What's the deal with Aspartame? [Archive]

arcticpenguin

20th August 2003, 03:28 PM

Aspartame is dangerous to a very small group of people with a metabolic disorder known as phenylketoneuria. They cannot handle one of the byproducts of aspartame. In the U.S. babies are tested at birth for phenylketonuria, so if you had it you would already know it.

Other people have reported mild symptoms like headaches, etc. If you experience such symptoms, stop using aspartame.

Most of what you have found about "aspartame disease" is indeed the usual conspiracy theory hooey.

Here's some info on phenylketonuria and aspartame from a reliable source: http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/phenylketonuria.html

ceptimus

20th August 2003, 04:04 PM

Isn't there supposed to be a (slightly) increased risk of bowel cancer?

Soapy Sam

20th August 2003, 04:27 PM

Despite it's description as a "sugar free sweetener", to my palate, aspartame leaves an unpleasant, bitter aftertaste. A few years back, I made this remark in company of a group of family & friends, some of whom agreed, some of whom disagreed.

We tried a (distinctly non rigorous) test, in which one person selected a number (I think seven, but I can't swear to that) items of food and drink containing aspartame and an equal number without. Just what was in the house at the time. (Not my house I would stress).

The rest of us tasted them and filled out a simple yes or no list.
One person got them all wrong. One was right more or less 50% of the time. The other four people were right on virtually all of the tests. I got them all right, as did a friend who is diabetic and also detests the stuff.

Could be our taste buds were sensitive to it. (I DO like sweets to my eternal regret), but our quickie test implied that most people can spot it right away and about half of them don't like it.

I suspect the bad press it gets arises from this effect.

American

20th August 2003, 04:41 PM

Lots of things have phenylalanine and aspartic acid, I dare say all organisms(?). (Aspartame = Aspartic acid + phenylalanine). Both are common amino acids that are normally harmless. Putting the two together as a methyl ester = wonderful sweetness, and you can stay thin so that people will like you and you'll be really attractive.

The sweetness of both aspartame and saccharin were both found by foolish chemists who accidentally ingested them and didn't croak from it! Since chemists are much more careful these days, discovering new sweet compounds is more difficult than it used to be. They have a grip on the sweetness receptor of the tongue, but not on predicting the compounds that activate it.

If you have no metabolic disorders, then use aspartame with hubris, and tell your friend to shove it!

Valmorian

20th August 2003, 04:44 PM

Originally posted by Soapy Sam
Despite it's description as a "sugar free sweetener", to my palate, aspartame leaves an unpleasant, bitter aftertaste. A few years back, I made this remark in company of a group of family & friends, some of whom agreed, some of whom disagreed.

I agree with you, myself.. Although I've heard that through regular use of Aspartame the aftertaste is much diminished. Many people I know swear that once you get used to Diet Coke, you find it impossible to drink regular Coke..

Could be our taste buds were sensitive to it. (I DO like sweets to my eternal regret), but our quickie test implied that most people can spot it right away and about half of them don't like it.

I've found that my ability to taste it is really related to what it is in. I can find it in pop really easy, but, say the Dairy Queen fudge bars (sweetened with Aspartame) taste really close to regular ones and leave almost no aftertaste (I suspect this is because of the chocolate flavor).

I suspect the bad press it gets arises from this effect.

That wouldn't surprise me at all.

Valmorian

20th August 2003, 04:45 PM

Originally posted by arcticpenguin
Aspartame is dangerous to a very small group of people with a metabolic disorder known as phenylketoneuria. They cannot handle one of the byproducts of aspartame. In the U.S. babies are tested at birth for phenylketonuria, so if you had it you would already know it.

Thanks! Although from what I read on the site you referred, I would have known if I had that disorder long ago. Looks like you can't eat a lot of meat, etc.. and I certainly do that. ;)

ManfredVonRichthoffen

20th August 2003, 08:07 PM

Sucralose, sold as Splenda(Inner city gangster for Splendor), is slightly better than the amino acid stuff. You can still tell that it ins't sugar, but a little in your coffee tasts better. Some syrups us it as well. Torani, monin. If you like sweet coffee you can use them in it, otherwise the fruity ones go nice over club soda.

I don't like aspertame that much, but i really don't taste it in diet vanilla coke. I find it more drinkable than straight diet coke.

