Does Diet Soda Break a Fast?

Fasting

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This post answers the question: Does diet soda break a fast?

Diet soda. While there is a lot of controversy whether or not diet soda is healthier than regular soda, there is also debate about if diet soda breaks your fast or not.

While diet soda itself contains minimal to no calories, its artificial sweeteners may still trigger a metabolic response in the body.

In this blog post, we’ll dive into the potential effects of diet soda on fasting and provide some tips on how to incorporate it into your routine.

Understanding Intermittent Fasting

Before we dive into the answer, you must understand the science of how “breaking a fast” works.

Intermittent fasting is classified as significantly reducing or abstaining from calorie intake during certain hours or days. This act triggers a metabolic state known as ketosis.

During a state ketosis while fasting, the body shifts from using glucose (sugar/carbs) as its primary fuel source, to burning fat. This can lead to not only weight loss, but also a myriad of other health benefits for the body, mind and soul.

Read more about the benefits of intermittent fasting HERE.

If your blood sugar spikes during your time of fasting (and state of ketosis), ultimately, your fast is is then “broken”.

A Closer Look at Diet Soda

Diet soda, often chosen due to its “no carb, no sugar & no calorie” ingredients, has a variety of different brands and flavors that can be tailored to almost anyone’s likes and needs.

While the appeal of diet soda in a fasting diet is because of the lack of sugar and calories, understanding what makes up the diet soda you are drinking is crucial for those wondering, “does diet soda break a fast?”

Because diet soda’s contain no sugar, the sweetness lies in the artificial sweeteners–aspartame, sucralose, saccharin and stevia– depending on which diet soda you are looking at.

These sweeteners provide the sugary taste without the calorie count of regular soda. However, the health implications and ability for these artificial sweeteners to spike your blood sugar and break your fast is up for debate.

Let’s break down the artificial sweeteners commonly found in diet sodas:

1.) Aspartame

Aspartame is a low- calorie artificial sweetener that is 200x sweeter than regular sugar.

Diet sodas that have aspartame in their ingredient’s list include:

Diet Coke
Diet Pepsi
Pepsi Zero
Coke Zero

Although this artificial sweetener has been approved by the FDA, much concern has arisen about its health safety including increased risk of cancer, obesity, Type II diabetes and most importantly in this discussion– changes in the gut bacteria which causes elevated blood sugar levels from extended use.

2.) Sucralose

Sucralose is a low- calorie artificial sweetener (also known as “Splenda”) that is 600x sweeter than regular sugar.

Diet sodas that contain sucralose include:

Diet Mountain Dew
Diet Dr. Pepper
Sprite Zero
Diet 7-Up

Just like aspartame, sucralose has been involved in many scientific studies with side effects that make the safety of this sweetener questionable including: increased risk for gut dysbiosis and cancer, cardiovascular conditions, stroke, oxidative stress and glucose intolerance with extended use.

3) Acesulfame Potassium (Ace-K)

Acesulfame Potassium is an artificial sweetener that is 200x sweeter than regular sugar. It is often found used in conjunction with aspartame.

Diet sodas that contain Ace-K include:

Diet Pepsi
Coke Zero
Fresca
Diet Rite

Like the previous artificial sweeteners on this list, Acesulfame Potassium has been linked to countless health safety risks such as an altered gut microbiome, glucose intolerance, metabolic syndrome, obesity, kidney and liver issues, mood and eyesight problems, headaches and nausea.

4.) Saccharin

Saccharin is a zero- calorie sweetener that is 300-400x sweeter than regular sugar.

Diet sodas that contain Saccharin include:

Tab
Diet Coke with Splenda
Diet Pepsi with Splenda

Similar to other sweeteners on this list, long term saccharin use has been linked to oxidative stress, glucose intolerance, hyperglycemia, obesity, kidney and liver issues.

5.) Stevia

Stevia is a natural, zero- calorie artificial sweetener that is 200-300x sweeter than regular sugar.

Diet sodas that contain Stevia include:

Coca-Cola Life (discontinued in 2017)
Pepsi True (discontinued in 2018)

Because Stevia is a natural sweetener, is often considered a safer choice due to not only it having no impact on blood sugar or insulin levels but also other health benefits such as weight reduction, decreased risk of pancreatic cancer and lowering of blood pressure.

