To not understand why tons of people believe artificial sweeteners are more harmful than sugar?

[HavelockVetinari]

There is no scientific evidence to back up the various claims that it's addictive, carcinogenic...etc. Yet I'm always reading posts on social media that disparage sugar-free drinks as dangerous and harmful to health, without a shred of evidence being offered.

I do understand that some people dislike the taste (so-called 'supertasters' apparently experienced a bitter aftertaste) but that doesn't make it harmful!

But were you all drinking significant amounts of full sugar fizzzy drinks before? Because that’s pretty gross in itself

@MissConductUS I think they may be talking about the State if California legislation ( Proposition 65?) Where basically everything from the plate you eat off, the food and drink you consume, the lampost you lean against has to carry a warning that it might contain something that could kill you.

I still have about 8 cans of irn Bru.

Today I had a bit of a bug. I felt really peely wally and weak and shaky. I had a tin of Pepsi. It made me feel better.
If it had been Pepsi max it would not have made me feel better.
I needed some actual sugar.
It is not a bad substance.
It just isn't something you should have all the time instead of water.

At the dinner table we have a jug of water. Sometimes with mint sprigs or cucumber.
I don't sit and pour sucrose solution down the throats of my innocent children.

I've been on this site for ages and I know we get a bit exercised about nice ham but I genuinely had not noticed anti sugar smuggery mixed with dismissing people's personal preferences and genuine experiences as symptoms of anti vaxx crankiness

I wonder if people who think it tastes vile are just used to incredibly sugary things

I used to like ice-cream in my youth in Canada, but after years of living in Mexico where most ice-creams are made from real ingredients, I find the Canadian stuff just tastes of pure chemicals, yuck!

But were you all drinking significant amounts of full sugar fizzzy drinks before? Because that’s pretty gross in itself

But were you all drinking significant amounts of full sugar fizzzy drinks before? Because that’s pretty gross in itself

Not drinking significant amounts no, but when you wanted one at whatever time, you've now had the option of sweetner free taken away, and forced to have sweetened versions which a lot (not everyone) really don't like.

There's a shopkeeper in Glasgow who bought thousands of cans of old recipe Irn Bru just before the new one was released. Clever move! Irn Bru fans are devoted to their original nectar.

Sugar free squashes even heavily diluted taste far sweeter than my heavily diluted added sugar/high juice normal squash.

Diet Coke is the devil as it has far more phosphorus in it than regular coke. Phosphorus is an important bone mineral, but if you're getting a disproportionate amount of phosphorus compared to the amount of calcium you're getting, that could/can lead to bone loss.
And many of us don't consume enough calcium.
For this reason I would never allow my DC diet drinks, even if they liked the taste or didn't get a reaction.
The only thing Diet Coke is good for is cleaning a heavily limescaled loo/taps etc.

Same reason there are anti-vaxers and flat earthers.
Im not an antivaxer at all (search me)
But sweeteners taste disgusting as does stevia. There is evidence that sweeteners affect insulin production by fooling the body into believing you have had sugar.
What about stevia then e1y1? A natural sweetener? What’s your issue with
Stevia isnt that natural and ruined san pellegrino. Its a patented product that is highly processed.

You have to be careful buying Coke because one of their sugar free versions looks very similar to the good old sugary version

Not unintentional I would think, probably one of the ways coke got around keeping their original, by making zero appear closer in appearance so a lot pick it up in error.

I wonder if people who think it tastes vile are just used to incredibly sugary things

No not really. I don’t eat or drink many sweet things at all, but when I do, i prefer the taste of sugar to sweeteners. Why is that hard to understand?

But were you all drinking significant amounts of full sugar fizzzy drinks before? Because that’s pretty gross in itself

No. But when I do, I want them to be full sugar.

