Ditch The Diet Coke? This Is The Last Straw!

Cutting calories and keeping weight gain in check is important. But instead of guzzling gallons of diet drinks, you’ll be doing yourself a favor if you can choose a beverage that’s 1) not carbonated; 2) provides some calcium; and 3) is decaffeinated. Here are some suggestions:

•Tea—iced or hot, regular or herb. Surprisingly, the caffeine in tea doesn’t negatively affect your bones. And tea’s not carbonated. Try switching to diet iced tea or herb tea, to keep calories down and bone mass up.

•Calcium-fortified water. Many bottled waters now come with added calcium. Not into plain water? Me either. Add some Crystal Light or other low/no calorie sweetener. Lime juice and Splenda are my favorite combo.

•Calcium-fortified juice. OJ is the most common, but check the label on other juices, as well. Cut half and half with water and mixed with lots of ice, juice makes a lower-calorie, satisfying sipper.

•Latte—hot, or iced. Half milk, half coffee. At least you’re getting the milk along with the caffeine. Or try a decaf latte—tastes just the same, minus the buzz.

•Milk. Yeah, milk. Not something you’d sip all day, probably, but with your breakfast cereal, or another meal, it’s fine. At 300mg calcium and 80 calories a cup (nonfat milk), it’s certainly one of the healthier drinks out there—and certainly the most bone-friendly.

If you’re enjoying the heck out of your one Diet Coke a day, go for it; it’s really not an issue. But if you believe 0-calorie soft drinks are something you can drink from morning to night with impunity, think again. Cutting calories is a great goal, but not at the expense of bone health.