Sugar or Diet drinks

[iggleypiggly]

Is it better for children to have full fat or diet drinks? I’m not meaning daily but on the occasion they have them. I’ve always thought that sugar is ‘better’ than sweetners, aspartame etc. Came up in discussion with friends today and I’m keen to hear if I’ve been doing it all wrong

I prefer sugar. Limited amount, clean teeth and you know where you are.
Sweeteners are still too new and untested. They make me ill too,

I would much prefer sugar, obviously not too much though. The exceptions are stevia and sugar alcohols (like xylitol and erythritol) because, unlike the others (esp. aspartame) there is no or little evidence to suggest that they are harmful. I am particularly opposed to aspartame.

I used to work in children’s health - diet versions are definitely better than sugar. We know for certain that sugar causes tooth decay, obesity, heart disease etc. Some people are sceptical about whether sweeteners are bad for your health but that’s yet to be conclusively proved (unlike sugar which is definitely bad). The biggest issue with diet drinks is that it can encourage a sweet tooth. Best drinks for children with that in mind are still water and milk.

Also - sweeteners in large quantities can upset children’s stomachs. But in small doses still better than sugar.

It's probably worth pointing out that there are very few soft drinks now that don't have artificial sweeteners. Regular coke and regular pepsi is pretty much it. Since the sugar levy was introduced in April (and for some time before) most "full fat" drinks have a combo of sugar and sweeteners.

I only have an eight month old, but surely you just give water to children? It may be my massive naivety but I don't plan on giving my child sugary drinks or diet versions.

For what it's worth though I am totally against sugar in drinks, and would much rather sweeteners.

Momotheathlete yes water is all that children want to ever drink, you're right
Just a little of either, I steer away from fizzy drinks with caffeine in though. (my children are primary age).

Full fat, occasionally and only a small amount. SiL is the opposite and her kids 5 and 3 have unlimited Diet Coke.

I favour limited amounts of the full sugar versions. Sweeteners are vile tasting non food.

I prefer proper sugar in the tiniest amounts.

Like I grew up holidays, birthdays and Christmas only, sort of thing.

But my eldest likes Fanta which is aspartame city, so I just look he other way simply because it's so infrequent.

And I have the same rules for myself. Full fat coke only a few times a year. Never sweeteners - hate the bitter taste even if it were proven to be healthier.

Thanks all that’s really interesting and food for thought.
momo good luck with getting to the teen years with no juice/squash and only water

Off topic, but I hate the term "full fat" when referring to cola etc. There's no fat in it, you mean "full sugar"!

I think TW called full fat because it causes obesity

Watered down proper fruit juice or sparkling water with orange and lemon slices in it?

I've been drinking "diet" fizzy drinks daily for 40 years starting with "tab" and "one cal" in the late 70's and then moving over to Coke and Pepsi when they introduced their "diet" ranges. I've had no ill effects in 40 years of drinking them daily. I started because I was grossly overweight as a child - I now weigh less than I did when I was a teenager! I have great teeth as a result, still white, only 1 or 2 fillings, no extractions - not bad for a 55 year old! If aspartame etc was bad for you, surely, after 40 years, there'd be some side effects by now??

I hate sweeteners, and have always preferred to offer sugar drinks on the odd occasions my dc had them when younger, I know what affect sugar has on the body, I have no idea what long term usage of sweeteners will do (people do seem to use sweetened drinks as an excuse to drink loads). I recently contacted Jamie Oliver asking if he had expected his campaign against sugar to result in the mass inclusion of sweeteners in drinks and food, basically his reply was that in time he hopes that food and drink will become less sweet. Reading between the lines he was hoping the use of sugar would be reduced, not substituted wholeheartedly for artificial sweeteners.

Anecdotal evidence doesn't count.

You would not believe how many 40-a-day smokers claim it's what keeps them young!

Full sugar version kept as a special treat (once a month max)

We use diet versions. I don't like the sugar versions as I don't like the way they coat my teeth. Ds also has bad enamel on his adult molars (They grew in that way) so I don't want him taking in too much sugar either

We tried the sugar free cordials with my dc despite my reservations about aspartame. They can't stand the taste.

If it's full sugar anything it's very weak Ribena or Vimto but they might be off those when the new formulations reach us.

Ours do drink pure juices diluted about 1 part juice to 3 parts water several times a day.