sweeteners

I used to drink a ton of diet soda. Until one day I decided I didn't want tumors growing off the side of my head! We've all heard the rumblings.

But, for perpetual dieters, artificially sweetened drinks and low-fat foods are must-haves.

And, they might be onto something. Experts claim regularly consuming low-fat foods and low-calorie beverages helps maintain body weight.

Pepsi Bottling Ventures are set to release two new drinks: Pepsi Throwback and Mountain Dew Throwback.

These drinks will come with something unusual: They are sweetened with real sugar - the stuff that comes from sugar cane. Virtually all other soft drink formulas are sweetened with High Fructose Corn Syrup (HFCS).

More and more evidence is emerging that using artificial sweeteners may be something of a false economy.

In Mike's list of Food Additives - Splenda is placed in the 'safe' category as far as health goes. It is worth noting that not everyone agrees with such an assessment.

However there are other factors at play than just safety. Do these sweeteners really help in the battle of the bulge?

In the world of nutrition - nothing is as it seems. Despite the popularity of diet foods - we keep getting fatter. So what gives?For some time now research has been unclear. Why does diet soda seem to correlate with weight gain? and is there a link to heart problems or metabolic syndrome?Now another study shows that rats fed with saccharin gained more fat then their sugar-fed counterparts.

Can eating honey decrease anxiety and improve memory?

Well, a recent study suggests it just might.

So says the propaganda in an old advertisement from "Sugar Information Inc".

The ad (below) was an attempt to stave off the commercial threat from the burgeoning artificial sweetener industry.

Are you one of those folks who counts calories but avoids artificial sweeteners such as Splenda or Equal? If so, you may have considered switching to stevia instead. Stevia is a South American herb that is naturally hundreds of times sweeter than sugar and has no calories. Many assume that because stevia is natural, it must be safe.

The FDA says otherwise. Should you be concerned?

In the confusing world of nutrition - things are never what they seem. Two new pieces of research show how "diet" foods may not be particularly helpful for children.

A New Zealand doctor has "confirmed" a case of aspartame poisoning from excessive consumption of chewing gum.

Sipahh straws are an ingenious invention. Rather than having milk sweetened with sugar, these special straws contain all the flavoring and sweetener within the straw itself. Suck up the milk and it gets flavored on the way up.

Sipahh have gone worldwide - McDonald's Australia and New Zealand have both included Sipahh in their Happy Meals for kids.

So what is Sipahh like?

Added sugars are the bane of our modern diet - and drinking sugar is arguably the easiest way to over-indulge.

What are the most sugary drinks?

The makers of Splenda have been busy. Busy enough to purchase over 211 domain names - such as SplendaKills.com, SplendaPoison.com, SplendaVictims.com.

It is an elaborate and insidious ploy to prevent any negative information being written on-line.

When I think of corn - I think of a tasty cob - freshly picked at the height of summer.

If only it was really like that. Corn (Zea Mays) is actually a major ingredient in a phenomenal number of processed foods (corn syrup in particular).

A new feature-length documentary - King Corn - explores the whole corn industry and exposes some surprising and sobering issues.

An article published in the US FDA (Food and Drug Administration) consumer magazine clearly advocates artificial sweeteners and lays to rest any of the negative rumors surrounding aspartame and sucralose.

Many people find it difficult to drink plain water. For this reason a number of manufacturers have stepped up to the plate and offered simple ways to add some flavor to the water.

This week I had a chance to try some Water Sensations (courtesy of Culture Captioning).

New research findings show that alcoholic drinks combined with artificial sweeteners make you drunk quicker. It isn't advice - it's a warning.

There is no link between artificial sweetener aspartame and cancer - according to a new study. This large study involved data from surveys filled out 10 years ago detailing food and beverage consumption. This was then measured against those people that developed blood-related cancers. No link to aspartame consumption was found.

Advocacy group Citizens for Health are asking the FDA to revoke the artificial sweetener Splenda. Consumers have begun to allege that they have suffered health side effects from use of the artificial sweetener. These grievances about health effects range from skin rashes, to headaches, to severe gastrointestinal problems.

As more artificial sweeteners appear on the market, things only get more bewildering for the consumer. Then there is the childish bickering between various players in the industry (see this blow-by-blow time line of the fight between the Sugar Association and Splenda - thanks Lillian).