# Why is Everything so over-sweetened

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-everything-so-over-sweetened/711642>\
**Category:** The BBQ Pit\
**Created:** [February 2, 2015, 9:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-everything-so-over-sweetened/711642 "2015-02-02T21:47:21Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 5\
**Page:** 2

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**Author:** ![BaldDudePeekskill](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/b5e925/32.png) [@BaldDudePeekskill](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BaldDudePeekskill)\
**Post date:** [February 4, 2015, 11:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-everything-so-over-sweetened/711642/21 "2015-02-04T23:30:26Z")

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> [@guizot](#):
>
> The things your are objecting to here (juice, etc.) are expected to have at least some added sugar, though probably most here will agree they add way too much.
> 
> But you should keep in mind that even the savory things you like could very likely have added sugar: Things like baked beans, tomato soup, crackers, sausage, etc… The food manufacturers very deliberately add sugar because of its “addictive” nature–that is, it makes you want to eat (or drink) more than you normally would.

I believe so. I know when the whole fat free craze happened, the fat was replaced by sugar and filler…to clarify I’m referring mostly to foods that should be sweet, just not SO sweet…where any flavor is obscured by the cloying sweetness. Someone mentioned added Sucralose. I think that is it, especially in juices, etc. I have always watered down all my beverages, but never to the extent necessary lately. I will laud the unsweetened ice tea mix available via mail order…it’s awesome

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**Author:** ![Sattua](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sattua/32/11906_2.png) [@Sattua](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sattua)\
**Post date:** [February 5, 2015, 12:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-everything-so-over-sweetened/711642/22 "2015-02-05T00:10:48Z")

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> [@JcWoman](#):
>
> Woah, I stand in awe of you, sir.

I’m a chick, though online I am often mistaken for a guy. I have had 99%, but that was tooooo much for me. 85% is just right.

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**Author:** ![Hey\_Hey\_Paula](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/85e7bf/32.png) [@Hey\_Hey\_Paula](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hey_Hey_Paula)\
**Post date:** [February 5, 2015, 4:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-everything-so-over-sweetened/711642/23 "2015-02-05T04:37:08Z")

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> [@AnaMen](#):
>
> Some non-diet products are slipping in sucralose without any warning/notice/indication on the packaging beyond the ingredient list, as is now their legal right I guess. It may be making things taste sweeter without commensurate calorie count increase.  
> I don’t drink soda much and it does taste more noxiously sweet than ever in my opinion, but it could be because I’m not used to it.

Sucralose is nasty stuff that tastes like medicine to me. It makes me shudder with revulsion. I was grocery shopping the other day and spotted a box of Fiber One bran cereal whose box boasted “No Aspartame!” I checked the ingredient list, and sure enough, sucralose was included. No thanks. ☹

And then there’s stevia. No nasty aftertaste, and it’s “natural,” but damn it’s sweet! I got some samples of a new protein powder in chocolate, vanilla, strawberry and plain. All the flavors were way, way too sweet due to the stevia. I wish they used half as much. I had the chocolate one tonight, mixed with plain rice milk, and it was so overwhelmingly sweet, I could barely choke it down. (I liked the brand otherwise, so I’m going with plain for future purchases - it’s one of the few brands I’ve found with nothing I’m allergic to in the list of ingredients.)

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**Author:** ![FairyChatMom](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fairychatmom/32/21906_2.png) [@FairyChatMom](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FairyChatMom)\
**Post date:** [February 5, 2015, 12:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-everything-so-over-sweetened/711642/24 "2015-02-05T12:45:31Z")

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If I may divert a bit from beverages to “lightly sweetened” cereals, I have yet to encounter one that is truly \*lightly \*sweetened. Even as a kid, I didn’t like putting sugar on my cornflakes. And there are several cereals that sound good, until I realize that they’re coated with sugar. There’s a generic equivalent of Special K with almonds that I really want to like, but the sweet glaze makes my teeth curl. It’s even too much when I’m craving something sugary.

I’ve pretty much quit eating cereals because of this. Every once in a while, I’ll have some corn chex, but mostly, I’ll have something else for breakfast.

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**Author:** ![Calatin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/439d5e/32.png) [@Calatin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Calatin)\
**Post date:** [February 6, 2015, 9:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-everything-so-over-sweetened/711642/25 "2015-02-06T21:32:50Z")

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> [@kaylasdad99](#):
>
> He only has one named _Tyrion_. Sure, he could marginally increase the efficiency of the process by dragooning more monkeys into the kola nut harvesting operation, but Tyrion is the only one who has the knack for harvesting them _just before_ the peak of ripeness (further ripening takes place while Tyrion is making the trek from the kola nut grove to the cellar where some of the other monkeys – Mr. Tibbles, Jonathan, and Brother Flower\* – shell the nuts and crush the kernels).
> 
> \*Brother Flower is actually a Capuchin monk who wandered onto the grounds one day. He seems to have really taken to his new environment, and only tries to escape once every six weeks now.

But the real question is whether the monkey was purchased when it was an adult, or if it was raised from an infant. I home-rear all my monkeys from when they are babies. It’s so much cheaper, and more efficient.

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