What is 'protein Diet Coke' and should you try it? A nutritionist weighs in
No shocker here: Secret Lives of Mormon Wives was just renewed for a season two. With that, you can expect plenty more drama, MomTok in-fighting, and, of course, massive sodas.
Speaking of sodas, something called 'protein Diet Coke' is apparently trendy in their home state of Utah. Influencer Rebecca Gordon Peterson appears to have launched the trend in a now-viral TikTok, and people have thoughts.
'Welcome to Utah, where protein Diet Coke is currently trending,' she wrote over top footage of herself walking into a gas station.
Naturally, people have questions—and thoughts, lots of thoughts. So, is protein Diet Coke a good idea? Women's Health US tapped a dietitian to find out.
Meet the expert: Scott Keatley, RD, co-owner of Keatley Medical Nutrition.
So, what is protein Diet Coke?
In her video, Peterson is shown filling a 32-ounce cup with Diet Coke from a soda fountain and grabbing a Core Power vanilla-flavoured protein shake. When she gets back in her car, Peterson pours the protein shake into the soda, takes a sip, and seems to like it.
'Protein Diet Coke gets a 10/10 for me,' she captions her post. 'Now I need to try other sodas with it #utah #gaststation #soda #proteindietcoke #dietcoke #swig'
It’s not clear if this is the end-all, be-all recipe, but protein Diet Coke generally seems to involve adding any kind of extra protein to your Diet Coke.
Does protein Diet Coke taste good?
Peterson drank it and seemed happy about the whole thing, so apparently? People in the comments had a range of thoughts, though.
'Not sure why this came to my feed but it seems like a good combo. Maybe even stronger with the 42g protein version 💪🏼,' one wrote.
But another chimed in with this: 'Just drink the damn protein shake.'
DeseretNews reporter Meg Walter tried this at home, and the results were 'better than [she] was expecting,' noting that it tasted a little like a 'root beer float.' But the Diet Coke and protein shake quickly separated, turning into 'a wildly unappetizing lava lamp' and 'one of the most disgusting things' she had 'ever seen.'
Is it a good way to get more protein?
Not really. Technically, you could get the same amount of protein by just drinking the protein shake—the Diet Coke is merely an add-on, says Scott Keatley, RD, co-owner of Keatley Medical Nutrition.
'While adding protein [to a drink] can be beneficial, it’s not always necessary for everyone, and context matters,' he says. 'For those who are active, trying to build muscle, or have increased protein needs—such as during recovery—adding protein can be helpful.'
But while adding a protein shake to Diet Coke may seem 'fun,' Keatley doesn’t suggest it.
'The carbonation and artificial sweeteners in Diet Coke may cause bloating or digestive discomfort, and Diet Coke itself offers no nutritional benefits to aid in protein absorption,' he says.
Overall, Keatley recommends taking a pass on this hack. 'Not only does it lack any real nutritional value,' he says, 'But it can also be hard on digestion due to the carbonation and sweeteners.'
More food trends to check out...
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