Breaking Up With Diet Coke: How One Addict Kicked the Habit

Last summer, I had what can only be described as an “aha” moment. There I was at 9:00 p.m., standing in front of the vending machine at the Vogue offices, blankly gazing into the glass ahead. Ten little letters and nine numbers stared up at me from the coded keypad as I slid money into the receiver and briefly contemplated: Diet Coke or something with carbs, calories, and sugar? The choice was a no-brainer. Only one 8-ounce aluminum can with cursive red writing would solve my searing headache.

But first, let me back up. How did I get here? It all started three years ago with one Diet Coke at lunch. Before long, I’d spiraled into drinking a soda with each meal and one at 4:00 p.m., when I desperately needed an afternoon pick-me-up. I always knew the caramel-color liquid wasn’t particularly healthy, but at zero calories, it delivered a blissful jolt of caffeine that I couldn’t resist. Anyway, I reasoned with myself, how bad could it really be for you?

Pretty bad, as I’d soon find out. The prelude to what would become a full-blown intervention kicked off by way of an innocent chat with nutritionist Maria Marlowe to prep for my upcoming wedding. As the first step in my new clean-eats program, she suggested that I cut out all artificial sugar, including diet soda, to solve my craving for sweets. Sounded easy enough.

But I was wrong. The next five days culminated into one massive headache, one that even an espresso couldn’t fix. Giving up Diet Coke demanded more willpower than anything I had ever endured and produced a misery I could never have contemplated. Despite following a healthy, plant-based diet for years, it was my one vice; I often chose a sweet (and surprisingly filling) soda in place of a meal.

By day six, I was really thinking about going back to the juice. I needed serious help. For fresh motivation, I turned to New York City nutritionist Amy Shapiro, RD. “Not only does the artificial sweetener [in diet soda] make you crave additional sugar, it also causes your body to produce insulin, encouraging you to eat carbs and crave that something sweet,” she explained. Ironically, this often results in eating more, not less.

If you’re trying to get off diet soda, Shapiro suggests cutting out fake sugar from your diet altogether. In my case, that would mean eliminating sugar-free gum with sorbitol—and permanently ditching the Splenda packets I used every morning at home in my cereal, on my grapefruit, and in my coffee. To help me stay focused in the late afternoon, when my cravings were the hardest to resist, she suggested herbal tea or seltzer, paired with a few bites of dark chocolate as a healthier alternative.

The greatest motivation, however, may have been a subsequent conversation with Shapiro, who mentioned that recent studies have shown a potential link between sucralose, the main ingredient in most diet beverages, and cancer. If that’s not reason enough to quit, what is?

For the next six days, I fought through my cravings, and, fortunately, there was a light at the end of the dark, decaffeinated tunnel. To suppress my sugary ways, I surrounded myself with the aforementioned seltzer and hot tea, choosing a lemon wedge over a Splenda packet. I nibbled on cacao bites, ate extra fruit at breakfast, and another week or so later, the fog had finally lifted. I felt great—headaches gone and zero desire for a soda. Half a year later, I’ve kept up the habit, and, without sounding like a holistic broken record, have encouraged family and friends to do the same. Life without Diet Coke, I’m happy to report, may be less bubbly—but it’s just as sweet.

 

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