calories

Prevention — Mon, 19 Dec 2011 04:12:55 PST

We are excited to share one of our fave stories from Prevention here on FitSugar!

Only 12 percent of Americans can estimate the calories they eat in a day! Find out why we're so clueless and get easy ways to stop calorie confusion.
By Mara Betsch, Prevention

You know what calories are, and you probably know that if you eat too many, you’ll gain weight. But do you know how many are in your favorite deli sandwich? Or how many calories you should really eat each day? Most Americans don’t. Only 12% can accurately estimate the number of calories they should consume in a day someone their age, height, weight, and physical activity, according to a 2010 survey by the International Food Information Council Foundation. So what is it about calories that keeps us baffled? Here are 8 reasons you’re confused about calories and the simple steps that will help you do the math.

8 Healthy Foods That Help Fight Disease

1. Portions Sizes Are Out of Control
You’ve all heard about the rapidly expanding serving sizes of restaurant and fast food portions, but just how bad are they? Portions sizes in restaurants may contain double or triple the calories of home-cooked meals, and studies show eating out is associated with a higher BMI. Unfortunately, those portions affect our waistlines. When there’s more food on the plate, people eat more-up to 30% more, according to an analysis of several studies.

Stop the confusion: Use this cheat sheet of portion sizes. We know it’s hard to look at your plate as decks of cards, tennis balls, and all the other, so start by measuring out your food servings at home and take a good look at what a half-cup of pasta looks like. Until the serving sizes are engrained in your brain, when dining out, aim to eat half of your meal, saving the leftovers for lunch the next day.

Comfort Food That’s Actually Good for You

2. Serving Sizes Are Deceiving
"There really aren’t standard serving sizes for packaged foods, which makes them confusing," explains Elisa Zied, RD, author Nutrition at Your Fingertips. She gives the example of cereal. A standard serving size of breakfast cereal is approximately 50 g, but depending on the cereal, that could mean a cup and a half of flakes or half a cup of heartier granola. Depending on the type of cereal you’re eating, just eyeing how much you put in the bowl, like most people do, can lead to inaccurate calorie counts.

Not only that, but larger-than-life snack foods may seem like single servings even though they often contain two to three servings per packet. Buy a 16-ounce bottled Coca-Cola, and the nutrition label reads 100 calories . . . for one of the two servings in the bottle. Drink the whole thing, as many people do, and you’re really getting 200 calories. Eat the whole bag of Austin Zoo Animal Crackers, commonly found in office vending machines, and you’re getting 230 calories, nearly two servings, instead of just one.

Keep reading to learn even more about calories!

Let's Dish: What's Your Go-to Can of Cola?

Susannah Chen — Thu, 17 Mar 2011 12:12:17 PDT

Coca-Cola has won the latest battle in its long-standing sales war against Pepsi. In 2010, for the first time ever, US sales of Diet Coke overtook those of Pepsi-Cola. The statistics are shocking, and certainly indicative of America's increasing focus on diet. Although the fridge at Sugar HQ is stocked with everything from Coke to Canada Dry, my soda tendencies are aligned with the American populace. My go-to soda, any day of the week, is a Diet Coke. What's yours?

Coke Launches New 90-Calorie Mini Can

FitSugar — Mon, 19 Oct 2009 09:00:35 PDT

Coca-Cola is giving consumers even more ways to manage their calories with the introduction of its new 7.5 oz. mini can. The 90-calorie can will be released in select East Coast cities this December, with a nationwide rollout set for 2010.

“As the world’s largest beverage company, we take seriously the need to help consumers balance calories consumed with calories expended,” said Sandy Douglas, president, Coca-Cola North America. “The Coca-Cola mini can innovation reinforces the Company’s support for healthy, active lifestyles.”

This announcement is coming on the heels of the company's move to put calorie information of the front of all its packaging. They've also partnered with Healthy Weight Commitment, a group of retailers and food manufacturers committed to reducing obesity in America.

By all accounts it sounds like the soda giant is becoming quite concerned over the nation's growing waistline and its contribution to it. But some argue the company is trying to skirt the impending soda tax. Don't be fooled by the small packaging, the recipe remains unchanged and is still filled with HFCS, but may be a good option for consumers who keep tabs on calories.

Coca-Cola will also be offering the mini cans in Sprite, Fanta Orange, Cherry Coca-Cola and Barq's Root Beer.

SodaStream Soda Maker: Worth Gushing About?

YumSugar — Thu, 16 Apr 2009 09:00:12 PDT

I have a confession to make: if I didn't worry about what my friends and family would say to me, I'd probably drink soda all day, every day - I love it that much. So when I got my hands on SodaStream's Soda Maker, a SkyMall-like contraption that claims to "turn tap water into sparkling water in three seconds," I knew I'd be in for some fizzy fun. According to Soda-Club, the company behind the machine, the SodaStream is more convenient (since you make soda instantly at home) than buying soda, less troublesome (no need to lug soda bottles), healthier (no high-fructose corn syrup), economically sensible, and better for the environment. Did the soda maker stand up to its claims? Find out when you

I received a starter kit ($99.99) with a Fountain Jet Home Soda Maker, a 110-liter carbonator, two carbonating bottles, and an assortment of diet soda flavors and sparkling water essences. Following instructions, I assembled the machine, which requires no electricity, in under 10 minutes. To make soda, you fill a carbonating bottle with water, screw it into the machine, press a button four times to create fizz, and pour in some flavoring.

The soda machine is certainly easy to use, less troublesome to transport, and better for the environment. After the initial cost for the machine, a cup of soda will set you back less than $0.10. As far as taste, however, this is no match for store-bought soda.

The pop flavors (which included diet cola, diet grapefruit, diet cranberry-raspberry, and diet root beer) taste artificial with an odd aftertaste, and the bubbles aren't as fine or long-lasting as canned or bottled soda. "It's like Italian soda meets Crystal Light," a friend lamented. The flavored fruit essence drops taste even less natural. The soda bottles, despite being BPA-free, aren't dishwasher-safe.

If you're a heavy club soda drinker, or frequently make Italian sodas with traditional syrups, then this machine would actually be a good investment for you. But if you're a regular canned Coke drinker, the soda system's syrupy flavors won't likely be the replacement you're hoping for. Have you ever tried SodaStream? Did you come to the same conclusions about it?

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