Diet soda is gross ;D

[Autumn]

Today I drank a diet soke. Tried to, anyway. I thought I was addicted to these. I used to drink one every day, and at some points in my life, several a day. I've never been more than a day or two without a diet soda in 20 years. Well, I had one and it was AWFUL! I can't believe how quickly my tastebuds changed in such a short time! It tasted medicine-y and like chemicals (which is is). My hubby is shocked as he's long commented on my diet soda addiction. I simply don't care for them anymore! I am completely amazed!!

[DotfromOz]

Awwwriiiighhht! Good for you!

Isn't it wonderful to discover that your body is tuning in to what's healthy?

P.S. Diet soda was gross I thought before going raw. I don't even want to think what it would taste like now. Mega-yukko!

[VeganVixen]

Today I drank a diet soke. Tried to, anyway. I thought I was addicted to these. I used to drink one every day, and at some points in my life, several a day. I've never been more than a day or two without a diet soda in 20 years. Well, I had one and it was AWFUL! I can't believe how quickly my tastebuds changed in such a short time! It tasted medicine-y and like chemicals (which is is). My hubby is shocked as he's long commented on my diet soda addiction. I simply don't care for them anymore! I am completely amazed!!


only 2? I was A REAL ADDICT!.....just last year I was drinking 12 or more a day .....I was really sick then and couldnt have sugar/fat and small amounts of food or I would throw up violently-they were what kept me from eating too much-it was horrible-now I have been diet coke free since early december!!!!!!It was hard but I AM so HAPPY!!!!!!and thinner -even though my diet hasnt changed I was eating raw then and made a pact to be TRULY RAW and giveup the coke......I think it was the chemicals that made me gain weight even though I ate little, yuck all those NASTY CHEMICALS!!!!

[Wendy]

Congrats on getting over the soda addictions, everyone. My stepdad's friend's wife was hospitalized and very sick from drinking all the diet soda she had. I think it messed up her electrolyte balance or something.

[Revvell]

with it's aspartame is one of the most dangerous concoctions ever created. (Actually, I can't imagine why folk drink acid mixed with enough sugar to make it palatable ~ as in regular soda). I had a client bring his wife to me ~ she was 43 and had had a stroke. She couldn't speak and could barely walk on her own. At the time I was working for someone and right outside my door was a vending machine. I suggested after our session that she drink room temp water. No, she wanted soda which is what she got...diet.

I also had the opportunity to work with her mother and she told me that her daughter was addicted to diet soda and she could make no other connection to her stroke other than that. The woman's husband told me that he HAD to give her $$ and she would go to the liquor store down the street (using a walker) and purchase soda. I suggested he not give her $$$. He said she would either steal it or go and run up a tab at the store. Sounds like a coke addict, right?

At this place I worked, one of the stylists had an addiction to diet coke. She was getting blinding (literally) migraines. When I suggested to her it was the aspartame in the coke (which breaks down into wood alcohol which causes blindness), she totally denied it. (common addict's refusal to admit it just "might" be their drug of choice causing a problem). Thing is, when an addict "tries" to get off the drug, they may go through withdrawals. She would go off it for 3 days ~ then back on ~ because it made her feel better ~ except for the migraines. One day when I went into work some of the other stylists told me this woman couldn't go home after work that night because she couldn't see.... and yes, she still refused to stop drinking the diet soda.

So! Autumn! Congratulations!!!! I am sooooo happy for you that you could do this and experience how really nasty diet soda is!!! *does lil happy dance for you!*

Injoy ~

Revvell

[fruitbat]

well done autumn your the best your doing great :D
ive got my sister to give up drinking we call it fizzy pop here and she hates the taste now already but ive still got to work on mummy but she dont drink a lot but i want to get her to stop totally she gets headaches alot too and she drinks coffee maybe one day shell give it up :rolleyes:
well done and keep thinking how gross it tasted so you dont ever have any more
lotsa love Daniellexxx

[Rawmommie]

Congratulations!

