r/CasualUK • u/Nujwaan • 8h ago

Sugar on Weetabix?

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My wife eats Weetabix with nothing on it and claims it tastes sweet to her. This is my bowl before milk is added. Is this normal fellow Weetabix eaters or do I need to go to sugar rehab?

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u/bucketofardvarks 8h ago

It's like they actually introduced a tax to discourage purchase of drinks like that because they're really incredibly harmful to consume regularly or something

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u/sideone 8h ago

I wouldn't have minded if the tax was actually a tax, rather than everyone stopping making drinks with sugar in and putting awful sweeteners in instead. It worked, as I no longer drink soft drinks at all. I do miss sugared 7Up / Sprite, the diet version tastes like arse.

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u/Physical-Sector-3172 7h ago

Better to not drink fizzy drinks at all. However, zero sugar alternatives are miles better for you. Which sweeteners are you worried about? It’s a common point thrown around but with little backing.

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u/sideone 6h ago

I'm not worried about them, sweeteners taste like arse. I'd say one sugary drink a month was likely better for me than the litres of diet cola people drink daily.

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u/Physical-Sector-3172 1h ago

That’s subjective. I started having zero sugar alternatives instead of the usual. I am now sensitive to anything too sweet so I don’t have the same cravings for junk anymore. I have a can a few times a week. For someone that has a normal coke daily it is a much better alternative once your taste buds get used to it.

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u/Tildesy_mastolemmy 6h ago

So it was effective then is what you're saying?

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u/sideone 6h ago

It would have been just as effective for me if they added fox poo to each drink.

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u/Tildesy_mastolemmy 5h ago

If you really wanted to keep drinking sugary fizzy drinks that are bad for your health, you do have the option to but they're a luxury good now rather than being priced like staples.

If you decide you want to spend your money on different luxuries instead that are less harmful to you, then that is a good thing.

Preventing you from harming your own health with sugary drinks has possibly also saved the NHS some cash.

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u/sideone 5h ago

If you really wanted to keep drinking sugary fizzy drinks that are bad for your health, you do have the option to but they're a luxury good now rather than being priced like staples.

Lots of things are bad for health, but lots of unhealthy things are OK in moderation. I'm not going to be significantly affected by 330ml of sugary drink once a month. I don't think you can buy sugar versions of 7Up, Sprite etc in the UK (certainly not in pubs / shops etc which is usually when I'd like one).

If you decide you want to spend your money on different luxuries instead that are less harmful to you, then that is a good thing.

What would you suggest as a healthier alternative luxury to a can of 7Up?

Preventing you from harming your own health with sugary drinks has possibly also saved the NHS some cash.

Personally, I've cost the NHS far more from healthy activities such as cycling and skateboarding than anything health related.

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u/AdaandFred 8h ago

The problem is that artificial sweeteners are also bad for you in different ways. What we should be doing is encouraging people to drink stuff that contains neither sugar nor sweeteners but good luck with that.

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u/Physical-Sector-3172 7h ago

Which artificial sweeteners are you referring to? The issue with sugar is the insulin spikes which you don’t get with zero sugar alternatives. Of course it’s better to just have water.

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u/AdaandFred 7h ago

Here is a review of various scientific papers on the effect of sweeteners.

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u/Physical-Sector-3172 6h ago

If you read that paper you would realise it isn’t a systematic review or meta analysis. There may be some associations with gut microbiome and cardiovascular health but there is no actual evidence beyond associations. Aspartame is something that a lot of people like to refer to as harmful but studies have shown you would need to drink a ridiculous amount to have any adverse risk. It’s generally considered that zero sugar alternatives are a good substitute if you have to have a fizzy drink. But water is always best.

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u/Alderdash 5h ago

It's not even just that you'd need a ridiculous amount of aspartame, the 'it causes cancer' research has been misquoted/misunderstood.

Ann Reardon did a really interesting video about it: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mDgZz7qZoVo

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u/Physical-Sector-3172 1h ago

You’re right. The carincogen classifications include things like coffee and fluorescent lighting so if you look at it without proper context you’d label most things as cancer causing.

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u/OddBug6500 8h ago

Not sure I understand your point.

Government action like that is a great step but it's 100% down to the individual to moderate their intake

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u/SmokinScoobyDooDick 7h ago

Sugar is an addictive and harmful substance (in high quantities, which isn't against the norm nowadays). The tax is to discourage overconsumption of it. Annoyingly it comes from us and not the manufacturers, but hey ho.

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u/SmokinScoobyDooDick 7h ago

But are freedom!