SquishyDave

20th August 2003, 11:41 PM

I don't like the fake suger stuff either, not sure if it's that aspartame or not, the aftertaste is pretty bad.

hehe splenda, we had a little scottish ginger bread man advertising that for us. "It's made from sugar, soo it tastes like sugar" (scottich accent) :)

Ove

20th August 2003, 11:48 PM

Look when will you guy's learn? IT IS NOT THE SUGAR that makes you fat it is fat, as in F A T. You don't loose weight if you order a Diet Coke to your Big Mac menu instead of a regular Coke and you don't loose weight by using artificial sweeteners in your coffe+apple pie. You loose weight by replacing the Big Mac with a Mc Salad shaker WITHOUT dressing and drink coffe with sugar by all means but WITHOUT apple pie. If you then also walk a Mile after this meal you will definitely loose weight.:D

FORGET low fat fries, diet soda, unsweetened this and that. If you really want to loose weight you must burn more calories than you eat. It is that simple, you don't need a Dr. Phil to tell you this you know it allready. Exercise - Exercise - Exercise.:golf:

And for what it's worth i too think Aspartam (or Nutra Sweet as it is commonly known) tastes bitter and i too believe i can pick it out but then again i have never really tried.:D

fishbob

21st August 2003, 12:24 AM

What's the deal with Aspartame? No calories, tastes like the bottom of a bird cage. Same with Splenda.

IT IS NOT THE SUGAR that makes you fat it is fat Sugar has lots of calories. So it will make you just as fat as fat calories will. Maybe even more so because it is easily absorbed.

Michael Redman

21st August 2003, 08:14 AM

Originally posted by Ove
FORGET low fat fries, diet soda, unsweetened this and that. If you really want to loose weight you must burn more calories than you eat. And reducing your intake of calories is one way to accomplish this. I drink enough diet coke to replace 720 calories I would be consuming if it were regular coke, every day.

I don't think aspartame tastes anywhere near as good as sugar, but I still am addicted to Diet Coke, mostly as a refreshing caffiene delivery vehicle. I use sugar for sweetening most other things, which I consume in dramatically less quantity. While I enjoy an occational Coke or other soda, I find them too sugary, and I always feel like I need to brush my teeth immediately afterwards.

And guess what? I don't care if other people don't like diet coke. I get sick of people who don't like it asking me how I can drink it, like they're somehow morally superior for having different taste.

HarryKeogh

21st August 2003, 08:35 AM

Originally posted by Michael Redman
And reducing your intake of calories is one way to accomplish this. I drink enough diet coke to replace 720 calories I would be consuming if it were regular coke, every day.

I don't think aspartame tastes anywhere near as good as sugar, but I still am addicted to Diet Coke, mostly as a refreshing caffiene delivery vehicle. I use sugar for sweetening most other things, which I consume in dramatically less quantity. While I enjoy an occational Coke or other soda, I find them too sugary, and I always feel like I need to brush my teeth immediately afterwards.

And guess what? I don't care if other people don't like diet coke. I get sick of people who don't like it asking me how I can drink it, like they're somehow morally superior for having different taste.

i agree with all your points esp. the last one. I dont drink regular soda and try not to consume a ton of sugar because diabetes runs in my family. That's why i can drink it and sacrifice a little bit of taste. So when i order a diet coke please don't make a face! (plus i actually find regular soda way too sweet now)

Peter Jenkins

21st August 2003, 08:35 AM

From the ever-useful snopes
http://www.snopes.com/toxins/aspartam.htm (http://www.snopes.com/toxins.aspartam.htm)
Peter

jimlintott

21st August 2003, 08:38 AM

Ever touch a nine volt battery to your tongue? That's the aftertaste I get from aspartame sweetened items.

Why not switch from pop to water? I drink water all the time and find that all pop tastes bad in comparison. If I ever crave some pop it's really just sugar that I'm after. I'm reducing the amount of carbs and sugar in my diet and find I get way fewer sugar crashes (coming down from the sugar high) and I don't feel hungry as often.

All pop is junk food. You don't need junk food.

Valmorian

21st August 2003, 09:43 AM

Originally posted by Ove
Look when will you guy's learn? IT IS NOT THE SUGAR that makes you fat it is fat, as in F A T.

