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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

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Original poster

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

324 replies

HodorHodorHodor · 17/03/2018 19:34

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.

OP posts:

waterlily200 · 25/03/2018 19:29

Same happened to me in Pizza Hut,I was so disappointed. It was my first proper time out of the house after having a baby and being coke/caffeine free for months and all they had was sugar free. The waitress said that's the new policy. It was .y treat and I couldn't make that choice for myself :(

Pasithea · 25/03/2018 19:32

I’m diabetic got stuck the other day and went to three shops before I could find anything. Lucozade was my go to especially the orange one.

So another tax for being sick.

soulrider · 25/03/2018 19:53

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!

Spain is the same, love going on holiday and having shandy made with lemon fanta in a glass straight from the freezer.

bruffin · 25/03/2018 19:58

I miss proper lemon fanta. I used really like nestea in The Netherlands , that changed over here a couple if years ago, not sure if still the same in The Netherlands. Our local turkish supermarket has a few iced teas but i think they have stevia in it.

MeganChips · 25/03/2018 21:06

I personally only drink sugar free fizzy drinks if I’m going to have one because I don’t like the taste of the full sugar ones, they make my teeth feel sticky and leave me feeling thirstier than when I started but to take away the choice is ridiculous.

My knowledge has been dragged up from my degree many years ago so I’m happy to be corrected if I’m wrong but I believe it’s the phenylalanine in aspartame in particular that causes people problems.

It’s actually a naturally occurring amino acid but in much higher quantities in sweeteners. If sweeteners taste awful to you it’s because the ability to taste it is genetic. My mother can’t drink anything diet as to her it tastes revolting but I’m fine with it.

People can also be sensitive to phenylalanine and it can cause headaches, tremors etc.

I suspect it’s one of those things you are sensitive to or you’re not. If you’re not you’ll (hopefully!) be fine drinking diet drinks but it’s no fun for those who are.

And there are obviously issues for diabetics.

It will make no difference to obesity levels and it’s probably just an excuse to tax us more. Let people be adults and choose. There is plenty of other crap out there to make people fat.

soulrider · 25/03/2018 21:32

Causes some people problems no doubt. But intestinal effects of other sweeteners like sorbitol and xylitol are well documented (they even put a warning on the packets of sweets). People with bowel issues can be sensitive to even small amounts.

Gwenhwyfar · 26/03/2018 09:14

"I personally only drink sugar free fizzy drinks if I’m going to have one because I don’t like the taste of the full sugar ones, they make my teeth feel sticky and leave me feeling thirstier than when I started but to take away the choice is ridiculous."

Same here, but those of us who like the diet drinks currently don't have the choice very often. If there's only one option it's the full sugar one. Nobody complained on our behalf then, now with things changing to the diet drinks there are complaints about choice.

Idontdowindows · 26/03/2018 10:10

Nobody complained on our behalf then

was it the job of people who liked the drinks to complain on your behalf then? Wasn't that something you could have done yourself?

soulrider · 26/03/2018 10:23

I'm wondering where Gwenhwyfar has been going for the past 10 years where they've not had diet options.

Gwenhwyfar · 26/03/2018 13:17

soulrider - It happens very often that there are no diet options and if there are only diet coke/pepsi max. The Fanta zero I mentioned above is hard to find not in supermarkets, for example. The diet Seven Up also difficult to find. Cafes I go to often don't stock the diet option either.

Gwenhwyfar · 26/03/2018 13:18

Soulrider - also my local corner shop, coke is the only diet option, no diet options of any other drinks and I'd have to go to a bigger shop for it.

Gwenhwyfar · 26/03/2018 13:18

"was it the job of people who liked the drinks to complain on your behalf then? Wasn't that something you could have done yourself?"

I suppose I'm not entitled enough to think that access to my favourite drinks wherever I go is a human right.

BarbaraofSevillle · 26/03/2018 13:27

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

I had to go to three supermarkets last time I wanted diluting juice without sweeteners - finally found some in Morrisons - own brand high juice, I don't know if it's still the same, as changes seem to be recent and this was last autumn.

We don't buy it normally but I wanted some for a party where there would be DCs coming and I knew we would get left with most of it so it had to be proper full sugar because neither or us like artificial sweetners.

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

^^ This. If you are consuming enough sweetened drinks that the calories are significant, you need to cut down, not switch to revolting artificially sweetened shite.

