Thanks to Chicago Tribune columnist Julie Deardorff for drawing attention in Sunday’s paper (March 9, 2008) to the dangers of diet soda and offering some valuable tips to people on how to kick the beverage.
Her much-needed column, “Stop! Don’t Reach for that Diet Soda,” also included some quotes and remarks from me.
Bear in mind, as I also mentioned to Julie for this companion piece, artifically sweetened foods and drinks can be just as dangerous as sugar, and recent research — which I’ve written about here previously — shows that these “diet substances” can actually trigger carb cravings and weight gain.
So if you’re going to cut out or phase back on sugar and refined carbs, it can be quite counter-productive to then swap sugar for diet foods and drinks. Rather, it can be more helpful to get in touch with your true taste buds.