Psst. Some of us consume too much sugar. Eliminating or reducing the sugar in my diet CUTS CALORIES. It isn't ALL I am doing, so I'm not sure why the rant?

FORGET low fat fries, diet soda, unsweetened this and that. If you really want to loose weight you must burn more calories than you eat. It is that simple, you don't need a Dr. Phil to tell you this you know it allready. Exercise - Exercise - Exercise.:golf:

Well DUH. The question I was asking was related to the safety of Aspartame, and I don't recall ever saying I was planning on binging on diet foods and sitting around.

I walk to and from work every weekday (about a 25-30 minute walk each way). I've switched from regular coke to diet coke (I drink a fair bit of cola, and this is a good way for me to cut calories in my diet). I'm also eating less fatty foods, opting out of fries, getting a salad instead, etc..

I eat out a lot, and it's difficult to find low calorie foods at fast food places (which is all I ever seem to have time for) so I'm cutting calories where I can and trying to substitute healthier choices.

Valmorian

21st August 2003, 09:46 AM

Originally posted by jimlintott

Why not switch from pop to water? I drink water all the time and find that all pop tastes bad in comparison.

For the most part, I have switched to water. I still find I have a craving for Coke fairly often though, because it used to be a fairly major part of what I consumed. If I can make the switch to Diet Coke successfully, it will greatly help me reduce my calorie intake.

Now all I need to do is somehow find more time to exercise.. and find an exercise I LIKE doing..

kookbreaker

21st August 2003, 09:56 AM

Originally posted by Valmorian

For the most part, I have switched to water. I still find I have a craving for Coke fairly often though, because it used to be a fairly major part of what I consumed. If I can make the switch to Diet Coke successfully, it will greatly help me reduce my calorie intake.

You might give some of the flavored carbonated waters a try. I found them to be an excellent substitute and they have 0 calories. When I craved a soda, what a really craved was a carbonated and flavored lqiuid without yucky aftertaste.

Chanileslie

21st August 2003, 10:01 AM

Originally posted by Valmorian
So I'm trying to lose weight, and to help with this, switching to Diet sodas. All the sodas I've found use Aspartame as an artificial sweetener.

Then a friend of mine starts freaking out about it, saying that Aspartame is dangerous etc, ect.. I look into it online and find the usual conspiracy nonsense, and some good information on it as well. Seems safe.. what's everyone else's thoughts?

My major in college was biochemistry, and when the hoopla started over how evil aspartame is began, I discussed this with my instructor and mentor, who has a PhD in Biochemistry, and we went through the whole structure of molecule (structure *is* function), and it is actually for the most part harmless (unless you have the phenylalanine problem). There is a small area that could potentially be turned into wood alchohol which in large enough amounts could be potentially damaging to the human brain (now if you drank 90 cases of diet soda a day, you have a slight possibility of this producing a negative effect).

So is it dangerous? Not really. Like everything, partake in moderation and if you have a negative reaction, stop using the product.

On an interesting note, aspartame was created by a biochemistry grad student who decided to stick his finger in this lovely white powder he had just isolated, and tasted it, and found it to be sweet. :-)

Michael Redman

21st August 2003, 10:03 AM

Originally posted by jimlintott
Ever touch a nine volt battery to your tongue? That's the aftertaste I get from aspartame sweetened items.

Why not switch from pop to water? I drink water all the time and find that all pop tastes bad in comparison. If I ever crave some pop it's really just sugar that I'm after. I'm reducing the amount of carbs and sugar in my diet and find I get way fewer sugar crashes (coming down from the sugar high) and I don't feel hungry as often.

All pop is junk food. You don't need junk food. I don't need television or a computer, either. Diet soda isn't doing me any harm, and it's a luxury expenditure I'm prefectly willing and capable of making. Why should I stop?

Chanileslie

21st August 2003, 10:05 AM

Originally posted by jimlintott
Ever touch a nine volt battery to your tongue? That's the aftertaste I get from aspartame sweetened items.

Why not switch from pop to water? I drink water all the time and find that all pop tastes bad in comparison. If I ever crave some pop it's really just sugar that I'm after. I'm reducing the amount of carbs and sugar in my diet and find I get way fewer sugar crashes (coming down from the sugar high) and I don't feel hungry as often.

All pop is junk food. You don't need junk food.

