Carrying your own green juice powder could be a lifesaver when you’re out and about, and your drinking choices are limited to sugary iced teas, soda or diet soda.
Let’s face it: it’s not always easy to say no to diet soda.
Sometimes you’re out with coworkers, hitting the drive-through or picking up take-out on a busy Wednesday, and you just don’t have a choice. Or rather, your choices go from bad to worse.
Sure, there’s bottled water, but you’re trying to cut back on single-use plastic. Then, there’s some “Ice Tea,” but you learned to read labels and know that just like most fitness drinks, they’re basically sugar water.
And then there’s diet soda boasting zero calories and supposedly “no sugar.” It also comes in a recyclable can. It almost seems like the healthiest choice, but is it really?
Research shows diet soda may lead to weight gain and disrupt your metabolism. Multiple studies have associated both soda and diet soda with increased waist circumference, obesity, metabolic syndrome, and an increased risk of diabetes type 2, heart disease, and stroke.
Yikes, not so healthy-looking anymore - right? That’s why having something handy, like your own reusable water bottle or green juice powder packets, could help you avoid this seemingly sugar-free trap.
To stay on track with health and weight loss goals, it's better to know your options and have a backup plan.
Let’s compare green juice for weight loss, green juice powder, and diet soda so you can find the choice that better suits your lifestyle.
Facts About Diet Soda
The reason we’re proposing drinking green juice for weight loss and health instead of diet soda is that overall soda is not a good source of nutrition.
What is Diet Soda?
Diet soda is an artificially carbonated water-based drink that uses alternative sweeteners, like aspartame, sucralose, saccharine, or Stevia, to mimic the sweet taste of regular soda. Some of these sweeteners, like aspartame, are controversial at best.
This type of soda is also colored with chemicals, flavored with artificial compounds, charged with caffeine, and filled with preservatives to ensure longer shelf life. Despite the apparent low sugar content, they do not provide significant nutritional value.
What Makes Diet Soda Healthy or Unhealthy?
Diet soda was originally introduced in the US market in the 1950s to address as an option for diabetic people. However, over time, the drink was marketed more and more health-conscious people interested in weight loss and fitness.
Despite not having traditional refined sugar or high-calorie count, a growing body of evidence suggests that beverages with low-calorie sweeteners - like diet soda- even just one per day, could lead to multiple serious health conditions.
Diet Soda Could Lead to More Headaches
Research shows that low-calorie sweeteners and diet soda could have a direct and indirect cellular effect on the brain. Aspartame could lead to headaches, insomnia, and in the worst cases, seizures.
Might Increase Sugar Cravings
Artificial sweeteners encourage sugar cravings and sugar dependence, according to multiple studies.
May Result in Mood Swings
Some studies suggest that aspartame may be linked to mood swings and depression because it acts as a chemical stressor. Aspartame could elevate cortisol levels and lead to excess free radical production, which also contributes to inflammation and oxidative stress.
Might Contribute to Poor Cardiovascular Health
More research is required, but some studies indicate that a higher intake of artificially sweetened beverages is associated with potential increased risk of stroke, artery occlusion, coronary heart disease, and all-cause mortality.
Could Increase the Risk of Kidney Health Issues
A 2016 study by the American Society of Nephrology found that people who consumed one glass of diet soda per week and more had a higher risk of developing End-Stage Renal Disease.
Diet Soda Vs. Green Juice
Now the question is, is juice or green juice powder better than diet soda? What is the healthiest choice?
The health benefits of Green Juice for Weight loss Vs. Fruit Juice have recently become a subject of hot debate. The reason behind it is the sugar content; fruit juices process most of the fiber out of the food source, making its sugar more easy to absorb.
Fruit juice tends to have a higher glycemic index - a measure of how a food raises blood-sugar levels - than eating the fruit in its raw form.
Consumed in moderation, fruit juice can be very healthy, especially if you make it yourself. Nevertheless, switching your diet soda habit for store-bought fruit juice could carry its own health risks, albeit significantly lower when compared to soda.
Vegetable green juice could be the healthiest alternative due to the low sugar content.
