# Are there any diet sodas that DON'T use Nutrasweet? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [December 6, 2002, 10:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-there-any-diet-sodas-that-dont-use-nutrasweet/141033 "2002-12-06T22:05:28Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Cuckoorex](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/ad7895/32.png) [@Cuckoorex](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cuckoorex)\ **Post date:** [December 6, 2002, 10:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-there-any-diet-sodas-that-dont-use-nutrasweet/141033/1 "2002-12-06T22:05:28Z")
I ask because I’m using the Atkins diet (second go-round for me) and Nutrasweet (Aspartame) tends to slow or stop the weight-loss for me. I’ll probably switch to water soon enough anyway, but I’d like to know if anyone has heard of a diet soda that does not use aspartame at all… ---
**Author:** ![chukhung](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/e79b87/32.png) [@chukhung](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/chukhung)\ **Post date:** [December 6, 2002, 10:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-there-any-diet-sodas-that-dont-use-nutrasweet/141033/2 "2002-12-06T22:09:21Z")
Well, if taste is of no concern, you may wish to check out this page: [http://www.dpsu.com/diet\_rite.html](http://www.dpsu.com/diet_rite.html) > [@](#): > > In March 2000, the company [Royal Crown, now a division of Cadbury Schweppes plc] showcased its reformulated Diet Rite, which featured no Aspartame in addition to no calories, sodium or caffeine. ---
**Author:** ![D\_Frag](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/77aa72/32.png) [@D\_Frag](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/D_Frag)\ **Post date:** [December 6, 2002, 10:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-there-any-diet-sodas-that-dont-use-nutrasweet/141033/3 "2002-12-06T22:11:39Z")
I may be wrong, but as I recall, Pepsi One doesn’t (if it’s still around). ---
**Author:** ![Cuckoorex](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/ad7895/32.png) [@Cuckoorex](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cuckoorex)\ **Post date:** [December 6, 2002, 10:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-there-any-diet-sodas-that-dont-use-nutrasweet/141033/4 "2002-12-06T22:38:44Z")
Looks like Diet Rite might be my only option here…I’ll report back after an extensive supermarket search… ---
**Author:** ![irishgirl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/8edcca/32.png) [@irishgirl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/irishgirl)\ **Post date:** [December 6, 2002, 10:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-there-any-diet-sodas-that-dont-use-nutrasweet/141033/5 "2002-12-06T22:47:15Z")
could you just drink fruit juice, skim milk or water? it’s better for you in the long run, although i know atkins can be strict about what you can have. ---
**Author:** ![Cuckoorex](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/ad7895/32.png) [@Cuckoorex](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cuckoorex)\ **Post date:** [December 6, 2002, 10:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-there-any-diet-sodas-that-dont-use-nutrasweet/141033/6 "2002-12-06T22:56:47Z")
Like I said, I’ll eventually move entirely onto water…I’m weaning myself away from the soda. But I still like to have a can or two a day. Fruit juice is a no-no, as is milk. Too many carbs… ---
**Author:** ![SenorBeef](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/senorbeef/32/2220_2.png) [@SenorBeef](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SenorBeef)\ **Post date:** [December 6, 2002, 11:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-there-any-diet-sodas-that-dont-use-nutrasweet/141033/7 "2002-12-06T23:07:57Z")
Pepsi One uses something like asfultine K or some chemical that sounds like that that’s a derivitive of aspartame, I believe. ---
**Author:** ![Troy\_McClure\_SF](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/troy_mcclure_sf/32/4150_2.png) [@Troy\_McClure\_SF](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Troy_McClure_SF)\ **Post date:** [December 6, 2002, 11:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-there-any-diet-sodas-that-dont-use-nutrasweet/141033/8 "2002-12-06T23:09:47Z")
Tab, I think. If you can find it. (last two spottings- Nugget hotel in Sparks, NV, and Albertson’s in San Diego. ---
**Author:** ![Cisco](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/ccd318/32.png) [@Cisco](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cisco)\ **Post date:** [December 6, 2002, 11:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-there-any-diet-sodas-that-dont-use-nutrasweet/141033/9 "2002-12-06T23:11:11Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Cuckoorex \* > \*\*Nutrasweet (Aspartame) tends to slow or stop the weight-loss for me. \*\* Is this common, or is there evidence to back it up? I know someone who always says she wants to lose weight but I **cannot** convince her to stop drinking diet soda (she averages about 3 20oz bottles a day.) ---
**Author:** ![Cuckoorex](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/ad7895/32.png) [@Cuckoorex](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cuckoorex)\ **Post date:** [December 6, 2002, 11:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-there-any-diet-sodas-that-dont-use-nutrasweet/141033/10 "2002-12-06T23:12:34Z")
From Pepsi’s website: “Pepsi ONE (8 fl. oz) Contains: Carbonated water, caramel color, natural and artificial flavors, phosphoric acid, **aspartame** , citric acid, sodium benzoate (preserves freshness), caffeine and acesulfame potassium.” ---
**Author:** ![Cuckoorex](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/ad7895/32.png) [@Cuckoorex](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cuckoorex)\ **Post date:** [December 6, 2002, 11:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-there-any-diet-sodas-that-dont-use-nutrasweet/141033/11 "2002-12-06T23:14:55Z")
From Atkins’ website: “\* Stop Consuming Aspartame If you’re sure you’re not eating any hidden carbs, take a closer look at other aspects of your diet. An observation at The Atkins Center has been that when certain people discontinue their use of aspartame, their weight loss resumes. The artificial sweetener is marketed under the brand names of NutraSweet® and Equal® . To eliminate aspartame from your life, give up most diet sodas, especially colas (many of which also contain caffeine). Instead, use sweeteners such as sucralose, marketed as Splenda®, or saccharin , marketed as Sweet’n Low?. Again, you also need to examine the labels of all beverages, particularly sugar-free ones, to make sure that aspartame is not an ingredient.” I also found this to be true the first time I did the Atkins diet…I was barely losing any weight until I dropped all aspartame products and then I ended up losing nearly 70 pounds pretty quickly… ---
