Coca-Cola Zero / Pepsi Zero

[tharpdevenport]

Not having drank but one liter of cola in over a year, I noted a few days ago a product called Pepsi Zero.

I turned the bottle around to read the label and it shows 0 calories (likewise 0 fat calories), 0 sugar, 0 fat. I Googled just now and found Coca-Cola makes a similar product.


Surely this can't be accurate? Doing another quick Googled search, the FDA here in American say that a product can claim to be "sugar free" if there is 0.5g or less per serving.

There's a package of gum here where I am staying that says "sugar free", and sure enough you flip it over and it shows Sugar 0g, BUT ... right under that it shows Sugar Alcohols 1g. But I don't believe the FDA requires all kinds of Sugar variants, like Sugar Alcohols, to be listed.

Is Pepsi and other drink/food products simply skirting the law and putting different kinds of sugar in that will still make you a fat bastard?



(Oh, and how does the Coca Cola one taste? )

 

[T'Girl]

The magic word is aspartame. Or maybe splenda, the two might be the same thing. neither is sugar.


<OO>

 

[Darth Picardous]

Well table "sugar" is a disaccharide (two structures tied together by a chemical bond) so once this molecule is hydrolysed (busted apart by water addition) then it is no longer "sugar" as considered by the majority of the population. However for chemists these smaller bits are still sugars but not for food regulators. Depends on the country.

 

[Rincewiend]

Not having drank but one liter of cola in over a year, I noted a few days ago a product called Pepsi Zero.

I turned the bottle around to read the label and it shows 0 calories (likewise 0 fat calories), 0 sugar, 0 fat. I Googled just now and found Coca-Cola makes a similar product.


Surely this can't be accurate? Doing another quick Googled search, the FDA here in American say that a product can claim to be "sugar free" if there is 0.5g or less per serving.

There's a package of gum here where I am staying that says "sugar free", and sure enough you flip it over and it shows Sugar 0g, BUT ... right under that it shows Sugar Alcohols 1g. But I don't believe the FDA requires all kinds of Sugar variants, like Sugar Alcohols, to be listed.

Is Pepsi and other drink/food products simply skirting the law and putting different kinds of sugar in that will still make you a fat bastard?



(Oh, and how does the Coca Cola one taste? )

Pepsi Max, not Pepsi Zero...

 

[Shatmandu]

Coke Zero tastes exactly like regular Coke to me. I very much enjoy it.

Joe, fizzy

 

[Kira's Mom]

Coke Zero is pretty close to the real thing, so are Pepsi One and Diet Sierra Mist. The only diet drink that's exactly like the original is Diet Dr. Pepper (though there is a slight aftertaste you get used to). That's about the only soda I drink now- I've lost a few pounds in the past couple of weeks.

 

[auntiehill]

I LOVE Diet Dr. Pepper but I couldn't lose weight unless I amputated a limb.

 

[Tribbles]

I'm a Coca-Cola addict (seriously, several cans a day. Trying to break the habit), and I don't like Coke Zero at all. However, I can handle Cherry Coke Zero. I don't love it and still want some real Coke afterwards, but I can take it (begrudgingly).

 

[thestrangequark]

I avoid all of these: aspartame is a nasty, nasty thing. I do enjoy Zevia, for my all-natural, zero sugar, zero calorie soda needs!

 

[Jono]

Coke Zero tastes exactly like regular Coke to me. I very much enjoy it.

Joe, fizzy

Really? I think there is a notable difference between the two. I'm come to actually prefer the Zero taste over regular coke.

 

[Stone_Cold_Sisko]

What exactly is the difference ingredient-wise between Diet Coke and Coke Zero? I compared the labels and couldn't find anything different

 

[hates_trek]

Diet Coke has more caffeine than Coke 0.

46 Milligrams to 34 Milligrams if I remember correctly.

Source
Diet Coke addict.

