[RouxTheDay]

I tried the Coke Zero and found zero appeal. Way too sweet, and a strange undertaste/aftertaste.

Interestingly, for most of my life I disliked soda of all kinds (other than the very rare root beer, especially in a float!). After my second child was born, I began drinking an occasional Diet Crack because they were readily available (free) where I worked. Yes, I did mean to type CRACK not Coke, because it's that addictive. I now drink a DC or Diet Dr. Pepper most days. (For a while there, I was up to 2-3 per day, so that's a good thing!)

Anyway. We don't use artificial sweeteners for anything else, at all, whatsoever. We mostly drink water (when we're not drinking coffee or wine), but both hubby and I are Diet Crackheads, and need pretty much a daily fix.

Side note: My kids swear that you can't be a real mom unless you drink Diet Coke. They say all moms drink it, and regard it suspiciously as if it might be some kind of secret handshake or whatnot! I must agree, around here, I hardly ever see a mom without a DC in hand. Too funny...

Re safety of aspartame. It's one of the most-studied synthetic food substances in current usage, and has been found time and time again to cause none of the problems anecdotally attributed to it. (I'm not saying some kind of issue won't turn up eventually, simply that none of the evils it's blamed for have been upheld in controlled research.)