I don't care what anyone says. There is NO sugar substitute that tastes just like sugar.

I can always tell the difference. That's why I don't drink diet pops. They taste unnatural. I also just had some cocoa roasted almonds and even though they did have regular sugar, they also contained Stevia extract, which made the damn almonds taste artificial!

What about you guys? Ever found a sweetener that was good enough for you?

Never found a good replacement. Though my blood sugar thanks me for opting for less and less sugar.

Yeah, I cut out a ton of sugar from just not drinking pop. I'd rather have no pop than try to drink diet.

So damn true.

No sugar in either tea or coffee which I used to do when I was younger.

Same here. Given up a majority of sweetened drinks, processed snack cakes, and things like that. It's amazing how much i don't miss it after kicking the habit.

Yeah I can't really do artificial sweeteners, either. Thankfully I don't have much of a sweet tooth, prefer savory things. Fuzzy water (La Croix FTW!) is all I need as far as bubbly drinks go.

The only sweetener I've found that doesn't taste like chewed-up aspirin is erythritol, and it's actually pretty good. It's about 90% as sweet as sugar, can be used as a direct substitute for the most part, and the only way I can tell a difference is that it has a slight "cooling" effect (like xylitol in mint gum), but it's mild. It also doesn't dissolve in cool liquids, but that's not a big deal if you can heat them up.

It's been a life saver, I tell you what, on those rare occasions I really need something sweet.

@JustPlainLucas: give Erythritol a try if you are actually looking for something. I had given up hope on a sweetener until then.

Isn’t the fact that it tastes horrible the point? I know using sugar substitutes helped ween me off actual sugar.

Diet Dr Pepper is amazing and a gift from the gods.

I cant tell the difference between sugar and sweetners lile candral splenda etc.

I find Cola Zero better than the classic. But I'm not addicted to sugar so I don't feels its absence that much.

Yup, sugar's like a Porsche.......there is no substitute.

You pay for everything in life one way or another, you can't have your cake and eat it too, unfortunately.

Interesting. Did a little research on it, and it says it has 70 percent sweetness of sugar, so I'll most likely detect it. Also a little concerned about how it's indigestible. Apparently, also has a melting point of 250 degrees F! I'm curious about the cooling effect you described. I might have to try it to see if I can detect it myself.

If you use it in moderation, it's not detectable, at least to me. So a spoonful in your coffee with some milk, for example. Or if you have a tomato sauce that's a little too tangy, put a bit in there.

The cooling effect is mild, I was only able to detect it by trying it straight. Like literally dabbing my finger in a bit and tasting it. I never experienced it when used in food.

As for the indigestible bit, not sure about that. It's never given me any problems. I did look up the warnings on, you have to eat pounds and pounds of it for there to be any issues. So unless you're making candy with it, I wouldn't be too concerned. And usually when they say "indigestible" they mean "passes through you unchanged", no "it sits in your stomach for 10 years".

I make a chia seed pudding, usually 5 cups liquid (water and coconut milk), 1/2 C of chia seeds, 1 C of erythritol, and 1/2 C cocoa powder and it's damn tasty. Previously I made this with stevia extract and it tasted like I was licking the inside of aspirin bottle. Now I can't tell the difference, only that it's slightly less sweet (and that is fine by me). Chia seeds have a ton of fiber, too, so I poop great eating this haha.

Yeah. Diet pop is disgusting.

True. When I have to I put honey in my coffee but the taste of it overpowers everything.

I rarely drank water growing up and was always drinking Diet Coke instead of the sugary stuff. I think its the only reason I’m not diabetic yet (being serious) lol But I agree that real sugar taste better by FAR, especially in coffee, haven’t found something that taste even remotely as good ☕️ ?

Stevia in coffee is ok. It's not great though in soda, especially Coke... But Coke has its own unique taste.

@joshrmeyer: I am going to try some of that Stevia stuff. Thanks for the comment! ?

T. R. U. V. I. A.

I generally use Splenda (yellow packets) as my sweetener. Of the artificial sweeteners I believe sucralose has the least ties with cancer to this point. Aspartame and Saccharin have both been tied to cancer. And Splenda tastes fine, better than Stevia for me.

I don't drink soft drinks or even beer, 90% of what I drink is water.

Honey.

i think coke zero is much better alternative than diet coke but there is still not the same aftertaste as good ol' corn syrup.

@crimsonllama:

Agreed.

Now where is my barrage of female sex partners? :P

I think at a certain point, if you're avoiding everything that can kill, you aren't really living that much. What's the harm in soda or alcohol, seriously?

It's derived from Stevia, which I was able to taste in my almonds, so I'd definitely be able to taste that too.

@JustPlainLucas:

Stevia.........in almonds? Wtf?

Yeah, it was part of the cocoa flavoring.

@JustPlainLucas:

What brand?

Omg thought you were trolling! Lol

Emerald.

Yeah I can tell straight away if its diet pop or not. People say I bet you cant tell the difference if I put 2 out with one normal and one diet but I bet I can. It just a complete different taste. Also when adverts or news say drink less sugar etc ive been told by my doc and dietitian to eat more things with sugar, salt etc to get blood pressure up. The think is its getting harder and harder to find stuff with the right amount of sugar in as normal chocolate is been reduced too. Think people like me should get a free prescription from docs when they say eat more sugar.

Yeah I hate diet coke and Coke Zero. Have a metallic taste?

Sugar is basically cane sugar and Stevia is from the Stevia plant. So theres nothing unnatural about "Stevia" since its just a different plant thats much lower in calories, if you are into calorie watching.

They are both "unnatural" as in they are both extracted artificially and processed, unlike fructose from fruits. Stevia always has a slight bitter aftertaste though.

In any case, I dont drink sodas and I limit sweet things, including fruits. Speaking of coke however, I prefer Coke Zeros anyday over classic, I just dont like the latter at all for some reason.

I like most diet soda. I have a feeling there is a genetic component to the taste aspect.

I love Coke Zero. Tastes just as good as regular Coca Cola.

Guys that calorie count make me laugh in the same way a man carrying a small shopping bag does.