Hey everyone,

I am trying to lower my sugar intake. But I find that diet (saccrin,
aspertame, sucralose) sodas taste horrible. Crystal light tastes great
but give me a headache . I have tried koolaid powder with artificial
sugars and I dont care for it.

Then I tried splenda with ICE TEA Success!!
I found that bioled tea leaves with water and Splenda is also good.

As you can see i'm still experimenting.

As I walked through my Smart and Final I saw the extract section had
more than just the plain vanilla extract: Ones of interest we
Orange, Strawberry, Peppermint, I think rootbeer as well was there.

But looking at the back I see that these have a very high alcohol
content. Around 83% by volume.

Doing some math (please correct me if i'm wrong).

If I round up the alcohol by volume up to 100% for the extract.
Then assuming 1 teaspoon flavors 2 quarts

There are 192 teaspoons in a quart @ 2 quarts = 384 teaspoons

1tsp/384tsp = 0.002604

So 0.26% alcohol by volume

This seems to be close to the alcohol content of a non-alcoholic beer.
Would this be safe to consume on a regular basis. With no
short/longterm concequences. I know that this would in no way make you
drunk but i'm concerned if i would use it on a regular basis.

Other ideas: I'm looking for a non sweetened flavoring I can
experiment with.

Jon wrote:
>
> Hey everyone,
>
> I am trying to lower my sugar intake. But I find that diet (saccrin,
> aspertame, sucralose) sodas taste horrible. Crystal light tastes great
> but give me a headache . I have tried koolaid powder with artificial
> sugars and I dont care for it.
>
> Then I tried splenda with ICE TEA Success!!


Diet Rite sodas are now made in part with Splenda.



Brian Rodenborn

"Jon" > wrote in message
om...
> Hey everyone,
>
> I am trying to lower my sugar intake. But I find that diet (saccrin,
> aspertame, sucralose) sodas taste horrible. Crystal light tastes great
> but give me a headache . I have tried koolaid powder with artificial
> sugars and I dont care for it.
>
> Then I tried splenda with ICE TEA Success!!
> I found that bioled tea leaves with water and Splenda is also good.
>
> As you can see i'm still experimenting.
>
> As I walked through my Smart and Final I saw the extract section had
> more than just the plain vanilla extract: Ones of interest we
> Orange, Strawberry, Peppermint, I think rootbeer as well was there.
>
> But looking at the back I see that these have a very high alcohol
> content. Around 83% by volume.
>
> Doing some math (please correct me if i'm wrong).
>
> If I round up the alcohol by volume up to 100% for the extract.
> Then assuming 1 teaspoon flavors 2 quarts
>
> There are 192 teaspoons in a quart @ 2 quarts = 384 teaspoons
>
> 1tsp/384tsp = 0.002604
>
> So 0.26% alcohol by volume
>
> This seems to be close to the alcohol content of a non-alcoholic beer.
> Would this be safe to consume on a regular basis. With no
> short/longterm concequences. I know that this would in no way make you
> drunk but i'm concerned if i would use it on a regular basis.
>
> Other ideas: I'm looking for a non sweetened flavoring I can
> experiment with.

Extracts won't give you what you're looking for here. Instead, try some of
the sugar free Torani (or similar) syrups. I am diabetic, so I am familiar
with your plight! I love Iced tea, which is my drink of choice besides
water. But every now and then I use the sugar free blackberry syrup or
strawberry syrup to make an Italian cream soda. You can do it without the
cream too. I also use the sugar free vanilla in latte, and it's quite
good...add a bit of the Vietnamese cinnamon from Penzey's and it's heaven.
As for soda, the only soda I care for is the diet Hansen's grapefruit and
black cherry. No aftertaste!

kimberly

"Jon" > wrote in message
om...
> Hey everyone,
>
> I am trying to lower my sugar intake. But I find that diet (saccrin,
> aspertame, sucralose) sodas taste horrible. Crystal light tastes great
> but give me a headache . I have tried koolaid powder with artificial
> sugars and I dont care for it.
>
> Then I tried splenda with ICE TEA Success!!
> I found that bioled tea leaves with water and Splenda is also good.
>
<snip>

First, just so you know, splenda *is* sucralose. From the splenda.com
website:

How is SPLENDA® Brand Sweetener made?
SPLENDA® is the brand name for the ingredient sucralose. It is made by
a patented multi-step process that starts with cane sugar and converts it to
a no calorie, non-carbohydrate sweetener.

