Diet Coke Addiction

One of my stewardship struggles in 2006 and for many years prior has been weaning myself off large quantities of diet coke.

I have read quite a bit of research on diet coke and the effects of aspartame on health. I had in the past dismissed a lot of the alarmist material linking aspartame to brain tumors, neurological disease and other health ailments because there wasn't scientific research to support it.

I had sided with Dr. Walter Willett- chairman of the Department of Nutrition at Harvard. Willett writes in Eat, Drink And Be Healthy that
diet colas are not the health hazard that alarmists claim. They are just an expensive way to obtain water.

Many friends have attempted to persuade me to think differently in the past. The tipping point came late this year. I spent three days of vacation with a client who is a doctor in his 70s. He persuaded me that from his research on aspartame that at best it is not healthy. At worst, some people experience many negative health effects as a result of over-consumption of diet colas. He was alarmed to hear that I was averaging over 34 ounces of diet coke per day. His exact quote to me, "Ashley, you don't see deer panting for diet colas. It is not good. Get off it."

Next, I had conversations with William Reymond- a french investigative journalist- who wrote a book on Coca-Cola and has an upcoming book called Toxic that describes some of the ways that chemicals in food are causing health problems and obesity. William and I have become friends through a basketball game. He had been a loyal diet coke drinker for many years, but his research led him to conclude that aspartame is not safe.

I made the decision to quit cold turkey in November of this year. It was a rough couple of days. I was addicted to this stuff. My conclusions are unscientific. But I must admit, after the first few days of withdrawal I have noticed some good health benefits from quitting.

One, my thinking is clearer. Any diet coke drinker knows that if they consume too much in a day, there is a fog that hangs over the brain. This has been eliminated. My thinking is now foggy for completely different reasons; not a diet coke addiction.

Second, I used to grind my teeth at night excessively. One of the benefits from no longer drinking diet coke is that I am not grinding my teeth as much. My sleep at night has been more restful.

Is diet coke harmful? I don't know. It is probably not going to affect most people if they drink it in moderation- less than 12 ounces per day. But if you are anything like me, that moderation is difficult to achieve. There is something addictive about the artificial sweeteners that creates a craving for more.

It is better to get off the stuff and drink water. Tea, coffee or sodas/fruit juices that you would find at a health food store are much better alternatives if you are craving something other than water.

Excelling at the stewardship of health should be the goal of every thoughtful person. But especially the Christian who has been taught that the body is sacred to God. It is the house of His Spirit- 1 Corinthians 6:19-20. We all have our contradictions to God's ideal standard. For many years, the over consumption of diet coke has been one of my contradictions. But by His grace, I have been able to quit and no longer desire to be enslaved by it again.

I pray that 2007 will be a great year for you in making progress in areas of whole-life stewardship. Christ didn't come just to save souls. He came to save whole persons.

For The Goal of Resurrected Health,

Ashley Hodge