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Is diet Dr Pepper keto?13 It’s a genuine concern that someone on a keto diet may ask themselves given the bad rapport that sodas packed with sugar in general have on health—diet or regular.
There is a common myth and misconception on how the sweeteners in diet soda hurt ketosis and may compromise a keto diet even those claimed to have no sugar at all like Dr. Pepper zero which differs slightly from diet Dr. Pepper.
But is this claim justified and does diet Dr. Pepper fit into a keto diet?
How Many Net Carbs Are In Diet Dr Pepper Zero?
Dr. Pepper zero is a choice that many on a keto diet turn to maintain low sugar and carb intake due to its marketing claims of its low carb content—the nutrition information on each can states that it has a serving of net 0 grams of carbs and is therefore free from carbs. Is Dr Pepper zero keto friendly? Because of the absence of carbs, this drink is undoubtedly keto friendly.
Is Diet Dr Pepper Keto Friendly? Can You Drink Diet Dr Pepper on Keto?
Dr. Pepper’s diet product is meant to be a low carb alternative to its regular soda and the delightful news is that it is keto approved with 0 grams of net carbs; making it keto friendly and ideal for those on a low carb diet. Can you drink diet Dr Pepper on keto? It is possible because to maintain a keto diet someone should consume 20-50 grams of carbs daily based on a 2000 kcal diet.1
Is diet Dr Pepper keto friendly? With no carb count, diet Dr. Pepper is a keto friendly soda that will not throw off a keto diet; and even more appealing it almost tastes like regular Dr. Pepper. The no carb presence increases flexibility on how many can be consumed daily but moderation should still be exercised.
Is Dr Pepper Zero Keto Friendly?
The company’s other product, Dr. Pepper zero has no carbs as mentioned earlier making it keto friendly to those on a low carb diet. Sodas are high in carbs because of the sugar or sweeteners such as high fructose syrup that they contain which also packs on calories—regular Dr. Pepper is loaded with 40 grams of carbs which goes to show how heavily laden they are with sugar.2
Source: Christhian_Adame_Photo via Pixabay11
However, with diet drinks, the sugar is replaced with different sweeteners and ingredients that mimic the effects of sugar without the baggage of carbs and calories. Diet sodas like Dr. Pepper zero use sugar substitutes such as aspartame. Aspartame is an artificial sweetener that is low in calories used to substitute sugar and approved for use in 1981 by the United States Food and Drug Administration (USDA) making this popular beverage a potential add on for someone looking to achieve a 1000 calorie deficit in a day.3
Aspartame, which is among the sweeteners used, is almost 200 times sweeter than sugar. This property allows a small quantity to be used to produce a sweet taste which results in an almost negligible contribution of carbohydrates and calories. Is diet Dr Pepper keto? Yes, and the sugar substitute aspartame when used as a sugar replacement ensures a low consumption of carbs and calories leading to weight loss.4
In addition to aspartame, there are other sweeteners and ingredients blended in a concoction of chemicals that go into ensuring a keto drink—this may make some concerned if these are indeed healthy drinks.
Is Diet Dr Pepper Healthy or Bad For You?
The plethora of ingredients that go into diet soda are not conventional in the sense consisting of artificial sweeteners, colors and preservatives (carbonation) which may justify fears that diet Dr. pepper or diet sodas generally are healthy—the good news is that several of these chemicals have been certified as safe when consumed in moderation.
Aspartame is a product that has been used for several decades since its approval and is an ingredient due its wide use, has received a large amount of scrutiny. In recent years, aspartame has received a bad rapport with some research inquiring about the neurologic effects that aspartame has especially due its dominating presence in the food industry; investigating issues such as brain tumors, allergies, or changes in mood and cognitive function.5
It is one of the most highly analyzed substances and has been tested by multiple governments all over the world and a report of the meeting on aspartame with national experts has deemed aspartame safe even for the high level consumer.6 It also cites the results of the studies about the possible negative neurological side effects showing it to be unsubstantiated. This report also rules out allergies being caused by the consumption of aspartame.
