Dr. Atkins has speculated at times that citric acid (which is in tons of things, including diet soft drinks) might stall some people. Has anyone ever encountered this - or, if you have a citrus sensitivity, has citrus itself proven suspicious in instigating a stall? (How bad, tell us what happened, etc.)

The theory is that citric acid in the diet might interfere with the important "citric acid cycle" that takes place in the body, to help produce our get-up-and-go.

Here's what Wikipedia has to say about the citric acid cycle, in part:
"The citric acid cycle (also known as the tricarboxylic acid cycle, the TCA cycle, or the Krebs cycle) is a series of chemical reactions of central importance in all aerobic cells. It is a series of chemical reactions of central importance in all living cells that utilize oxygen as part of cellular respiration. In these aerobic organisms, the citric acid cycle is a metabolic pathway that forms part of the break down of carbohydrates, fats and proteins into carbon dioxide and water in order to generate energy. It is the second of three metabolic pathways that are involved in fuel molecule catabolism and ATP production."

I have largely cut out things that have citric acid as a listed ingredient, though I've been using a liquid stevia sweetener that has grapefruit seed extract as a preservative and I'm starting to wonder if that might be stalling me a little. (Citric acid gets its name from the same root as citrus, it's present in citrus fruits. Plus, one 'alternative' style blood test for allergies and sensitivities flagged citrus as something my body doesn't like, years ago.)

By the way, one site I ran into mentioned that Diet Dr. Pepper doesn't have citric acid. But beware as it's in tons of commercial foods too. Though a difficulty, if one was going to steer way clear of citric acid things as a test, is that some vitamins are in a citrate form... I'm not sure about how this relates exactly to citric acid, chemically speaking, but think it's at least related.

It's also in Crystal Light and in most 'processed' drinks. And in natural fruit juices. Check out the sugar-free jello labels too.