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Like, the nutrition facts table says it contains nothing other than some sodium. No sugars or fats or calories at all

Yet it clearly is edible, so what is it? Some concoction made mostly from indigestible minerals?

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[-] lurch@sh.itjust.works 87 points 2 months ago

water, acids for the sour taste, coloring, caffeine and sweetener that is more effective than sugar and just activates the sweet taste buds, but has no significant nutritiinal value.

[-] FuglyDuck@lemmy.world 5 points 2 months ago

you also forgot the coke-leaves extracts. ("natural flavors")

[-] Lemming6969@lemmy.world 3 points 2 months ago* (last edited 2 months ago)

How is this the top comment... Sodas are flavor extracts at their core. The amount of other things are just there to balance or optimize those core flavors. Sweet, salty, acidic, viscosity, color, fizz... All choices on top of the flavor extracts. Diet soda just substitutes sugar for low calorie sweeteners.

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[-] usrtrv@lemmy.ml 63 points 2 months ago

Aspartame has about the same amount of calories as sugar (4kcal per gram). But it's much more sweet so you need very little of it. So there is a very tiny amount of sweetener which does contain calories but it's rounded down to 0.

[-] ryathal@sh.itjust.works 34 points 2 months ago

The difference is also big enough that cans of diet coke float and regular sink.

[-] Lost_My_Mind@lemmy.world 23 points 2 months ago

You son of a bitch.......now I gotta buy a can of diet coke, and a can of coke.

I don't even LIKE diet coke! But I gotta know if you're full of shit...

[-] AlecSadler@sh.itjust.works 4 points 2 months ago

Well, this will be my next party trick somehow.

[-] Bishma@discuss.tchncs.de 14 points 2 months ago

If memory serves a 12oz can is just a little under 1/2 calorie.

[-] finley@lemm.ee 4 points 2 months ago* (last edited 2 months ago)

If tens of thousands of commercials I heard in the 80s were right…

“Less than a calorie, Diet Coke!”

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[-] tilefan@lemm.ee 55 points 2 months ago

egg white is 90% water. it doesn't take much to drastically alter water

[-] CarbonatedPastaSauce@lemmy.world 43 points 2 months ago

The person that typed this comment is about 60% water.

[-] And009@reddthat.com 20 points 2 months ago

Extreme dehydration, kindly drink 10% more water

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[-] dhork@lemmy.world 36 points 2 months ago

https://fdc.nal.usda.gov/fdc-app.html#/food-details/769164/nutrients

INGREDIENTS: CARBONATED WATER, CARAMEL COLOR, ASPARTAME, PHOSPHORIC ACID, POTASSIUM BENZOATE (TO PROTECT TASTE), NATURAL FLAVORS, CITRIC ACID, CAFFEINE.

[-] Kelly@lemmy.world 31 points 2 months ago

In Australia they give (from largest to smallest):

Ingredients

  • Carbonated Water
  • Colour (150d)
  • Food Acids (338, 330)
  • Sweeteners (951, 950)
  • Flavour
  • Caffeine

With the numbers corresponding to:

[-] fine_sandy_bottom@lemmy.federate.cc 23 points 2 months ago

The nutrition panel only captures a subset of important bioavailable nutrients.

For example, water is obviously a digestible nutrient, but is not represented there on.

[-] Beacon@fedia.io 7 points 2 months ago

Exactly, the nutrition label isn't a list of all substances found by chemical analysis, it's literally just the most important "nutrition" information

[-] doggle@lemmy.dbzer0.com 23 points 2 months ago

I believe its mostly soda water and caramel coloring (no duh)

The sweetness is from aspartame, a very common artificial zero-calorie sweetener.

Aside from that it's gonna be a (trade secret, they'll never tell us) mixture of artificial and natural flavorings. All virtually zero calorie, and probably in very small amounts.

[-] HubertManne@moist.catsweat.com 21 points 2 months ago

what is in it is listed in the ingredients list.

[-] BlucifersVeinyAnus@sh.itjust.works 3 points 2 months ago
[-] Rhynoplaz@lemmy.world 3 points 2 months ago

It's a rough read, but it checks out. Completely coherent.

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[-] daggermoon@lemmy.world 14 points 2 months ago* (last edited 2 months ago)

It's a cola with an artificial sweetener. There's lots of misinformation out there about diet soda. It mostly passes through you, unlike regular soda which has lots of sugar that your body stores as fat. Not to say either one is healthy because it most certainly is not. However, phosphoric acid in cola (both regular and diet) can lead to an increased risk of kidney stones. In case anyone is wondering I do not work for big soda, I've just read way too much about this topic. That being said please drink more water. Unsweetened tea or black coffee is also acceptable. Anything is fine in moderation. Soda is supposed to be a treat enjoyed once in a while, now it's a mass market product that is way too accessible. And no diet soda does not cause cancer, please stop citing a garbage study that has been disproven every subsequent trial.

[-] VinesNFluff@pawb.social 2 points 2 months ago

I wasn't even under the illusion that it would be good for me, lol.

Even IF Diet Coke is a sometimes drink for me, that 'sometimes' means 'once every saturday' -- It'll probably give me diabetes long-term but y'know. Some people ruin their livers with alcohol, some people fuck their lungs with cigs, I'm screwing up my pancreas with diet soda. 🤷

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[-] RBWells@lemmy.world 7 points 2 months ago

I think of it as a flavored seltzer.

Aspartame is the sweet flavor and unspecified "natural flavors" do the rest.

I don't drink it often anymore, but it's great for a no calorie treat. No it won't give you diabetes but you shouldn't drink it instead of water. It isn't water.

[-] Sundial@lemm.ee 7 points 2 months ago

It's all about how they sweeten the drink. Regular coke uses corn syrup while diet coke uses aspartame. This allows the diet coke to have no calories.

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[-] Treczoks@lemmy.world 6 points 2 months ago

For that, look at the ingredients list, not the "nutrition facts".

[-] BeigeAgenda@lemmy.ca 5 points 2 months ago

As I understand diet coke uses sucralose, not aspartame as sweetener.

Sucralose has a different sweetness profile, much closer to real sugar and is not bitter. Compared to aspartame in zero/light that needs 0.2g salt/liter to cover up the bitterness.

[-] scottywh@lemmy.world 9 points 2 months ago

This is not correct.

Diet Coke definitely still uses aspartame and not sucralose.

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this post was submitted on 01 Sep 2024
116 points (92.6% liked)

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