Diet or Regular: Which is Better?

This has been a debate for years. Unfortunately, the answer I have usually doesn't make people very happy.

The Issues:

Regular Soda:
Sugar, calories. To put it into perspective, there is an equal amount of calories in 8oz of Coca-Cola and 5 Starburst Chews. In a large McDonald's Coke, there is the equivalent of more than fifteen Starburst Chews.
Think about what happens when you eat at a restaurant. You are most likely receiving a 12oz glass, and let's say that it's refilled twice. That is 429 calories. That is equivalent to more than twenty-one Starburst Chews. Keep in mind that ONLY TWELVE COME IN A PACK!

Diet Soda:
Artificial sweeteners. Let's say you make the switch to diet soda - you really think you are doing well - think of all those calories you are saving. Unfortunately, you might not be doing as good as you think. A study was presented at the American Diabetes Association meeting that actually showed a strong correlation between diet soda and obesity. The more diet drinks consumed per day, the higher the rate of obesity. This is not a causation result, (meaning the diet drinks cause obesity). There is just a correlation.
Picture this.....you ingest a diet soda, tricking your body into thinking that you are consuming calories. Your body readies itself to breakdown calories, but imagine the surprise when they don't come. Your body is now set and ready to digest calories, but there is nothing there. There is a large chance that your body is smarter than you think it is now triggering you to consume calories.
Also, artificial sweeteners are much, much sweeter than sugar itself. Because of this, you can actually program yourself to crave this high dosage of sweetness. If and when you consume something with table sugar, it is not going to have the same power that the artificial sweetener had. Not a good thing.

So, long story short......neither is going to be a good option. But, everything in moderation. If you can't avoid it completely, I would go with taste. Which one do you like better? If you are going to drink soda, choose that one.

Easy as that:)