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8 things that happen to your body when you stop drinking diet soda

No matter how many times we’re told of the ill effects, no matter how many times our parents told us ‘drink water instead’ when we were young, most of us still drink soda in one form or another.

In fact, many of us have actually turned to diet soda in recent years; an alternative that’s supposedly not as bad for your health, but still goes some way to curing the craving. And yet, many reorts would have you believe that the chemicals in diet soda can be just as damaging to your body and, whilst research is still in its early stages, it looks like the safest bet might be giving up soda altogether.

Not convinced? I wasn’t either, not entirely. That was until I discovered a list of things that change in your body when you stop drinking diet soda. Interested? Read on below to see how you could alter your body by cutting it out …

A lot of times we think that to avoid the ‘greater evil’ of a regular cold drink, we can just choose one that has low or zero sugar. However, research shows that this might not be a good option either.

Sometimes, products that are marketed as ‘healthy’ can actually hide some other facts that would make them less desirable.

So, if you are someone who takes care of their health and likes to know exactly what they are putting into their body, then keep reading.

1. Less sugar cravings

With most diet soda relying on aspartame as a substitute for real sugar, you’d be forgiven for thinking the drinks don’t affect your cravings for sugar.

Wrong. Aspartame actually makes you crave sugar, because the artificial sweetness causes your insulin levels to spike. As diet and fitness expert Dr. Melina Jampolis explains: “The taste of sweet does cause the release of insulin, which lowers blood sugar, and if carbohydrates are not consumed, it causes a drop in blood sugar, which triggers hunger and cravings for sugar.”

2. Less food cravings overall

Sugar isn’t the only thing diet soda could be making you crave. In fact, it actually makes you long for a whole lot more.

As per nutritionist Isabel Smith: “Artificial sweeteners affect our sense of satiety. Our bodies have [evolved] to expect a large amount of calories when we take in something exceedingly sweet, and those artificial sweeteners are from 400 times to 8,000 times sweeter than sugar.”

She continues: “The muscles in your stomach relax so you can take in food, and hormones are released. With artificial sweeteners, your body says, ‘Wait a minute, you told me you were going to give me all this high-calorie food. It can actually send some people searching for more food, out of lack of satisfaction.”

Basically, when your body doesn’t get what it was expecting, it turns to other options – namely seeking out high-calorie foods that can give it what it’s after.

3. You could actually lose weight

Making the switch from regular soda to diet soda is usually one done with weight loss in mind. Yet, due to bloat and the aforementioned cravings, consuming diet soda can actually make it really difficult for one to effectively drop the pounds. Studies have found that diet sodas can cause an increase in metabolic syndrome, obesity, high-blood pressure and diabetes, so it’s probably better to cut out the sodas altogether.

4. You’ll taste more food

The artificial sweeteners in diet sodas actually overwhelm your tastebuds over time, meaning they can’t properly appreciate the whole range of flavors they might have been able to before.

As a result, you’ll notice a change in your tastebuds after giving up diet sodas, including being able to notice how sweet things really are. If that’s not a motivation then I don’t know what is.

5. Your immune system can improve

Researchers now believe that diet sodas affect not only your cravings and sugar intake, but also manipulate your metabolism.

According to Isabel Smith, diet sodas can impact the “healthy gut bacteria” and change how your body processes everything, from your blood sugar to your immune system.

6. Stronger bones

With research still in its formative stages it’s unclear exactly as to why, but studies have shown that even one diet soda per day can increase your risk of a hip fracture by 14%.

There’s an existing link between those who drink a lot of soda and lower bone density, which could mean that cutting out the fizz gives you healthier bones!

7. You won’t get drunk as easily

This one’s strictly for those who use diet soda as a mixer with alcoholic drinks.

If you do so, you might find yourself getting drunk faster than friends who don’t. This is because the diet soda passes through your system quicker than regular soda, leaving you with just the alcohol, which in turn increases your blood alcohol level.