When you’re preparing a green juice for weight loss you’re usually going for a 90-10 to 80-20 vegetable to fruit ratio, this allows the juice to be sweet enough to be pleasurable (and hide the veggies if you’re not a fan) while providing a healthy dose of micronutrients and greens the body needs to thrive.
Green juice powder, a dehydrated form of green juice, could also be an excellent alternative to diet soda and fruit juice because it keeps a high percentage of the nutritional value of vegetables and fruits, in an extremely convenient package. Marrying the best of diet soda (convenience) with the health benefits of fruits and vegetables.
As long as your green juice powder or cold-pressed green juice is low on fruit and has no added sugar or artificial sweetener, it may be considered better than diet soda.
Not All Green Juices Are Created Equal
The most important difference between juices, smoothies, green juice for weight loss, and green juice powder comes from the sugar content. The higher the sugar content (and how regularly you consume it) the higher the risks of sugar-related health issues.
When shopping for a drink, even a healthy one, always check the order of the ingredients and the sugar content. If it has a sweetener, make sure it’s listed last since the further down the list, the less of it was used. If it’s a fruit mix, consider drinking more water that day.
If you’re getting a green juice for weight loss or green juice powder, make sure that the sugar content per serving is low (5 grams tops), that the “green” ingredients outnumber the fruit significantly, and that the sweetener comes from a natural source.
Finally, consider a thyroid-friendly drink or green juice powder if you suspect thyroid and weight gain issues. Cruciferous vegetables, while usually very healthy, could trigger a poor functioning thyroid.
10 Reasons to Sub a Green Juice for Diet Soda
(cold-pressed, blended, or in green juice powder!)
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Diet Soda |
Green Juice for Weight Loss |
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Provides an energy high followed by a significant low or “crash” due to the sweetener and caffeine content. |
When low in sugar content, provides energy without the crash. |
|
Contributes to sugar cravings and sugar dependency. |
Helps control sugar cravings by reducing sugar spikes in the blood. |
|
Little to no nutritional value. |
High nutritional value from vegetables, fruits, and superfoods. |
|
May lead to impaired cognitive function and headaches. |
Could improve cognitive function and support mental clarity. |
|
Might increase waist circumference and weight gain. |
May support weight loss, fat burning, and increased metabolic rate. |
|
Makes the body more acidic. |
Contributes to a more alkaline body. |
|
May weaken the immune system creating more free radicals and contributing to oxidative stress. |
Strengthens the immune system with Vitamins, Minerals, and Antioxidants. |
|
Disrupts gut bacteria with artificial sugar. |
Supports healthy gut bacteria with natural prebiotics and probiotics. |
|
Might lead to poor kidney function. |
Promotes natural liver detox and kidney function. |
|
Contributes to poor heart health. |
Supports cardiovascular health, with foods that provide cellular oxygenation and blood filtration. |
Additionally, it’s more sustainable! When you carry a water bottle, reject a diet soda, or bring your own green juice mix or green juice powder, you save water used to make diet soda, plastic straws only needed by disabled people, and help the environment in addition to your health.
Green Juice Powder: a Convenient Alternative to Diet Soda
The biggest appeal of diet soda is not the flavor, it’s convenience. Green juice powder is another convenient alternative that lets you get more portions of fruits and vegetables on a busy day without health hazards.
There are multiple green juice powder options available in the market, but we’re especially proud of our thyroid-safe mix: Organifi Green Juice Go Packs.
With 11 green superfoods, barely one gram of sugar per serving coming from monk fruit, and a super accessible packet format, you can pop it in your wallet, gym bag, or purse and keep for an emergency.
Bottom Line:
Cold-pressed juice, green juice powder, and even fruit juice may all be healthier alternatives to diet soda when you take into account the source of the sweetener. However, the amount of sugar from processed fruit must still be monitored.
Drinking plenty of water and regular exercise, in addition to a balanced diet, are the safest bet when it comes to healthy living. If you’re drinking green juice for weight loss, consider the ingredients, follow the 90-10 to 80-20 guidelines favoring a large vegetable to fruit ratio, and practice portion control.
If you try green juice powder as an alternative to diet soda, keep in mind the list of ingredients and look for an option that is both convenient and healthy.