You technically don't need much, but sometimes a luxury is nice. I don't ever make a recommedation of making junk food a habit, but occasionally a treat is nice, and diet soda can help alleviate the desire for something sweet.

Of course, I am not a soda pop fan, so I don't drink much, but when I do, I am going for the caffiene and nothing else.

jimlintott

21st August 2003, 10:53 AM

Hey, I enjoy a good junk food treat now and then. I find that junk food can be habit forming and I have to make an effort to not consume it daily. I have no weight problem and only do it as I find I feel better without it.

The more carbs I eat the more sugar cravings I get. When I get sugar cravings I tend to feed them. If you eat junk food once in a while then great. If you are consuming junk food daily you should try to kick that habit. Switching to diet pop is still feeding a junk food habit. On average I consume less than a litre of pop in a week. I get caffeine from coffee (black, no sugar). In Canada pop is not a reliable source of caffeine.

HarryKeogh

21st August 2003, 10:58 AM

Originally posted by Ove
Look when will you guy's learn? IT IS NOT THE SUGAR that makes you fat it is fat, as in F A T

sorry, if you eat too much sugar you are on your way to fatsville. (or too much protein or too much fat)

if you think drinking 4 cokes a day (500 calories) wont have an effect on your waistline (or possibly lead to insulin resistance problems) you are wrong.

BTox

21st August 2003, 09:28 PM

Originally posted by Valmorian
Then a friend of mine starts freaking out about it, saying that Aspartame is dangerous etc, ect.. I look into it online and find the usual conspiracy nonsense, and some good information on it as well. Seems safe.. what's everyone else's thoughts?

Does your freind look like either of these folks?

aspartame woowoos (http://www.dorway.com/)

This is my favorite toxic food additive site..:D

Valmorian

22nd August 2003, 01:57 PM

Originally posted by BTox

Does your freind look like either of these folks?

aspartame woowoos (http://www.dorway.com/)

This is my favorite toxic food additive site..:D

:O WHOA! That's freakin' FUNNY stuff!

BillyJoe

24th August 2003, 04:10 AM

Pop? Soda? - Do you mean soft drink?

BillyJoe.
[BTW, it damages tooth enamel as well]

EdipisReks

24th August 2003, 06:42 PM

Originally posted by BillyJoe

[BTW, it damages tooth enamel as well]

so does eating solid food.

CurtC

24th August 2003, 09:33 PM

[i]BillyJoe wrote:
Pop? Soda? - Do you mean soft drink?Down here in the South, we just call 'em "cokes." Go into a restaurant and order a coke, and you might hear the waitress say "What kind of coke you want? We got Dr Pepper, Mountain Dew, Pepsi, and Sprite."

EdipisReks

24th August 2003, 10:11 PM

Ove

26th August 2003, 12:21 AM

if you think drinking 4 cokes a day (500 calories) wont have an effect on your waistline (or possibly lead to insulin resistance problems) you are wrong.

I don't. I have never understood this obsession with cokes. Personally i drink perhaps 2 - 3 PR WEEK. I drink a lot of other things instead: milk - juice - water(you know that very efficient thirst killer that comes from a tap) etc. i have NEVER understood people that went around gulping down coke all the time.

I eat out a lot, and it's difficult to find low calorie foods at fast food places (which is all I ever seem to have time for) so I'm cutting calories where I can and trying to substitute healthier choices.
Try some of the asian places, most asian food are really much more healthy than Mc D & Co.;) But you are hitting the head on the nail here. A lot of owerweight people claims that they dont "have the time" to get proper food which is complete b*******. You can get a sandwich with lots of salad and the good stuff and some fruit juice just as fast as you can get McD and a lot of self service restaurants can easily compete on speed too. The "I don't have the time" really seems to me to be a bad excuse covering the fact that you really prefer junk food. Sorry.:(

Well DUH. The question I was asking was related to the safety of Aspartame, and I don't recall ever saying I was planning on binging on diet foods and sitting around.

No i agree, i was taking a hip shot on the type represented by my mom. She is a little overweight, at least she think she is, and once or twice a year she will go "on a diet". She makes that known to the world by bringing her own artificial sweeteners for her coffe and when the sugarpot is passed she says "no thanks, not for me i'm on a Diet" and then produces her little box. Apart from that she eat just like she use to do. She may get a few calories less but ...... :rolleyes:

It is IMHO just as ridicoulus when someone orders a Big Mac Menu and the add's "and a Diet Coke". I agree if you drink 2 - 3 liter coke a day it off course would help switching to sugar free but IF you drink that much Coke i really think you need help.