Gingerkitty actually the people I know who use sweeteners are typically suspicious of vaccinations...go figure!

a couple of them are migraine triggers for me, and one triggers asthma. I loathe that they are put in so many squashes and diluting drinks, flavored waters and now so many sodas. They aren't labelled clearly, the ingredients list is in tiny print, sometimes it only says 'sweetener' and I can't risk it isn't one of the ones that doesn't bother me. Yes, sugar is bad for me, but I know exactly how bad it is and I accept that. at least 3 sweeteners won't make me fat or rot my teeth, but they will ruin my day within the next half hour of drinking them. If it's a migraine, 2 or even 3 days age lost.

I don't drink soda often, but am frustrated that when I do want one, restaurants either no longer plain old sugar sweetened versions. I don't even mind paying the higher price dictated by the sugar tax, if only the restaurant has one.

I have always found the tase of sweeteners unpleasant and just drink sparkling water. As they are added to more and more products I notice that eating * them accidentally gives me the runs. One of my children is the same, the others not but none of them drink sweetened soft drinks, even as adults

I wonder if people who think it tastes vile are just used to incredibly sugary things
Drinks with stevia taste far sweeter than drinks with sugar.
Better to slowly reduce sweetness and retrain palates than keep drinks artificially sweet.

They can be harmful to some people in that they can cause diarrhoea. When I nursed the elderly, I encountered several people whose diarrhoea stopped when I persuaded the kitchen staff to stop giving them squash with artificial sweeteners. Diarrhoea in the elderly, sick or very young can cause various health problems, some of them can have serious effects.

Ds2 gets a migraine if he has them and they taste chemically and make me feel sick.

Don't assume that everyone's body reacts the same way to things as genetics can cause differences in all kinds of ways. We're not carbon copies of each other. If you're happy to ingest them, then fine, but not everyone feels the same way. I'm autistic and react to all kinds of things that other people don't.

There's just something so wanky and nannyish about the peddling of chemical sweeteners as 'better for you' than sugar. And I find the taste of them disgusting, too.

Clearly in the minority here but I like the taste 🙈
I sprinkle on my weetabix and even on fruit if it’s a little under ripe.
Love my sugar free squash that’s laced with artificial sweeteners. Love Pepsi max, 7up free etc.

White bread gives me (and many others) a bad stomach, doesn’t mean it should be outlawed though. Same goes for many, many other food groups.

I think it’s a bizarre argument.

Oh and before anyone jumps to conclusions... I am super healthy. And won’t ever agree with anyone who claims that can’t be true because I enjoy the odd sugar free drink and sweetener on my weetabix.

BeckyAnnLeeman But this is something everyone finds vile all of a sudden- diet drinks have been around and popular forever. Why all of a sudden are they so awful to so many people? It’s all a bit band wagon-y

They may have been around forever but they weren’t the default and I never drank them. I never did drink a lot of sugary drinks, just tonic water and occasional lemonade really but now even things like yogurt are a mine field and I’m constantly checking labels....

I'm not a supertaster, but they taste like shit to me and give me a runny tummy. Good enough for you, OP? They're fucking vile.

I had bowel issues for years and all the tests under the sun to find out what was wrong. Eventually realised it was sweeteners.

I get ill immediately as soon as I ingest them now. I hate the sugar tax as more and more foodstuff has it in :-(

Nothing band wagon-y about it. The taste didn’t use to bother me because I didn’t used to drink it. I rarely had sugary drinks but when I did, they were full sugar.
Now it’s harder and harder to find the full sugar varieties, and artificial sweeteners are in so many things. Packaging doesn’t make it clear. And I dislike the taste

*But this is something everyone finds vile all of a sudden- diet drinks have been around and popular forever. Why all of a sudden are they so awful to so many people? It’s all a bit band wagon-y(
There have always been people who hate the taste of sweeteners. Its not new or bandwagonny. My mum hated the taste as long as i can remember and im mid 50s

Using the chemical crap has ruined so many drinks, especially Irn Bru.
Margarine is crap because it’s artificial, same with the chemical sweeteners. I am pissed off that we adults have had our choices taken away from us when it comes to sugar!