I was a diet coke addict for years. Sometimes a 12 pack or more a day. I think it caused my fibromialgia and some of my weight problems. It was hard to give up, but I tasted it once after giving it up and realized that my mind was tricking me into thinking it tasted good, b/c it's nasty! Yuck.

Do you think they put something in it to make it addictive, like Carmex? I was looking at the ingredients on Carmex (lip balm) the other day and one of the ingredients was salytic acid! That is what they put in facial cleansers to DRY OUT your skin. They put it in the carmex so that you will continue to use more! Disgusting.

ooops, kinda got off track there! :rolleyes:

[Revvell]

Aspartame is addictive to many people. You'll see them chewing "sugarless" gum thinking it's good for them when it's addicting ~ as are diet sodas as so many can attest to. The stuff should be banned by the FDA.

Funny, they will ban something like Chapparal yet not aspartame. Guess there's not enough $$$ in Chapparal. (sp)

Revvell

[VeganVixen]

I chew natural gum (like peelu and glee) is that ok?

[Revvell]

Well, it's better than the sugared/aspartamed stuff yet, consider this: Chewing is the first stage of digestion. When you are chewing gum (or anything else), you are preparing the stomach for a meal ~ which it's not going to get. So, the acid starts doing it's thing ~ and ~ nothing.

It's like folk who drink a lot of caffeine. The caffeine hits the adrenals ~ the adrenals get into the fight/flight mode ~ all the adrenaline starts activating ~ then ~ nothing.

Personally, I don't think it's a good thing.

Injoy ~

Revvell


I chew natural gum (like peelu and glee) is that ok?

[Wendy]

From what I have heard, chewing gum stimulates your saliva and can tell your stomach that it is time to eat, so it starts putting out more acid. This can lead to stomach problems.

http://www.life-enhancement.com/article_template.asp?ID=856

Here's a webpage that says the opposite.

[Helen Of Tennessee]

ASPARTAME

Article courtesy of: Mark Gold mgold@holisticmed.com
(researcher for twenty years on such subjects)

Long-Term Damage. It appears to cause slow, silent damage in those unfortunate enough to not have immediate reactions and a reason to avoid it. It may take one year, five years, 10 years, or 40 years, but it seems to cause some reversible and some irreversible changes in health over long-term use.

METHANOL (AKA WOOD ALCOHOL/POISON) (10% OF ASPARTAME) Methanol/wood alcohol is a deadly poison. People may recall that methanol was the poison that has caused some "skid row" alcoholics to end up blind or dead. Methanol is gradually released in the small intestine when the methyl group of aspartame encounter the enzyme chymotrypsin.

The absorption of methanol into the body is sped up considerably when free methanol is ingested. Free methanol is created from aspartame when it is heated to above 86 Fahrenheit (30 Centigrade). This would occur when aspartame-containing product is improperly stored or when it is heated (e.g., as part of a "food" product such as Jello).

Methanol breaks down into formic acid and formaldehyde in the body.
Formaldehyde is a deadly neurotoxin. An EPA assessment of methanol states that methanol "is considered a cumulative poison due to the low rate of excretion once it is absorbed. In the body, methanol is oxidized to formaldehyde and formic acid; both of these metabolites are toxic." The recommend a limit of consumption of 7.8 mg/day. A one-liter (approx. 1 quart) aspartame-sweetened beverage contains about 56 mg of methanol. Heavy users of aspartame-containing products consume as much as 250 mg
of methanol daily or 32 times the EPA limit.

(For proof that there is methanol, and that it converts to formaldehyde and DOES get stored in the fat.. visit: www.PRESIDIOTEX.COM/barcelona/)

The most well known problems from methanol poisoning are vision problems. Formaldehyde is a known carcinogen, causes retinal damage, interferes with DNA replication, and causes birth defects. Due to the lack of a couple of key enzymes, humans are many times more sensitive to the toxic effects of methanol than animals. Therefore, tests of aspartame or methanol on animals do not accurately reflect the danger for humans. As pointed out by Dr Woodrow C. Monte, Director of the Food Science and Nutrition Laboratory at Arizona State University, "There are no human or mammalian studies to evaluate the possible mutagenic, teratogenic, or carcinogenic effects of chronic administration of methyl alcohol."