Valmorian

26th August 2003, 10:06 AM

Originally posted by Ove

I don't. I have never understood this obsession with cokes. Personally i drink perhaps 2 - 3 PR WEEK. I drink a lot of other things instead: milk - juice - water(you know that very efficient thirst killer that comes from a tap) etc. i have NEVER understood people that went around gulping down coke all the time.

Actually, juice has the same calorie content as a coke. It's more nutritious, to be sure, but not lower in calories.

Try some of the asian places, most asian food are really much more healthy than Mc D & Co.;)

I almost never eat at McDonalds, and I usually go for some pasta with marinara sauce or turkey subs with veggies.

But you are hitting the head on the nail here. A lot of owerweight people claims that they dont "have the time" to get proper food which is complete b*******. You can get a sandwich with lots of salad and the good stuff and some fruit juice just as fast as you can get McD and a lot of self service restaurants can easily compete on speed too. The "I don't have the time" really seems to me to be a bad excuse covering the fact that you really prefer junk food. Sorry.:(

*LAUGH*
You seem to be assuming a lot of things about me without finding out what I eat first. Kind of arrogant, don't you think?

No i agree, i was taking a hip shot on the type represented by my mom. She is a little overweight, at least she think she is, and once or twice a year she will go "on a diet". She makes that known to the world by bringing her own artificial sweeteners for her coffe and when the sugarpot is passed she says "no thanks, not for me i'm on a Diet" and then produces her little box. Apart from that she eat just like she use to do. She may get a few calories less but ...... :rolleyes:

Then save the snide comments for your Mom.

It is IMHO just as ridicoulus when someone orders a Big Mac Menu and the add's "and a Diet Coke". I agree if you drink 2 - 3 liter coke a day it off course would help switching to sugar free but IF you drink that much Coke i really think you need help.

1. Who said anything about ordering a Big Mac and adding a Diet Coke?
2. Switching from regular to Diet soda will cut approximately 150 calories per can. Even if you drink only 1 or 2 cans a day, it adds up.

Why are you building up straw men when nobody has suggested any of the things you're railing against?

ManfredVonRichthoffen

26th August 2003, 10:56 AM

1. Who said anything about ordering a Big Mac and adding a Diet Coke?
2. Switching from regular to Diet soda will cut approximately 150 calories per can. Even if you drink only 1 or 2 cans a day, it adds up.
Why are you building up straw men when nobody has suggested any of the things you're railing against? The largest coke served at burger king has 430 (http://www.calorie-counters.net/burger_king.html) calories. The large has 320.

1 pound is lost when about 3500 calories are burned. If your weight is steady, meaning you are burning as much as you are consuming, and you drink coke regulary, then by switching to diet 8 times you would lose a pound. 11 times if you are having the large.

Eos of the Eons

26th August 2003, 11:48 AM

Splenda is the best, the body doesn't digest it because our enzymes can't attach to it. Otherwise, it is sugar, just a carbon base is out of line or something...making it sucralose

What do you get when you take C12H22O11, knock off three hydroxyl groups and, in a special patented process, replace them with three chlorine atoms? A) 1,6-dichloro-1,6-dideoxy-b-D-fructofuranosyl-4-chloro-4-deoxy-a-D-galactopyranoside; B) A fresh batch of a fine variety of trichlorogalactosucrose; or C) Splenda, the new no-calorie sweetener that's coming soon to a birthday cake near you. Answer: all of the above.

http://info.bio.cmu.edu/Courses/03231/NewsOTW/BiochemNotWF00.html#splenda

The human body secretes carbohydrate-digesting enzymes of several kinds both in saliva and in the gastrointestinal tract, but we don't secrete an enzyme for the breakdown of every conceivable kind of carbohydrate. Since we don't secrete an enzyme which digests cellulose, we can't eat trees. Wood is made of several types of carbohydrates, but we don't have the right enzymes to break the connecting bonds of those kinds of carbohydrates. So when we say that a certain carbohydrate (like cellulose) is not digestible, we mean that we do not produce the necessary enzymes to break the water bonds, and therefore the simple sugars that would be in those non-digestable complex carbohydrates are not available to us as food.

http://www.karlloren.com/diet/p120.htm

No matter what we do, our body treats sucralose the same way it would treat cellulose or anything else we can't metabolize. It excretes it. No calories digested and turned into fat.