If I have a can off fizz in the UK, I usually have lemon or pomegranate san pellegrino, one of the few ones without sweeteners that's not coke. They better not mess with that. I had noticed that Spanish lemon fanta was sweetener free, unlike the UK.

Idontdowindows · 26/03/2018 15:53

I suppose I'm not entitled enough to think that access to my favourite drinks wherever I go is a human right.

That was not the point I made. The point I made was that apparently the people who are now speaking out about wanting sugary drinks, should have done your job for you and have spoken out about diet drinks.

If you want something, you need to speak up about it, and find like-minded people to speak up about it. Not wait around and then try to blame people who ARE speaking up about an issue for not speaking up about yours.

Notwellbitch · 26/03/2018 16:56

It happens very often that there are no diet options and if there are only diet coke/pepsi max. The Fanta zero I mentioned above is hard to find not in supermarkets, for example. The diet Seven Up also difficult to find.

It's probably based on demand. Ive never even heard of fanta zero. Why would places stock something that not many people buy? There is a huge demand for sweetener free drinks. It make no sense to restrict their availability. Obese people will still be obese (incidentally the overweight people I know all drink diet drinks anyway)

Gwenhwyfar · 27/03/2018 00:11

"There is a huge demand for sweetener free drinks. It make no sense to restrict their availability. "

Oh, so YOUR drink should not be restricted, but mine should?

"incidentally the overweight people I know all drink diet drinks anyway"

Yes, but you're not trying to argue that the diet drinks are what causes them to be overweight are you? They'd be even more overweight if they drank the full sugar ones.

Gwenhwyfar · 27/03/2018 00:12

"try to blame people who ARE speaking up about an issue for not speaking up about yours."

I haven't done that, you've probably taken me too literally. My point was that those of us who like diet drinks have to go without most of the time as usually when there's only one option it's the full sugar one. Now it's the other way around everyone seems to be up in arms so it's obviously not about choice.

MrsDilber · 27/03/2018 00:41

Yanbu. I agree.

blackteasplease · 27/03/2018 00:48

I don't like the sweeteners either.

I don't drink alot of fizzy drinks though - mainly water, tea, coffee and alcohol.

cannotmakemymindup · 27/03/2018 01:07

Found some 'full fat' Ribena today in Lidl - really had to look, newer gross sweetener stuff was in front. I intend to go back and buy the rest of the decent stuff tomorrow although I already got four bottles. Going to be rationing it out.
Just in case anybody else wants to find the good stuff to. Just check the easy how much sugar label, if it says 11g it's the new sweetener version.

Notwellbitch · 27/03/2018 02:33

Oh, so YOUR drink should not be restricted, but mine should?

Is that what I said? I don't think so. I don't want to consume sweeteners but I don't care if other people do. Taking away the option of full sugar or adding sweeteners to previously full sugar drinks is taking the choice away

randomsabreuse · 27/03/2018 06:49

I guess the problem is that as the "normal" drinks are neither diet not full fat as the have both sweetener and sugar! So no-one is happy...

BuggerOffAndGoodDayToYou · 27/03/2018 07:26

Oh, so YOUR drink should not be restricted, but mine should?

Literally no one has said that! A good friend of mine only drinks diet drinks I’ve never known her have trouble buying one... I however was reduced to only drinking water when we went out for lunch yesterday.

Try looking at the “Ribena shelf” in your local supermarket. You’ll see two different bottles, one will say “no added sugar”, the other won’t say anything so you will assume “full fat”. Now read the ingredients and see the artificial sweeteners which aren’t mentioned anywhere else on the bottle.

All the posters on here who, like me, have discovered (painfully) that these sweeteners make us unwell aren’t making it up you know. I can’t even use throat lozenges for a sore throat! (Well I did a couple of years ago and spent the afternoon in the bathroom as a result).

I also note that that Daily Fail aren't picking up on this one despite the genuine health concerns raised.........

bruffin · 27/03/2018 08:04

Thete have always been diet drinks.Bust putting AS including stevia in any food or drink should be labled in big letters on the front as a "diet product"

StormTreader · 27/03/2018 10:13

I had my first experience of the new system at the weekend - went to the pub with a friend, went to order a diet coke/pepsi "we only have Pepsi Max or full sugar coke".
I cant have Pepsi Max as it gives me bad anxiety (having to leave work early, hand-wringing anxiety - THAT was a fun one to try and work out) but diet Pepsi is fine. "Weve stopped stocking that now, Pepsi Max is the only diet coke we stock".

So thanks to the new sugar tax, I had my first full sugar coke in probably 5 years.

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