Switching to other alternatives could mean that you’re able to party for longer … and that’s never been a bad thing.

8. Healthier kidneys

It should go without saying that optimal kidney function is important. That’s why it’s only right to warn you that the ingredients in diet soda tend to give your kidneys quite a hard time.

When your kidneys are no longer occupied with having to sort through all those complicated ingredients, your body should be able to clear toxins and stabilize blood sugar levels more efficiently.

Well, that’s certainly opened my eyes a fair bit. If you regularly drink diet soda, why not try cutting it out to test the effects on your body? If that seems impossible, perhaps see if you can lower the amount you drink, with an eye on eventually stopping for good.

Help us spread word of the harmful effects of drinking diet soda by sharing this article with your friends and family on Facebook!

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Research shows body senses death is near – it starts in nose

There is one thing in life that every human being will go through, and that is experiencing death. Despite the universality of the experience, there is still a lot of mystery surrounding it.

Humans do not like to be in the dark about things, and perhaps that is why the idea of death scares so many people. However, research shows that while death remains largely a mystery, some of the things surrounding it are becoming more and more obvious.

Keep reading to learn more.

What cannot be explained by science is often referred to as a ‘sixth sense’ by people. And sometimes, scientific research comes out which ends up confirming what humans had long suspected with their sixth sense.

According to research, when a person dies, their body immediately starts to break down. During this, putrescine is emitted into the surroundings. Putrescine is a toxic and foul smell, and humans, at a subconscious level, can recognize this as a putrefying odor. And when the human brain recognizes this scent, it immediately responds to the death.

Researcher Arnaud Wisman from the University of Kent’s School of Psychology in Canterbury, UK, and Ilan Shira from the Department of Behavioral Sciences in Arkansas’ Tech University in Russellville, Arkansas, shared that much like animals, humans can also sense scents and respond accordingly. This is a major survival tactic developed across several species. So when humans come across putrescine, consciously or subconsciously, they respond to it.

The researchers conducted experiments that show that when humans are exposed to the putrescine scent, they move away similarly to animals who also run away in similar circumstances. “We do not know why we like (or dislike) someone’s smell, and we’re usually not aware of how scent influences our emotions, preferences, and attitudes,” Wisman and Shira stated.

“It is hard to think of a scent as frightening,” other researchers have claimed. But it is not untrue that scents make people more alert about their surroundings.

Sex pheromones, which are defined as odors produced by males or females, also have a reaction on human behavior, which usually brings a reaction in another human for the purpose of mating.

“Putrescine signals a different type of message than pheromones, but people’s responses to putrescine (avoidance and hostility) do seem indeed to be the opposite of responses to many sexual pheromones,” one researcher explained.

But unlike other scents, for this one, humans are not aware they are smelling it and their response is more likely subconscious. So it seems our nose can help us figure out if there is death or perhaps ‘danger’ nearby.

It is always so fascinating to learn about how humans work and how our subconscious might be reacting to things we might not even notice! Share this with others so they can also know about this fascinating discovery.

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Tom Selleck says fatherhood is the “most important” role he has ever played

Having served in the military and gained international recognition for his work in TV and film, it’s safe to say Tom Selleck has had one busy life.

Yet whilst it’s impressive that he’s managed to retain the respect and love of the masses throughout the entirety of his career, arguably an even greater feat is that he’s kept his family life private over the years.

The Magnum P.I. actor has faced some serious challenges across the decades, but his golden rule has always been to put his family first.

It’s no surprise, then, that Selleck admitted, as per CBS Local in 2012, that fatherhood is the most important role he’s ever had to play.

Selleck and his wife, fellow actress Jillie Mack, welcomed their daughter Hannah Magaret to the world in 1988. For Selleck, it was a day that changed everything.

The actor even moved his family to a ranch in Ventura County, California, as he believed it would give them the best shot at raising Hannah out of the searing spotlight of Hollywood.

