AIBU to want to be free to choose to drink sugary shite if I want to?

[HodorHodorHodor]

Was in Subway earlier (yup IAdefU for that) and went over to get the drinks out of the fridge cabinet. Only choices were Pepsi max, diet Pepsi, club zero, 7up free. I had a bottle of water in the end, as I can't stand artificial sweeteners. Called over to my OH the choices (classy) and the guy behind the till said it wasn't Subway but Pepsi's fault and this was how it was going to be from now on. WTF? I get it's cheaper with the sugar tax etc but it seems to be more and more how this is going. I'd rather drink sugar than the chemicals pumped into the sugar free versions. Just feels like the element of choice is stealthily being removed. Tried a quick Google but couldn't see anything about this. I was still in the process of forgiving Subway for ditching Coke! I'm not about to combust with rage about it but just wondered what you all thought.

You can buy the sugar stuff in the supermarket

You really can’t because the actual recipes are being changed. Ribena is now only made with artificial sweeteners, lucozade is now only made with artificial sweeteners, it is VERY hard to find a squash without artificial sweeteners, nearly all the yogurts I looked at on Friday had artificial sweeteners.....

It's pretty difficult for me to find Fanta 0 is a small shop but the full sugar Fanta is always there.

But it isn’t ‘full sugar’ ALL Fanta is now made with sweeteners rather than sugar! Here are the ingredients for regular Fanta taken from the product description on the Ocado website.....

Additives Information:
Contains natural flavourings, Contains added preservatives, Contains added intense sweeteners. Contains added antioxidants

Full Product Name:
Sparkling Orange Fruit Drink with Sugar and Sweeteners

Storage:
Store cool and dry.
Best before end: See side of cap or bottle neck for date.
Allergen Information
Allergens can be found in the ingredients list
Free From Celery, Free From Cereals Containing Gluten, Free From Crustaceans, Free From Eggs, Free From Fish, Free From Gluten, Free From Lupin, Free From Milk, Free From Molluscs, Free From Mustard, Free From Nuts, Free From Peanuts, Free From Sesame, Free From Soya, Free From Sulphur Dioxide/Sulphites
Ingredients
Allergy Advice: For allergens see highlighted ingredients
Carbonated Water, Sugar, Orange Juice from Concentrate (3.7%), Citrus Fruit from Concentrate (1.3%), Citric Acid, Vegetable Extracts (Carrot, Pumpkin), Sweeteners (Acesulfame K, Sucralose), Preservative (Potassium Sorbate), Malic Acid, Acidity Regulator (Sodium Citrate), Stabiliser (Guar Gum), Natural Orange Flavourings with other Natural Flavourings, Antioxidant (Ascorbic Acid)

"But it isn’t ‘full sugar’ ALL Fanta is now made with sweeteners rather than sugar! Here are the ingredients for regular Fanta taken from the product description on the Ocado website....."

Ok, the full calorie one then. The sweeteners in 'regular' Fanta are not to do with the sugar tax are they?

The sweeteners in 'regular' Fanta are not to do with the sugar tax are they?

They definitely are. Less sugar in product, so no tax, and they substitute with sweeteners instead.

Please tell me Ribena is still ok?!

Oh for fucks sake Ribena. That was my last treat squash!!!!!!!!!!!!

Regular fanta in the UK has contained sweeteners for years, so not related to the sugar tax, more likely to be related to it being far cheaper for manufacturers to use sweeteners than sugar.

We have a bottle of Ribena. I knew it tasted weird. And I have had 3 headaches this week, and not known why.

It doesn't say on the front that there are sweeteners in it. So wrong. At least all the other bottles say 'made with sugar and sweeteners'.

There's no change to the front of their label. Misleading. Very wrong.

I tweeted Ribena, but they say they've listened to consumers about wanting sweeteners instead of sugar, and they feel it's the right thing to do.

First world problem I know, but fucking hell, leave the fucking drinks alone!!!!!!!!

being far cheaper for manufacturers to use sweeteners than sugar

Yes, this too.

I got a nasty shock with ribena this week, could tell instantly that it had sweeteners in, assumed I'd bought the wrong one, but label from the front identical.
I've emailed them and asked for a refund as there's no way I'm drinking it!
I'm glad I'm now 37 weeks pregnant, all I could stomach for the first 12 odd weeks to drink was proper ribena.

Think I'll be sticking to belvoir elderflower cordial from now on...

As opposed to full sugar fizzy drinks which are just great, I suppose???

In moderation, yes they are fine. Why wouldn't they be? I was referring to all diet foods anyway, not just drinks. They are a scam. Not healthy in any way and evidence shows that they actually lead to weight gain. We don't know the long term effects of consuming these chemicals in large amounts. If people are effected by them short term as evidenced in this thread, then it's naive to think there aren't any.

"Why wouldn't they be?"

Because they're full of sugar and calories, bad for your teeth and cause overweight.
Yes, almost anything is fine in moderation, but it's not as if full sugar drinks are healthy.

" evidence shows that they actually lead to weight gain. "

No, this evidence is not conclusive at all.

"We don't know the long term effects of consuming these chemicals in large amounts. "

That's true, but we do know the long term effects of consuming the full sugar ones and they're not good either.