 

[Locutus of Bored]

The only diet drink that's exactly like the original is Diet Dr. Pepper (though there is a slight aftertaste you get used to). That's about the only soda I drink now- I've lost a few pounds in the past couple of weeks.

Diet Dr. Pepper is the only diet soda I drink as well, but unlike you I think there's a strong difference in taste between it and regular Dr. Pepper, which I don't like.

 

[StolenThunder]

What exactly is the difference ingredient-wise between Diet Coke and Coke Zero? I compared the labels and couldn't find anything different

I think it's a formulation thing. Certainly here they're both sugar-free and have been so for a long time. Coke Zero is designed to taste more like regular Coke though. It probably does.

 

[The Squire of Gothos]

Coke Zero tastes exactly like regular Coke to me. I very much enjoy it.

Joe, fizzy

Kept cold enough, it's close enough to make no difference for me.

I'm a Coca-Cola addict (seriously, several cans a day. Trying to break the habit)

"Back in high school, I used to drink 100 cans of cola a week. Right up until my third heart attack." -- Philip J. Fry

What exactly is the difference ingredient-wise between Diet Coke and Coke Zero? I compared the labels and couldn't find anything different

It's a common enough Google search it seems;

Coke Zero and Diet Coke are actually very similar. Both are low calorie drinks and have exactly the same ingredients – carbonated purified water, colour (caramel 150d), food acids (338 and 331), flavour, artificial sweeteners aspartame (951) and acesulphame potassium (950), preservative (211) and caffeine. The key difference between the two drinks is in the proportions of these ingredients, giving each has a slightly different flavour profile.

There is a little difference in nutrient content: both provide less than 4kJ energy (nothing) and have less than 40mg sodium per 250ml (1 cup). So, between these two choices, it’s really a matter of which one you prefer! If you are watching your sugar and energy intake, either of these will be better than the standard Coca Cola, which contains 450kJ and 26g of sugar in 250ml.

Mum goes nuts over Aspartame, she reckons it's a real cancer risk. Consensus seems to be that it's not really.

 

[sojourner]

The only diet drink that's exactly like the original is Diet Dr. Pepper (though there is a slight aftertaste you get used to). That's about the only soda I drink now- I've lost a few pounds in the past couple of weeks.

Diet Dr. Pepper is the only diet soda I drink as well, but unlike you I think there's a strong difference in taste between it and regular Dr. Pepper, which I don't like.

The best is Diet Cherry Dr. Pepper. Instead of the cherry coming through as it's own flavor, it modifies the overall taste. It makes it taste just like regular Mr. Pibb. Awesome.

Now, If I just lived in one of the 3 states where they distribute Mr. Pibb Zero, my soft drink life would be complete.

 

[Kestra]

Coke Zero tastes exactly like regular Coke to me. I very much enjoy it.

When I first had it, I felt like it tasted exactly like regular coke, and then the aftertaste morphed a bit into diet coke. I liked it quite a bit though, so it became my diet drink of choice. I didn't realize how used to it I was until I had a diet pepsi and found that it tasted absolutely horrible!

I can't remember the last time I had any sort of regular soda, and I don't drink much soda in general. I'm actually trying to cut it out of my diet even more. It doesn't have nutritional value, it's probably destroying my already terrible teeth, and I just plain don't enjoy soda as much as many people do. I think the only time I really drink it is at a bar or something, mixed with rum.

 

[Tribbles]

The Squire of Gothos, I love that quote from Fry. Hadn't heard it before.

 

[Warp Coil]

I've always hated the taste of diet soda. I'm a sugar addict so I loved the real stuff - Pepsi, Coke, Dr. Pepper, Mountain Dew, whatever. But, in an effort to reduce my sugar intake and cut out empty calories, I stopped drinking all forms of soda two months ago. I surprisingly don't miss it.

I've never sampled Coke Zero or anything like that. I honestly don't even feel tempted to try it at this point. I know I'm better off not drinking the stuff.

 

[FalTorPan]

Coke Zero rules.