Diet Coke

A few people in my life drink a lot of Diet Coke. I know that nothing has officially been said against caffeinated drinks, and I think they are probably fine every once and a while, but if you say things like "I need a Diet Coke" or drink them before lunch, I think that is really against the Word of Wisdom. We have been told to abstain from tea or coffee. The only harmful substance in tea or coffee is caffeine. People think that it is a lot less caffeine, but Diet Coke has 50mg of caffeine and coffee has 70mg. Here is a quote fromTeachings of Presidents of the Church David O. McKay page 103:

"There is a substance in tea and coffee which when taken into the human system, tends to increase the beating of the heart; which in turn increases the rapidity of the circulation of the blood and of breathing. This causes the body to become warmer and more exhilarated. After a time, however, this temporary enlivenment passes off, and the body is really in a greater need of rest and recuperation than it was before the beverage was taken. Stimulants are to the body what the lash is to the lagging horse—it causes a spurt forward but gives no permanent strength or natural nourishment. Frequently repetitions of the lash only make the horse more lazy; and the habitual use of strong drink, tobacco, tea, and coffee, only tends to make the body weaker and more dependent upon the stimulants to which it is addicted. The Lord has said in unmistakable words that these things are not good for man. Science declares the same. God’s word alone should be sufficient for every true Latter-day Saint."

Hmm ... what substance could he be referring to? And here is one from Teachings of Presidents of the Church Joseph F. Smith, page 323:

"In the mad rush of life for worldly honors and for the possession of the perishable things of this earth men do not stop before they get weary, and they do not rest before they become faint. They appear to think that what is necessary for them when they become weary and faint is to take stimulants to refresh themselves, that they may be able to run a little farther for a few moments. In this way the man of business braces himself up by taking strong drinks. The housewife and the mother who has the care of her family upon her hands, after she has toiled until she has become faint, feels that she must, in order to keep up her strength, take a cup of tea, and thus brace up her nerves and strengthen herself for a little while that she may be able to finish her day’s work. Now, if the pure intelligence of the Spirit of God were substituted for the stimulating influence of the tea and the liquor; if we could by some means get a sufficient portion of the Spirit of the Lord within us that would cause us to know just what to do when we felt weariness and faintness coming upon us, without resorting to the aid of stimulants and drugs that go far to injure our systems and make us slaves, to an acquired appetite, it would be a great deal better for us."

I'm not trying to be self-righteous or anything, and I drink caffeine every once and a while and I eat chocolate which has caffeine in it, but I just see people in my life who drink Diet Coke for breakfast, and it is meant as a pick-me up, exactly like coffee. Or those who giggle about their addition to Diet Coke. I just don't think it is that funny and it really can be harmful for us to need a caffeinated drink.