Even worse are “freakshakes”– a trend which emerged a couple of years ago hasn’t yet gone away. These over-the-top creations made from ice-cream milkshake layered with cake, cream and extra decorations such as chocolate or sweets, can come in at over 1,000 calories – more than half of what you need for an entire day. A can of regular cola contains seven teaspoons of sugar (35g), so if you drink this regularly, it’s bad news for your waistline and your teeth. Choose a sugar-free cola instead, or even better, switch to water or unsweetened tea or coffee. A regular ice cream milkshake can have twice the calories of a similar sized full-sugar cola, but if you go for extras such as chocolate or biscuits blended in, the calories go even higher. Although some people think that the caffeine in tea and coffee might damage their health, this isn’t the case for most people. In fact, drinking moderate amounts (4-5 cups a day) of tea or coffee has been linked to benefits for reducing risk of CVDand type 2 diabetes.

While the fact that aspartame is rapidly metabolised and broken down by the body may be used as an argument in favour of the chemical, however, scientists are currently asking whether it could adversely affect the gut microbiome. You know, a thing!" she said. She then explained that they had met in London quite a few years ago before he had become famous. "I was hot, he was hot, we were both hot!' Raquel said. They'd met at a nightclub and he followed her across town to another club where they got to know each other better. Later that evening things had well... progressed and she woke up the next morning with the incredibly good looking chef. Aspartame has been judged safe for use by the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) and is approved for use across the European Union “for use in drinks, desserts, sweets, dairy products, chewing gums, energy-reduced and weight control products, and as a table-top sweetener.” Many coffee shops now do “iced” versions of these drinks, but bear in mind that these won’t be any lower in fat and calories. In 1973, the FDA approved aspartame for limited use in dry goods. But there was a catch – one of the scientists who had researched the chemical, Dr. John Olney, claimed his experiments found that aspartic acid caused holes in the brains of infant mice.If you are drinking these type of drinks to energise yourself for an exercisesession, be aware that the sugar they contain could mean you consume more calories than you burn, which is a disadvantage if you are trying to lose weight. It’s also worth noting that although aspartame is more commonly found in sugar-free versions, some non-diet drinks still contain it. Tonic water gets its bitter flavour from quinine. This has been found to interact with some medications, including digoxinand warfarin, and has also been linked with irregular heart rhythmswhen prescribed as a medication. While aspartame has received a particularly bad reputation, there is no guarantee that these other options are any healthier and each one may cause a different reaction from your body.

It can be daunting to wade through all the conflicting information to find the truth, so let’s get to some of the key points in the debate. Much of the health concern around aspartame relates to the inclusion of the methyl group, which turns into methanol in the body. Traditional squashes may be flavoured with elderflowers, lemon, pomegranate, apple, strawberry, chokeberry (often with spices such as cinnamon or cloves added), orange, pear, or raspberry. Fruit juice is sweet already, but fruit juice drinks usually have sugar added to them as well. Before you choose a juice, have a look at the ingredients list to see if sugar has been added. The term “juice drink” is often a clue that sugar has been added, while “pure juice” means that sugar hasn’t been added.Adding a 5g teaspoon of sugar to 5 cups of tea or coffee adds the same as 20 rich tea biscuits or three Mars bars In 2013, the FSA’s committee on toxicity “ concluded that amounts of methanol consumed through food, including from aspartame, would not result in a build-up of [methanol] and so are unlikely to cause harmful health effects.” We’ve ranked 13 popular drinks from best to worst based on their nutritional value – in particular sugar and fat. Read on to quench your thirst the heart-healthy way. 1. Water Hydrating, inexpensive and sugar-free: water is the best choice for drinking over the day. If you want to give it some flavour without adding sugar, try adding ice cubes and fresh mint or strips of cucumber. Indeed, a lot of the suspicion around aspartame – as with many controversial chemicals these days – stems from ethically and scientifically questionable collusion between government regulators and powerful business interests.