I Heart Diet Coke. Judge Me if you Must

I love Diet Coke. I admit it. Judge me if you have to--but know that it is something that I savor and need to make me happy. I love the artificial taste and I love the caffeine. Is that so wrong?

In the last few years, the incentive to completely rid my body of caffeine has been strong. In fact, I've done it a few time here and there and have been successful for months at a time. Many a time I've cut back considerably. Now, I drink a can of Diet Coke on average once every 3 days. Not too bad in my book.

So here's the scoop on caffeine:

• Guzzle more than 300mg of caffeine per day and you may be raising your stress levels.
  
• 300 mg is the amount contained in 2-3 cups of coffee or 5-6 cans of caffeinated soft drinks -- has not been associated with adverse health effects.
  
• Caffeine activates the fight or flight response and boosts hear rate, blood pressure and can contribute to stomach upset
• The March of Dimes advises pregnant women to limit their caffeine consumption to 200 mg or less per day. Click here for more information...and talk to your doctor.
  
• 1 12 oz. can of Diet Coke contains 46 mg of caffeine. 12 oz. Red Bull contains 80 mg. 16 oz of Starbucks (Grande) brewed coffee contains 320 mg. Click here to find out the caffeine content in your favorite drink.

The Beverage Institute For Health & Wellness is part of The Coca-Cola Company's ongoing commitments to beverage innovation and nutrition education. This website has a plethora of information, tools, resources for professionals and non-professionals alike as well as FAQ's, ingredient information and general nutrition & wellness articles. Check out the hydration calculator-input your sex, age and weight and a fluid recommendation will pop up-based on your specs. Pretty nifty, especially as the weather starts to warm and outdoor activities increase. www.beverageinstitute.org