[jellygirl]

Do not waste your money on Jacque Groumet Meringue Chocolate Delight cookies. Ugh. I am always scouting the cookie isle for low cal and low fat cookies (because I have a persistent sweet tooth) and I found these the other day. I thought, "Wow, 12 cookies in a serving, 120 calories per serving, that's awesome!". Took one bite and threw the bag out the window. The reason it's low cal is because they're made of chalk. Ugh.

[QuilterInVA]

I find them delicious. It's all in how much you want to lose, I guess cause I'd probably eat chalk if it kept me from gaining. I can't stand regular and low fat cookies and cakes and stuff like that - tastes too sweet and greasy. So we are all different. Keep looking for something you like. Miss Meringue is also great.

[elisaroze]

So, I have a question about soda. I have tried so many different diet kinds that I stick to sugar free tea until I can't stand it any more and blow my diet on a regular soda (the only carbs I allow myself are from fruits and vegetables). Any possibilities out there I may not have tried? Coke, Pepsi, DrP are all kind of used up.

[StarPrincess]

I'm a big fan of Diet Hansen's. They've got good flavors like black cherry, strawberry kiwi, and tangerine lime. Best of all they're sweetened with Splenda so if aspartame doesn't agree with you, you don't need to worry.

If aspartame isn't a concern, try Diet Shasta. They have orange, grape, strawberry, grapefruit, chocolate, and root beer. That should keep things interesting for you

[MichelleRae]

well I think it is Diet Rite that uses splenda in their sodas and some people swear by it!! Have you tired that? I also like Diet M.Dew or diet root beer are also good, oh yeah and my fave is diet cherry pepsi yummm!!!

Michelle

[MrsJim]

Originally Posted by elisaroze

So, I have a question about soda. I have tried so many different diet kinds that I stick to sugar free tea until I can't stand it any more and blow my diet on a regular soda (the only carbs I allow myself are from fruits and vegetables). Any possibilities out there I may not have tried? Coke, Pepsi, DrP are all kind of used up.

Oh there's LOTS of different diet sodas out there. You just have to look.

Our current new fave is the new "light" lemonades in a can - Minute Maid (made by Coca-Cola) and Tropicana (Pepsi). Both have 5 calories per can and are made with Splenda and there's a trace of real lemon juice in there too. Wouldn't call them a "soda" per se as they aren't carbonated. Of course, my always favorite is Diet Coke (NOT the Diet Coke with Lemon or Lime or the Diet Vanilla Coke - yukkypoo).

Another diet drink fave for both my hubby and I is iced tea - preferably fresh brewed from Lipton tea bags, but in a rush the Lipton Diet Instant with Lemon works quite well too! Crystal Light...well, I've never been a big fan. Just doesn't do much for the old tastebuds - for either one of us. Too artificial tasting. Getting a decent tasting instant tea is pretty easy - in the factory, they just brew a lot of strong tea, then dry it until a powder is left, add sweetener and flavoring (lemon, etc) and voila!

I expect in the next couple of years, you'll see your old diet favorites reformulated with Splenda as a substitute for Equal. Right now, Splenda is much more expensive than Equal/aspartame, since the Splenda Company still holds the exclusive patent for its manufacture and distribution. (That's why you don't see any Splenda generic products yet - be patient though). The same thing happened when Equal/NutraSweet was first marketed - it was freakin' EXPENSIVE compared to saccharin products such as Sweet N Low (saccharin has been around since the late 1800's, so obviously it's in the public domain which is why it's so cheap).

As a point of reference, my dad was a soda pop chemist from 1959-1996, and in fact specialized in diet products (as well as having a HUGE hand in creating the flavors for some 'non-diet' beverages you might have heard of: CapriSun and Clearly Canadian were two of them). So consequently the topic of soda pop has always held an interest for me! One thing I learned from the Old Man about making diet sodas palatable is that it's not just a matter of removing the sugar and replacing it with an equivelent amount of artificial sweetener - the formulas are COMPLETELY different and sometimes it can take years to come up with one that works. If anyone remembers the diet pops of the 1960's and early 1970's (remember Tab?) and compares them by taste and (more importantly) aftertaste to today's products, you'll see that we've come a long way, baby...

[Anonymouse]

Wow, thanks Mrs. Jim! I was wondering why more companies weren't using Splenda in the sodas! Though I suspect that the people who love aspartame won't like Splenda.
The new Coca-Cola (Coke C2) has aspartame in it, but Pepsi Edge does not. I tried the Pepsi Edge today...not bad, tastes rather like flat Pepsi (which is fantastic for an upset tummy...and the reaosn I wanted a soda in the first place).
But basically I drink either Propel water, diet Arizona iced tea (also Splenda) or diet Hansens Ginger Ale or Tangerine Lime. I also make my own iced tea. I've only had luck findingthe Hansens at Trader Joes though, none of the chain stores around here carry the diet.

[MrsJim]

Originally Posted by Anonymouse

Wow, thanks Mrs. Jim! I was wondering why more companies weren't using Splenda in the sodas! Though I suspect that the people who love aspartame won't like Splenda.

Ya know - I can go either way. Although I prefer the Splenda that comes in the packets to the 'fluffy' bulk Splenda - I keep both on hand. Equal and Sweet N Low too - I grew up with Sweet N Low in my iced tea, and I don't like anything else sweetening it, including real sugar

Where Splenda also shines is for cooking - I can't believe that I see so many recipes for heated/cooked foods that call for Equal. Ya see, Equal is made of amino acids - pretty fragile ones at that. It doesn't stand up very well to heat - breaks down and becomes MIGHTY bitter. (I remember one particular experience a few years back drinking a can of Diet Coke that had been in our truck during a VERY hot 5-hour drive back from Yosemite - thought that if I chilled it in the fridge, it would be okay to drink. Nope - tasted like ca-ca. I would recommend, in fact, if you buy Diet Coke or any other drink flavored with aspartame that you do NOT leave it in a warm spot like the trunk of your car for very long - it can get over 100 degrees in there very quickly and turn your 'delicious and refreshing' drink into a bitter experience indeed