Both are sugar-free, low-calorie and taste just as good as the real thing.
But there is much debate over whether Diet Coke or Coke Zero is a healthier option.
Now experts have given their verdict to DailyMail.com – declaring Coke Zero the winner – but maybe not for the reasons you’d expect.
Dietitian Jenny Beth Kropplin, RD, told DailyMail.com that while Diet Coke and Coke Zero have few nutritional differences, other comparisons, such as plant milk and dairy milk, have several important factors that make one healthier than the other.
The experts told DailyMail.com that the ‘Zero’ version has a slightly lower caffeine content and has a smoker edge.
The growing number of vegan, sugar-free, and gluten-free convenience foods has sparked a debate over whether the seemingly healthy versions of foods on the market are better than the originals.
Here’s what the experts say:
Diet Coke vs Coke Zero
There are a few differences between diet, diet coke and coke zero. Coke Zero, however, has slightly less caffeine.
2021 Newsweek report Coca-Cola ranks as the most popular soft drink in the United States and the world.
While a can of regular Coke has 39 grams of sugar, the brand’s alternatives, Diet Coke and Coke Zero, aim to be healthier.
Although Coke Zero is very similar, Coke Zero may have a nutritional edge because it contains less caffeine, says Jenny Beth Croplin, a registered dietitian in Nashville, Tennessee.
“There’s really nothing to say that one of them is healthy,” Ms Croplin said.
The Cola Cola website states that a 12 ounce (oz) can of Diet Coke contains 46 milligrams (mg) of caffeine.
On the other hand, Coke Zero has 34 mg. Both make up 10 percent of the FDA’s 400mg per day Advice.
Both varieties are sugar free, instead using artificial sweeteners for their taste.
Also called artificial sweeteners, artificial sweeteners are food additives that can be 200 to 700 times sweeter than table sugar.
Diet Coke is sweetened with aspartame, Coke Zero uses both aspartame and acesulfame potassium, also known as Ace K. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) It is considered safe.
While Ace K is calorie-free, aspartame has about 4 calories per gram.
Plant-based milk vs cow’s milk
Although many alternative milks are low in calories, they lack nutrients like fiber and are likely to have added sugar.
Plant-based milk is generally considered healthier because it is not made from animal products. However, the picture is more complicated than this.
Finally, Ms. Croplin recommends regular milk. ‘Cow’s milk is very clean,’ she said. ‘Unless you have a milk allergy or lactose intolerance, there is no reason to cut milk out of your diet.’
Many alternative dairy products lack the necessary protein.
For example, an 8oz glass of almond milk contains only 1 gram (g) of protein, and the same serving of oat milk contains only 3g.
Unsweetened coconut milk does not contain any protein. On the other hand, dairy milk has 8 grams of protein.
Nutritionally, soy milk is the only non-dairy option that measures up to the real thing. One cup of unpasteurized soy milk has 7 to 9 grams of protein.
Unpasteurized plant milk can be a low-calorie option. A cup of whole cow’s milk has about 150 calories, while unsweetened almond milk has an average of 40.
However, one cup of pasteurized cow’s milk has only 80 calories, as does one cup of pasteurized soy milk.
Most plant-based milks have 37 to 75 percent less fat than a cup of full-fat cow’s milk. American Dietetic Association.
However, these options are more likely to have added sugar. Some types of oat milk, for example, contain up to 7 grams of added sugar.
‘You really want to look at defenses,’ said Croplin.
Butter vs Margarine
Butter And Margarine According to the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA), it contains the same amount of calories, 100 per serving.
Margarine is often considered a healthy alternative because it is low in fat, but nutritionists warn that the butter alternative has some drawbacks.
It has a high amount of trans fat for a person.
These lower HDL or ‘good’ cholesterol and increase LDL or ‘bad’ cholesterol.
High levels of LDL cholesterol have been shown to increase the risk of serious health problems, including heart disease and stroke.
Margarine is higher in trans fat than butter.
A 2021 study in JAMA Cardiology It found that the higher a person’s LDL levels, the higher their risk of developing heart disease.
This means that even if a person later brings their cholesterol levels back to a healthy level, the damage is permanent.
Those in the highest percentile of LDL had a 57 percent higher increase than those in the lowest percentile. This is due to the formation of plaque on the walls of the blood vessels.
