Recent studies have shown that people who drink diet soda are fatter than those who drink the regular kind. I sort of wonder which came first though. Did people who were heavier decide to drink diet soft drinks rather than give them up?

Many believe ingesting a few artificial ingredients is a small price to pay for being able to eat the things they love while staying as thin as a Pringle

One interesting thing I read in the article that resonated with me, was that the more junk food and artificial sweeteners that you use, the more your body craves them. But at the same time it craves more and more sweets, so that things that are naturally sweet no longer taste sweet enough.

For a long time I would drink a big cup of coffee in the morning loaded with creamer and sweet n’ low. Then I decided that I didn’t want to drink sweet n’ low any longer and switched to sugar. It was a very sweet drink; a huge sugar jolt every morning.  My husband was revolted by what he called a dessert, not a coffee.

I realized on my own that nothing tasted sweet enough anymore. I went cold turkey on the sugar and also quit the diet coke habit. Now I drink my morning coffee with just a splash of creamer. And during the day I drink plain seltzer water, often with a splash of real cranberry juice for flavor.

I also think about the message that we are sending out children with obsessive snacking. Somehow we all feel entitled to eat junk food. Not to mention how ridiculous all those 100 calorie snack packs are. I would like to think that my children could learn self moderation and not have to depend on a little package to moderate for them. Not to mention the 100 calorie Ben and Jerry’s ice cream cups… those are just sad.

A study at Purdue University suggests that artificial sweeteners confuse the body and may lead to weight gain.  Alternating between diet foods and the real thing may undermine the body’s sense of caloric intake and invite overconsumption.