The Junk Food Nutritionist

May is Mental Health Month and I’ve been getting questions about food’s effect on mental health, especially junk food.    One common question is , “ Do diet drinks affect the brain and cause depression?”   Yes.    In particular, the artificial sweetener aspartame , found in diet soda, is often blame d .   Aspartame has been studied for its potential effects on the nervous system, including mood . Unfortunately, two studies have found that drinking aspartame-containing beverages increased risk of depression and one study also worsened symptoms in those who already had diagnosed depression .     If aspartame causes depression, why do you say, "Everything in moderation?"   One single can of diet soda doesn't cause depression. One teaspoon of aspartame in your tea or coffee doesn't cause your existing depression to worsen.  Even one can of soda a day in addition to one teaspoon of aspartame add...

Six years ago, I didn’t drink coffee. I didn’t drink tea. I didn’t drink caffeinated soda. If I drank soda, it was root beer which is not usually caffeinated. But that was six years ago.  Four years ago, I was introduced to naturally caffeine-free herbal teas, which I still love. Then I was introduced to coffee and flavored caffeinated teas. Both of which I liked and both of which I thought helped me get through working part time, interning full-time, and going to night school.  That lifestyle ended a year ago and I continued drinking coffee and caffeinated teas…until I was hospitalized. 

The Philly "Soda" Tax may be old news to non-Philadelphians. But, those who live in and near Philadelphia know that they still hear about it all the time.  I hear advertisements about it on the radio, watch commercials about it on T.V., and read signs about it in stores.   I'll confess...I am not originally a Philadelphian. When I first heard of the plans for the Philly Soda Tax, I was living in the suburbs. I didn’t think it would affect me but I thought it could be a decent idea.  Even when I moved to Philly, I thought it wouldn’t affect me. I don’t drink soda. I don’t buy lemonade, sweet tea, cranberry cocktail, or the other beverages frequently discussed.