This is something Ive been ranting about for years now I wont even allow it in my home, sweeteners, sugar free foods and beverages etc.
Article here:
http://health.yahoo.com/experts/eatthis/22630/the-truth-about-diet-soda/

Diet soda is 100 percent nutrition-free, and again, it's just as important to actively drink the good stuff as it is to avoid that bad stuff. So one diet soda a day is fine, but if you're downing five or six cans, that means you're limiting your intake of healthful beverages, particularly water and tea.

There remain some concerns over aspartame, the low-calorie chemical used to give diet sodas their flavor.

Aspartame is 180 times sweeter than sugar , and some animal research has linked consumption of high amounts of the sweetener to brain tumors and lymphoma in rodents. The FDA maintains that the sweetener is safe, but reported side effects include dizziness, headaches, diarrhea, memory loss , and mood changes. Bottom line: Diet soda does you no good, and it might just be doing you wrong.

Welcome in Mary glad to have you
Go to New caregivers meeting room and tell us all about yourself and your parents
Sounds like you got your hands full there my dear!
Click here:
http://eldercare.infopop.cc/ev...s/a/frm/f/8116000251

Hi,

I'm Mary and I've only been on this list for about a month.

I care for my parents who are in their 80s, and my handicapped sister. All of them are diabetic, but I don't think they use the artificial sweeteners.

I keep it out of my house as well. I just read an interesting post by Carrie L. Hill, Ph.D about caregiver's taking care of themselves, Address Caregiver Stress, Before You’re a Mess!

I wanted to share it here, because I know that I am constantly challenged to remember to take care of me!

I bet I'm not alone in that, yes?

Mary

I'm with you. Every artificial sweetener I've seen used in my lifetime got yanked twenty years after it went on the market due to health concerns. I just skip them now.

A teaspoon of sugar only has 16 calories. If a person is just watching their weight, even a pretty stringent diet can afford 16 calories to sweeten a drink.

Diabetics have other concerns, of course, but I think artificial sweeteners are suspicious just on general principle. And you're sure right that water is meant to be the bulk of our liquid intake during a day. Other beverages are supposed to be just extra treats.