I am unreasonable with what I drink...

[Blondequeenie]

For the past few weeks, I have been pretty un-well, always have a very sore headache, around the eye and the nose and this is also impacted with my endometriosis.

My husband tells me that I am not helping myself by drinking so much sprite, Fanta or coke-zero per day. I used to drink Coke Zero but switched to sprite because of the no caffeine but my husband thinks I should not drink any of these drinks unless I am out for dinner. I need to be honest and say I consume around 2 litres per day of sprite, very little water apart from at night and I do not drink alcohol.

Could my husband have a point?

He says I should drink only water but that seems crazy to me as I always have a sprite with my dinner or lunch. What do you all drink?

I mainly drink Pepsi Max. Me and OH drink a 2 litre bottle a day between us, and some days it is all I actually drink, and I know that’s not a good thing or a healthy thing.

I usually have an energy drink in the morning on the school run (probably habit tbh), and then gradually drink Pepsi Max throughout the day. Sometimes I’ll have a glass of water or juice on the bedside table for the night.
I sometimes wake up a bit groggy, but I blame it on my medication as it is a side effect of a few (I’m on over 30 tablets a day for a variety of health issues).

I find it hard to drink water or squash, but when I’m at work I do because that’s all we’re allowed.

When I used to drink Coca Cola (any variety sugar free etc) I got dreadful migraines after drinking more than about 500ml. Doctors actually said to stop drinking Coca Cola specifically to see if it helped, and it did help. My medication means I have to have very regular appointments and check ups, fortnightly bloods, blood pressure etc and they’ve been happy with my health for over a year now (not touched Coke in that time).

I think if you suspect it may be the fizzy drinks, try a day or two without them at all. It will be a crap couple of days, I strongly believe fizzy drinks are an addiction (I can’t remember the last time I went without). If you feel even slightly better, it probably will be the fizzy drinks. It’s not always the sugar in them that’ll make you feel ill it’s the other crap in them half the time.

I’m not judging you at all because I love fizzy pop and it certainly just becomes as much of your day as others would consider having cups of tea or coffee, hope you’re feeling better soon!

As PP said, get yourself checked for T2 Diabetes. Excessive drinking of sugary liquids is a classic symptom.

I was going to ask if you had been checked for diabetes recently as well.
I would do this ASAP if you haven't.

Coffee in the morning then water then a can of coke at lunch, back to water

It's also proven that even with calorie free fizzy drinks, people gain on average 1lb per month more in a year than those who don't drink fizz. The chemicals cause your body to hold onto the fat you eat more or something

I'm a caffeine fiend. I drink far, far too much Diet Coke/Pepsi max/Dr Pepper Zero.

At least a 2L bottle a day, sometimes more. If I have cans in the house it's maybe 6 or 7 a day? First thing I do when I get up in the morning is have a can or glass of coke.

I work from home and I think it's a comfort thing in that I always have to have a glass or can of fizzy brown liquid in front of me.

I've been doing this for years, and my family all think it's stupid which if I'm honest it is. And it's not a cheap habit!

My teeth are ok though, I use straws, and I eat a healthy diet so I'm not planning to give up any time soon.

Fruit juices are high in sugar . I used to drink a lot of diet coke , but stopped after a very bad ibs attack . I drink fizzy water or fizzy water with sugar free squash , but am trying to drink more plain water instead

I drink approx. 1-1.5 litres of diet coke/pepsi max per day,plus water and squash. I gave up for 8 weeks and didn't feel.in the slightest bit different, so I started again.

Two cups of tea a day and water. Gin and tonic or wine in the evening when I fancy one. I might have a Fanta or similar at a team lunch.

Iamnotacerealkiller, you phrase your posts quite confidently. Can you please link to evidence substantiating your claims - pub Med links only.

bumtickler, you might agree with the PP that artificial sweeteners impact insulin negatively - may I ask based on what evidence?

blackprism, you state "It's also proven that even with calorie free fizzy drinks, people gain on average 1lb per month more in a year than those who don't drink fizz".

Proven? Study please.

Hate to be a pedant, but the amount of nutribollox and misinformation spouted in the lay press on these threads is not helpful. People, if they age going to confidently spout about quasi-scientific sounding nonsense should know the evidence backing their claims, be able to assess the quality of the studies backing the claims, and the weaknesses of the arguments.

Don't be hard on yourself for drinking sugary drinks. There's much worse you could be putting in your system.

