To still be pissed of by Jamie Oliver

[marysuzairn]

Everytime I go round a friend's house and they bring out the pims I can't have it because virtually all lemonade now has sweeteners in. People say they taste like crap and gives me such a bad headache.

I really support JO, it’s the governments half-hearted ‘that’ll do’ approach that the problem. Tackling obesity is complex and JO has done loads to bring the issues to public attention. Sadly the market responded as it did and now we have a unwanted effect.

Using sweetener completely defeats the purpose. This is an example of really shit legislation. Sugar and sweeteners (maybe with exceptions for less harmful ones like stevia) should be taxed equally proportional to their level of sweetness. It was bad enough when you had people binging on cheap sugar but binging on cheap aspartame is a whole new level of crap eating.

Let’s see what great initiatives BJ comes up with now he’s determined to tackle the issue.

Also, I'd love to know where this toilet cleaner soft drink is as I've never asted anything like that description. The over reactions on this thread have given me a good chuckle, thanks!
My mum can taste sweetener much stronger than I do. She loathes the taste. So no. Not really funny.

I always thought sweeteners were unhealthy. It's bit of a from rain to under the gutter situation, isn't it.

OP, I really hate artificial sweeteners too but I don't think we can blame Jamie Oliver alone. I live outside the UK and every bloody drink here has artificial sweeteners in it too. We don't have a sugar tax.

I like Jamie Oliver. I think his passion really shows. His recipes usually turn out fab.

@FixItUpChappie

I like him. He cares about something and tries to make a difference - how many of us can say that?

He may care, but the end result isn't any good if he's just pushing artificial sweeteners.

He started it and he should follow through with it for real change that's in the public good. He's got all the time and money but he thinks it's job done now he's had his showboating in parlement

@NotExactlyHappyToHelp

YANBU. My diabetic DP needed a sugary drink fast when we were out the one day. Not a single full sugar drink to be had in the pub we stumbled into.

Why should he have to pay the sugar tax?!

I don't think you can really blame Jamie Oliver for this ! Most diabetics, including myself, carry glucose tablets as they are fast acting if you have a hypo.

@howaboutchocolate ooh, thanks for the tip, I shall look out for that.

JO aside - I'm glad it's not just me who gets headaches!

Took me ages to figure out why I got one every other day until I realised the flavoured water I was drinking had sweetner - as soon as I stopped no more headaches!

YADNBU

The worst casualty is the San Pellegrino Orange/lemon fizzy range. Used to be a delicious treat now a migration inducing sad fest .

Healthwise artificial sweeteners mess up your body too.

Yet another example of The Law of Unintended Consequences.

@cariadlet

He was concerned about the obesity crisis and kids being fed junk food. He wants children to know where their food comes from, to have proper cooking lessons in school and for people to be able to knock up a few basic balanced meals.

I've always found his cheeky chappy/blokey persona a bit irritating but am totally behind his campaigns.

I agree with helping children to be more aware of nutrition, but surely a better idea would be to encourage children just to drink plain water rather than a version of a fizzy drink with nasty artificial sweeteners? Especially as there is some evidence that your body doesn't 'recognise' artificial sweeteners and reacts to the sudden intake of sweetness in much the same way as it would to sugar.

That should say migraine not migration

It wasn’t just Jamie Oliver, he doesn’t have that much clout!

www.diabetes.co.uk/nutrition/2018-uk-sugar-tax.html

I do agree about sweeteners though, I don’t like them. It’s difficult to find fizzy drinks or squash without.

Come to think of it though, it would be good for the nations health to cut consumption of these types of drinks, with or without sweeteners. They weren’t part of everyday life a generation ago and were much healthier.

@GreytExpectations

Sweeteners taste disgusting and leave an aftertaste that lasts all night.

Well this obviously isn't a fact and it's your unfortunate experience, myself and my family don't seem to have these issues. I think people just like being over dramatic about this stuff because they don't like change. Ah well, more for me

Its about 35% of the population can taste sweeteners, so just because you cant taste it doesnt mean others can. Stevia just makes everything taste sickly sweet and despite claims to be "natural" it isnt. It has a patent! Also leaves a coating in your mouth, its horrible

I tend to stick to flavoured tonics now, but the manufacturers are losing out. I havent bought r whites , scchweppes etc for decades because of artificial sweeteners.San Pelligrino lost a lot of custom because of stevia and had to bring back their classic recipe, however must have retrained my tastebuds as that now tastes really sweet, although their iced teas are nice. I buy fentimens, belvoir etc fevertree etc

Instead of adding artificial sweeteners why dont they just gradual reduce suger and their customers will retrain their sweetbuds

@Loveinatimeofcovid

Using sweetener completely defeats the purpose. This is an example of really shit legislation. Sugar and sweeteners (maybe with exceptions for less harmful ones like stevia) should be taxed equally proportional to their level of sweetness. It was bad enough when you had people binging on cheap sugar but binging on cheap aspartame is a whole new level of crap eating.

This.

Bad legislation and drinks companies not being held to account for packing drinks full of sweeteners really isn’t the fault of JO.

JO didn’t run a campaign of ‘eat less sugar but more chemical substitutes’. His books for healthy cooking for the family are useful and lots of free recipes online.

I don’t like artificial sweetener either but it’s not proven they’re worse for children’s health over the long term than sugar is it?

Ribena has changed. So much that I've stopped drinking it.
And sweeteners do taste pretty vile, and some people are sensitive to them, and I think the jury is still out on whether they are harmful or not.

@Pleasebeaflesbite

Yanbu OP. I like my Pimms with ginger ale and it is now completely impossible to get non-low-calorie ginger ale. Fucking Jamie’s fault

Fever Tree has no sweeteners.

@DelphiniumBlue

Ribena has changed. So much that I've stopped drinking it. And sweeteners do taste pretty vile, and some people are sensitive to them, and I think the jury is still out on whether they are harmful or not.

We've switched to Rocks black currant cordial.

Sprite still has sugar doesn't? Next time you go ask if you can use sprite for the pimms/your pimms as the sweeteners give you a head ache.
Artificial sweeteners are a pretty well known migraine trigger (I can't drink them), I don't think any of your friends would be offended - like they wouldn't be if you bought soy milk for your tea.

YANBU at all

Sweeteners do strange things to me - shakes, sweats, headaches - and they have what I can only describe as a horrible 'mouth feel' - I can tell if they're in a drink from one sip....I'll join you on the anti-JO thing, removing choice infantilises us all - as an adult, if I want to consume sugar I can make that decision, and moderate my intake, myself!

I am also highly suspicious of many sweeteners and feel they haven't been in use for long enough for us to really know their effect on us - sugar is at least a known, natural product....just as I would rather eat butter than margarine.

Very sad that I'll never get to drink Ribena or Irn Bru again....and I now end up drinking more Coke, just because it's often now the only option. Not impressed.

YANBU, artificial sweeteners set off my IBS and make me wee all the time. Awful stuff!

(bring some sprite with you)

They weren’t part of everyday life a generation ago and were much healthier.
I was bought up in the 60s and fizzy drinks were just as popular as now. There was even the corona drinks van who came round the streets when i was a child