Diet Drinks

We used to drink diet drinks. I blogged all about it and you can read some earlier posts of mine if you want to know how they affected us. So, I won't go into all that now.

But, let me just say again, that we LOVED them!!!!! We loved the way they tasted. We loved the way they really quenched a thirst after mexican food. We just flat out loved them period.

But, we learned from antecdotal evidence that they were so bad for you. When we told Robbie's neurologist about his improvements after discontinuing the use of aspartame he just poo-pooed everything we said. He would say things like "The FDA approved it so it must be safe." pppssssshhhhh, yeah right!! How many things has the FDA approved that now lawyers are making millions on in mass tortes? Think commercials like this....."Have you or a loved one experienced death, brain damage, birth defects (insert major malady here)? Then call Winkyn, Blinkyn, and Nod to see if you qualify for damages!" The FDA approves LOTS of things that are bad for us!! Then, you'll run across the rube that won't consume a fruit supplement because the FDA didn't approve it! But, they'll go out and buy drugs for every little sniffle!

And yet again, I digress!

Even though artificial sweeteners have been linked to cancer and multiple auto-immune disorders, people are still consuming these beverages because A) they claim there's no proof of it. and B) because they appear to be addictive. (Oh believe me when I tell you that I think I was HIGHLY addicted to aspartame!)

But, now we have some hard, scientific data confirming that diet sodas are bad for us. Forget the thousands upon thousands of people who claim that their ails were cured when they stopped consuming aspartame. But, honestly, who are WE to tell those people they were full of crap? If they said it happened, why are we skeptical of that? Are we so cynical that we think everyone on this planet has an ulterior motive? Can we not just believe that people would share their story in an attempt to help other people? I choose to believe that we can!

But...regardless of all that...We have scientific evidence showing that diet drinks raise a person's chances of stroke and heart attack by 60%!!! Here's an excerpt from culturemap.com in Houston:

The study, a collaboration between Columbia University and the University of Miami, spanned nine years and followed 2,500 New Yorkers who each drank diet soda every day, according to a Today Show report.







It found that those who drank diet soft drinks on a daily basis had a 61 percent higher risk of "vascular events," including heart attacks and strokes. The study did not look at what types of diet sodas were consumed or at how much was consumed per day. It is a preliminary report.

You can google the University of Miami study that was just released and find more information on it. For me, I will just take it at face value and know in my heart that we did not make a mistake in giving up diet products. I won't lie and say it wasn't hard. It was. Just like giving up sugar, caffeine, cigarettes, or anything else you shouldn't be putting in your body. It requires some sacrifice. But, believe me it's worth it. What if it can increase your life span? Or more importantly, what if it can improve your QUALITY of life? What if by setting an example, you could increase the quality of life for your children?

In the words of a famous sports apparel manufacturer....Just Do It!