I don't like aspartame, it leaves a foul taste in my mouth for hours and makes me horribly thirsty. It doesn't like me and gives me thumping headaches. I'd rather get a dehydration headache as it's easier to shift.
Is it toxic? Probably not, but it offers little health benefit and cons people into thinking they're making healthier choices than they are, and is a very dubious tool in an obesengenic world.
I don't like the way that it and other sweetners are getting harder to avoid. The last time I bought Vimto, the recipe had changed and put something in that tastes like soap water.
I like an occasional red label coke. I know it's a dose of empty calories and no good for my pancreas. But when I have a drink of it, I'm not kidding myself that I'm giving myself a health tonic. For some reason, there seems to be more people drinking large quanities of the diet versions. They're low calorie, so what's the harm? Except they seem to be very tough to give up with rather unpleasant side effects. More so than from coffee or tea. (Personal observations there!)
The rise of sweeteners is not stemming rises in obesity and diabetes. They disagree with many people. They haven't been tried over a lifetime yet. They have little health benefit even if they are not causing harm to most people.
I prefer to avoid them. My children come across them (e.g.at parties), and I won't ban them if they're not reacting to them. But where reasonable, I do label check to minimise our consumption.