Artificial sweeteners in everything now?

[Catcatcat12]

Anyone else notice how the regular version of sodas such as San Pellegrino and Schweppes mixers now all have sugar AND artificial sweeteners? Not the diet or slimline versions, the regular ones.

They taste awful, and it’s not advertised clearly on the can or bottle unless you read the ingredients list. I feel I can’t yet the classic versions of hardly anything anymore other than Coke and similar beverages.

I rarely drink soft drinks, I have the odd san pellegrino and I use ginger ale or lemonade in my Pimms, so when I do enjoy one of these drinks I’d like for them to taste nice. Aside from the taste issue, I’d also rather avoid all artificial sweeteners if I can, so I find it annoying that they seem to have changed the recipes for all these beverages in their ‘classic’ non diet options to contain a mix of sugar and other sweeteners.

I would like for both options - regular and diet - to be available, and I would like it clearly labelled when an artificial sweetener has been added.

anyone else?

I noticed this too when I desperately needed cranberry juice for UTI issues! All the ones in supermarkets had sweeteners in (even though fruit juice already has plenty of natural sugars and is sweet?!). The only one I could find was in m&s that didn't have sweeteners last time I checked.

Same 😩

Yep, it's awful. Artificial sweeteners make me ill and Stevia tastes nasty. Pretty much the only thing left is full sugar coke.

@Stranger1things we had that issue & both DD & I rely on cranberry juice firvtge same reason. We switched to cranberry supplements. Holland & Barrat do a good triple strength one that works well for us

I've a few years of research behind me now so at home it's not too bad, but if I'm meeting friends at the pub for drinks but I'm driving sitting with just water feels a bit miserable. Some places have fentimans but normally only those tiny mixer bottles.

100% Yanbu! Most soft drinks are horrible now. I don't drink them often but I can't at all unless I look for very particular ones, like Fentimans, now because they are rank with either stevia or sucralose. The first casualty for me was the non-alcoholic mulled punch you can get at Christmas time. I'm not much of a drinker but liked the punch for the Christmas taste. A few years back I bought some and it was so unpleasant I just couldn't drink it. It felt really ironic that the alcohol substitute, a reasonably "healthy alternative" product, was ruined by a supposed health initiative.

So it’s the sugar tax! Of course it is. I did not connect the dots until now.

I read a summary of a study which said that stevia is linked to depression. I don’t think any of these sweeteners are good for us, plus they taste absolutely vile

I have colitis and artificial sweeteners are a major trigger. I have read green cola is supposed to be good with stevia but haven't tried it.

Even Imodium melts has aspartame in it 🙄

I agree. I wrote to the San Pellegrino people, saying I'd rather have the option of one with sugar in it even if I had to pay more and they just replied with consumer choice, waffle, waffle.

Waitrose lemonade with lemon juice still contains sugar and no artificial sweeteners.

I have to make special trips to Sainsbury's to buy Rocks squash as there is a lack of other orange/ black currant cordials.

I was on a long, hot day out at the weekend and my friend brough back an Oasis with lunch. I ended up having that awful dehydrating dry mouth after taste all afternoon that water can not shift. At least the sweetner used in that one isn't the one that give me thumping headaches and diahorrea.

I'd happily pay the extra for products that don't me me feel crap. If I want low calorie, there's always water.

I have colitis and artificial sweeteners are a major trigger. I have read green cola is supposed to be good with stevia but haven't tried it.

@Nadal

Green coke & other stevia drinks are fantastic, they taste way better than with both artificial sweeteners & we think sugar too. Unfortunately after a short flurry of seeing it in the supermarkets, it's impossible to get hold of. Sugar free capris sun has stevia in it though

Alcohol is a bugger too as ingredients aren't listed. Swerve Strongbow!

YANBU. Artificial sweeteners are horrible. They make me so thirsty and have such a nasty after taste and mouth-feel. I stick to the original Coke mostly when I'm having a soft drink as that's pure glorious sugar.

I got caught out with some own brand cocodamol, just what you want when you're feeling unwell already, an upset stomach on top.

Aspartame allergy here.
I now tend to drink a shot of monin flavoured syrups in sparkling water. Refreshing and no crap in it.

Yep this is infuriating. I'd like my mixers with proper sugar. Ridiculous to have chemicals in a normal non diet drink.

I can't have artificial sweeteners as they're a migraine trigger- I can tolerate sucralose as long as I don't have it too often but TBH I'm not super keen on it anyway.

If I have soft drinks I buy Rocks (their blackcurrant is lovely although don't expect it to taste like original ribena), some of the Fentimans & Fitzpatrick's ranges are suitable, M&S canned flavoured water is really pleasant (no sugar either, just natural flavourings). I spotted some canned Brewdog soft drinks in the supermarket today that were just flavoured with sugar but I've not got any yet, they had grapefruit, lemon, & cola. Also, Cawston Press canned drinks are ok, I particularly like the rhubarb flavour.

Instant migraine for me as well.

it’s a common enough trigger you would think people would realize that maybe that means something about safety.

It is stocked in our Sainburys as I was tempted the other day

The obvious consequence of the sugar tax I'm afraid.

It is stocked in our Sainburys as I was tempted the other day

it wasn't I ours when I've checked a few times in the past, but I have given up ages ago, so I'll check again. 🤞 thank you

@Wanderingowl Belvoir did a mulled winter punch last year. Worth looking to see if they do it again. Just sugar.

YANBU, sweeteners taste bad and they aren't good for us. Our body expects nutrition it's not getting when we taste the sweetener. Most of what we drink should not be sweet, but if I want an occasional soft drink sugar of juice are what I want. Generally adult soft drinks are the way to go as they cost more.

Hate hate hate sweeteners!

Try Rio cans - tropical juice and sparkling water with some sugar but no sweeteners! Tastes really good.

Some of the M&S High Juice don't have sweeteners in... but our local store doesn't stock them now 😕

I really struggle to sleep if I have artificial sweeteners, finding it more and more difficult to find drinks that don't have them in.