Obviously, Diet Coke and Diet Pepsi are very high profile solutions. But are they?

On a psychological level, the fact that we’re drinking zero calorie soda encourages us to actually eat more. “Big Mac with large fries, apple pie and a Diet Coke please.” Come on now, admit it. You’ve done it haven’t you? Yes, me too!

Diet soda is not the drink to choose if you want to lose weight. It is actually more likely to make you put on weight! Diet soda, because of its caffeine content, can also help to deplete your potassium levels. So, it’s really not a good idea to drink this stuff.

But there’s another, much more sinister reason that we should all stop buying diet soda and that reason is additives; two in particular, Aspartame and Acesulfame K.

Let’s look at Aspartame first. It contains methanol. The Material Safety Data Sheet for methanol states that it is toxic, may be a reproductive hazard, ingestion may be fatal, risk of very serious, irreversible damage if swallowed, exposure may cause eye, kidney, heart, and liver damage, chronic or substantial acute exposure may cause serious eye damage, irritant and narcotic.

Symptoms of aspartame poisoning include depression, anxiety attacks, headaches, dizziness, vertigo, muscle spasms, cramps, shooting pains etc. So, if you suffer from any of these symptoms and you regularly drink diet soda…

Aspartame, when used alone to ‘sweeten’ soft drinks, leaves an aftertaste just like many sugar substitutes. So, to counteract this affect, those wonderful food scientists include another additive; Acesulfame K to mask the aftertaste. It has been reported that Acesulfame K, when tested on animals, produced lung and breast cancers and leukaemia.

What a cocktail; aspartame with a dash of Acesulfame K! Not only do we drink it, we actually feed these chemicals to our children.

It is never a good idea to regularly partake of ‘artificial’ foods, but diet sodas are really, really not a good idea because of the wide range of health problems they produce. The good news is that there is a cure: stop using diet soda and sugar substitutes and replace the sweetness with unrefined, raw sugar. I prefer molasses sugar but there is a whole range to suit most tastes.

Here is a list of the main foodstuffs that contain aspartame. The list is not complete (there are 1000s of products containing aspartame and 1000s more in the
pipeline) so, when all else fails, read the label. You’ll soon find the products to leave on the shelf.

Foods containing aspartame: Soft drinks especially those labelled ‘diet’, ‘light’ or ‘lite’, almost everything labelled ‘sugar-free’ and ‘no added sugar’ such as gelatine, chocolate syrup, biscuits, ketchup, yoghurt, plus chewing gum, some sugar replacement sweeteners, meal replacement diet aids, nutritional bars and drinks, fruit spreads, jams and jellies.

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Many of these diets are produced with one aim in mind,to make money for the person(s) who think it up. There is no concern for the health of those who are duped into giving away their hard-earned cash.

One of the health concerns of these diets is that some of them provide only a fraction of the potassium needed for our good health, 2000 to 3500 mg per day.

Another problem that can cause low potassium levels is sodium. Because of a chemical relationship, when sodium intake is high then potassium intake is low.

Unfortunately, modern diets contain a lot of processed foods, which is a double whammy because food processing not only increases sodium content but also decreases potassium levels.

Potassium becomes depleted from the bodies of those who:
take cortisone or diuretics, body build or have illnesses such as kidney or liver disease. Such people would benefit greatly from dietary supplements containing potassium but only if administered and carefully monitored by a doctor.

Also, drinks containing caffeine and alcohol can produce a deficiency because they lower potassium levels.

The importance of having sufficient potassium in your diet cannot be overstressed. Why? Because it is fundamental to the normal functioning of the heart, nerves, muscles and kidneys; it is beneficial for those with blood pressure; it is needed for the body’s fluid balance, it can protect against osteoporosis and minimises the risk of kidney stones plus many, many more.

Symptoms of potassium deficiency include dry skin, weakness, muscle fatigue, slow reflexes, confusion, irritability, heart problems etc.

So, make sure that you eat plenty of the foods with high potassium/low sodium content, which include: baked potatoes (with skin), bananas, soya beans (boiled), spinach, beetroot, almonds (raw), bran wheat, Raisin Wheats, black treacle, sultanas, raisins, wheat germ, figs, dried mixed fruit, currants, seeds, plantain (boiled), chicken, salmon, lima beans, whole milk etc.

The real trick for safe, healthy weight loss is to find the high potassium/low sodium foods which also have a low glycaemic index (GI). Watch this space!

P.S. Do you need a potassium top up? For breakfast try wheat germ with whole milk topped with sultanas, raisins or banana. Then have a baked potato for lunch and for dinner have a piece of salmon with vegetables or salad.

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