It has been pointed out that fruit juices and alcoholic beverages contain small amounts of methanol. It is important to remember, that the methanol in natural products never appears alone. In every case, ethanol is present, usually in much higher amounts. Ethanol is an antidote for methanol toxicity in humans. The troops of Desert Storm were "treated" to large amounts of aspartame-sweetened beverages which had been heated to over 86 degrees F. in the Saudi Arabian sun. Many of them returned home with numerous disorders similar to what has been seen in persons who have been chemically poisoned by formaldehyde. The free methanol in the beverages may have been a contributing factor in these illnesses. Other breakdown products of aspartame such as DKP, may also have been a factor.

In a 1993 act that can only be described as "unconscionable", the FDA approved aspartame as an ingredient in numerous food items that would always be heated to above 86°degrees F (30°Degrees C).

Much worse, on 27 June 1996, without public notice, the FDA removed all restrictions from aspartame allowing it to be used in everything, including all heated and baked goods.

The truth about aspartame's toxicity is far different than what the NutraSweet Company would have you readers believe. In February of 1994, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services released the listing of adverse reactions reported to the FDA (DHHS 1994). Aspartame accounted for more than 75% of all adverse reactions reported to the FDA's Adverse Reaction Monitoring System (ARMS). By the FDA's own admission fewer then ONE PERCENT of those who have problems with something they consume ever report it to the FDA. This balloons the almost 10,000 complaints they once had to around a million. However, the FDA has a record keeping problem (they never did respond to the certified letter from the WEBMASTER of this site... a major victim!) and they tend to discourage or even misdirect complaints, at least on aspartame. The fact remains, though, that MOST victims don't have a clue that aspartame may be the cause of their many problems! Many reactions to aspartame were very serious including seizures and death. Those reactions included:

Abdominal Pain
Anxiety attacks
arthritis
asthma
Asthmatic Reactions
Bloating, Edema (Fluid Retention)
Blood Sugar Control Problems (Hypoglycemia or Hyperglycemia)
Brain Cancer (Pre-approval studies in animals)
Breathing difficulties
burning eyes or throat
Burning Urination
can't think straight
Chest Pains
chronic cough
Chronic Fatigue
Confusion
Death
Depression
Diarrhea
Dizziness
Excessive Thirst or Hunger
fatigue
feel unreal
flushing of face
Hair Loss (Baldness) or Thinning of Hair
Headaches/Migraines dizziness
Hearing Loss
Heart palpitations
Hives (Urticaria)
Hypertension (High Blood Pressure)
Impotency and Sexual Problems
inability to concentrate
Infection Susceptibility
Insomnia
Irritability
Itching
Joint Pains
laryngitis
"like thinking in a fog"
Marked Personality Changes
Memory loss
Menstrual Problems or Changes
Migraines and Severe Headaches (Trigger or Cause From Chronic Intake)
Muscle spasms
Nausea or Vomiting
Numbness or Tingling of Extremities
Other Allergic-Like Reactions
Panic Attacks
Phobias
poor memory
Rapid Heart Beat
Rashes
Seizures and Convulsions
Slurring of Speech
Swallowing Pain
Tachycardia
Tremors
Tinnitus
Vertigo
Vision Loss
Weight gain

Aspartame Disease Mimics Symptoms or Worsens the Following Diseases

Fibromyalgia
Arthritis
Multiple Sclerosis (MS)
Parkinson's Disease
Lupus
Multiple Chemical Sensitivities (MCS)
Diabetes and Diabetic Complications
Epilepsy
Alzheimer's Disease
Birth Defects
Chronic Fatigue Syndrome
Lymphoma
Lyme Disease
Attention Deficit Disorder (ADD)
Panic Disorder
Depression and other Psychological Disorders

(For visual proof of this list of DHHS/FDA compiled complaints ... which is a scanned graphic of the original document, please visit www.presidiotex.com/aspar...toms.gif).

