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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

To want to be able to buy drinks without sweetener in them?

189 replies

LittleMissGerardButlerfan · 08/08/2013 11:47

I have noticed that lots of drinks now have it in, even the ones which aren't low sugar.

I hate the aftertaste of them, and they give me terrible wind Blush

I don't drink tea or coffee so drink squash, but even they seem to be getting harder to find without it. I like high juice but the low sugar ones are getting more and more and it's sometimes hard to find a normal one. A lot of squashes like Robinsons have it in all their squashes.

And fizzy drinks like fanta and sprite have it, the low sugar and the normal ones now!

So AIBU to want to buy drinks with sugar in instead? Yes I know you shouldn't have too much, and try to not drink too much but I would like to have a drink of it sometimes.

My not so darling husband says that sweetener has been proved to be fine and doesn't affect people so I basically must be making it up Hmm

OP posts:
AppleYumYum · 08/08/2013 15:03

YANBU x 1 Million! I absolutely cannot stand artificial sweetener and the after taste, not to mention they are carcinogenic‎. Fine if I was buying diet soft drink or cordial then I would expect it, but the normal versions should not have them added or should be clearly labelled on the front as containing them. You have to read the labels very carefully. Makes me furious that even a gin and tonic tastes awful because the tonic mixer the pub used has it in there, I mean is tonic water so sugar laden it needs it, there is diet tonic water if people really want that, leave the normal tonic alone? I was trying to buy a bottle of lemonade for Pimms the other weekend and could not find any in the whole supermarket without sweeteners in them. Gives me the rage!!!

BrianButterfield · 08/08/2013 15:07

Barley water has sweetener in now :(

I couldn't find one lemon squash without sweetener anywhere. So annoying.

MrsMook · 08/08/2013 15:25

I could have written the OP. I mainly drink very weak Hi Juice. Tea and Coffee are rank, too much juice is not good for my digestive system (DS1 is very sensitive to it, and it seems to give DS2 nappy rash) I dislike milk (DS1 is allergic). Water just seems to sit heavily in my stomach.

I get the foul lingering after taste and often headaches if I have too much aspartamine. I hadn't realised Drench had joined the dark side (not had one for a while). I would rather mindfully consume sugar than sweetners which I think lull people into a false sense of healthiness. I'd wondered why Capri Sun gets a slagging on here when it's a pretty clean drink.

My tipple in a pub is Lime and Soda. Not sweetner free but much more diluted than the other soft drinks. I don't get on with the Pepsi range, and find the likes of Britvic 55 and J2O too claggy. I went off J2O the day it killed my apetite when I drank a bottle during a long wait for food. It's like concentrate!

Thumbwitch · 08/08/2013 15:31

MrsMook I always order J2O in a pint glass topped up with soda water. Takes the edge off it! It is very concentrated.

Rootatoot · 08/08/2013 15:32

YADNBU and glad I'm not the only one! I don't 'get' the whole fruit shoot thing. I'd much rather ds has bit of sugar occasionally than aspartame. Think other Parents think I'm weird here. Or just a bit of a hippy Grin

Oldraver · 08/08/2013 15:34

Brian Rocks do a lemon squash

manticlimactic · 08/08/2013 15:44

Drench has stevia in it. I can just about put up with the Cranberry & Raspberry one. I can't drink any low cal drinks normally.

SisterMonicaJoan · 08/08/2013 16:04

Original Ribena is ok but I seem to recall that their new "Immunity / Strong bones" range contains Aspartame...

SisterMonicaJoan · 08/08/2013 16:04

Original Ribena is ok but I seem to recall that their new "Immunity / Strong bones" range contains Aspartame...

Original poster
LittleMissGerardButlerfan · 08/08/2013 17:56

I think Stevia is in Sprite too, the orange drench tastes horrible now, haven't tried the other ones since I realized they now have it in them.

I agree with others that is should be made clearer on the drinks that aren't low sugar that they contain it as its not obvious and before I would just buy something assuming it didn't have it in, now I check everything.

OP posts:
Tee2072 · 08/08/2013 18:02

Aspertame is not banned in the US, BTW. There was further studies about it, but any ban that was put in place years ago, has been lifted.