Aspartame has been certified as safe by the United States Food and Drug Administration, Japan’s Ministry of Health, Health Canada, Food Standards Australia New Zealand, UK Food Standards Agency and the European Food Safety Authority. The USDA has deemed the ADI (acceptable daily intake) of aspartame to be 50 milligrams per kilogram of body weight—the European Authority has the figure at 40 mg/kg.7
This has the implication that an average weighted individual will have to consume almost 20 cans of Dr. Pepper just to cross this threshold! An added benefit of consuming diet Dr. Pepper is that the artificial sweeteners do not raise blood sugar levels which allow individuals to control their blood sugar levels.
On the downside, diet Dr. Pepper does contain over 40 mg of caffeine which may disrupt sleep cycles.8 Consuming too much diet soda may also cause tooth problems, decrease bone density, or affect heart and gut health.
Is diet Dr Pepper healthy or bad for you? Overall, diet Dr. Pepper is healthy in terms of ensuring lower calories and maintaining low sugar levels, but they are not nutritious in the sense and can be bad for someone when excessively drunk. The potential drawbacks can be negated by drinking diet soda in moderation, limiting 2 cans per day should make the soda relatively safe to drink.
Diet Dr Pepper Nutrition Information & Ingredients
The list below details the nutrition information of diet Dr. Pepper including total carbs, sugars, protein and calories.
Nutrition information 1 can serving (12 fl oz.)
- Total carbs: 0 grams
- Total fat: 0 grams
- Sugar: 0 grams
- Sodium: 60 mg
- Protein: 0 grams
- Calories: 0 kcal
Is diet Dr Pepper keto? It certainly is, going by the nutritional information stated above. To maintain a low carb and low calorie drink, diet Dr. Pepper has ingredients that are not found in conventional soda including substitutes for sugar such as acesulfame and aspartame outlined below.
Ingredients found in a 1 can serving (12 fl oz.)
- Carbonated water
- Caramel color
- Aspartame
- Phosphoric acid
- Natural and artificial flavors
- Sodium benzoate which is a preservative
- Caffeine
Does Aspartame Affect Ketosis? Does Acesulfame & Other Artificial Sweeteners Affect Blood Sugar?
Sugar substitutes and sweeteners used in diet sodas are used for good reason; they do not typically affect the sugar (glucose) blood levels which implies that they will not throw off ketosis. Ketosis is a state where the body, specifically the brain adapts to lower glucose levels in the body due to reduced carb intake and switches to expending ketones as fuel—these are created by the liver from body fat stores.9
Source: RJA1988 via Pixabay12
It is imperative that blood sugar remains low when on keto which is why drinking regular soda that is packed with sugar and carbs often throws off ketosis. Is diet Dr Pepper keto? Yes, and aspartame, acesulfame and indeed other artificial sweeteners used in diet Dr. Pepper makes it keto since they do not raise blood sugar levels.10
These sweeteners are more potent than sugar and contain very low to no carbs, which leads to them being employed in small quantities and they can help slowly wean someone off sugar and provide a way on how to stop eating junk food and sugar.
Does aspartame, acesulfame or other artificial sweeteners affect ketosis? No, and it is an unjustified claim on how the sweeteners in diet soda hurt ketosis as research shows otherwise.