**Author:** ![SC\_Wolf](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/eb9ed0/32.png) [@SC\_Wolf](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SC_Wolf)\ **Post date:** [December 6, 2002, 11:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-there-any-diet-sodas-that-dont-use-nutrasweet/141033/12 "2002-12-06T23:16:46Z")
How about Tab? Anyone know if it’s in Tab? ---
**Author:** ![scout1222](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/34f0e0/32.png) [@scout1222](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/scout1222)\ **Post date:** [December 6, 2002, 11:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-there-any-diet-sodas-that-dont-use-nutrasweet/141033/13 "2002-12-06T23:24:12Z")
Hansen’s has just started making some diet sodas (Peach, Ginger Ale, Strawberry Kiwi and Black Cherry) and they use Splenda. ---
**Author:** ![SugarJen](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/6f9a4e/32.png) [@SugarJen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SugarJen)\ **Post date:** [December 6, 2002, 11:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-there-any-diet-sodas-that-dont-use-nutrasweet/141033/14 "2002-12-06T23:29:20Z")
There is a type of soda made by Talking Rain called Diet Ice. It uses Splenda. I am allergic to Asparatame. What I have done in the past is purchase flavored unsweetened seltzer water and add a packet of Sweet and Low. Its not too bad. ---
**Author:** ![SmackFu](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/53a042/32.png) [@SmackFu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SmackFu)\ **Post date:** [December 6, 2002, 11:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-there-any-diet-sodas-that-dont-use-nutrasweet/141033/15 "2002-12-06T23:33:25Z")
Minute Maid Light Orange soda snuck that Ace-K (acesulfame potassium) into their formula too, when they did their last product redesign. Apparently they add Nutrasweet anyways to cut down the bitter aftertaste from the new sweetener. Ocean Spray light cranberry juice apparently uses Splenda. But it’s not zero calories I presume, since it’s still juice at some level. ---
**Author:** ![Cuckoorex](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/ad7895/32.png) [@Cuckoorex](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cuckoorex)\ **Post date:** [December 7, 2002, 12:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-there-any-diet-sodas-that-dont-use-nutrasweet/141033/16 "2002-12-07T00:40:40Z")
Well, my trip to the grocery store revealed that all of the available brands of diet soda had aspartame EXCEPT for good old reliable Diet Rite, which is now apparently going to be my diet soda of choice by default. TaB was there, and it had both Saccharine and Aspartame. ---
**Author:** ![Markxxx](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/5daacb/32.png) [@Markxxx](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Markxxx)\ **Post date:** [December 7, 2002, 2:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-there-any-diet-sodas-that-dont-use-nutrasweet/141033/17 "2002-12-07T02:37:54Z")
As a person who found true weight loss (eat anything just eat less) Atkins makes claims (yes I’ve read his book and web site) to make sure if you don’t lose weight it ISN’T his fault. I drink LOTS of Aspertame and lost 40 pounds. It isn’t the aspertame, it isn’t the glands, it is the food. (specifically the portions\_ ---
**Author:** ![SenorBeef](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/senorbeef/32/2220_2.png) [@SenorBeef](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SenorBeef)\ **Post date:** [December 7, 2002, 3:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-there-any-diet-sodas-that-dont-use-nutrasweet/141033/18 "2002-12-07T03:10:56Z")
No, Atkins lists a few very specific things that he’s observed to slow weight loss in his patients over the years, and therefore specifically warns of them. I drank a lot of diet pop when I was low carbing and it didn’t affect my weight loss (that is, I still lost a lot of weight with it), but I now avoid aspartame for fear of having my brain melt. Good that you’ve found “true weight loss”, in any case. I guess the rest of us found false weight loss. ---
**Author:** ![DaveRaver](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/daveraver/32/1078_2.png) [@DaveRaver](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DaveRaver)\ **Post date:** [December 7, 2002, 3:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-there-any-diet-sodas-that-dont-use-nutrasweet/141033/19 "2002-12-07T03:14:05Z")
TaB used to have saccharin; I’m not sure if it still does or not. ---
**Author:** ![Ruby](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/13edae/32.png) [@Ruby](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ruby)\ **Post date:** [December 7, 2002, 3:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-there-any-diet-sodas-that-dont-use-nutrasweet/141033/20 "2002-12-07T03:39:04Z")
Do you think if we all contacted the soda manufacturers and suggested they use Splenda that they would give it a try. Splenda is a natural form of real sugar that has been altered at the molecular level (added another hydrogen molecule, maybe?) to “trick” the body into thinking it’s not a sugar/carbohydrate. You get the sweet taste with out using an _artificial_ sweetner. Diet Rite has recently added another _chemical_ sweetner to their product in addition to Splenda. I can’t remember the name but they claim it has a better taste with the combination of sweetners. \*\*[sub]Disclaimer: I don’t have any financial interest in Splenda or it’s subsidiaries. I just REALLY like the idea of reducing the number of chemicals I ingest every day [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-there-any-diet-sodas-that-dont-use-nutrasweet/141033.md?page=2)