How it happens:

Methanol, from aspartame, is released in the small intestine when the methyl group of aspartame encounters the enzyme chymotrypsin (Stegink 1984, page 143). Free methanol begins to form in liquid aspartame-containing products at temperatures above 86 degrees F.. also within the human body.

The methanol is then converted to formaldehyde. The formaldehyde converts to formic acid, ant sting poison. Toxic formic acid is used as an activator to strip epoxy and urethane coatings. Imagine what it does to your tissues!

Phenylalanine and aspartic acid, 90% of aspartame, are amino acids normally used in synthesis of protoplasm when supplied by the foods we eat. But when unaccompanied by other amino acids we use [there are 20!], they are neurotoxic.

That is why a warning for Phenylketonurics is found on EQUAL and other
aspartame products. Phenylketenurics are 2% of the population with extreme sensitivity to this chemical unless it's present in food. It gets you too, causing brain disorders and birth defects! Finally, the phenyalanine breaks down into DKP, a brain tumor agent.

In other words: Aspartame converts to dangerous byproducts that have no
natural countermeasures. A dieter's empty stomach accelerates these conversions and amplifies the damage. Components of aspartame go straight to the brain, damage that causes headaches, mental confusion, seizures and faulty balance. Lab rats and other test animals died of brain tumors.

Despite the claims of Monsanto and bedfellows:

1. Methanol from alcohol and juices does not get converted to formaldehyde to any significant extent. There is very strong evidence to confirm this fact for alcoholic beverages and fairly strong evidence for juices.

2. Formaldehyde obtained from methanol is very toxic in *very small* doses as seen by recent research.

3. Aspartame causes chronic toxicity reactions/damage due to the methanol to formaldehyde and other break down products despite what is claimed otherwise by the very short, industry-funded experiments using a test substance that is chemically different and absorbed differently than what is available to the general public. "Strangely enough", almost all independent studies show that aspartame can cause health problems.

4. A common ploy from Monsanto is to claim that aspartame is "safe" yet a few select people may have "allergic" reactions to it. This is typical Monsanto nonsense, of course. Their own research shows that it does not cause "allergic" reactions. It is there way of trying to minimize and hide the huge numbers of toxicity reactions and damage that people are experiencing from the long-term use of aspartame.

Summary

Given the following points, it is definitely premature for researchers to discount the role of methanol in aspartame side effects:

1. The amount of methanol ingested from aspartame is unprecedented in
human history. Methanol from fruit juice ingestion does not even approach the quantity of methanol ingested from aspartame, especially in persons who ingest one to three liters (or more) of diet beverages every day. Unlike methanol from aspartame, methanol from natural products is probably not absorbed or converted to its toxic metabolites in significant amounts as discussed earlier.

2. Lack of laboratory-detectable changes in plasma formic acid and formaldehyde levels do not preclude damage being caused by these toxic metabolites. Laboratory-detectable changes in formate levels are often not found in short exposures to methanol.

3. Aspartame-containing products often provide little or no nutrients which may protect against chronic methanol poisoning and are often consumed in between meals. Persons who ingest aspartame-containing products are often dieting and more likely to have nutritional deficiencies than persons who take the time to make fresh juices.

4. Persons with certain health conditions or on certain drugs may be much more susceptible to chronic methanol poisoning.

5. Chronic diseases and side effects from slow poisons often build silently over a long period of time. Many chronic diseases which seem to appear suddenly have actually been building in the body over many years.

6. An increasing body of research is showing that many people are highly sensitive to low doses of formaldehyde in the environment. Environmental exposure to formaldehyde and ingestion of methanol (which converts to formaldehyde) from aspartame likely has a cumulative deleterious effect.

7. Formic acid has been shown to slowly accumulate in various parts of the body. Formic acid has been shown to inhibit oxygen metabolism.

