To be pissed off with soft drinks manufacturers trying to fob us off with artificial sweeteners?

[jennieflower]

Yep, not a big deal in the grand scheme of things but it's my birthday today, I'm working tomorrow and have 2 DC to deal with in the morning so can't have a big drink but I thought a few glasses of pimms and lemonade might be a nice mid week treat. I bought a bottle of normal, not diet lemonade at the weekend, tried a glass yesterday but poured it away because it tasted of artificial sweeteners, on the way home from work tonight I trawled the supermarket for a bottle of regular lemonade but couldn't find any, I settled for a bottle of Schweppes thinking it might be ok but it tastes like shit, even with loads of pimms.

I can taste artificial sweeteners a mile off and they taste crap! Is it just me? I understand that the chemical stuff is lots cheaper than regular sugar but I'd rather just pay the extra for a drink that tastes better and doesn't give me the shits.

I hate the stuff and can taste it a mile off and then the stomach aches start so it is something I avoid. I used to drink sprite but they added sweeteners to it so for now I drink 7up, until they change it

I hate the taste of them too, but they're getting harder and harder to avoid. Sainsburys own brand lemonade doesn't have any, but if I want a fizzy drink when out and about, I usually stick to coke.

I love schwepps tastes good to me

Annoys me too! Even the normal drinks of tango, sprite etc now have it in. Leave the normal drinks alone, there is low sugar ones available.

Even walkers prawn cocktail crisps have it in

M&S lemonade doesn't have any in thankfully, but I always check bottles now. I was gutted when sprite started putting it in.

It's horrible, isn't it? I've found many a g&t ruined by tonic that now has sweetener in it. Luckily found Waitrose own brand tonic is fine.

Is it a price issue? I think sweetener is cheaper than sugar.

Yep, me too and lemonade is the worst for it.

My extensive research concludes that Waitrose own make zesty lemonade and the even more superior cloudy lemonade available in cans and bottles is the best sweetener free lemonade on the market. And cheap enough too, I got 6 cans at the weekend for £1.40 and a small bottle is about 80p!

Artificial sweeteners are pure evil. The aftertaste lingers all day and they cause cancer!! They sneek into everything now. That and glucose fructose instead of sugar. Eurgh.

YANBU. Sweeteners give me thumping headaches, and an unquenchable thirst. I'm finding it harder and harder to avoid them. I'd rather mindfully have a sugar packed drink than fob myself off that the chemicals are healthier because they're low calorie.

DM bought some squash at the weekend. I'd requested sugar, no sweeteners, but she got confused by the boasts of no artificial colours and preservatives on the front. She tried!

Sweeteners really set off my IBS, so yes I agree.

Morrisons own brand lemonade is free of artificial sweeteners.

Apart from Coke & Pepsi, the only fizzy drinks I've found without sweeteners are San Pellegrino, Orangina and a drink called Rio which I get from Costco.

Squash-wise Sainsbury and Waitrose don't put any in their Hi Juice ones. They've even put sweeteners in J2O now so I can't drink that either.

What interests me is that drinks like Fanta don't have sweeteners in France, but they do here. What's that about?

I'm so surprised by the responses here. I thought more people would be defending sweeteners. I can't stand the stuff, and I'm very pleased to learn about M&S and Waitrose lemonade. I already knew Sainsbury's was good for no sweeteners in own brand non-diet drinks.

I've a chemist friend who won't touch sweeteners with a barge pole.

I'm don't think I have IBS but any drinks with sweeteners send me running to the loo, I've found that as a general rule, robinsons squash, supermarket hi juice etc is usually ok if it has a green lid, but anything with a blue lid contains artificial sweeteners so I avoid them. There doesn't seem to be any easy way to determine fizzy drinks though

I buy ds2 blackcurrant hi juice from lidl which doesn't contain sweeteners.

I thought I was a loony for thinking this with the anti-sugar brigade at the moment but I'm glad to discover not!
Yy to robinson squash with the green lid and m&s regular pop.
Sweeteners cause no end of trouble for mine and DP's tums :(

I prefer sweeteners in things, tbh. I realise I am in a minority but I like the taste. Plus sugary drinks are way too sweet for me.

www.robinsonssquash.co.uk The Robinson's squash has sweeteners in. Even the one WITH sugar.

I don't mind them, but if you don't like them then it must be a pain!
Why won't your chemist friend touch them?

Whoops - that was to Scholes.

I have noticed its getting more difficult to buy for the dc, it's in almost everything

Another one here who can't stand them. It's really hard to avoid them. We like Fever Tree Tonic, mercifully sweetener free. I find that any of the "normal" tonics are so sweet with that horrible lingering aftertaste that they ruin a meal.

I prefer them to sugar. If I didn't, I would probably mix pure fruit juice with sparkling water.

Get some Rocks Lemon Squash (or any of the Rocks, Blossom Cottage BottleGreen) and use sparking water to dilute.

DoJo - I think because there's no long term evidence that they're not harmful. For me, it's just a question of taste.