Sugar is fattening, and so is beer...the body converts it to fat easily enough. There are still more calories in fat though. More calories equals more fat. It's good to cut non-complex carbs out of your diet if you have a problem with weight.

No white bread, no sugary juice punches, no pop, etc. Whole grains and such will give you good carbs and fibre and fill you up.

Did you know that sucrose (table sugar) is a disaccharide, and fructose is only a monosaccharide?
(edited to fix dumb error I made)

BTox

26th August 2003, 01:05 PM

[
Originally posted by Eos of the Eons

Did you know that glucose (table sugar) is a disaccharide, and sucrose (plant sugar) is only a monosaccharide? Glucose is a more complex carb than sugar in your fruits.

Other way around, sucrose (table sugar) is a disaccharide. Glucose and fructose (fruit sugar) are monosaccharides. None of the simple sugars are considered complex carbohydrates.

Eos of the Eons

26th August 2003, 01:10 PM

ack...that's right...table sugar ain't glucose. I must go stick my head under some cold water and wake my brain up.

Thanks for catching that!

Chanileslie

26th August 2003, 01:14 PM

Originally posted by jimlintott
Hey, I enjoy a good junk food treat now and then. I find that junk food can be habit forming and I have to make an effort to not consume it daily. I have no weight problem and only do it as I find I feel better without it.

The more carbs I eat the more sugar cravings I get. When I get sugar cravings I tend to feed them. If you eat junk food once in a while then great. If you are consuming junk food daily you should try to kick that habit. Switching to diet pop is still feeding a junk food habit. On average I consume less than a litre of pop in a week. I get caffeine from coffee (black, no sugar). In Canada pop is not a reliable source of caffeine.

I am a firm believer in everything in moderation. It is up to oneself to monitor themselves, and although I agree that eating a lot of junk food can be habit forming, occasionally should for the most part not be an issue. But this means taking control. I would like to have 2 or 3 Big Mac's a day with fries, but I don't. I rarely eat fast food because it isn't good for me. I have made this choice.

And coffee is yucky even with sugar and a ton of creamer. I will stick diet Pepsi and tea when I need a caffiene boost. It is good to be in the USA!! :-)

Chanileslie

26th August 2003, 01:21 PM

Originally posted by CurtC
Down here in the South, we just call 'em "cokes." Go into a restaurant and order a coke, and you might hear the waitress say "What kind of coke you want? We got Dr Pepper, Mountain Dew, Pepsi, and Sprite."

When I was a kid, we used to do the same thing. I recall when I was about 10, my mother's friend told me to go to the store and get a bottle of 'coke'. So I did, and was promptly yelled at for bringing back Coke and not Pepsi. I was then told not to back talk when I asked what the difference was? I was made to go back to the store return the Coke and get 'coke' ie Pepsi. From that day on, I determined that I would always refer to soda as soda.

HarryKeogh

26th August 2003, 01:27 PM

BTox

26th August 2003, 02:07 PM

Originally posted by CurtC
Down here in the South, we just call 'em "cokes." Go into a restaurant and order a coke, and you might hear the waitress say "What kind of coke you want? We got Dr Pepper, Mountain Dew, Pepsi, and Sprite."

When I went to college in PA, we could determine who came from the Philly area (like me) from the Pittsburgh folks by what we called soft drinks - we called it soda, they called it pop.

Psi Baba

27th August 2003, 11:37 AM

Originally posted by BTox

When I went to college in PA, we could determine who came from the Philly area (like me) from the Pittsburgh folks by what we called soft drinks - we called it soda, they called it pop.