8. The are a very large and growing number of persons are experiencing chronic health problems similar to the side effects of chronic methanol poisoning when ingesting aspartame-containing products for a significant length of time. This includes many cases of eye damage similar to the type of eye damage seen in methanol poisoning cases.

Toxicity Effects of Aspartame Use Selection of Health Effects from Short-term and/or Long-Term Use Note: It often takes at least sixty days without any aspartame NutraSweet to see a significant improvement. Check all labels very carefully (including vitamins and pharmaceuticals). Look for the word "aspartame" on the label and avoid it. (Also, it is a good idea to avoid "acesulfame-k" or "sunette.") Finally, avoid getting nutrition information from junk food industry PR organizations such as IFIC or organizations that accept large sums of money from the junk and chemical food industry such as the American Dietetic Association.

If you are a user of any products with aspartame, and you have physical,
visual, mental problems... take the 60-day no aspartame test. If, after two months with no aspartame your symptoms are either gone, or are much less severe, please get involved to get this neurotoxin off the market. Write a letter to the FDA, with a copy to Betty Martini (for proof of how the FDA doesn't keep proper records). Write your congressmen. Return products containing aspartame to the point of purchase... for a FULL refund. Make a big stink if they WON'T give you a full refund! Tell all your friends and family... and if they stop using aspartame and also "wake up well"... get them involved in the same way.

Aspartame is an "approved sweetener" because of a few greedy and dishonest people who place profits above human life and well-being. With the FDA and our Congress culpable, only an INFORMED and ACTIVE public will affects its reclassification from "food additive" to TOXIC DRUG, and removed from the human food chain.

Link to a printable report form:

www.dorway.com/reprtfrm.html
www.dorway.com/reprtfrm.txt

Addresses:

Commissioner
Food and Drug Administration
5600 Fishers Lane
Rockville, Maryland 20857

Mrs. Betty Martini
Mission Possible International
9270 River Club Parkway
Duluth, Georgia 30097
Internet E-mail: bettym19@mindspring.com

Links for additional information:

www.dorway.com Front door to everything!
www.dorway.com/symptoms.html cross reference of symptoms with files
www.dorway.com/possible.html Mission Possible Files
www.dorway.com/asprlink.html Links to more sites/source information
www.holisticmed.com/aspartame More in-depth Information
www.trufax.org/menu/chem.html#aspartame More good articles
www.PRESIDIOTEX.COM/aspartame/ English
www.PRESIDIOTEX.COM/asparspan/ Spanish

Links for books:

www.dorway.com/books.html Dr. Roberts and others
www.dorway.com/amazon.html Good books from amazon.com

**********

NOW that you are aware of the 92 FDA recognized symptoms (that required
a Freedom Of Information Act request to pry from their reluctant hands)
and HOW aspartame does its dirty work, change to my "Official Dogma" page. On this page Mark Gold has taken the IFIC "Official" aspartame safety myth and shot it full of holes using all of the smoking guns that were used by the FDA to approve this poison as a food additive, along with information they either ignored or discounted.

This excellent debunking of the official FDA, Monsanto, Searle, Nutrasweet, Nutrasweet Kelco/AMA/ADA/IFIC/??? chain of lies and half truths includes a long history of this "product's" sordid trail to the marketplace and the sweet tooth. That page is at:

www.dorway.com/enclosur.html
www.dorway.com/offasprt.html and to see what doctors are saying:
www.dorway.com/doctors.html

[DotfromOz]

Wow! Now, I'm really grateful for the nasty aftertaste I always got from drinking or eating anything with that stuff in it. I watched processed food labels carefully after I discovered that and avoided that junk as much as I could.

Gee, I don't have to worry anymore about eating any of that garbage. Lovely!

[VeganVixen]

Its funny how i thas a potential for weight gain - tell that to the drinkers of it and they might change!!

[Autumn]

Thanks for all the info. I'm suprised, but not shocked. Thank goodness I'm off that crap for good!