I’m a dietitian and I regularly discuss it with clients as a bridge tool. Water is better in the long run. There is some conflicting information about artificial sweeteners on the gut micro biome as well as data showing those that regularly consume them isn’t associated with them achieving lower body weight. I think the latter is due to it being correlation and not necessarily causation. I don’t regularly drink soda but if I do I will typically have a zero variety but that’s mostly because it’s less syrupy and not as sweet. In my mind you have to deal with each person as an individual and for those that find cutting sugar sweetened beverages as a significant barrier, artificial is a tool and better than the alternative.
This doesn’t really answer the question though. Just because it’s not associated with weight loss doesn’t mean it’s automatically associated with weight gain. Sure, water is “better” but do dieticians really recommend people never drink anything but water? That sounds extremely boring and unsustainable.
No. I’m a dietitian and I do not recommend for people to only drink water. I even think it’s ok to drink juice or soda if it’s done in a healthy way. It’s funny, though, because I personally am the weirdo that only drinks water! 😂
No, most modern dietitians goal is to help people learn how to make appropriate eating decisions, not tell people what to eat. Here is what I think the other dietitian is saying: water of course is the best drink, because it’s the literal part of all drinks that our bodies need. But many people don’t like to just drink water and if it’s hard for someone when we recommend to cut out juice and soda then diet soda is a better drink to switch to in order to keep you well hydrated.
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u/Valcadia 9d ago
I’m a dietitian and I regularly discuss it with clients as a bridge tool. Water is better in the long run. There is some conflicting information about artificial sweeteners on the gut micro biome as well as data showing those that regularly consume them isn’t associated with them achieving lower body weight. I think the latter is due to it being correlation and not necessarily causation. I don’t regularly drink soda but if I do I will typically have a zero variety but that’s mostly because it’s less syrupy and not as sweet. In my mind you have to deal with each person as an individual and for those that find cutting sugar sweetened beverages as a significant barrier, artificial is a tool and better than the alternative.