“I quit Magnum to have a family,” Selleck explained to People back in 2012.

“It took a long time to get off the train, but I try very hard to have balance, and this ranch has helped me do that.”

Fast forward to now and that’s a choice that certainly seems to have paid dividends.

Not only was Hannah given a safe, rural environment in which to grow up, but living on the ranch brought her closer to the animals that would shape her own career: horses.

The now 36-year-old forged a career as a world-class equestrian, winning laurels and fame in her own right along the way.

Tom Selleck — Donaldson Collection/Michael Ochs Archives/Getty Images

“As a kid [my parents] tried to raise me as normally as possible given my dad’s line of work,” she told The Epoch Times.

“Those horses have been a great way for me to have my own accomplishments outside of whatever my parents had done.” Hannah started horse-riding at the tender young age of 4 and there’s been no looking back since.”

Tom Selleck never fails to impress me, and I know I can’t be the only fan of his!

Share this article if you, too, think Tom Selleck is a good actor and, more importantly, a good man.

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Sally Jessy Raphael claims Instagram won’t verify her account

Once a staple on daytime television in the 80s and 90s, Sally Lowenthal, also known as Sally Jessy Raphael, is having trouble with people recognizing her.

The former talk show host took to Instagram claiming the social media company refused to verify her account despite her providing them proof of her identity.

“So, Instagram doesn’t want to give me my blue check – no matter what proof I send them,” the 89-year-old wrote alongside an image of a gigantic blue checkmark. “AND there’s a fake account called ‘realsallyjr’, and that’s NOT ME! Help me let Instagram know, so we can fix this.”

Raphael began hosting the The Sally Jessy Raphael Show, later titled Sally, in October 1983. She hosted the tabloid-style show until May 2002.

Her show was one of the first syndicated talk shows that involved audience participation. She helped paved the way for women in the business, including Oprah whose show premiered three years after Sally.

Over the course of 20 seasons, Raphael interviewed countless celebrities, though she always maintained that Audrey Hepburn was her favorite.

“I was so awestruck, I could hardly ask a question. Everything she did, I admired. Everything she had done in her life I found to be exemplary,” she told the DailyMail.

Throughout her career and even into her retirement, Raphael has maintained a signature look that makes her stand out in a crowd.

When filming began for The Sally Jessy Raphael Show, she realized she couldn’t see the teleprompter.

“When we started, I looked at the teleprompter and I said ”I can’t read that! I’m going blind!’ “

404446 04: Talk show host Sally Jesse Raphael tapes her last show April 24, 2002 in New York City. Her last show will air this May. (Photo by Jim Lord/Getty Images)

On her search for a new prescription, Raphael came across an ad for an eye test, glasses and a Pap smear. Despite the bizarre ad, the talk show host booked an appointment.

During the appointment she was told she would need a more expensive pair of glasses, but unfortunately they only color they had was red.

“You got it,” Raphael said.

Although she didn’t anticipate the trouble she’d face from the producers of her show.

TV Personality Sally Jessy Raphael attending 17th Annual Daytime Emmy Awards on June 28, 1990 at the Marriott Marquis Hotel in New York City, New York. (Photo by Ron Galella, Ltd./Ron Galella Collection via Getty Images)

“I had to fight to have the glasses. Producers tried to change them. Those shadowy figures objected to everything.”

She has since accumulated over 200 pairs of red glasses.

As of August 2, Raphael currently has less than 650 followers on Instagram, but even though her numbers might not match those of other talk show hosts, her fans are just as loud if not louder with their support.

“The Icon, the Legend of daytime TV, Ms. Sally Jessy Raphael needs her Blue Check Mark ? “

“That’s pretty crazy that someone as famous as you are is having trouble with being recognized. I’m trying to understand what the issue is though”

“We should flood your feed with blue hearts it’s so much better than a blue checkmark”

I remember watching Sally on TV! Do you? Let us know in the comments.