Diet soda comes with the same (almost!) taste without the calories and sugar! No wonder why it’s so famous among fitness freaks! But is Diet Dr. Pepper keto friendly?
Diet Dr. Pepper is extremely keto-friendly because it is free from any carbs. It’s sweetened with aspartame which doesn’t interfere with ketosis.
Growing up with diabetic parents, I’ve tasted every diet soda on the block! But Diet Dr. Pepper is much less “artificial” tasting than its competitors (including Diet Coke).
In this article, we’ll find out what makes Diet Dr. Pepper keto and also discuss the latest entrant: Zero Sugar!
How is Diet Dr. Pepper Different from Regular Soda?
Drinking your calories is the biggest mistake you can make on your fitness journey!
A can of regular soda is the easiest way to consume calories and sugar without any nutritional gains.
Did you know? You need to walk for 46 minutes or Run for 24 minutes to burn the calories (240 kcal) from a single can of soda!
In comes diet soda, which contains sugar-free sweeteners to provide the same taste without calories!
Diet soda is simply a mixture of carbonated water, sweeteners, colors, and preservatives. It has little to no calories and might also contain caffeine and vitamins.
However, not all diet sodas are sugar-free! Some of them use a combination of sugar and sugar-free sweeteners to enhance the taste.
Coming bank to Diet Dr. Pepper, here are it’s nutrition facts:
- Calories: 0g
- Fats: 0g
- Protein: 0g
- Carbs: 0g
- Net Carbs: 0g
Clearly, Diet Dr. Pepper is the same as water when it comes to nutrition! But it does contain an additional 100 mg of sodium (expected from any processed beverage).
So what goes in making our favorite Diet Dr. Pepper drink?
- Carbonated water
- Caramel color
- Aspartame
- Phosphoric acid
- Natural
- Artificial flavors
- Sodium benzoate (preservative)
- Caffeine
Looking at all these items can feel like you are drinking a “chemical product” lol! But that’s the composition of 99% diet sodas out in the market (barring exceptions like Zevia!)
Dr. Pepper also has a caffeine-free version with all the goodness intact! If caffeine keeps you from sleeping, this is just the fix for you.
The keto diet defies all the traditional principles of dieting! You no longer chase low-calorie foods and your focus shifts from calories to carbs!
So how does Diet Dr. Pepper fit into the low-carb diet?
READ MORE: Is American Cheese Keto-Friendly?
Is Diet Dr. Pepper Keto?
Diet Dr. Pepper is super keto-friendly since it has no carbs at all! It uses sugar-free sweetener Aspartame that is found in most diet soda brands.
Surprisingly, a can of regular Dr. Pepper packs in 66g of carbs (keto nightmare!)
The keto diet is well known for being extremely low-carb. You need to consume less than 20-25g of net carbs to stay in ketosis.
Here’s the harsh truth: A can of regular soda contains much more carbs than your two days’ worth of quota!
To reap the weight-loss benefits of a low-carb diet, you need to make a lot of sacrifices. And most of them come in the form of your favorite foods!
In fact, even the so-called “healthy” drinks have heaps of sugars present inside. For example, a glass of orange juice contains 27g of carbs! (Source)
That’s why diet soda gets so much love from people on a weight-loss spree. They have practically zero sugars and zero calories.
So whether keto or not, Diet Dr. Pepper is a great replacement for its sugar-laced counterpart.
However, there are always two sides to a coin! And how can Dr. Pepper escape the rules of the universe?
You see, diet soda can often lead to weight gain indirectly. Why do I say indirectly? Because it does it in very sneaky ways!
Even though it is free from sugar, diet soda can trigger further sugar cravings and make you much more likely to cheat.
Studies say that diet soda can boost your appetite by stimulating hunger hormones. In fact, they also trigger dopamine (feel-good hormone) responses inside your brain.
Without being too scientific, the final verdict is that you shouldn’t go overboard with diet Dr. Pepper and have it only in moderation.
MORE: Keto-Friendly Energy Drinks
Is Diet Pepper Zero Sugar also Keto?
The enormous popularity of diet soda has created a lot of opportunities in the market. And Dr. Pepper has tackled it head-on!
In a tweet on 8 April 2021, Dr. Pepper officially launched their latest entrant: Dr. Pepper Zero Sugar
So what’s different in Zero Sugar formula? Why would someone sell two diet sodas under the same brand?
Well, the company aims to bring diet soda much more closer to the original stuff (sugar-laden) in terms of taste.
It uses almost the same ingredients as seen in Diet Dr. Pepper, with only a slight change in sweeteners (and of course, the flavors).
In addition to Aspartame, Dr. Pepper Zero Sugar also contains acesulfame potassium to further enhance it’s taste.
Since its a sugar-free sweetner, Dr. Pepper Zero Sugar is also keto-friendly and has no carbs.
Is Diet Soda Healthy?
Replicating the sweet taste without real sugar has it’s own downsides.
Diet soda uses a plethora of artificial sweeteners including:
- Aspartame
- Cyclamates
- Saccharin
- Acesulfame-k
- Sucralose
And that’s on top of the other stuff found in regular soda – including colors and preservatives.
It clearly tells you how heavily processed these drinks are.
If you have been lurking around health forums, you know how aspartame gets a bad rep for being potentially “cancerous-causing”.
However, European Food Safety Authority in 2013 marked aspartame as a safe sweetener for consumption.
It looked into hundreds of studies worldwide and set an acceptable consumption limit of 40 milligrams (mg) per kilogram (kg) of body weight.
An average diet soda (including Dr. Pepper’s) has anywhere between 180-200 mg of Aspartame. It means you have to consume over 18 cans to cross the “safe” limit!
In a nutshell, a can or two a day isn’t likely to hurt you! But don’t go on a diet soda spree where you end up replacing water with soda!
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Conclusion
So is Diet Dr. Pepper keto-friendly? Hell yeah!
It’s a great zero-carb drink that provides you a kick of refreshment!
But be a responsible consumer and don’t go overboard with it. Soda isn’t a natural product and contains a ton of additives and preservatives.
Diet soda, on top of it, also packs artificial sweeteners to replicate the sweetness of sugar!