That's right. Pop it is. You might have some with your jumbo (bologna) or your chipped ham (chopped ham sliced paper thin). Here in Pittsburgh, if you ask for a "soda," you'll get a tall glass of pop with ice cream in it. A float, I hear you say? That's a decorated, slow-moving, vehicle in a parade. :D

BTox

27th August 2003, 08:48 PM

Originally posted by Psi Baba

That's right. Pop it is. You might have some with your jumbo (bologna) or your chipped ham (chopped ham sliced paper thin). Here in Pittsburgh, if you ask for a "soda," you'll get a tall glass of pop with ice cream in it. A float, I hear you say? That's a decorated, slow-moving, vehicle in a parade. :D

And in the Philly area, where all the civilized Pennsylvanians live, you ask for pop and the guy will pull the old man out from behind the counter...;)

Ove

28th August 2003, 12:14 AM

Actually, juice has the same calorie content as a coke. It's more nutritious, to be sure, but not lower in calories.

I'm not saying that i don't believe you but do you have some documentation?

I almost never eat at McDonalds, and I usually go for some pasta with marinara sauce or turkey subs with veggies.

But you said: eat out a lot, and it's difficult to find low calorie foods at fast food places Fast food places in my book is McD &Co (Butger King, Pizza Hut, KFC). It may have another meaning to you, in that case i have misunderstood you.

[QUOTE*LAUGH*
You seem to be assuming a lot of things about me without finding out what I eat first. Kind of arrogant, don't you think?
[/QUOTE]

Over here, Fast Food places means what i said above so when someone tells me he mostly dines at such places i naturally assumes he lives on Burgers and Pizza if that isn't the case i owe you an apology.:wink:

Ove

28th August 2003, 04:27 AM

Actually, juice has the same calorie content as a coke. It's more nutritious, to be sure, but not lower in calories.

Have had time to check and you are right, i stand corrected but i'll stilll argue that Juice is far more healthy than Coke even if it's dietcoke.;)

BillyJoe

28th August 2003, 05:21 AM

When you go for an early morning run you can eat whatever you damn well please. :)

dissonance

28th August 2003, 06:11 AM

Originally posted by Ove

Have had time to check and you are right, i stand corrected but i'll stilll argue that Juice is far more healthy than Coke even if it's dietcoke.;)

Depends on how you choose to define what is healthy, I expect. It also depends on the juice. That stuff that the manufacturers call juice when it's really fruit flavoured sugar water is crap. You might as well just drink a regular coke.

Real juice (ie 100% juice) has vitamins and less sugar, but it's also has most of the healthy stuff from fresh fruit stripped out, like the fibre. And juice is high in calories, so anyone trying to lose weight would want to be careful. A diet Coke has pretty much no calories, so if you are trying to lose weight, what you consider the healthier option might be the one that has no calories. If you are worried about your vitamin C intake, you might consider the juice the healthier option.

It's all in what you consider to be the most important healthy aspects of the product.

Valmorian

28th August 2003, 09:38 AM

Originally posted by Ove

Have had time to check and you are right, i stand corrected but i'll stilll argue that Juice is far more healthy than Coke even if it's dietcoke.;)

Don't know who you'd argue THAT one with, since I don't know anybody who would claim that Juice is less healthy than a Coke, diet or not!

I was equally surprised to find out how similar the calorie count is between juice and pop, but I've tried many different kinds of juices and they're all pretty consistent as far as calorie content goes.

Valmorian

28th August 2003, 09:42 AM

Originally posted by Ove

But you said: eat out a lot, and it's difficult to find low calorie foods at fast food places Fast food places in my book is McD &Co (Butger King, Pizza Hut, KFC). It may have another meaning to you, in that case i have misunderstood you.

To me, fast food is anything you can find in a food court in a mall. This includes sandwich places, pasta places, etc..

Certainly I'm avoiding burger places!

Over here, Fast Food places means what i said above so when someone tells me he mostly dines at such places i naturally assumes he lives on Burgers and Pizza if that isn't the case i owe you an apology.:wink:

Nah, I might splurge for a burger once in a while now, but it's pretty much mostly pita sandwiches, turkey/roast beef subs, Edo Japan and the like as my staples now.

I will really miss veggie pizza though. mmmmm..

Ove

28th August 2003, 11:46 PM

Depends on how you choose to define what is healthy, I expect. It also depends on the juice. That stuff that the manufacturers call juice when it's really fruit flavoured sugar water is crap. You might as well just drink a regular coke.

Yep, off course i should have said that the juice i drink is 100%fruitjuice and nothing else. The orange juice even contains the fibres too. You can see them here (the "16" stands for "16 oranges/apples/... pr. liter):