Re: Missing diet sodas........................
#198875 - 07/23/05 10:37 PM
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Dear Hearts;
Some of you may remember me-I've been suffering with IBS nearly 3 years now and using the diet, I've managed to get it more or less under control and get back to school.However,I'm getting FED UP with drinking herbal teas-frankly,I HATE most of them and drink them like medicine.I find I can tolerate caffiene free sodas pretty well as long as they're not too cold. The main problem:I'm gaining wieght again after losing 50 pounds 3 years ago! I SO miss diet sodas with nutrasweet-it was SO cool drinking a gallon of soda with no calories.Can someone please explain to me why artifical sweetners are off limits and if anyone can verify this for me from thier own experiences?I really don't want to find out the hard way.
Sincerely,
Andrew L.
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Artificial sweeteners are a GI tract irritant. Plain and simple.
I can tell you my experiences:
- Aspartame (Equal) and sucralose (Splenda) give me excruciating abdominal pain after more than a day of use.
- The sugar alcohols (maltitol, mannitol, xylitol, sorbitol, etc) have been well-proven to cause diarrhea in even people who don't have IBS. They give me D within an hour of eating them. My stepmother, who doesn't have IBS, ended up with severe D and cramping after eating some Atkins candy bars, which contain maltitol.
Drinking caffeinated soda is like playing Russian roulette - I know you say you're more or less under control symptom-wise, but it's going to bite you in the butt sooner or later. Just a friendly warning from someone who was in the same denial and finally had to give up even one single daily Coke for good.
What I've been doing for beverages lately is a half-and-half mix of Gatorade and flavored seltzer. Now, obviously, first you need to try Gatorade and see if it bothers you or not, but I've found I'm a-ok with it. 8oz of Gatorade has half the calories of 8oz of soda, and then if you cut it with seltzer, you lose the (dangerous) carbonation, keep the zing, and cut the calories in half again.
Drinking water is still the best, of course, but that might help wean you off the soda habit, as it is a little more flavorful than plain water or herbal tea.
Good luck!
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Its been said that Cranberry juice is usually safe but instead of drinking it neat how about a splash of it in water just to add a little flavour? I'm sure someome with a lot more knowledge could say if thats safe or not (I'm very new  )but make sure its not a diet/lite/reduced sugar versions as these usually contain the dreaded sweetners
Helen
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I'm pretty sure that aspartame contains lactose, but I'm not sure.
I empathize with your craving for diet soda. Like Casey, artificial sweetners really irritate my gi tract! Also, the carbonation tends to have an explosive effect and cause bloating. I can handle club soda/seltzer, personally and a lot of times, for nausea, I open a bottle or can of Gingerale the night before and let it go flat before consuming some of it.
There are some great organic seltzers and club soda spiked with a little diluted juice, when you're stable is pretty good. However, not all can tolerate that. I know personally, that more than one diet Coke really does me in and yes, I do cheat. The caffeine also is pretty triggering.
Good luck--it's your call, but seriously I don't think it's a factor in weight loss/management at all.
Also, I've consumed artificially sweetened candy/products only to have MAJOR D and not make it to the can. And yes, I was in a public place.
Kate, IBS-D.
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I drink water with a generous splash of lime all the time, too... but yes, the cranberry is safe, and I'm sure it's tastier than plain water! 
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Dear Hearts;
Not much consolation.I seem to have no problems whatsoever lately ( as long as I'm STABLE,of course) with regular caffiene free Coca Cola.But I am concerned about calories.I used to drink Uncle Lee's cinnamon chai tea-which is DELICIOUS and great with a meal-but it KILLED my gut and for the life of me,I can't figure out why! Anyone have this experience and can recommend some safe cinnamon teas?Because I LOVE cinnamon/brown sugar and that would be a GREAT solution to the problem.
Sincerely,
Andrew L.
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