But is drinking any kind of soft drink all that bad?
"Like pretty much everything, it's the dose that makes the poison," says nutritionist Shereen Lehman. "One serving probably isn't going to do any harm. But when it turns into five, six, or more cans a day, then you're dealing with extra calories from the sugar and plenty of bloating."
Diet drinks or 'sugar-free' versions cut out the calories, but don't address the bloating, Lehman says. "And while science shows all the non-caloric sweeteners are safe, sometimes they just don't agree with people's bodies," she says. Some people report bad physical reactions to sweeteners in diet drinks, including headaches and allergies, says Lehman. Others say they think drinking diet soft drink makes them crave real sugar—and consume more of it. In addition, she points out that diet drinks tend to have more caffeine than sugary versions, which can lead to over-caffeination.
All of which is reason for many to want to quit the stuff altogether. But how do you break the habit of a lifetime?
In part, Lehman says, by treating it like a habit. "If it's hard to give up, then go slow," she advises. "Cut back, swap in mineral water or flavoured water. But look at the labels—some of the flavored waters are actually sweetened. And if you backslide and go back to your habit, then don't beat yourself up over it. Just try again."
Sometimes, it helps to get inspiration from people who've gone before. These five women kicked the ir sift drink habit for good—here's how they did it.
1. Karen F., sleep-deprived working mum and writer
How Much Soft Drink She Drank: At least two cans a day
How She Quit: "The moment I realised what my nausea was about, which was also the moment the stick upon which I had urinated revealed two pink lines, in that moment I gave up everything that I could think of which might potentially hinder a growing being. In that moment, I gave up soft drink. And sushi. And smoking. And never looked back."
2. Aubrey Bach, writer and marketer
How Much Soft Drink She Drank: Two to four Diet Cokes a day—as in those big 1.5 litre bottles.
Why She Quit: "When I moved house and to get my morning fix I had to walk to the 7-Eleven five blocks from our house. I wish I could say that I gave up for health reasons, but I was really just tired of being humiliated regularly as I trudged past all the cool hipster coffee shops on my journey every morning (and every lunchtime, and every afternoon, let's be honest)—so I decided to give up and go cold turkey."
Bach says the withdrawal surprised her.
"I've never experienced actual withdrawals or had a real addiction to a substance, but holy hell, after a day I literally thought I was dying. After some home remedies for that situation had gone horribly awry, combined with extreme moodiness and fatigue, I headed to the doctor convinced that I had some horrible disease. About 10 minutes into the appointment she realized just how much soft drink I had been drinking every day and gave me a prescription for...a morning cup of coffee."
Her Advice for Would-Be Quitters: "I found great comfort in soda water, so learn to embrace it or buy yourself a SodaStream. Also, since Diet Coke was my nemesis, I found that any artificial sweeteners gave me massive cravings, so I swore off those altogether as well. Also, if you need extra motivation—even though diet drinks don't actually have any sugar in it, I lost about 3 kilos after swearing off Diet Coke and artificial sweeteners."
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3. Robin Weiss, midwife
How Much Soda She Drank: A lire of Diet Pepsi—just to get the day started.
How She Quit: "Admitting I had a problem was the first step. The amount of recycling it generated made it difficult not to notice. I also needed to realize that I had multiple issues going on: the caffeine, the sensory experience, and the Diet Pepsi. I tried to go cold turkey on the Diet Pepsi, but spent a week trying other forms of caffeine and popping ibuprofen for the headaches as I tapered off. Then I stopped caffeine. I tried to find a really nice, reusable, water bottle that felt similar in size and shape to give me the sensory experience."
4. Amy Beal, editor
How Much Soft Drink She Drank: Up to 12 cans of Diet Coke per day.
Why She Quit: "When we decided to try and get pregnant three years ago, I knew the Diet Coke had to go. I decided that, no, in fact, I did not want to run my own experiment and see if I could produce a baby who is one-third artificial sweetener."
How She Did It: "For me, having replacements were key: mineral water, chewing gum, sweets. Popping a can was tied to so many specific events—having one after the gym, for the drive home after work, while grocery shopping, etc.—so the idea of having NOTHING made it harder. I found that none of the replacements were as satisfying as a Diet Coke, of course, but it still helped to have something in my hand and mouth. And because they were less satisfying, I was able to just ease off those, too, eventually."
5. Elana Hopman, a calligrapher
How Much Soft Drink She Drank: A few cans a day.
Why She Quit: "After drinking so much for so long, it felt more like a habit for me than an addiction. Whenever someone made a comment about me drinking too many cans, I would respond with: 'It's better than crack' or some other quip letting them know it wasn't really so bad. I honestly didn't think it was doing any harm to my body. [Then] I started watching a few documentaries on Netflix about healthy eating and food processing and the negative health effects of soft drinks. After seeing some of those visuals, I quit cold turkey."
Her Advice for Would-Be Quitters: "Think about the reason behind quitting before you do it. Once I knew how serious the health issues were, it was easier to view Diet Coke as being harmful to my body, rather than a calorie-free treat I could enjoy whenever I wanted.
"Find a new habit. So much of my addiction was just that this is how I always lived. I started to order mineral water at restaurants, stopped adding Diet Coke to the cart when I went grocery shopping, and told everyone who would listen that this was the new me. It was probably really annoying to some, but it helped me stay accountable."
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