Too many "Diet" choices.

Okay. So I'm sitting here, drinking a Coca-cola Zero and wondering: why? Why did they need to create another 'no-calorie' Coke product, when they already have Diet Coke? I've heard (but not seen) that they will also produce a Diet Coke sweetened with Splenda, in addition to regular Diet coke sweetened with aspartame. And the Zero one is sweetened with a blend of the two. This irritates me almost as much as PepsiOne; I mean, if you can have no-calorie soda, why just have one stupid calorie? Blah.

This is stupid.

Does anybody actually prefer the 'diety' taste of regular diet sodas over ones that are trying to taste more like the actual thing? I've been drinking diet soda for many years now, and I must say, I don't like the nasty aftertaste from the aspartame, and given the chance, I would rather have one that tastes more like regular coke. So is there really a need to have *3* levels of diet soda?

Or is this just their way of avoiding another 'new formula' incident? :eyebrow:

I generally don't, but I can't really taste the difference between the normal and diet soda when they're cold.

I don't really taste the differance except with the aspartame after taste. I don't think there should be 3 levels of diet. I don't see the point.

Sometimes I have Diet. But generally I would much rather have all that great sugary taste that wrecks your teeth, but tastes good while doing it.

Figures that they'll make a diet coke that doesn't use aspertame (the thing is said to cause cancers or something). I don't really see the point in drinking diet anyway, since it's not the drinks that'll make you fat, but rather the food that oyu combine it with.

If your diabetic then diet versus non-diet does make a difference.

The theme these days seems to be:
• Traditional artificial sweetener (Aspartame). The 'classic' diet formula.
• New artificial sweetener (Splenda a.k.a. Sucralose). A 'left-handed' sugar that supposedly tastes more like natural sucrose. In the United States, most everything is sweetened with High Fructose Corn Syrup, which tastes different than something sweetened with Sucrose. So, while these 'new diet' formulas are geared to taste like the real thing, they don't.
• The half-and-half Sucralose/Fructose or Sucralose/Sucrose. Pepsi Edge and Coke C2 are examples of these. The idea is to cut the calorie contribution from sugar by 1/2 without harming the flavor too much.

For me, its really a moot issue. I don't drink nearly as much soda as I used to. Instead I opt for juices, unsweetened teas or teas sweetened with sucrose, black coffee, or ice cold water.

I honestly believe that the "newer" diet drinks, such as the ones sweetened with splenda or the "one calorie" drinks taste alot more like the real thing. It's probably just a big marketing scheme in the long run, introducing a "new" drink that's pretty much the same as the others.

They do say that splenda is the new wonder-drug.

I guess I am glad that I am slim and don't have to go through life thinking that I am overweight {whether I actually am or not} and try to compensate by drinking "diet" drinks just because they say "diet" on them and taste nasty.

Originally Posted by russ

I guess I am glad that I am slim and don't have to go through life thinking that I am overweight {whether I actually am or not} and try to compensate by drinking "diet" drinks just because they say "diet" on them and taste nasty.

Well generally, I would rather not waste 240 calories on something that I drink in a short amount of time. I'd rather savor my calories, thank you very much.

Then watch me get cancer from the creepy artificial sweetener chemicals...

Diet soda kills your brain. And it tastes repulsive. I agree that it is getting rediculous that they are making all these new varieties of diet sodas. It's all for the money. I'll stick with regular Coke though.

Originally Posted by Arkhangelsk

Does anybody actually prefer the 'diety' taste of regular diet sodas over ones that are trying to taste more like the actual thing?

I definitely do. I can not STAND the after taste of your regular cola, and the gritty, sugary feeling on your teeth - repulses me.

But I absolutely love aspartame. Its so sweet, its almost bitter.

I do not, however, drink soda in enormous quantites. The carbonation gets to me since I am used to drinking lots of water. But I am totally with you on questioning why there needs to be a ONE CALORIE drink. Who really cares?

There are way too many sodas on the market anymore with too many fucking options.

I don't like diet drinks simply because of aspertame. This ingredient can cause health problems, although it won't necessarily. I try to avoid the substance just because I'm not sure how my body will react to it in the long run. My mom and her brother were having different health problems and, after they stopped drinking diet sodas, they began feeling somewhat better.

I'm concerned about these companies making lower calorie drinks. Is it eventually going to get to the point where we have Diet Water? Also, calories are good for us, just not in large quantities over a short period of time. But really, I think it just comes down to them trying to market the same thing twice.

I don't see the point in diet drinks. Full of carcinogens. Why not just stop drinking soda altogether? It'll be much healthier overall. Admittedly, it's easy for me to say that because I hate soda drinks, but still...

I sort of like all diet drinks except diet pepsi

but i really love... flavored sparkling water @_@ so yum!

like, the wal mart brand... i prefer that over regular soda or juice

Then there's the people who will go to McDonald's, order a large fry and a Big Mac, and... a diet Coke. Why? I don't think we'll ever know.

Originally Posted by Sousuke

Then there's the people who will go to McDonald's, order a large fry and a Big Mac, and... a diet Coke. Why? I don't think we'll ever know.

That makes sense if you are diabetic. Simple sugars affect blood-glucose levels in a very short period of time, and are difficult to manage with insulin just before a meal. I dated a Type I for two and a half years; she had a very convenient insulin pump that meant no fumbling with needles. She simply too her blood sugar, estimated the glycemic impact of what she was going to eat and adjusted the flow of insulin accordingly. For starches and complex carbs, its not a problem; simple sugars could take her from normal blood-sugar levels to hyperglycemic in 30 minutes or less.

If you believe the published nutrition facts:

Big Mac: 35g Carbohydrates, 7g Sugars, 600 Calories
Large Fries: 40g Carbohydrates, 0g Sugars, 540 Calories
32 oz Coke: 108g Carbohydrates, 108g Sugars, 400 Calories

So it makes sense for someone sensitive to simple sugars to get the diet coke with the Big Mac and the Large Fries. You cut out approximately 94% of the sugar.

It's all just marketing bullcrap.

I can taste the difference between regular and diet soft drinks.

Actually, I prefer diet. They're a bit sweeter, and I like the fact that they have less calories.

Even more, I like diet drinks because they won't rot my teeth.

I was never really fond of diet sodas in the first place because of the nasty aftertaste and they taste sweeter than the actual soda. I go out of my way to avoid diet sodas like the plague.

I accidently drank a diet Mountain Dew one day (wasn't paying attention). Needless to say, the floor and the chairs were very wet after I did...

I just avoid soda in general. I'd much rather just have some water or an ice tea.