I'm not surprised that diet drinks can harm your kidneys. I used to drink them all the time and I felt much better in general after I stopped. I will say that I had a headache for about a week that wouldn't go away after I stopped drinking them. I don't know if it was the sweetener or caffeine, but there seemed to be some kind of withdrawal after stopping. I drank nothing but water and juice during that time. Anyway, it went away after a week and I felt much better.

As for the whiskey. I used to drink it with coke zero. I would recommend using soda water instead. A good aged scotch doesn't need it, but the only ones I can drink plain are rather expensive. Southern Comfort is excellent with nothing but ice.

THIS! IS! ASPARTAME!

Ok, with that now out of the way (I couldn't resist), I must say I'll probably continue drinking Coke Zero regardless of it killing me off faster. When you think about it, scientists are coming out with all sorts of claims. One day they'll find out that we aren't supposed to be drinking water and that we'll end up dying. They'll tell us that if you know more than twenty words, your chances of getting cancer will increase, and they'll tell us that if you listen to reggae you'll end up getting diabetes.

We can't win, so we might as well enjoy stuffing our faces with whatever.

dammmmm. that sucks.

it's a good excuse to drink the real stuff though.

Originally posted by ModernAcademia
I like to have my whiskey with diet sodas, and I worry about ethanol mixed with aspartame.

Alcohol is ethanol and aspartame changes to formaldehyde, so ethanol mixed with formaldehyde.... I don't know....

Any ideas what I should be doing people?
I'm not too fond of drinks without soda.

I have some ideas, some personal experiences, and have done some research.

Diet soda in small quantities will not kill you unless..... the aspartame degrades as you suggest. I have tasted diet soft drinks when they are fresh and when the aspartame has degraded into poison. Fortunately, to some extent the diet soda tastes terrible once the poisons have formed in large quantities. Unfortunately, they may be undetectable in smaller percentages, but also less harmful.

So here's a strategy to use of you really want to drink soft drinks with aspartame. Only choose a type that prints an expiration date on the containers. Next, do some research on how far out the expiration date goes for "new production" Wal-mart tends to have high product turnover so check there to see how far out the expiry is for fresh product.

Then if you want to add a safety margin to your aspartame soft drink consumption, check the date before you buy it. If it's already getting close to expiration, don't get it but look elsewhere for fresher stuff. Maybe even set an expiration date for your own consumption months ahead of the date on the can or bottle. (cans probably keep longer than bottles as they have better barrier properties).

And lastly, keep some small sample amounts around well past the expiration date, like a year past the date. Then take a small sip and be prepared to spit it out. The purpose for that is to know what the poison tastes like, so you can taste test for it before using it.

I've mostly switched back from aspartame to regular soda, but i don't drink much regular soda anymore either. I never had problems drinking moderate amounts of aspartame soft drinks but if I drank too much (like 5 cans a day) I started feeling discomfort in my kidneys, so I think moderation would be important too even if it's fresh and contains no poison yet.

Hope this helps.

Originally posted by SaturnFX

Originally posted by nik1halo
The only thing I can suggest is use full fat, naturally sweetened soda

What do you mean?

I mean drink soda that has (natural) sugar instead of Sweeteners.

Expired diet soda basically tastes like Alka Seltzer... very bitter and without a single hint of 'sweetness.' It's very bad and totally undrinkable. You can tell when it is just about to turn when it just doesn't register as sweet enough. After that, it's a very quick drop-off to the bad stuff. When it gets to the point where the sweet taste begins to drop off, I ditch the whole batch (I normally buy cases of cans.)

Originally posted by Signals


I drink 3 things:

* Water
* 2% milk ( I can't stop..love it)
* Beer (see milk)

You run a high risk of kidney stones my friend. Too much calcium and beer is not good.

I used to be exactly the same. I LOVE milk and have a problem with stomach acid, so tended to drink a lot of it. I've just recovered from small kidney stones and believe me, they are no laughing matter!

Doctor put it down to a high calcium diet. Go figure, they tell you milk is good for you!

Originally posted by Bosko
I will say that I had a headache for about a week that wouldn't go away after I stopped drinking them. I don't know if it was the sweetener or caffeine, but there seemed to be some kind of withdrawal after stopping.

As for the whiskey. I used to drink it with coke zero. I would recommend using soda water instead. A good aged scotch doesn't need it, but the only ones I can drink plain are rather expensive. Southern Comfort is excellent with nothing but ice.

It was caffeine withdrawal you were suffering from.

Southern Comfort is not a whiskey, it is a liqueur.

All "soft drinks" cause problems, drinking anything other then filtered water is not very smart.

Originally posted by nik1halo

Originally posted by SaturnFX

Originally posted by nik1halo
The only thing I can suggest is use full fat, naturally sweetened soda

What do you mean?

I mean drink soda that has (natural) sugar instead of Sweeteners.

this i agree with completely.

There are thousands of small bottlers out there with "no name" soft drinks in glass bottles that use REAL sweetener. And it is the greatest tasting soda i've ever had in my life.

Originally posted by Rawhemp
All "soft drinks" cause problems, drinking anything other then filtered water is not very smart.

pfft
filtered water? Come on man, get off it.

There's plenty of drink in this world that won't harm you, your statement is half full (or empty?) or unadulterated ignorance.

Originally posted by Snarf

pfft
filtered water? Come on man, get off it.

There's plenty of drink in this world that won't harm you, your statement is half full (or empty?) or unadulterated ignorance.

Maybe a couple that won't harm you, maybe, but there absolutely unneeded. like i said drinking anything but water is dumb

Originally posted by Rawhemp

Originally posted by Snarf

pfft
filtered water? Come on man, get off it.

There's plenty of drink in this world that won't harm you, your statement is half full (or empty?) or unadulterated ignorance.

Maybe a couple that won't harm you, maybe, but there absolutely unneeded. like i said drinking anything but water is dumb

There are a lot of things that humans do for enjoyment that is "dumb." Drinking a variety of beverages for the taste and/or effects you get from them can be a small joy in a hard, cruel world. Moderation, and all of that, and you'll be fine.

I have to paraphrase Spalding Gray on this one:

"Everything out there causes cancer, and everything else cures it."

I probably drink 2 or 3 caffeine free Sodas per year. I drink nothing but water and occasionally organic milk. No alcohol, no soda, no juices, no coffee or tea.

Whenever I drink any of that stuff I don't quite feel right. Makes sense that it would mess you up somehow.

[edit on 5-11-2009 by DJM8507]