Another Reason You Should Give Up Diet Soda

We all know diet soda isn’t good for you, but if you’re hoping to lose weight you may think it’s better to drink a diet cola than a full-sugar soda.

Well, it’s true you will be consuming a lot less calories from your beverage, but a new study suggests that diet soda drinkers actually wind up consuming more calories elsewhere.

A study by the University of Illinois suggests that diet soda drinkers are more likely to add other calories in their diet by binging on high-fat, high-sugar and high-salt treats, thereby defeating the purpose of the diet beverage.

"It may be that people who consume diet beverages feel justified in eating more, so they reach for a muffin or a bag of chips," said study leader Ruopeng An. “Or perhaps, in order to feel satisfied, they feel compelled to eat more of these high-calorie foods."

Of course, this isn’t the first study to link diet sodas to America’s obesity problem. Previous studies suggested the artificial sweeteners in the drinks make people hungry, causing them to eat more.

Well, I might as well go back to regular soda then, at least it will taste better.

Do you drink diet soda? Do you find that you are hungry more often? Do you feel justified in eating more fattening foods because your soda is diet?