I Am Not an Advocate for Diet Soda (just the real stuff with all the High Fructose Corn Syrup)

I just want everyone to understand that I was just joking when I made my post (and still am in the title). As much as I do love soda (especially Mt. Dew and I will admit for the higher caffeine content) I don't think that drinking diet/regular soda everyday (and certainly not every 2-3 hours) is a healthy choice. I was just trying to support Steve in saying what the article said that a diet drink every once in a blue moon as a special treat is nothing to beat yourself up about. I'm sure there is something that everyone in this challenge eats occasionally that is just as bad health wise for you as a diet soda. And there is a zero calorie beverage that is very good for you: water.

That being said I'd like to share with you a rebuttal that one of my volleyball players (who is addicted to soda and doesn't yet know it) shot at me when I challenged all my girls to a no carbonated/caffeinated beverage policy for this last season. She told me vaguely that soda is used by athletes and she needed it too. She felt that she would not be as energetic without it on the court. She is my best athlete but I still feel she would be just as good without soda. I had already read a brief synopsis about what she was referring to that cyclists use soda to refuel themselves on their last few minutes of a long race. I found an article (or one that is more in depth) about this study and don't expect any of you to read the whole thing, but it is very interesting. These cyclists drink coke, sometimes "de-fizzed" or mixed with a sport drink, for an energy boost. The caffeine helps and the carbonation does nothing to their blood acidity. While exercising caffeine is only mildly diuretic. That being said I still do not think any soda (cola or MT DEW) is a good idea during exercise because I am not an athlete and definitely not a cyclist (I would hate to wear full body spandex).

http://www.pponline.co.uk/encyc/sports-nutrition-is-coca-cola-an-effective-sports-drink-713

Here is an interesting article that says that sports, juices, and non-cola beverages can cause 3-11 times greater enamel damage on teeth.

http://www.livestrong.com/article/262925-relationship-between-sport-drinks-dental-erosion/

And lastly a blog I came across that seems to have a lot of articles warning us to be cautious of all the studies that are done on health. It seems science keeps changing it mind. Just read an article in Newsweek last week about this cycle of science saying "this is how it is" and then recanting "never-mind". Check this out if you have some spare time (Jenni seems to think I've got too much!)

http://junkfoodscience.blogspot.com