To despise the rise of artificial sweeteners in soft drinks

[BrookGreen54]

AIBU to just want proper sugar back?! (lighthearted… ish)

It is nearly impossible these days to buy a soft drink that does not contain any artificial sweeteners. I am completely fine with people having diet options if that’s what they prefer (aka how it used to be) but if I personally choose to drink proper sugar then why am I having to contend with horrible aspartame etc now appearing in almost everything? What happened to giving customers some choice? It tastes disgusting and gives me + plenty of others headaches, not to mention the other adverse, longer term health effects.

Bought a bottle of good old Orangina yesterday, which silly me thought would be a safe choice - unfortunately it seems to be the newest addition to the ruined by sweetener club. It now tastes revolting and so artificial, I couldn’t even drink it. The only things that are safe nowadays are full fat Coca-Cola, proper fruit juice and certain brands of squash. Even San Pellegrino has gone to the dogs..!

Tbf that's cos there's no good evidence to say it isn't rather than it is. Nevertheless, by their ranking system, nicotine is safer than aspartame 🤷🏼‍♀️

I could cry over the state of Irn Bru now. I don't like Coke and it was my favourite

For anyone interested there is a large Facebook group called SOS (save our sugar) where safe products are discussed and often companies complained at over their decisions to replace sugar with chemicals.

Currently the best sweetener free lemonade is to be found in Lidl. It’s made by Freeway and is 39p a can from memory. Pics of the can are on the group.

How did I fail to mention tonic water? On my first trip to the UK from Australia back in the 90s I ordered a G&T and was horrified to be presented with a small wine glass, room temperature, no ice or lemon. But further horrors awaited when I tasted it - slimline tonic!!! Disgusting chemically aftertaste. And so many pubs stocked nothing else. Obviously the G&T game has gone to new levels these days but my first question is always what kind of tonic do you have?

Couldn't agree more. 👏

Me too

My brother hates sweetener and orders a drink called Enerade online. It’s meant to be like lucozade. I wasn’t a fan but there is a lucozade likeness to it.

Sweeteners are hideous. They taste nasty, and they upset the gut badly. I recently stopped drinking no added sugar stuff and just drink water now. I keep seeing ads for stuff to add to water, but they're all riddled with sweeteners. Stuff like xylitol and stevia is just as bad, they bloat me up and create gut problems too.

Nicotine isn’t usually the carcinogen with cigarettes it’s mostly the other stuff that’s dangerous. It’s just addictive as hell.

My guilty pleasure was my can of pepsi at the weekend. Opened one last Summer and it tasted a bit flat.. opened another and it was the same. Realised that half the sugar had been taken out and replaced by sweeteners.

Packaging and branding hadn't changed.

I mean why? There was already many diet and max options already.

I don't think Coke has done the same but I don't like the taste so much.

One less sale for Pepsi.

Because it would taste disgusting and wouldn't sell?

The exposure limit for it to become carcinogenic is far higher than a consumer is able to drink/eat.

Oxygen kills you in vast volumes but is essential for life. Stark comparison but sort of makes the same point

I agree with Pepsi I used to prefer it to coke, I don't understand when they already sell Diet Pepsi and Pepsi max why they had to put sweeteners in normal Pepsi like you say.

coke so far doesn't put sweetener in their full sugar version.

Nobody is forcing your to eat anything? You choose what goes in your body, don't like it, don't consume it

I have started buying Lowicz fruit syrups and adding them to (full sugar) lemonade- game changer and they do a really nice range of flavours. Can also be added to water to make squash, or poured over ice cream as a topping. I pick them up at my local Polish convenience store, but Lidl /Tesco/ Asda sometimes get them in as well.

Personally I don't mind drinks with sweetners, but I do think they should be more clearly marked with what sweetner it contains for people who have issues with them. I work in a shop and occassionally people will ask me what sweetners are in which drinks, as they are avoiding certain ones and the print on the ingredients list is often so tiny.

It's never the carcinogen, I was just using an example that goes against common belief

No I know, I was making a point about risk perception, but obvs didn't word it well :)

Be careful with Belvoir. They also do a lower sugar range with sweetener. You need to check the label

Stevia needs to be declared if it’s being used as a sweetener. If it is in low levels as part of some ‘natural flavouring’ it doesn’t! Someone one has already mentioned the SOS Save our sugar group on Facebook. There is a photo of the response from Bottle Green when asked directly about Stevia which explains why it is undeclared.

Another one here who absolutely can't stand artificial sweetners. I do have a sodastream so usually add lemon juice or limes or cucumber or mint BUT sometimes occasionally I just fancy a sweet sugary drink and the only option is full fat coke.

Agree being on holiday in Europe was brilliant as I could drink lemonade, orange fanta and others to my hearts content.

If I go into my local convenience store the ONLY drink I can safely buy is water. Everything else in the chilled section contains sweeteners. They do sell original Coke but that is always sold out!

Why can’t I have a choice anymore?

And are you aware that many medications are loaded with them? I am unable to have a needed colonoscopy because both the alternative prep products are sweetened with aspartame which I just throw up or saccharin which gives me major gut problems.

Avoiding sweeteners is getting harder and harder.

in a way maybe it's a good thing if it helps people avoid crap drinks. just have water instead if you can.

The worst thing about this is that the one sugar-free fizzy drink I like - diet coke - is now being replaced in most places by coke zero. Ugh.

Also it looks like my wife is mildly allergic to one of the sugar substitutes - stevia - so that entails much reading of ingredients lists.

We avoid artificial sweetners as much as possible and mostly drink water. However, I love Fentiman's pink lemonade or dandelion and burdock. As far as I'm aware it's sweetener-free but only drink it a few times a year so really hoping it hasn't changed recently. Cawston Press rhubarb or lemonade and elderflower fizzy drinks are nice too.