Snack or Diet Soda?

[limewave]

So, I'm sitting in my office and my stomach is rumbling. I've already eaten my healthy snack that I packed, apple and string cheese. And I've had about a gallon of water to drink.

Which is the lesser of the two evils:
A snack from the vending machine (raisinettes? lowfat microwave popcorn?)
OR
A diet soda (24 ounces)

I know the fake sugar and sweeteners in the soda are not great for metabolism . . . but I don't really want the extra calories from a snack either.

What to do. What to do.

[Jones]

I would drink the diet soda but I am addicted to diet soda. I think a better choice would be some nuts, a handful of peanuts or almonds is really satisfying. Also non fat milk or even non fat chocolate milk; filling, nutritious and not too many calories. Good luck. Jones

[HappyTexasMom]

Disclaimer: I fall into the camp of people who feels that artificial sweetener should simply never be ingested, period.

That said, I'm guessing that if the water hasn't helped, the soda won't, either. I would choose the most healthful snack I could find.

[Blueberry]

I'd try coffee or tea. And I'd try the soda. Fizzy things tend to make me feel fuller than non-carbonated things.

CA

[OakLeaf]

Anything with caffeine or carbonation irritates my stomach and makes me crave more food.

How much more time do you have to get through before you get off work? That's key, to me - if it's a long time, go for something high fat (or even protein if they have it) - peanut butter cheese crackers, etc. If you do the low fat/high carb thing, you'll get a blood sugar rush and crash.

[shootingstar]

I'd try coffee or tea. And I'd try the soda. Fizzy things tend to make me feel fuller than non-carbonated things.

CA

+1. Coffee or tea with milk, no sugar, is lesser of evil compared to a carbonated, sweet-tasting soda.

I still have a unopened can of diet mountain dew from 3 months ago in fridge. It was a freebie from Bike to Work wk. That's how little I care for carbonated drinks.

[witeowl]

That said, I'm guessing that if the water hasn't helped, the soda won't, either. I would choose the most healthful snack I could find.

This.

(And I'm an unabashed artificially-sweetened diet soda drinker.)

As far as what, I'd see if I couldn't find some nuts in the machine.

[limewave]

I didn't really want caffeine. If I have coffee after noon I can't get to sleep at night.

Thankfully, my cubicle neighbor saved me and gave me her banana. Otherwise, I was going to go for either Peanut M&M's or Raisinettes. Our vending machine doesn't have anything healthy.

[txred9876]

I try to plan ahead and have healthy things in my cube all the time. I keep small packs of nuts, peanut butter, popcorn (once in a blue moon) ect...

I try very hard to stay away from soda of any kind and the vending machines.

Normally I keep a fruit bowl on my desk and take home or give away anything left at the end of the week. If I do not bring fruit to work with me I will make bad choices. I like pinapple and one of the "in natural" juice individual servings only has 60 calories or so.

a little off topic but I have been keeping track of my intake and exercises on livestrong.com because it helps you see all the "hidden" things that may not be over your calorie limit. I find protien calories help me to curb hunger the best no matter when I eat them.

If I decide to splurge I try to make it early in the day so it has time to digest. I will eat dark chocolate vs milk chocolate ect...

I know I have thrown out lots of things and kind of gotten off topic a bit...but so far its working...and I have lost 37lbs.

Tina

[tulip]

Hey, good call on the banana. Maybe you could add that to your healthy snack, since the apple and cheese obviously were not enough.

Diet soda does nothing for me, but I do understand that a lot of people like them. I just don't see the point. When I worked in an office, I kept a box of cereal at my desk and some milk in the fridge. I found a bowl of cereal with a banana or dried blueberries was just perfect for the middle of the afternoon.

[papaver]

Why don't you take fresh soup to the office. It's healthy, fills your stomach and it's really no hastle.

And you know if you are hungry and there's nothing around, try hot hot water with some lemonjuice... that really does the trick.

[AlwayzOnDaMove]

I think the snack from the vending machine. I dislike diet soda and I think that it's worse than regular soda.

[papaver]

I think the snack from the vending machine. I dislike diet soda and I think that it's worse than regular soda.

My sister-in-law had a horrible biking accident a couple of years ago (she was hit by a bus). She suffered massive brain injuries but she pulled through (well sorta). The doctors absolutely forbid her to drink diet soda's.

[tulip]

So sorry to hear about your sister-in-law, papaver. What an ordeal.

What do the doctors say about the diet sodas? Do they constrict blood vessels or something? I just see no benefit to them at all. If I'm thirsty, I'll drink water. If I want a soda, I'll go out and get a real Coke or Dr. Pepper. But that's a pretty rare treat (on a hot day).

[papaver]

So sorry to hear about your sister-in-law, papaver. What an ordeal.

What do the doctors say about the diet sodas? Do they constrict blood vessels or something? I just see no benefit to them at all. If I'm thirsty, I'll drink water. If I want a soda, I'll go out and get a real Coke or Dr. Pepper. But that's a pretty rare treat (on a hot day).

Well it's the aspartame that isn't good for the brain. I wasn't there when the doctors told her this, so I couldn't ask for more info.