Perhpas the problem with the soda with sucralose wasn't the sucralose,
but something else. Maybe try a different brand or flavor. Also worth
mentioning... switching from full calorie to diet soda takes some patience.
When I went from regular to diet soda, the diet stuff tasted nasty. I've
got to the point now where I'm the other way around and the regular stuff is
way too sweet and syrupy. Give it a month or so. Also, try different
brands. Most diet sodas taste good to me, except diet coke which I think is
horrible, but then again, I never liked coke...

Anyhow, not sure on the consumption of extracts...

However, since you liked the splenda in the tea... Get the regular
unsweetened packets of kool-aid (not the stuff with artificial sweetener or
sugar already added) and use splenda instead of the cup of sugar that is
called for. Just make sure you use the amount of splenda that will give
equiv. sweetness to one cup of sugar.

Another thing I've done in the past is mix up 1 of the unsweetened
packets of kool-aid, splenda equal to 1 cup of sugar, and enough water to
make a sort of syrup. I cannot remember how much water. I know that it was
no more than 1 cup, but it seems like it may have been less. Then, I added
this to canned sparkling club soda to make fruit-flavored sodas.

"Nexis" > wrote in message
news:C4UVb.12336$IF1.8347@fed1read01...
>
>
> Extracts won't give you what you're looking for here. Instead, try some of
> the sugar free Torani (or similar) syrups.

For the original poster, a large selection of Torani is also available at
Smart and Final.

Charlie

> I am diabetic, so I am familiar
> with your plight! I love Iced tea, which is my drink of choice besides
> water. But every now and then I use the sugar free blackberry syrup or
> strawberry syrup to make an Italian cream soda. You can do it without the
> cream too. I also use the sugar free vanilla in latte, and it's quite
> good...add a bit of the Vietnamese cinnamon from Penzey's and it's heaven.
> As for soda, the only soda I care for is the diet Hansen's grapefruit and
> black cherry. No aftertaste!
>
> kimberly
>
>

In rec.food.cooking, Jon > wrote:
> Hey everyone,

> I am trying to lower my sugar intake. But I find that diet (saccrin,
> aspertame, sucralose) sodas taste horrible. Crystal light tastes great
> but give me a headache . I have tried koolaid powder with artificial
> sugars and I dont care for it.

Maybe drinking water would be an acceptable alternative? Why do you need
to put flavorings in it?


> Then I tried splenda with ICE TEA Success!!
> I found that bioled tea leaves with water and Splenda is also good.

If you drink good tea, there is no need for any sweetener. You would do
well to get away from the "not sweet = not good" trap you seem to be
caught in.


> This seems to be close to the alcohol content of a non-alcoholic beer.
> Would this be safe to consume on a regular basis. With no
> short/longterm concequences. I know that this would in no way make you
> drunk but i'm concerned if i would use it on a regular basis.

I'd be concerned that you have damaged taste buds from all the artificial
glop you seem to consume.

Try drinking plain spring water for a month. Then go back to the
chemical-laced stuff you mention, and see if maybe you are now satisfied
with pure, refreshing, delicious water.

--
....I'm an air-conditioned gypsy...

- The Who

While frolicking around in rec.food.cooking,
of InterGalactic Usenet Enterprises said:

>Maybe drinking water would be an acceptable alternative? Why do you need
>to put flavorings in it?
>
I drink lots of water, and I like it fine: I'm a very thirsty person,
me. Since we have soft water in Stockholm, I drink tap water as it is
and several cups of it every day. However, I do like to also have
something flavoured now and again. Unsweetened tea will do for some of
it, but I still have a sweet tooth, though I also try to cut down on my
sugar intake.
--
Nikitta a.a. #1759 Apatriot(No, not apricot)#18
ICQ# 251532856
Unreferenced footnotes: http://www.nut.house.cx/cgi-bin/nemwiki.pl?ISFN
"However, as far as anything has a heart (i.e. bit in the middle), then
I'd grant a potato a heart." Lloyd Gilbert (afdaniain)

> wrote in message
...
> In rec.food.cooking, Jon > wrote:
> > Hey everyone,
>
> > I am trying to lower my sugar intake. But I find that diet (saccrin,
> > aspertame, sucralose) sodas taste horrible. Crystal light tastes great
> > but give me a headache . I have tried koolaid powder with artificial
> > sugars and I dont care for it.
>
> Maybe drinking water would be an acceptable alternative? Why do you need
> to put flavorings in it?

