Tom has been working on his weight loss regimen for a month. One day, he goes to a nearby grocery store and finds something called sparkling ice, among other diet food items, on the rack.
The packaging says it has antioxidants, vitamins, and zero sugar. He turns the bottle to read the ingredients section. It had a significant nutrient section and a tiny ingredients box. That, too, with fancy words in small fonts. In the end, Tom was left with one big question: Is sparkling ice good for weight loss?
Are you thinking you’ve been in Tom’s place? If that’s the case, you’ve reached the right place. This guide aims to answer the same question Tom had in mind. The approach is pretty simple, i.e., everything you’ll find here will be critically analyzed. All you have to do is to read till the end.
The Birth of Sparkling Ice
Although you’re hearing about sparkling ice as the new thing in town, it isn’t that new. However, if you’re from Western North America, you’ve probably grown up drinking it. Talking Rain, the company behind this beverage, has been in business for the past 35 years.
Chris Hall, the current CEO of Talking Rain, has talked about the idea behind their specialized drink in various interviews. And that makes manifest the reason behind introducing such a product to the market.
He said that back in the late twentieth century, there was a public demand for a sparkling drink that was flavorful and calorie-free at the same time. So, they responded promptly with a drink that had zero sugar.
What’s with the sparkle?
Any drink that fizzles up is immersed in carbon dioxide. The process of adding this gas to a liquid may vary. These processes are two in number: 1) pressurization and 2) carbonation. As the name suggests, pressurization is about adding carbon dioxide to a liquid under pressure. However, carbonation, being the famous method, involves adding gas to plain water.
Cons of CO₂ Intake
Whichever of the two methods sparkling ice companies use, one thing is evidently clear. Your bottle of sparkling ice contains carbon dioxide. So, before we delve into evaluating the effects of other ingredients, let’s talk about CO₂ first. The pH of sparkling water ranges somewhere between 3-4. This makes it slightly acidic.
The acidity of CO₂ can’t affect the pH of your body fluids since your kidneys and lungs are capable of removing the excess before it reaches your blood. However, direct exposure to such an acidic medium can affect the enamel of your teeth. In that, too, the sugary carbonated drinks cause more harm than the sugar-free ones.
Although some surveys have shown little association between gastroesophageal reflux and consumption of carbonated drinks, researchers claim the results were contradictory due to the methodology used. Hence, experts still propose that these drinks could cause issues in the mouth, esophagus, and stomach when consumed more than 300ml worth of volume.
Does it Fit into a Low-Carb or Keto Program?
Among a myriad of popular weight loss programs, the Low-carb diet and Keto program stand as two prominent names. A Low-carb diet program revolves around cutting short on processed foods, extra sugars, and carbohydrates in an individual’s diet for almost 16 weeks.
Similarly, a Ketogenic diet program does emphasize the importance of limiting carbs but encourages the use of high-fat foods.
When extracting information on sparkling ice for weight loss, it’s essential to know which weight loss program it can fit into. That’s because people following any of these diet programs can feasibly use this item if it actually helps with weight loss.
Dr. Mathew Nuesse, a specialist in functional medicine, has set up his weight loss system. He educates the general masses about this system called Brand NUE Weight Loss through his YouTube channel. He has also made a special video on sparkling ice examining its nature, i.e., if it fits into either of the popular weight loss programs.
As for the Keto program, this drink didn’t fit into its frame since it contained 0% proteins, as well as fats. However, Dr. Nuesse highlighted that there’s one reason for listing carbohydrate composition as 0% on the bottle. And to elaborate on that, he mentioned the fact that food companies can only do so when the carb content is less than 1 gram per serving.
All in all, the five calories mentioned on a bottle of sparkling ice come from carbs that are less than 1 gram in weight.
The Sugar Substitute
A single serving of sparkling ice contains sucralose, the FDA-approved sugar alternative. So, that’s the ingredient that sweetens this product without adding in any calories.
Since sucralose is a derivative of sucrose, the ordinary table sugar, it tastes exactly like sugar. But the only difference between the two is that the human body doesn’t recognize that as a carbohydrate. Plus, it is 600 times sweeter than usual sugar.
Cons of Sucralose
Among the possible cons of sucralose lies the issue of its bioaccumulation (i.e., its tendency to store in the human body in a concentrated form). A 2018 study was conducted on ten rats for forty days to retrieve factual information on this topic.
Two weeks after the sucralose feeding sessions were ended, the fat tissues of these subject rats showed signs of deposits. Based on these findings, the U.S. Right to Know has filed a petition to debunk false claims dispelling bioaccumulation of sucralose.
As much as there is conflicting information on the bioaccumulation of sucralose, there exist studies opposing widely spread information on sucralose and its effects on blood sugar.
While a majority of studies claim it has zero effect on insulin and blood sugar levels, some others showed it reduced insulin sensitivity and raised blood sugar levels. Therefore, more research is required in this area.
Final Word
We’ve got some clear answers to your question (Is sparkling ice good for weight loss?) by the end of this guide. And we’ll definitely go in favor of nature when it comes to trying something that caters to weight loss.
Although this product does address your weight loss concerns since it can fit into a low-carb diet program, it contains shady artificial sweeteners, colorants, and preservatives, which shall be avoided.