‘You can have less fat and some of these margarines will be fat and low in calories, but you’re loading them up with a lot of preservatives and additives that we don’t need in our diets,’ says Croplin.
of American Heart Association (AHA) recommends that less than 1 percent of calories per day come from trans fat.
Pork Bacon vs Turkey Bacon
Turkey bacon has extra salt, more than the recommended daily limit of 400 milligrams in just a two-ounce serving
Bacon has long had a negative reputation.
But turkey bacon may not be as healthy as it seems.
Although turkey bacon is low in calories — 218 to 268 per 2-oz serving. Cleveland Clinic – Pork is high in protein.
Pork has 20 grams of protein per 2oz serving, while turkey bacon has 17.
A few slices of any kind of bacon can quickly add up to the recommended daily salt intake of 1500mg, according to the AHA.
However, turkey bacon is high in sodium, containing 1900mg per 2oz. On the other hand, the same amount of pork has 1300 mg.
About 40 percent of the fat in bacon is saturated fat. Along with trans fats, unsaturated fats are considered unhealthy.
Similar to trans fats, too many of these have been shown to raise LDL cholesterol and lower HDL levels.
In addition, high levels of saturated fat increase the risk of heart disease and stroke.
2020-2025 Dietary Guidelines for Americans They recommend that no more than 25 to 30 percent of your daily calories should come from fat. Of these, no more than 10 percent should come from saturated fat.
For those with heart disease or high cholesterol, the AHA He recommends keeping calories to five to six percent from saturated fat.
Ms. Croplin recommends choosing bacon without nitrates, which have been shown to increase the risk of certain cancers. World Health Organization.
Coffee vs Tea
Although coffee has more caffeine than tea, it has been shown to reduce inflammation, prevent cell damage, and reduce the risk of certain cancers.
It’s an age-old debate: coffee or tea? Nutritionally, there’s more to it than just waking you up better in the morning.
The evidence supports coffee.
one Research A cup of coffee has been proven to come with 1.1 to 1.8 grams of fiber – which the average American rarely gets.
American adults get only 10 to 15 grams of fiber per day on average, although the USDA recommends 21 to 38 grams depending on age and gender.
On the other hand, tea has no fiber.
Coffee has a lot more caffeine, which has been Connected. For improved focus and alertness.
An 8oz cup of coffee has about 100mg of caffeine, according to Mayo ClinicThere are only 50 of the same amount of tea.
However, too much caffeine can cause jitters and sleep problems, so for those looking for low-caffeine options, tea may be a better choice.
Some studies show that coffee drinkers have a lower risk of developing cancer than non-drinkers.
A A meta-analysis of 59 studiesFor example, it showed that coffee drinkers were 13 percent less likely to develop cancer than those who rarely drank coffee.
of American Cancer Society Coffee is thought to contain hundreds of biologically active compounds that have been shown to reduce inflammation and prevent cell damage.
Studies have not yet found a link between tea and cancer risk.
Frozen product vs fresh product
Freezing fruits and vegetables helps them retain nutrients that would otherwise be lost
of USDA A balanced diet recommends at least one to three cups of vegetables and one to two cups of fruit.
These can be fresh, frozen, canned or dried, the agency said. However, it doesn’t say whether hot is better than ice.
Mrs. Croplin prefers to chill.
The main advantage of frozen products is that this process keeps them at the highest level of maturity, which preserves more nutritional value.
“Frozen fruits and vegetables may have a slight edge nutritionally over fresh fruits and vegetables because of the time they are picked,” she said.
If you refrigerate it immediately, that preserves the natural nutritional value from being picked fresh.
“What happens when fruits and vegetables are harvested and then trucked to our grocery store and then stored in our grocery store, during that time the nutritional value can be reduced until consumption.”
Some studies have found little nutritional difference between fresh and frozen products.
Studies comparing certain products to frozen varieties such as green beans and broccoli have shown that they have similar antioxidant activity and nutrient content.
In addition, the study in Journal of Food and Agricultural Science It found that levels of nutrients such as vitamin A, carotenoids, vitamin E and fiber were similar in both fresh and frozen products, suggesting that blanching did not have a significant effect.
Ms. Croplin suggests looking for frozen fruits and vegetables without added juice or sauce because those contain added preservatives and added sugars.