To ask if no added sugar squash is really that bad?

[Supportingeachother1983]

I have a 2 year old who drinks diluted apple juice (1 part juice and 4 parts water) and a 6 year old who drinks rocks blackcurrant squash. The dentist was horrified when I told her this. She said they should be drinking no added sugar squash. My friends mostly use robinsons no added sugar for their DC. I had always been wary of sweetness though, my dad told me they are not good for us. How bad are they? I am thinking of changing to sugar free squash but something is telling me not too!

He must've been drinking loads to for the acidity have affected him like that. The sweetener wouldn't have.

The problem is when kids have access to the sugary drinks throughout the day this means their teeth are under constant attack from sugar. I give our son water he occassionally gets juice but my preferred option is always water.

I refuse to give my DS the no added sugar shite. There's nothing wrong with ordinary sugar, in moderation.

There's a hell of a lot wrong with aspartame and the other artificial manufactured sweeteners not least because they can cause migraines.
Years ago, people used to deny the link between smoking and cancer even when it was staring them in the face.

But if you want to put it in your shopping trolley, be my guest. It's entirely your choice.

We quit all squashes when I did some research in to colourings and effects on behaviour. Also effects on appetite. Now 100% water and all the children's behaviour was immediately calmer and started eating better at me meal times. Now they don't like squash as they tried some recently and said it tasted "weird". We've saved money and hassle too.

That sugar-free shit tastes disgusting. It's absolutely vile. The aftertaste! Yeuckkkkkkk

^^ I echo that, I can't drink anything with it in.

Wouldn't have artificial sweeteners in the house for the vile taste, worse aftertaste and a whole load of reasons, this sort of thing, www.huffingtonpost.com/robbie-gennet/donald-rumsfeld-and-the-s_b_805581.html

If juice was requested here by littlies, then it was served very diluted.

Squash isn't sugar in moderation. As a PP said its like adding 6 cubes of sugar to a glass of water. I have always had sugar free and assumed everyone did. It seems such an obvious replacement.

As for people denying cancer and smoking etc there have also been a billon things which have been alledged to cause cancer in the past which have turned out to be harmless- people don't ever think about that one

We've gone down the route of full fat drinks but in moderation. Both for still and fizzy.

Generally, at home they have water, sometimes juice and squash and rarely fizzy drinks.

When we go out they usual have one fizzy drink followed by water but as they're getting older we're letting them take more responsibility for choices (unless it's a cost factor, in which case we decide!).

I don't want them to think that because it's a 'diet' or 'healthier' version they can have an unlimited amount but learn to moderate their consumption.

What colourings are they runner? I have just checked my bottle
Of robinsons (must be the biggest brand?) and the colourings are all natural.

I was diagnosed with type 1 diabetes as a child. I've had sugar free drinks all my life. For many years you could only get Diet Coke or water if you went out so I drank an awful lot of Diet Coke too, pretty much exclusively for 3 years (as a way of coping with my condition in my teens as I hated water when my friends could have any choice from the menu) I'm otherwise fine. I know that's not the MN line on sugar free stuff though. As PP have said, I think you have to react to it, I can't say I notice any adverse effects. I don't get anything from the odd glass of Diet Coke now either, and as I don't drink tea or coffee I'm not worried about caffeine having a can with my lunch. Sugar free squash the rest of the time.

It was 4 years ago Adeleslostbeehive so really can't remember but now thinking it was also the preservatives that I looked in to, and just figured water was an all round genius solution!

Water is totally ideal. But some people don't like it. My DH only drinks squash he says he doesn't like water (which is odd as it tastes of nothing)

I like facts www.nhs.uk/Livewell/Goodfood/Pages/the-truth-about-aspartame.aspx rather than articles giving one persons opinion :)

nowt wrong with sweeteners on the whole

I don't think aspartame is that good for you actually.

Children are young enough to capture before it's too late!

I don't see the point of it. I have a 2 year old who doesn't know it exists. He drinks water because that's the only drink other than milk he's ever had.

I don't doubt if I started giving him squash - weak, sugar free or otherwise, that he would probably start rejecting water.

Really, why give your child unnecessary artificial sweeteners?

ghostyslovesheep interesting article thank you.

That article stated recommended daily intake of the said sweetners. Does anyone know how many mg of sweetners is in a glass of squash??

We buy the stuff with sugar in and use it very little. It's water most days and weak sugar squash occasionally.
The Aspartame gives Dh and thumping headache and leaves an after taste for me. So I don't buy it.

yes at 2 you have complete control over everything - not so much at 13! Kids grow up and start helping themselves to stuff and buying their own stuff - so I buy sugar free and steer them to do the same (for their teeths sake)

Also Ghost, there is NO aspartame in my robinsons. I wonder if the anti aspartame posters know of a brand that contains it?

I drink litres of the stuff heavily diluted (I don't really like water unless it's fizzy which is hard at work) and in however many years it's never hurt me, I run 50 miles a week and eat 5/6 portions of fruit and veg a day which I imagine has a bigger bearing on my health than incredibly diluted sugar free orange squash.

I'm not sure acesulfame + sucralose is any better than aspartame?

Personally I don't drink anything that is 'no added sugar' because I just cannot stand the taste of sweeteners (all of them, not just aspartame). Not allergic they just taste disgusting!

I'd rather drink water or nothing than no added sugar anything but that's just me.

well Lastqueen I imagine all those extra legs you have grown due to the nasty chemicals come in handy

I choose the sugar versions because sweeteners taste disgusting to me, they taste artificial and wrong. Same for fake 'butter' spreads.

It's not so much the tooth decay thing, just that they are artificial and while sugar is somewhat processed, it's not artificial.

I agree with the pp.

Milk or water. It's my one regret in what I did with dd. With food, I weaned her on fruit and vegetables and she's grown up to be a healthy eater. But I made the mistake of offering juices and cordials too early and she rarely drinks water now.