One of the biggest “jokes” is the fact that Diet Pepsi is called “diet” when countless studies have shown that diet sodas actually lead to weight gain! Despite what Michelle Obama would like you to believe, it’s not just about calories in and calories out. In fact calories are far from created equally – i.e. 100 calories in fruit is in no way the same thing as 100 calories from Snickers. You’d be better off having 500 calories from fruit than you would be having just 100 from a processed candy bar because calories from natural produce are calories that your body can actually use and process easily.
Unfortunately while Obama is telling our kids that if only they did a few jumping jacks and ate less they’d lose weight, the truth is that processed foods (and the food served in cafeterias) is so loaded with hidden sugars that it’s almost impossible not to overindulge. Fed Up, a documentary that sheds the spotlight on this, should be mandatory viewing for everyone, especially kids. The American food industry is responsible for more sickness than most of us have previously realized. Why? Because money talks and food giants – like Pepsi – have a seemingly endless supply of it, allowing them to exert an inordinate amount of power in Washington. If only Obama spent her energy trying to change the fact that food giants take zero accountability for the social costs of their mission to get us addicted to the processed foods they’re churning out…
Now in response to dropping sales, Pepsi announced that it would remove the artificial sweetener aspartame from all their diet sodas sold in the US, and replace it with sucralose (i.e. the stuff behind Splenda) and acesulfame potassium. Unfortunately any way you dice it, these artificial sweeteners will lead to weight gain (not to mention the possible connections to cancers, tumors, and thyroid issues that some studies have purported). Do yourself a favor: cut out all diet soda!! The zero-calorie claim is little more than a marketing gimmick, and it’s an unfortunate truth that brands are allowed to push products like these under the pretense that they are diet-friendly.