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.

If you actually look at the data www.gov.uk/government/statistics/ndns-results-from-years-7-and-8-combined , the median consumption of sugary drinks between the ages of 19-64 is 0.
As can be seen from this thread most folk have the occasional sugary drink, having two or three a week won't make you a obese but it seems some believe the pap they are fed on a daily basis by the anti everything mob.

so much worse than drinks full of calories that make you fat and sugar that makes your teeth fall out? I don't think so.

I’ve managed nearly 50 years of drinking full sugar squash and occasional fizzy drinks without being fat or having any problems with my teeth. My children are 14 and 20 and they also have full sugar drinks in MODERATION and are both stick thin, healthy and no dental issues!

Ooh bloody Nanny state, stopping us from smoking all the time, making us wear seatbelts and now reducing our sugar intake. How dare they

Ooh bloody Nanny state, stopping us from smoking all the time, making us wear seatbelts and now reducing our sugar intake. How dare they

Smoking harms others. Not wearing seatbelts harms others.

Drinking a sugary drink does absolutely no damage to anyone else.

Obesity is an issue and is costing the nhs millions, that’s why the state is stamping on smoking too as it costs millions to treat smokers.

I don’t think sweeteners are a good idea, but I’ve nothing to base that on! Drinking full tubs of sugary or artificially sweetened stuff isn’t a good idea either.

The odd full fat coke in a pub probably doesn’t do any harm. But that isn’t the problem they are trying to fix. I just don’t think they’ve found the fix....

My local KFC (T Wells) have stopped advertising normal pepsi, currently you have to ask for it but the cashier told me the plan is to get rid completely. I don't like the taste of sweeteners so won't pay for something I don't like, simple as that. I suppose this is what Action on Sugar/Jamie Oliver want.

Action on Sugar are also after muffins www.bbc.co.uk/news/health-43486072

why the state is stamping on smoking too as it costs millions to treat smokers.
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I'd look up how much smoking makes the state and how much smokers cost the state. You'd be surprised at how much smokers don't actually cost the state.

But smoking does harm other healthwise. As does not wearing a seatbelt (in a crash, the passenger in the back gets thrown forward for instance).

Drinking a can of coke does no harm to anyone else.

I'm in two minds on this, because on the one hand - yes, adults should be able to make decisions about their health and self-regulate their own consumption. On the other hand, there's little evidence on a societal level that we do, and meanwhile portion sizes and the amount of hidden sugar in food continue to climb. There's an article on the bbc this morning about a blueberry muffin which contains 7 teaspoons of sugar - a full day's adult intake, the same of a can of Coke.

Ultimately, there's only a couple of policy levers gov't can use. They can ban something; they can tax it; they can apply other market based instruments to manufacturers, and/or they can run information campaigns.

There's a gov't review of the food industry going on at the moment. Diabetes UK are campaigning for better labeling, so that people can make informed choices. If you are concerned about further restrictions on the sale of sugary food, then better labeling is probably going to be the main policy alternative. With that in mind, you might want to consider supportting their campaign?

www.diabetes.org.uk/get_involved/campaigning/food-upfront-campaign

I don't work for Diabetes UK, but like others on this thread, have friends and family with T2.

YANBU
On the extremely rare occasions my kids have a fizzy drink (and we're talking in times per year) I prefer them to have sugar than artificial sweeteners.

I hate sweeteners. Hate is not a word I use very often, but I detest, loathe, etc. etc. the artificial and cloying taste of them.

"Proper" alternatives which a lot of pubs seem to stock are either Appletiser or Orangina, though I think Orangina might be changing recipes soon.

Is there even any actual science behind this whole "Sugar is poison!!!!" campaign anyway? I understand as a nation we are struggling with obesity. But it seems to me like everything I see against sugar is just part of hippy woo sites which have a dubious grasp on reality to begin with. This whole idea that sugar is a drug which would be banned if it were discovered today seems utterly bonkers to me. Is it a thing or is it more handwaving and "Oooh, chemicals!" ?

I do see concerns about hidden sugar BTW, and I don't think sugar needs to be added to everything, but sugary drinks and snacks - these are junk food anyway, there is a place for treats.

I hate sweeteners too.If I'm out and am thirsty I'll drink water,I only drink water at home,if I'm out at a pub and driving I'll have a treat full fat coke. Not very often.And I'd like to keep doing that -I'm not going to pay good money for uurgh tasting diet fizz.
So I can still buy alcohol,that well known health food,not to mention cakes,biscuits,ice cream,chocolate,haribo,but not squash/fizz with sugar,easily.
What I would like is for the amount of hidden sugar and salt in manufactured goods to be reduced,so that we can genuinely choose.If I could buy properly unsweetened drinks I could add sugar ( or sweeteners) to taste - I can see that's never going to happen,but I think it'd be good.( after all it works ok ith tea/coffee...)

These are the desired effects surely ??? why do people see this as a problem? Personally though as I have come to realise how bad fizzy drinks are, I now only really drink beer or wine in pubs. So I don't think they have lost out.

I am essentially teetotal so beer and wine is out. How would you feel if pubs only stocked no-alcohol versions of beer and wine? After all, alcohol is bad for you and alcoholism and drink-fuelled violence kills every day. It would only be a good thing, yes? You're totally ok with that? Or is the taste different, the quality inferior and you should get a choice as an adult?