Why not? A little flavor is nice now and then.


>
>
> > Then I tried splenda with ICE TEA Success!!
> > I found that bioled tea leaves with water and Splenda is also good.
>
> If you drink good tea, there is no need for any sweetener. You would do
> well to get away from the "not sweet = not good" trap you seem to be
> caught in.

It's a matter of personal preference, actually. The OP didn't say they don't
like things that aren't sweetened, but asked for advice about how to flavor
some beverages. You're making alot of assumptions.
>
>
> > This seems to be close to the alcohol content of a non-alcoholic beer.
> > Would this be safe to consume on a regular basis. With no
> > short/longterm concequences. I know that this would in no way make you
> > drunk but i'm concerned if i would use it on a regular basis.
>
> I'd be concerned that you have damaged taste buds from all the artificial
> glop you seem to consume.
>
> Try drinking plain spring water for a month. Then go back to the
> chemical-laced stuff you mention, and see if maybe you are now satisfied
> with pure, refreshing, delicious water.

Again, pretty presumptuous. If I ask about the best chocolate to use for a
chocolate cake, it doesn't mean I eat chocolate cake day in and day out.

kimberly

>
> --
> ...I'm an air-conditioned gypsy...
>
> - The Who

On Tue, 10 Feb 2004 00:50:06 GMT, "DRB" > wrote:

>
>"Jon" > wrote

>> I am trying to lower my sugar intake. But I find that diet (saccrin,
>> aspertame, sucralose) sodas taste horrible.
>
>First, just so you know, splenda *is* sucralose.

I am prepared to believe that others can actually detect an
'aftertaste' in sugar substitutes. However, I really wonder if this
might not be a project for some blind taste-test experiments. I have a
friend who "can't stand" diet soda. Yet, she's perfectly happy with
clear, flavored, aspartame-sweetened drinks. Since soft drinks are
little more than water, artificial color, artificial flavor, and
sweetener, it seems odd (to me) that Diet Pepsi is awful, but if it's
not brown, it tastes fine.

Evidently the OP has rejected 'artificial' sweeteners and been
attracted to the sugar-like presentation of Splenda in part because it
doesn't say 'sucralose' on the package. Sort of like saying "I can't
take aspirin, so I use Bayer."

Thanks for all your reply s guys!!
good suggestions I think I'm going to try some of those flavorings
from that website. As well as look at the Tonri section at smart and
final

And to answer some of the other threads.

Ya I know Splenda is Sucralose. Seems I was a little unclear on this
point

I don't know why but the Splenda flavored soda's taste horrible. Maybe
they use way too much sucralose that there is an appreciable
aftertaste.

I have tried splenda with unsweetened koolaid. It was different. It
had an sucralose aftertaste once I used enough splenda to cover up the
bitter taste of the koolaid ( I played with different amounts with no
success ).
- thanks for the suggestion though.

Since in tea I don't have to use that much splenda to sweeten it (10
packets for 2 quarts). Its good

Drinking plain water is okay every once and a while. I have tried
going just water for a long time a while ago. It was like a month. I
then took a drink of a soda and it was like the DRINK OF THE GODS. It
was extremely good. Wish i did like water on a regular basis though.
Sadly its just not true.

il Tue, 10 Feb 2004 19:32:58 GMT, Frogleg ha scritto:

> On Tue, 10 Feb 2004 00:50:06 GMT, "DRB" > wrote:
>
> I am prepared to believe that others can actually detect an
> 'aftertaste' in sugar substitutes. However, I really wonder if this
> might not be a project for some blind taste-test experiments. I have a
> friend who "can't stand" diet soda. Yet, she's perfectly happy with
> clear, flavored, aspartame-sweetened drinks. Since soft drinks are
> little more than water, artificial color, artificial flavor, and
> sweetener, it seems odd (to me) that Diet Pepsi is awful, but if it's
> not brown, it tastes fine.
[snip]