That's seriously terrible advice. I can't believe people who say they 'struggle with drinking water'. How hard can it be? It doesn't really taste of anything. I suspect the struggle is giving up the sugar, not taking up the water. People only 'don't like' water because they are used to drinking certain other things.

artificial sweetener studies

I drink water and raspberry tea. I have an occasional decaf coffee.

Water is readily available, has no calories and a couple of liters a day is the best way to hydrate yourself.

I do judge people who drink nothing but fizzy, sugary drinks. Yuck.

I drink coffee and water. Every now and then if we are out for dinner I'll have fizzy juice because I don't drink alcohol with food makes me feel sick.

Sounds like you might have a sinus infections though, I've had 2 in the last year and sounds just like what you describe.

Or it could be a tooth infection because of all the fizzy juice, that's probably more likely.

Maybe try making strong herbal/fruit teas. Allow them to cool and drink over ice. Add some sparkling water to give it a ‘fizzy top’ if you miss the fizz. You can also make an extremely healthy ‘chocolate milk’ with sweet potato and cacao which is amazing after a work out.

We drink either tea or pure juice, but just 1 glass with dinner, and sparkling water with apple juice.

I don't drink fizzy drinks at all anymore. I did drink Coke zero for a while but then a) they changed the taste and it taste vile and b) I started getting dizzy and nauseous. I may have a proper lemonade like San Pelligrino on a hot day or if I need a sugar boost and there is no proper juice available.

Lazy - have you actually read the articles, or did you just do a google search? I ask because, of the list of articles you posted:

• first article states that association is unclear
• second article is principally in mice and the small study they have to try and prove causation in humans has an n of 7 and no control (ie, poor study with no power)
• the third article is irrelevant to the topic

-the fourth article is completely irrelevant. I gave up after that. Please show me a Cochran meta analyses of the studies with exist which prove your point.

Sounds like you have no real evidence to back up your claims

Lazy, let me help you out. Here is a good meta analyses of the data on artificial sweeteners. Let me jump to the summary, but I urge you to read the paper:

"In healthy subjects, appetite and short term food intake, risk of cancer, risk of diabetes, risk of dental caries, weight gain and risk of obesity are the most investigated health outcomes. Overall there is no conclusive evidence for beneficial and harmful effects on those outcomes. Numerous health outcomes including headaches, depression, behavioral and cognitive effects, neurological effects, risk of preterm delivery, cardiovascular effects or risk of chronic kidney disease were investigated in fewer studies and further research is needed. In subjects with diabetes and hypertension, the evidence regarding health outcomes of NNS use is also inconsistent."

However, further research does need to be done on the subject. Nevertheless, the absolute claims you make are not currently substantiated by the data.

Tesco do some really nice flavoured sparkling waters. The rhubarb one is exceptionally lush. They’re no added sugar but don’t taste chemically.
I’m not judging. I drink more wine than I should, but all that sugar won’t make you feel good.

Mominatrix, do you really need scientific evidence to support the claim that sugary, artificially sweetened, artificially coloured and flavoured drinks are bad for your health and may contribute to weight gain as well as driving any number of disease states in the body. Really??? Yes you are being a pedant and rather ridiculous IMO.

I see numerous clients in clinic who’s weight and general health are vastly improved when they kick the habit of drinking vast quantities of fizzy drinks. I don’t need scientific studies - the proof is right in from of me. Do you work for Coca Cola by chance?

lots and lots of full fat milk,semi or skimmed doesn't work

16-18 pints per 24 hours,(im up all night due to chids disabilities) i can do more on a bad day but i have too as ive got severe GERD/GORD and milk helps to naturalize the constant acid

i dont drink tea of coffee and im teetotal

i do have a large coke in the cinema and we go a few times a week

in my early 30s(38 now) i used to have a pepsi habit and would go through lots of cans per day then my gerd kicked in and i was told its making it worse so i switched to milk

the after effects of giving up sugar/caffeine where really bad for a good fortnight

Mominatrix, do you really need scientific evidence to support the claim that sugary, artificially sweetened, artificially coloured and flavoured drinks are bad for your health and may contribute to weight gain as well as driving any number of disease states in the body. Really??? Yes you are being a pedant and rather ridiculous IMO.

Yes, actually, I do. It is not being pedantic. If you claim that something is bad for you (eg, vaccines, artificial sweeteners), you better have the proof that that is the case. Your line of thinking is exactly why scientifically dubious and medically dangerous claims gain traction and we get things like a measles epidemic.