Because they're full of sugar and calories, bad for your teeth and cause overweight.
Yes, almost anything is fine in moderation, but it's not as if full sugar drinks are healthy.

I never said they were healthy but in my opinion they are healthier than diet versions. The vast majority of people who drink full sugar drinks on occasion don't experience any of these things though. I should be able to have the choice to consume them if I want to. I'm not an idiot, I know that in excess they are bad for you, that's why I make the choice not to drink them every day. Most people make the same choice.

What about "unhealthy' food which is also fine in moderation? Should that be phased out and replaced with diet versions too?

"but in my opinion they are healthier than diet versions."

Full sugar damages your teeth and makes you fat with all the health risks that come with that.

Versus the diet alternative where there are POSSIBLY some issues with some sweeteners.

I can see why you might not like diet drinks, but to say that full sugar ones are healthy is just silly.

And you do still have the choice to buy the full sugar ones, they're in the supermarkets. The fact that your drink of choice is not available in Subway is not a real problem is it?

"What about "unhealthy' food which is also fine in moderation? Should that be phased out and replaced with diet versions too?"

There are 'diet' options available for many foods, lower calorie bread, skimmed milk, for example.

And you do still have the choice to buy the full sugar ones, they're in the supermarkets.

No, things like Ribena no longer have full sugar options, similar for lemonade, most cordials etc.

There are 'diet' options available for many foods, lower calorie bread, skimmed milk, for example.

The key word there is options, you can choose between different options. The complaint here is that options are being taken away.

But sugar doesn't make you fat.

Sugar eaten in excess makes you fat.

Carrots can make you fat if you eat them in excess.

And you do still have the choice to buy the full sugar ones, they're in the supermarkets.

And as several of us have said repeatedly THEY ARE NOT AVAILABLE IN THE SUPERMARKETS the manufacturers have changed the recipes. It’s not that I don’t like sweeteners...it’s the fact that they give me very bad diarrhoea often accompanied by vomiting. I am under medical instruction not to eat/drink anything contains artificial sweeteners.

I'd like to buy full sugar Ribena - could anyone, (maybe Gwenhwyfar?) tell me where I can buy it?

Or full sugar squash? Ordinary squash, not premium? Or Lemonade? I haven't had lemonade in years, can you find me full suagr Lemonade please?

I can see why you might not like diet drinks, but to say that full sugar ones are healthy is just silly.

Except I never said they were healthy did I? I clearly said they aren't but that IMO they are better than diet versions.

So what if they aren't healthy, in moderation there are no problems associated with them. It's up to me and anyone else to make the choice about what they eat/drink whether it's healthy or not.

And you do still have the choice to buy the full sugar ones, they're in the supermarkets. The fact that your drink of choice is not available in Subway is not a real problem is it?

Its a problem for people who like to eat subway and drink a full sugar drink with it isn't it? I'm sure you'd be mildly peeved if somewhere you eat stopped selling diet drinks.plus, as others have pointed out, it's becoming increasingly hard to find drinks with just sugar and no added sweeteners, even in the supermarkets in the UK.

Anyway, this doesn't effect me because I live in the US where most restaurants provide unlimited soft drinks including gasp full sugar ones. Guess what I usually have one and then stop because I am able to exercise self control. I'm not overweight and my teeth aren't falling out.

can you find me full suagr Lemonade please?

We gave up after 7up changed their recipe too. But, Waitrose do their own lemonade.

www.waitrose.com/ecom/products/waitrose-lemonade-with-spanish-lemon-juice/058905-29642-29643

Or cloudy lemonade:

www.waitrose.com/ecom/products/waitrose-cloudy-lemonade/058918-29652-29653

Thank god for Waitrose. Hope they don't change the recipes!

@KatyMac at the moment Waitrose Lemonade with Spanish Lemon Juice 2L is free from artificial sweeteners, Rocks organic black currant is the only straight black currant without sweeteners I’ve found but it is a lot more expensive than ribena and has been out of stock at Ocado for some time now - probably because it’s the only one without sweeteners. Bottle Green Cordials are free from artificial anything but don’t come cheap and tend to be ‘fancy’ flavours.

The situation is totally ridiculous. Sugary drinks in moderation don’t make people fat or cause tooth decay.

There's a lovely gap in the market now for sugary drinks!

Our local waitrose still has blackcurrant cordial without sweeteners. The elderflower one has disappeared over the last few weeks so I'm hoping it's not just because they're running down the stock

I'm like you Bugger. awful tummy issues when I have them

I have multiple intolerances - I tried a strawberry & rasberry cordial yesterday & today I'm bleeding (despite no artificials) - you get scared to try new things and relay on your usuals (Ribena - haha, wouldn't ended up with a week in bed if I'd had the new stuff)

Waitrose here I come (dunno where the nearest is, but I'll find out)

I can also drink Welsh's white grape & peach but they discontinued that too & I can't even have the coke/pepsi from the tap, it has to be bottled/canned

This is so shit

Went to TGI fridays and they now only offer free refills on diet drinks not full sugar.

YANBU. All this is going to do is make me drink less full stop. I can't drink sweeteners as it gives me headaches and I don't drink water.

I don't know if France has different regulations , but Fanta etc over there still has sugar in, not sweetners. Some entrepreneur could start importing it!