I think the research has been done. 20% of people can detect the
aftertaste of saccharine. I read all this years ago so can't give you
a source. (more than likely New Scientist or BBC news.) I can only
handle it in dry Ginger Ale with yoghurt. It also tastes worse if
heated.
--
Cheers,
Loki [ Brevity is the soul of wit. W.Shakespeare ]

Jon saw Sally selling seashells by the seashore and told us all about
it on 11 Feb 2004 14:42:33 -0800:

>Since in tea I don't have to use that much splenda to sweeten it (10
>packets for 2 quarts). Its good
>
>Drinking plain water is okay every once and a while. I have tried
>going just water for a long time a while ago. It was like a month. I
>then took a drink of a soda and it was like the DRINK OF THE GODS. It
>was extremely good. Wish i did like water on a regular basis though.
>Sadly its just not true.

I used to be addicted to diet coke. Once I kicked the habit it tasted
foul to me. I don't really like softdrinks of any sort... I drink
plain water, or unsweetened orange juice (with half water if I'm
drinking more than two glasses a day), or herbal teas. I love lemon
herbal tea. No caffiene, no chemicals, and if you leave it to get cold
it would make a rather nice iced tea because it's still totally
drinkable - and it doesn't need any sweetening whatsoever! Peppermint
tea is nice too for a change, but horrible cold.

As to your question about 'extracts', you only need a VERY small
amount of them at a time. One teaspoon diluted into two litres or so
means you're only getting a few drops in each glass. Don't worry about
the alcohol content.

Some people like fruit juice with mineral water, or mineral water with
a squeeze of fresh lemon/lime for a different flavour. That doesn't
need extra sweetening...

In rec.food.cooking, MEow > wrote:
> While frolicking around in rec.food.cooking,
> of InterGalactic Usenet Enterprises said:

> >Maybe drinking water would be an acceptable alternative? Why do you need
> >to put flavorings in it?
> >
> I drink lots of water, and I like it fine: I'm a very thirsty person,
> me. Since we have soft water in Stockholm, I drink tap water as it is
> and several cups of it every day. However, I do like to also have
> something flavoured now and again. Unsweetened tea will do for some of
> it, but I still have a sweet tooth, though I also try to cut down on my
> sugar intake.

Fair enough.

--
....I'm an air-conditioned gypsy...

- The Who

(Jon) wrote in message . com>...
> Hey everyone,
>
> I am trying to lower my sugar intake. But I find that diet (saccrin,
> aspertame, sucralose) sodas taste horrible. Crystal light tastes great
> but give me a headache . I have tried koolaid powder with artificial
> sugars and I dont care for it.
>
> Then I tried splenda with ICE TEA Success!!
> I found that bioled tea leaves with water and Splenda is also good.
>
> As you can see i'm still experimenting.
>
> As I walked through my Smart and Final I saw the extract section had
> more than just the plain vanilla extract: Ones of interest we
> Orange, Strawberry, Peppermint, I think rootbeer as well was there.
>
> But looking at the back I see that these have a very high alcohol
> content. Around 83% by volume.
>
> Doing some math (please correct me if i'm wrong).
>
> If I round up the alcohol by volume up to 100% for the extract.
> Then assuming 1 teaspoon flavors 2 quarts
>
> There are 192 teaspoons in a quart @ 2 quarts = 384 teaspoons
>
> 1tsp/384tsp = 0.002604
>
> So 0.26% alcohol by volume
>
> This seems to be close to the alcohol content of a non-alcoholic beer.
> Would this be safe to consume on a regular basis. With no
> short/longterm concequences. I know that this would in no way make you
> drunk but i'm concerned if i would use it on a regular basis.
>
> Other ideas: I'm looking for a non sweetened flavoring I can
> experiment with.


To add some flavor to plain water, I buy the Walgreens brand of sugar
free, non-carbonated flavored water and add a splash to my glass. It
can be difficult to find non-carbonated, flavored, sugar-free water
but this is it.

I also sometimes buy Glaceau Fruit Water (Trader Joes, Kroger). It
has no calories, is sugar-free and non-carbonated and is flavored with
the essence of fruit (whatever that means). No artificial sweeteners.
Very good.