23balloons · 08/08/2013 18:31

YANBU I agree with everyone who hates sweeteners & refuse to but drinks with them in. I buy 7 up, full sugar ribena, organic lemon squash & occasionally Sainsburys high juice. Also I don't think it is in Limonata ( imported from Italy) but us is really expensive. Most of the alternatives are expensive but ok if only drunk occasionally. I got some AME sparkling juices the other day too which don't contain anything artificial & I buy the Schlor (sp?) sparking juices. The normal & flavoured lucozades (not the sport ones) aren't too bad either.

I would definitely sign a petition but as long as the majority of people keep buying the artificial stuff I doubt manufacturers will change. My kids usually drink organic milk/water or freshly squeezed juices & they are 10 & 12, they know my feelings on these horrible drinks. Ds2 recently turned down fizzy drinks at a party & asked for water.

chocolateicecream · 08/08/2013 18:35

I like rocks cordial with soda water. I hate AS too.

BrianButterfield · 08/08/2013 18:46

Nowhere round here has lemon Rocks! Grr. I did get a crate of Limonata from Makro which worked out quite reasonable.

Original poster
LittleMissGerardButlerfan · 08/08/2013 18:51

I have submitted a government e-petition for clearer labelling on food and drink which contain sweeteners especially drinks which aren't low sugar, or those which didn't have it in previously but now do.

It takes up to 7 days to be checked so if it gets approved I will set up a link if anyone would like to sign it. Never set up a petition before and even it gets approved it needs 100,000 signatures to even get looked at so I won't hold my breath but at least I tried :)

OP posts:
TimrousBeastie · 08/08/2013 18:54

tesco hi juice apple and the orange one are free from aspartame.
I was in morrisons earlier and couldn't find one diluting juice without sweeteners-ended up with lots of fruit juice instead.

Coffeenowplease · 08/08/2013 18:58

I used to really enjoy the odd sprite until the scrapped the sugar for sweetener Sad

23balloons · 08/08/2013 18:59

Thanks littlemiss let us know if it is approved. Maybe mumsnet would even back it?

brianbutterfield it is becoming harder to find the Rocks lemon squash now which is a shame as I really like it. I got an organic lemon cordial by Belvoir fruit farms in Waitrose but I couldn't find that in my local one the other day either :(

It seems most of the non artificial drinks are either imported or organic it is ridiculous.

Original poster
LittleMissGerardButlerfan · 08/08/2013 19:02

Yes I have noticed Morrisons seem to have mostly low sugar varieties or ones which aren't low sugar but still have sweetener in.

There are some places you can get high juice without it in but the choice is getting less and less.

I can get high juice in our big sainsburys and asda and M&S but the small tesco only has sugar free ones and Morrisons hardly has any.

OP posts:
breatheslowly · 08/08/2013 19:03

I think it might be genetic whether or not you taste sweeteners as anything other than sweet. I don't, but I have friends who can taste it.

Original poster
LittleMissGerardButlerfan · 08/08/2013 19:04

Thanks I will 23balloons how would I go about asking Mumsnet to possibly back it if its approved do you know? That would be great if they would consider it :)

OP posts:
Rolandrova · 08/08/2013 19:04

I hate it too...they put it in baked beans and spaghetti numbers and all sorts now and it's vile.

Also Robinsons squash makes ds2 (6yo and dry for at least 3 years) wet the bed, every time Hmm

23balloons · 08/08/2013 19:09

I don't know how you get them to back it? Maybe somebody who reads this thread does? Maybe you report & us the message to ask them? Hopefully someone will read this & let us know? I suppose the more support you get the more likely?

I hate artificial sweeteners so I really hope it comes to something :)

PhallicGiraffe · 08/08/2013 19:35

Why not just drink water? It's so much better for you without sugar or sweetener, no weird caffeine effects. And very refreshing!

Original poster
LittleMissGerardButlerfan · 08/08/2013 19:37

I do drink water sometimes but find as it has no taste I don't drink enough so need some squash or something sometimes :)

OP posts:
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