Unfortunately, Coca-Cola life and Pepsi True were both discontinued and there are no easily accessible Stevia sweetened diet sodas at this time.

Read HERE for more on if Stevia breaks a fast.

Other Common Diet Soda Ingredients

Caffeine: in moderate amounts, can be beneficial during fasting by enhancing metabolism and fat burning.
Natural & Artificial flavors: which can contain up to 100 unregulated ingredients in itself
Natural and Artificial Colorings: many have been deemed as possibly carcinogenic, neurotoxic and linked to hyperactivity in children
Potassium Benzoate: a preservative, generally recognized as safe. HOWEVER, it has been linked to inflammation, ADHD in children, increased oxidative stress, overeating (lowering the feelings of satiety) and allergies
Phosphoric Acid: linked to decreased bone density, kidney issues and vitamin deficiencies

Understanding the ingredients in diet soda is key to helping you to make informed choices about incorporating these beverages into your fasting routine.

Read HERE for more about the toxic ingredients that are hiding in your food labels.

Q: Does Diet Soda break a fast?

A: YES

Despite diet sodas being marketed as zero to low-calorie options, the artificial sweeteners present in can influence blood sugar and insulin levels and knock you out of your fast.

This includes the sweeteners that don’t produce an increase in blood sugar immediately, but have been shown to alter the gut microbiome and impair glucose tolerance over time.

***NOTE: If you do become glucose intolerant, it will be much more difficult to achieve the fat burning fasting results that most people seek.

In addition to this, the sweet taste of diet sodas alone can sometimes prompt hunger and cravings, potentially stimulating digestive enzymes and making it harder to stick to your fasting routine.

This is particularly relevant for individuals fasting to combat brain fog, bloating, and high blood sugar, as these symptoms could be exacerbated by the artificial ingredients in diet sodas.

How to Incorporate Diet Soda into Your Fasting Routine

1.) Weight the risk vs benefit

Apart from the fact that diet sodas break your fast, consider the health safety risks associated with continuing these in your diet such as :

Heart conditions: such as heart attacks and high blood pressure
Metabolic issues: such as diabetes and obesity
Neurological problems: such as stroke or dementia
Kidney and liver issues: such as non alcoholic fatty liver disease and chronic kidney disease

2.) Consider timing

If you are someone who would like to continue diet sodas in your diet, it would be best to consume these during your eating window.

***It is not recommended you break your fast with diet soda as the ingredients in diet soda can negate your fasting efforts.

3.) Limit consumption

Moderation is king with diet soda. It is never recommended to consume an excessive amount of artificial sweetener- no matter how “safe” the FDA makes it seem.

Keep in mind that continued use of diet soda over time has been linked to insulin sensitivity and glucose intolerance which can be extremely difficult to reverse.

If you are going to drink diet soda, limit your consumption to one diet drink per day.

4.) Monitor your body’s response

It’s essential to listen to your body. Pay attention to any changes in hunger levels, cravings, or fasting success after consuming diet soda.

If you notice any negative effects, such as increased hunger or a harder time sticking to your fasting schedule, it might be best to reduce the amount of diet soda you’re using or eliminate it altogether.

***It is important to note that there is not one size fits all when understanding the answer to: “Does diet soda break a fast?” Everyone’s unique body’s react differently to artificial sweeteners, preservatives, food coloring, etc making this step most important.

Alternatives to Diet Soda

For those who are reconsidering their diet soda intake while fasting, there are several refreshing and satisfying alternatives that can fit seamlessly into your routine without the risk of breaking your fast.

If you choose to transition away from diet soda, it doesn’t have to mean you have to sacrifice flavor or enjoyment!

Here are other alternatives:

Infused water: using lemon, lime, mint or cucumber can add extra taste
Sparkling mineral water: a healthier option while still keeping the carbonation. Add fruits, herbs or ginger for a bit of flavor. If drinking pre-bottled sparkling water, check the ingredients!
Herbal teas: peppermint, cinnamon or chamomile
Black cold brew coffee: although an acquired taste, black cold brew coffee can be a perfect addition to your fasting window as it does not spike blood sugars

Here are some products we use and recommend as alternatives to diet soda: