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

[LittleMissGerardButlerfan]

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

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

I don't choose them to rehydrate, I choose them for a change from water or tea, or when I am out as I don't want to drink alcohol and there is only so much water I can take, Navel. I don't drink juice either due to the acidity. When I am not feeling well I often fancy a Coke but it is not the Coke I remember, it has changed beyond recognition and is nasty, tastes of cinnamon too, which only makes me feel worse.

Not everyone wants to drink water, especially water that has traces of old meds and hormones in it, or tap water that makes kitchen surfaces turn brown like ours does.

I am finding it increasingly difficult to find lemonade without sweeteners. I was buying the cans from lldl but now they have stopped. I am now forced to pay the extra for 7up as that's all that seems to be available

I've been avoiding all artificial sweeteners for years now and I find those which have sugar usually much too sweet. If I do buy then it's Bottle Green or a local organic one and I dilute very very heavily.

I'd love an adult non alcoholic drink I could order down the pub when I'm driving too.

Water is nice but it gets a bit boring when that is all that you can have.

Yep they really flare my ibs it sucks.

It's pretty easy to make your own cordial if you've time, I make a citrus one as follows;
6 lemons / limes / oranges mix, zest juice and chop, throw into a pan of 3 pints just boiled water, stir in 5lbs sugar and a large teaspoon citric acid, leave over night, strain and bottle, it'll keep for a month.
You can add other fruits, or mint, experiment. It's very nice dashed into g&t

I do make my own sometimes and I've just been experimenting with fruit shrubs which are delicious mixed with gin or even white wine.

I'm now really stuck down the local pub as they've started providing San Pellegrino water which, as part of Nestle, is on my personal boycott list

@Lizardtoes after zesting and juicing, what do you chop? And do you add the juice to the hot water? Or the following day?

Sorry I wasn't very clear, chop the remaining bits of fruit after you've zested and juiced it, whole lot goes in the pan, juice, zest, and the mangled remains. pectin from the pith helps act as a preservative. It can be a bit bitter so add more sugar or a dollop of honey if it's not to your liking

I don't think it is banned in the US

The sugar tax comes in next April, so the products are being reformulated to avoid a price hike at the till.
Retailers don't want to put a bottle of drink up by 50p, manufacturers can't afford to absorb the tax as they don't make that much profit on the product, so sweetners are the solution.

Thank you lizard I'm going to try that sounds good.

Just found this as I'm out with stepson and bought a vimto drink thinking it was safe - googled vimto and they've started putting sucralose and something else in!

I buy Waitrose own brand tonic water, lemonade and ginger beer as it's quite reasonably priced and about the only sweetener free drinks I can find

I think it's because the govt are ordering food and drink manufacturers to reduce the calories and sugar content in their products.

The easy way to do this is bang it full of sweeteners.

But it's shit from so many perspectives.

SoPassRemarkable it's disgusting isn't it... even Tesco own brand hi-juice now has added artificial sweeteners, why bother stocking a "normal" version next to the "no added sugar" version if they're both pumped with crap!
I appreciate the government is just doing what it thinks is best and companies are responding in the most cost effective way... but surely it's more about education?? I grew up drinking water and if I wanted flavour I either had Ribena or diluted apple juice, I never ever had artificial sweeteners always sugar. As an adult my theory now is if I want a coke as a treat better to have a full sugar version than aspartame... I see overweight women stockpile Diet Coke and drink nothing but, thinking because it's low calorie it's fine and will make them lose weight when all they need to do is drink water! I think there needs to be a movement where legally companies have to say "with artificial sweeteners" on the front and "no added sugar" to start meaning there is literally no added sugar and no substitute sweeteners either.