Diet Coke is the devil.

The only substance I have ever felt powerless to (no, not chocolate) Diet Coke. The sickly sweet smell ... the sting of that acidic liquid in your mouth ... the hiss of the carbonation ... Yes. Addiction. I have "quit" Diet Coke SO many times over the years. "THIS is my last one." "Maybe I should wean myself off and just have a few sips a day until this intense NEED dissipates." "It's just not good for me ...  I HAVE to stop - this time it's for real."          
                                                                                

You prioritize health in your life. You commit yourself to figuring out what your body really needs. You *know* that those toxins and chemicals are horrible for you - I know. But what is it that kept pulling me back under that wave? Addiction. Thankfully it wasn't crack or heroin but I sure got cranky when I couldn't get my "fix".

There is a huge amount of scary information about the dangers of Aspartame.  Also called Nutrasweet, it is in so many diet food products on the market.  Take out the calories - add in the poison.  It is potent faux sugar (and neurotoxin) that actually increases appetite and causes us to crave sugary foods.  


Aspartame makes us fat. "I'll have Diet Coke", we say after we've ordered the salad with grilled chicken - with the fat free vinaigrette - on the side. We're being so good. Avoiding all of that sugar that we know goes straight to our hips. But instead we are drinking gallons of poison monthly and expecting our bodies to lose weight?

Fat is protection. When our organs get overwhelmed by all the junk we eat and drink (and breathe and rub on our skin), all of the excess toxins that are floating around in our systems get corralled into our fat cells. In fact, our body is so strongly against these toxins being free to roam, that new fat cells will be created in order to store more of those chemicals! This happens to protect us from the toxins that can do damage to our organs over time. 


 This junk is not food. It is not recognizable in the small intestines ... there are no nutrients to extract to help the body function. So it travels to our liver and kidneys to be filtered out and excreted. But there is just too much and our poor organs get overwhelmed. So - more fat cells come to the rescue! If I didn't have all this chub - protecting me from toxic overload - I might be dead already. So thanks, fat cells, for buffering me from my own horrible food and drink choices. (Now, can you get off my hips?)

Fat acts as a buffer for our pH too. Junk is highly acidic. Sodas, processed foods and sugar are all acid forming when we ingest them. (There is such a wealth of info on balancing pH levels in our bodies - I'll have to give pH it's own post or two!) Our body craves balance. We will feel well when we are in balance and, if we're paying attention, then we will definitely feel unwell when we are out of balance.

Aspartame is poison.  My symptoms of brain fog are magnified by drinking - even a little Diet Coke. The aspartic acid speeds up the firing of neurotransmitters in the brain and upsets brain chemistry. That feeling of rapid fire in your brain is part of what makes us feel addicted. More then just a jolt of caffeine - we are addicted to that little buzz of brain activity. And then we come crashing down when that chemical rush wears off and we feel ourselves fizzle out. That's when we get a craving for the very thing that caused the upset to begin with. Vicious cycle anyone?

I am committing to ingesting only the things that my body will recognize as food. Nutrients, proteins, carbohydrates, fats. Nourishment that helps my body run the way it was designed. No chemicals and toxins that make my poor organs flip out and add to my hips and belly out of shear panic that I'll be overloaded. So, Diet Coke ... it's been a long run, but - now you're dead. Better you than me. ; )

(cola photo by piyato)