options (Photo credit: globochem3x1minus1)So... I've been learning a lot lately about why my mid-life middle ain't shrinkin' so fast (even though I'm exercising more than ever and cutting calories). Apparently, it's much more chemical than that.
First, there's the alcohol acetate/cortisol issue (alcohol creates acetate in the liver which inhibits fat burning and cortisol breaks down muscle mass); and, now, I find this article.
Thought I'd finally figured it out. Damn it.
I've already given up sugar, most white flour and corn products...cookies, cakes, candy, donuts, chips, regular soda pop, cigarettes, and caffeine. Now this?
There is that "one day a week indulgence" advised. But, for some of us, we "can't have just one" day. Sugar begets the craving cycle (you know, that bottomless pit binge) and alcohol is just too much fun.
So, once again, I have to QUIT something altogether. Ugh.
Now, don't think it's easy. Sugar is as addictive as morphine (read my story in "The Sugar Addict's Diet"). Quitting didn't happen overnight. And, of course, alcohol... heavy sigh.
Just read the article.
Later: Then read below THIS article - I found the ANSWER!
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"New study is wake-up call for diet soda drinkers"
(Credit:
istockphoto)
"Data from this and other prospective studies suggest that the promotion of diet drinks as a healthier alternative may be ill-advised".
Dr. Helen Hazuda, professor of medicine at the University of Texas Health Science Center in San Antonio, said in a written statement: "They may be free of calories, but not of consequences."
Consequences like weight gain.
For one study, researchers at the center followed 474 diet soda drinkers (65 to 74 years of age) for almost 10 years. They found that the diet soda drinkers' waists grew 70 percent more than non-drinkers. Specifically, drinking two or more diet sodas a day busted belt sizes five times more than people who avoided the stuff entirely.
And as waist size grows, so do health risks, including diabetes, heart disease, cancer, and other chronic conditions.
So just how does diet soda make you fat? The other study may hold the answer. In it, researchers divided mice into two groups, one of which ate food laced with the popular sweetener aspartame. After three months, the mice eating aspartame-chow had higher blood sugar levels than the mice eating normal food. The authors said in a written statement that their findings could "contribute to the associations observed between diet soda consumption and the risk of diabetes in humans."
But how?
"Artificial sweeteners could have the effect of triggering appetite, but unlike regular sugars, they don't deliver something that will squelch the appetite," Sharon Fowler, obesity researcher at UT Health Science Center in San Diego and co-author on both of these studies, told the Daily Mail. She also said sweeteners could inhibit brain cells that make you feel full.
So if sugar soda is no good, and diet soda isn't either - what should we be drinking?
Dr. Hazuda told the Daily Mail, "I think prudence would dictate drinking water."
Original Article Link:
http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-504763_162-20075358-10391704/new-study-is-wake-up-call-for-diet-soda-drinkers/
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THE ANSWER!? Make Your Own!!!
"How to Make Your Own Stevia Cola"
By Lainie Petersen
Lainie Petersen lives in Chicago and started writing professionally
in 1989. Her work has appeared in online and print publications
including "EcoSalon" and "Pack-o-Fun" magazine. She holds two master's
degrees in theological studies and divinity from Garrett-Evangelical
Theological Seminary and a Master of Library and Information Science
from Dominican University.
Making your own cola using stevia (a non-calorie herbal sweetener) and cola flavoring is fun and saves money.
It also allows you to get both the intensity of the cola flavors and
the sweetness just the way you like it. Plus, you and your family won't
be drinking empty calories.
Instructions
Things You'll Need
- Plain carbonated water
- Unsweetened cola flavoring
- Liquid stevia
-
Select Your Ingredients
-
1
Select a high-quality liquid stevia to use in your cola. Some stevias can have a bitter or licorice taste. Refined stevia products, such as those with a high percentage of "Rebaudioside A," are more likely to taste sweet without additional flavors or aftertastes.
-
2
Chose a cola flavoring that is to your liking. There are several vendors of unsweetened liquid cola flavorings, and there will be some differences between them.
-
3
Buy, or make, carbonated water to use in your cola. Don't use club soda or mineral water, however, as these include minerals that can make your cola taste funny. Look for plain seltzer water at the market. If you are making your carbonated water at home with a seltzer bottle or home carbonation unit, be sure to use filtered water to avoid any strange tastes.
Make Your Cola
-
1
Open the bottle of seltzer water or pour your homemade seltzer into a resealable bottle. Conversely, you can just make the cola fresh by the glass. In that case, you would just pour your seltzer into the glass from which you intend to drink.
-
2
Add the cola flavoring in the amount suggested by its manufacturer. You may need to experiment to get the right ratio of water to flavoring.
-
3
Add the stevia, drop by drop, to taste. Stevia is very concentrated, so a little goes a long way. Again, you will probably need to experiment with ratios to get the sweetness the way you like.
-
4
Refrain from shaking or vigorously stirring the cola, as this can compromise its effervescence. Gently stir, if you must, to get the flavors to blend. Otherwise, just allow the flavors to blend for a bit.
-
1
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Tips & Warnings
- If you have an old-fashioned seltzer bottle with which you can spray seltzer directly into a glass or container, try adding the stevia and flavoring first. Then, using the stream of seltzer, mix the cola ingredients automatically.