Alternative Diet Sodas That Are Keto-friendly
For those not too keen on the taste of diet Dr. Pepper or simply want to add variety to their beverage needs, there are other options on the market that are keto friendly, including some different flavors from Dr. Pepper. These include:
- Dr. Pepper cherry zero sugar
- Dr. Pepper & cream soda zero sugar
- Diet cherry vanilla Dr. Pepper
- Sprite zero sugar
- Diet Pepsi
- Diet Pepsi wild cherry
- Diet Pepsi zero sugar
- Diet coke
- Coca cola zero sugar
- Coca cola orange vanilla zero sugar
- Diet Canada dry ginger ale
- Diet A&W root beer
- Diet A&W cream soda
- Fanta orange zero sugar
- Diet 7up
- Fresca original citrus soda
- Diet Sunkist
- Diet mountain dew
- Virgil’s soda zero sugar
- Big K Dr. KOH! zero calorie soda
For keto dieters used to satisfying their sweet cravings with soda and wondering “is diet Dr Pepper keto?” would be pleased to know that they indeed are and how the sweeteners in diet soda hurt ketosis is really a myth debunked by credible per reviewed journals and research.
Frequently Asked Questions About Is Diet Dr Pepper Keto?
Can You Drink Diet Soda on Keto?
Diet soda typically contains no net carbs as they use artificial sweeteners to substitute sugar present in conventional sodas. This makes them a viable option for those on a keto diet but they should still ideally be consumed in moderation.
Which Is Healthier: Diet Dr Pepper or Dr Pepper Zero Sugar?
Diet Dr. Pepper and Dr. Pepper zero sugar have the same ingredients except that Dr. Pepper zero sugar has acesulfame potassium as a sweetener in addition to aspartame. This chemical is deemed safe by the FDA but is known to contain the carcinogen methylene chloride which has side effects such as headaches, causing cancer and affecting the kidney among other issues.
Diet Dr. Pepper would seem the healthier option although it should be noted that it is always a good idea to drink soda in moderation, diet or not as they are a processed drink.
References
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2Health, H. T. (2022). Sugary Drinks. Retrieved 2022, from <https://www.hsph.harvard.edu/nutritionsource/healthy-drinks/sugary-drinks/>
3Wikipedia. (2022, October 24). Aspartame. Retrieved 2022, from <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aspartame>
4Medicine, N. L. (2021, January 7). The Impact of Artificial Sweeteners on Body Weight Control and Glucose Homeostasis. Retrieved 2022, from <https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7817779/>
5Medicine, N. L. (1987, November). Possible neurologic effects of aspartame, a widely used food additive. Retrieved 2022, from <https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC1474447/>
6Authority, E. F. (2010, May 19). Report of the meeting on Aspartame with National Experts. Retrieved 2022, from <https://doi.org/10.2903/sp.efsa.2010.ZN-002>
7Administration, U. F. (2018, February 8). Additional Information about High-Intensity Sweeteners Permitted for Use in Food in the United States. Retrieved 2022, from <https://www.fda.gov/food/food-additives-petitions/additional-information-about-high-intensity-sweeteners-permitted-use-food-united-states>
8Mathematics, U. o. (2022). Caffeine Content Of Popular Drinks. Retrieved 2022, from <https://www.math.utah.edu/~yplee/fun/caffeine.html>
9Education, U. o. (2020, December 4). Nutrition & Health Info Sheets for Health Professionals – The Ketogenic Diet. Retrieved 2022, from <https://nutrition.ucdavis.edu/outreach/nutr-health-info-sheets/pro-ketogenic-diet>
10Medicine, N. L. (2016, December 13). Effects of aspartame-, monk fruit-, stevia- and sucrose-sweetened beverages on postprandial glucose, insulin and energy intake. Retrieved 2022, from <https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/27956737/>
11Christhian_Adame_Photo. Pixabay. Accessed 13 April 2023. <https://pixabay.com/photos/soda-dr-pepper-red-drink-splash-7268942/>
12RJA1988. “Dr Pepper Doctor – Free photo on Pixabay.” Pixabay, 4 December 2019. Accessed 13 April 2023. <https://pixabay.com/photos/dr-pepper-doctor-pepper-soda-glass-4668971/>
13supapornjarpimai. “Woman drinking soda.” Canva. Accessed 13 April 2023. <https://www.canva.com/photos/MAElMhWGYf4-woman-drinking-soda/>