Diet Soda

FRIDAY

Diet Soda Friends

Now, I know what you’re all thinking: “Diet soda for skinnydrinking in the office? Um, duh.” (Yes, I used the word “duh,” I’m bringing it back.)

But I’m not writing about diet soda because I think you’ve never heard of it. I’m writing about it because of all the varieties, because it has only zero calories, and because it allows you to stave off a snack for another hour or so. It has rightfully earned a place here at SkinnyOffice headquarters, and we just can’t ignore that.

First of all, the variety.  You’ve got your traditional Diet Coke. Then you’ve got Coke Zero, though the difference between the two has always eluded me, and Diet Pepsi, which I like too but is a tad bubblier in my opinion. Okay, you don’t need me to list the different kinds, though I would like to put in a plug for Diet Coke with Lime (which is despised by all my SkinnyColleagues but is my personal favorite) and for Cherry Coke Zero (which everybody loves except for me). And for you strange non-caffeine-needers, Dr. Brown’s diet cream soda is fantastic.

Now, the nutritional facts. We all know diet soda is zero calories and therefore a great drink to have instead of eating a whole bag of pretzels or, well, consuming anything WITH calories. It also fills you up a little, and so it helps beat those 3 pm, I-already-ate-lunch-but-want-something-while-I-Gchat blues.  It is good to keep in mind, though, that “zero calories” also means zero protein and zero fiber and zero vitamins (unless you get Diet Coke Plus!). And it is true that artificial sweetener is not exactly “good” for you. What is these days, though? What does “good” really mean? Can anything ever really be “good”? The perfect way to ponder these sorts of metaphysical questions is, ironically, while sipping on an ice-cold Diet Coke.

So while diet soda deserves a place in any SkinnyWorker’s fridge, I would recommend trying to limit yourself to a few cans of diet goodness a week. (And remember to use straws because they help keep your teeth stain-free. That’s why they’re so in right now.)