I mostly drink water, unsweetened hot drinks (black coffee & green tea) and wine.

But occasionally I like a fizzy drink and if I want one then I don't want it to taste that chemically artificial sweetener way. I absolutely loathe the taste of sweeteners.

The only fizzy drinks I've found not to contain sweeteners recently is San Pellegrino and full fat CocaCola. So that is pretty much all I ever buy.

I cannot believe that the soft drink manufacturers are not giving a choice about this and that pretty much every drink is being changed to have sweeteners. Why can't they have the original recipes at a higher price or in a smaller size for those of us who want to pay for it?

I think we will look back at this government decision in a similar way to the advice to switch from butter to margarine. At least they didn't ban butter back then though.

On the rare occasions I have a can of full fat coke that’s what I want- FULL FAT full sugar full E numbers- all of it!!!!!! Wails...... im a size 8. I eat healthily why am I being punished for other people’s need for constant sugar?

It will be coffee next... only decaf

I personally genuinely like the taste of Pepsi Max fortunately but fully appreciate that's hardly the point. In many other drinks, where the recipe and balance of other flavourings is obviously different (cordials, milkshake syrup, fizz etc) the inclusion of artificial sweeteners is often very noticeable and rather unpleasant to say the least, sometimes it makes stuff truly unpalatable. And, as others have already said, it's not just about flavour but also about the potential side effects these sweeteners have for some of us - consequently, as someone with quite severe IBS, I can only consume sweeteners in moderation .... just as any sensible adult would also do in regard to sugar, deep fried food and so on.
What bothers me about all of this is the intelligence insulting removal of choice - as if adults who can't/don't want to ingest artificial sweetener can't be trusted to decide upon these matters for themselves and enjoy the occasionally indulgence of a sugary drink. Obviously, it can't be denied that obesity is a significant problem but it's rarely about 'simple' greed (and more often due to other underlying issues), and therefore making it harder for people to find and/or afford sugar laden food and drink won't mean we'll see a sudden reduction in obesity related health issues as their urge to overeat will almost certainly just be transferred to other types of unhealthy food which doesn't attract the sugar tax. Plus of course, it feels as though there's a fair deal of sneakiness about this - changing recipes, but not publicising the fact so you think you've got a duff batch. I really object to unwittingly spending my hard earned on something I trust to taste a particular way, or to include (or not) particular ingredients only to discover that's not the case. It feels as though I've been duped TBH, and more so if I unknowingly drink too much sweetener and get an IBS attack! I'm just sick of having to scrutinise labels these days because you can't trust a 'non diet' item not to contain sweetener.
FWIW, the tins of San Pellegrino I've got are currently sweetener free. Also, that French cordial you can get in some Sainsburys and Waitrose called Teisseire in the dark green metallic bottles is also without sweeteners (don't buy the silver bottles, unless you want to of course as they are the sugar free version).

Friends of mine who have had cancer all reduce their sugar intake. Don't get me wrong I like sugar but you can't deny the fact that most of us consume way too much. Anything that helps with the obesity crisis is a good thing

Is the sugar tax limited to certain types of food? Is it being levied on sugar itself? At the moment sugar is free in coffee shops

But it wont help with obesity crisis because there is no evidence that people who consume drinks with AS are thinner

I'm sure I remember a very reliable friend who pays attention to these things telling me that there is evidence that consuming a lot of "diet " drinks is linked to increased likelihood of obesity...
Must go trawl the Internet ...

Pondering further.

I think this is less about the "obesity crisis" because the evidence is starting to point to artificial sweeteners not helping with that.

I suspect it is more to do with food and drink manufacturers gently nudging the government to bring in the "sugar tax" so that they have an excuse to replace expensive ingredient (sugar) with very cheap ingredient (artificial sweeteners), thereby reducing their manufacturing costs without having to reduce their sales prices.

I don't have any fizzy drinks and consume almost no refined sugar and even I think this is bloody ridiculous.
People should have the choice to have an occasional treat, and not be consuming chemical shite instead.

When I make my own cakes I often reduce what the recipe says for sugar by 1/2 to1/3 deoending what the cake recipe is i.e. if it's chocolate or a fruit-based cake that sweeter anyway then I would maybe use half the sugar. The cake still tastes lovely and no one has ever noticed.

I'm pretty sure if the manufacturers did the same with sugar in fizzy drinks no one would notice surely a 20% reduction wouldn't make it that much less sweeter I mean realistically if you have a cup of tea with four sugars are you really going to notice the fifth?

So I can still buy alcohol,that well known health food,not to mention cakes,biscuits,ice cream,chocolate,haribo,

You can, for now. Wait until campaigners turn their sights onto these things.

I can't believe people fall for the scam that is "diet" foods and drinks. Anyone with half a brain can see that they are generally a chemical sludge filled with artificial sweeteners to make then slightly palatable. I have no doubt that comsumption of this stuff is going to cause problems down the line

I don't deny that lots of people consume too much sugar but I don't think stopping people from buying certain products is going to help. Perhaps and awareness campaign about the dangers, like with smoking would be better?