Hello and welcome to 4-Minute Friday where I share, in four minutes or less, the latest things I’m doing to enhance my health, develop a better mindset, make day-to-day life easier, and other shenanigans.
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Diet or Regular Soda?
It’s an age-old debate that I just realized we haven’t talked about.
I recently observed an animated argument between two soda drinking buddies — one diet, the other “classic” — each claiming their choice was superior which made me realize I should address the nation.
It’s something that’s up for debate indeed … but studies do seem to be pointing in a certain direction.
Although I had a pre-conceived notion after listening to numerous health experts over the years, I dove into the literature to see what I could uncover.
Here’s what came up:
Consuming diet soda is more favorable than regular soda for adherence to weight loss and weight maintenance plans.
This makes sense for a couple reasons.
First, diet soda contains 0 calories. Precisely, consuming too many calories is what accounts for weight gain and thus not loading up on them makes sense. This is compared to the 150+ calories regular soda boasts.
Second, diet soda can kick the edge off that sweet-tooth and make you less likely to reach for unhealthy items… with a little added discipline, of course.
Aspartame in small amounts* likely doesn’t pose health risks based on current research.
A major reason many claim diet soda is harmful is because it contains aspartame — an artificial, non-nutritive sweetener. However, based on research, the FDA maintains that amounts below 50mg/kg of bodyweight PER DAY is safe to consume. This means a 170-pound person would have to consume more than 15 cans of diet soda in a single day to exceed the “safe zone”.
If you’re scratching your head adding your daily soda tally to see if this fits your daily habits, holy smokes.
This is NOT to say there are zero negative health implications of drinking modest amounts of diet soda (such as gut microbiome disruptions) as more research needs to be done. But, if you’re deciding whether to reach for that sliver can over red or blue, I say grab the one with zero calories.
Nevertheless, it’s important to remember that most diet soda contains caffeine and it’s smart to be mindful of how late in the day you consume it!
Book I’m Reading:
The Mountain is You by Brianna Wiest.
Subtitled “Transforming Self-Sabotage into Self-Mastery”, this one has been a thought-provoking read so far.
We all engage in self-sabotaging behaviors from time to time – some more than others.
Maybe it’s putting off the fitness plan sitting on your nightstand or stress eating before bed.
Maybe it’s exercising excessively as a form of procrastination or restricting your food intake too much.
Whatever it is for you, the first step is becoming aware of the issue. Then it’s important to unpack why the issue has become one in the first place.
What is it about your/my internal mental texture that has led to this behavior?
What belief am I reinforcing that isn’t true and needs deeper examination?
What is necessary of me to overcome this mental block?
A quick passage to give you a better idea of the premise:
“You must release your old self into the fire of your vision and be willing to think in a way you have never even tried before.
The mountain that stands in front of you is the calling of your life, your purpose for being here, and your path finally made clear. One day, this mountain will be behind you, but who you become in the process of getting over it will stay with you always.”
Some of the mountains we experience are bigger than others. Yet a subtle reframe is to understand life is lived in the climb — finding ways to appreciate this is the key.
Another Thumbs Up for Fish Oil:
Thanks to fancy new technology, we’re now able to examine a person’s “rate of aging” which dictates their biological age.
The technology provides a quite accurate analysis of one’s “age” before and after consuming a supplement or performing a certain behavior for a period of time to deduce if it made any difference.
A research team headed by Steve Horvath out of UCLA just published their results this week in a study doing exactly that.
Specifically, they looked at the impact Vitamin D (2,000iu), Fish Oil (1g/day), and exercise had on biological age after a 3-year period.
The results were clear.
Fish oil consumption reduced biological age by roughly 4 months during the 3-year period with the most significant improvement in participants who consumed both fish oil and vitamin D daily and prioritized regular exercise.
In short, fish oil meets the bang for your buck standard.
And don’t forget to take Vitamin D and exercise as well!
What else?
We’re now over a month in from when those NYE resolutions kicked in. STAY STRONG! And if you fell of the wagon, there’s still room… hop back on!
Every day we’re faced with a mountain to overcome, keep climbing.
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DISCLAIMER
This is NOT Medical advice. Consult your medical professional before starting any supplement, diet regimen, or workout program.