Why Does Diet Soda Taste Bad?

I actually dislike the mouthfeel of HFCS.

Ya know, I always hear that diet sodas make no impact in weight loss..... However, considering that I can toss back 5 or more cans of soda a day easily, I'm not exactly going to switch to the high fructose variety, and will be sticking with diet. I fail to see how removing 1000+ calories from your diet can't make a difference.

Chicken Girl said:
I actually dislike the mouthfeel of HFCS.[...]

Me too. It feels thick, like your mouth is furry afterwards.

i agree alvin. if i started drinking regular soda i would pack on pounds from the additional calories! i was raised on diet soda so i dont think theres a flavor problem. my favorite is tab which still contains saccarine (how do you spell that?). plus my glucose is slightly elevated and all the extra sugar would really harm my health. i used to enjoy a coke 2 once in awhile but they no longer sell it here. that tasted exactly like regular soda by using 1/2 the sugar and blending in nutrasweet for the other 1/2.

This reminds me of this blog I have read about a woman who is doing her best to lose weight, but can't cut out the soda. Funny thing is, she doesn't even consider diet soda an option. That is a complete lack of common sense.

As Alvin points out above "However, considering that I can toss back 5 or more cans of soda a day easily, I'm not exactly going to switch to the high fructose variety, and will be sticking with diet. I fail to see how removing 1000+ calories from your diet can't make a difference."

I would think that it is a safe assumption, and complete common sense, that cutting out regular soda in favor of diet will reduce one's caloric intake and therefore NOT contribute to obesity. Chalking this study up as a ploy by the "big corporations" to sell more cans is irresponsible. If people are going to replace a regular can of soda with a can of diet soda, that is NOT selling more cans, that is one for one substitution.

Since I started avoiding HFCS whenever possible, I can't stand the feel or taste of it.

I tend to stay with water most of the time.

Brian

I'm one of those people who HATES the taste of diet soda. HATE. But then, I drink a can of pop maybe once a month(if that), and I rarely am able to drink the whole can, so I don't feel the need to switch :)

It's all a matter of individual preference, regular soda is too sweet for me and leaves my mouth feeling 'coated'.

It's funny.. I rather have Diet Coke than regular Coke... Same for Pepsi... there are some diet or light products in the market that are better tasting than their regular counterparts.... well, it's all about taste.

I'm not a soda drinker, so I don't know the answer: is the taste/mouth feel difference between cane sugar sodas and HFCS sodas detectable? Jones Soda is the most commonly available cane sugar soda, but I think Coca-cola in Mexico is cane sugar-based.

The diet sodas I like the best: Caffeine free diet Pepsi, caffeine free diet Coke and diet Sierra Mist. I also agree too - when I had a really bad soda habit - 5 cans a day easy - I hate to imagine what would happen tomy weight if those were regular sodas I was drinking.

Jones Soda actually has been made with HFCS for a while now, though they have a "naturals" line that's made with sucrose.

And I detest the mouthfeel of HFCS as well, it's thick and coats my mouth.

Quito, I can tell the difference between HFCS soda and sucrose soda - the HFCS is thicker, while sucrose-sweetened soda usually has a more clean mouthfeel.

I can't stand the mouthfeel of syrupy-sweet HFCS sodas. I can down diet soda without having to worry about all of the excess calories.

I'm actually quite addicted to Coke Zero, regular and cherry. I never bought the diet soda/weight gain link. I think your propensity to gain weight is linked to drinking diet soda, not the other way around. (In other words, people who need/want to lose weight drink diet soda. Sometimes they fail at weight loss so they remain overweight but diet soda is not at fault.)

FitFiend says it best... You know, not everything in the world is a scam or scheme to make more money! There are still scientists and companies and researchers and developers who believe in the old standard of actually putting in time, money, and effort to make things BETTER for consumers... And I'd love to hear the explanation of your statement that it's a ploy to sell more cans of soda, when the purpose is to convert regular soda drinkers to a diet version.

I also fail to follow your logic that cutting out sugary sodas won't help people lose weight or prevent them from gaining. Why do you think schools are removing it from their machines?

While I agree that it's entirely possible that someone making a switch to diet will take their 20 can a day habit, add up the total calories they're saving, and pig out - it's highly unlikely. And if you're not a soda drinker in the first place, why would you choose one or the other? I just think that your cynicism here is way too powerful.

THINK before you hit the "publish" button...

Anyway, I was raised on Diet Coke. I can't stand the regular syrupy sweet stuff. I'm even particular about my brand... I don't like Diet Pepsi, and I won't touch anything else (Diet Dr. Pepper, etc.) simply because I don't like those flavors - diet or not. So even if they did invent this, I'd likely still stick with the same old DC that's kept me satisfied and free from drinking my calories for 30 years now.