Should You Be Drinking Diet Sodas on Keto?
Among popular diets, the ketogenic diet is becoming a superstar. Not only for people who are fed up with their obesity and want to trim off excess body fat but also for patients suffering from various diseases and conditions. The ketogenic diet restricts many different carb-heavy foods, but what about drinks? Let’s go over whether or not you should be drinking diet sodas on keto.
Food and Drink Choices on Keto
The keto diet provides high fats and low amounts of carbs. When the body’s carbohydrates are restricted, the body uses free fatty acids and converts them to ketones, which are then used by the body for energy, thus muscles are spared and fat is burnt.
But for the food choices in the keto diet, many questions arise in our mind. One such question which confuses us is “Can you have diet sodas on keto?” Fortunately, you are in the right place to know about the answer because this article will solve this mystery.
What are Diet Sodas Made From?
Diet sodas are a combination of carbonated water, caffeine, phosphoric acid, caramel color, and most important, sugar substitute or artificial sweeteners. Diet sodas contain different artificial sweeteners but most commonly used are aspartame, acesulfame potassium, saccharin, stevia, and Sucralose, etc. They are sweeteners with zero calories but many are hundreds of times sweeter than natural sugars.
Diet Sodas on Keto
On the ketogenic diet, you will consume 5-10% of your total daily calories from carbs, 25-35% proteins, and 70-75% from fats. [1]
Diet sodas have no additional carbs or calories because they use artificial sweeteners, rather than traditional sugar. So technically, from a purely macronutrient-based standpoint, diet sodas can be consumed on the keto diet.
We know that many readers will be so excited to hear this breaking news since the keto diet can be restrictive for some. But we should be aware of the fact that excess of anything is bad and moderation is always key. While drinking diet sodas on keto may not kick you out of ketosis directly, it can result in adverse effects. Some of them are listed:
- Effects on the gut microbiome: One of the negative effects of consuming diet soda may deal with the gut microbiome. Research suggests that artificial sweeteners may disturb gut microflora by decreasing good bacteria and allowing for the overpopulation of harmful bacteria. For example, one study showed that Splenda (which is a sucralose-based sweetener) affects the microflora by exterminating the healthy gut bacteria up to an amount of 50%. [2] This is quite shocking as they are important for many body functions.
- Weight Gain: Moreover, it has been found that this drink containing artificial sweeteners can directly or indirectly result in weight gain. [3] No doubt, diet sodas are sweet drinks without calories, thus giving them a low energy density. But, it has been found that diet sodas may increase appetite. This may happen since when we take sweeteners instead of sugar or glucose, our brain is not satisfied and as a result, it increases our appetite and makes us crave more. Consuming more calories will inevitably lead to weight gain.
Concluding Thoughts on Drinking Diet Sodas on Keto
In a nutshell, whether or not you drink diet soda on keto depends on your goals, but it’s important to keep in mind that moderation is always key. One or two drinks are okay and won’t kick you out of ketosis, but a significant amount can have negative health repercussions.
Do You Drink Diet Sodas on Keto?
Comment below and share your thoughts!
Yes, I drink Sprite because I live in Ecuador and it is the only diet soda available to me. It does not cause carb cravings for me. It has really always been my favorite diet soda, going way back to the 70’s when cyclamates were still legal, I was on Atkins and I literally could not tell diet from regular Sprite.