06/29/2004 Entry: "Coca Cola C2."

I stopped drinking regular soda a few years ago (if I'm going to eat bad stuff, I'd rather it be chips), but who can resist the chic new cans of Coke's "C2" -- the cola for the carb-conscious? Slicing all of the assorted crappy nutritional marks in half, it's a soda with half the calories, half the carbs and half the sugar of normal Coke. If that's not enough for ya, get a load of those neat cans! It's like we're livin in the 30s! The 3030s! It's BTTF 18!

Best as I can tell, it's a remarkable facsimile of original Coke -- honestly can't taste much of a difference at all. I doubt it'll happen, but I wouldn't be entirely shocked if C2 ultimately becomes the template for normal Coke. What's the point in having extra sugar and shit if you can mimic the taste nearly perfectly with less gunk? Yeah, it does seem a bit silly to have Coke, Diet Coke and Not-Quite-Diet-But-Better-Than-Normal Coke, but hey, we're living in an Atkins world. Pretty soon it's gonna be all about low-carb gasoline and low-carb carb bars. It's become the 2000s' offering to the big bad book of four-letter words. I'm still keeping my loyalties on the Diet Coke w/ Lime variety, but for those of you who can't shake your love for real cola, this might be a nice soda safehouse.

You can see some tidbits about Coke 2 in this old article: X-E visits AS&S.

Chestnuts roasted by Matt @ 06/29/2004 05:58 PM EST

After the 1000th lecture from my dentist a few years ago, I switched to plain ol'water and never looked back. Every now and then I'll relapse and have a Code Red, but I honestly don't miss soda at all.

Chestnuts roasted by 4thDown @ 06/29/2004 05:58 PM EST

It also comes in 8 packs. 8 PACKS!! Like 2 packs of Tiny Turtles!!

Chestnuts roasted by Brad @ 06/29/2004 06:11 PM EST

That's what these are from. And the eight-pack box has a box just as neat as the cans. Is it wrong to drink based on packaging? Hello Dasani.

Chestnuts roasted by Matt @ 06/29/2004 06:12 PM EST

You're right about that, ClunkNJ. C2 is half sugar, half phenylalanine... which is why I won't be drinking too much of the stuff. From what I understand, as your body metabolizes phenylalanine, traces of formaldehyde form as a result... and too much formaldehyde can lead to blindness! Phew! I think I'll stick to water... but that could have giardia cysts or THMs in it! Phew! Looks like my only option is getting water the old fashioned way... by eating eucalyptus leaves!

Chestnuts roasted by Nachokhaki @ 06/29/2004 06:48 PM EST

... or prickly pear... C'mere, Pokey!

Chestnuts roasted by Nachokhaki @ 06/29/2004 06:49 PM EST

Phenylalanine in C2? Ohhh yes!

PS I'm dead.

Chestnuts roasted by Paul Bearer @ 06/29/2004 06:49 PM EST

Yawn... Its NEW New Coke! Hooray!

Seriously, IMO this is stupid...Why did they spend the money to develop a whole new drink when they could have pushed advertising for Diet Coke as the "Low Carb" drink?

Regular Coke, is fine, but Diet Coke tastes like CRAP to me.... I doubt "C2: The Cokeinator" would taste any better.

Now Diet Dr. Pepper, on the other hand....

Chestnuts roasted by Cameron @ 06/29/2004 07:00 PM EST

Yeah, I don't like Diet Coke that much, but Diet Pepsi tastes almost the same as the real stuff. Ditto with diet 7Up and diet Dr. Pepper. Mmmmmm Dr. Pepper...

Chestnuts roasted by Gabbylicious @ 06/29/2004 07:17 PM EST

C2, Pepsi Edge, Diet Coke w/Lime, Pepsi One, Pepsi Blue, Coke II, Pepsi Clear, I could basically go on for eons with this list, but why bother?! It's a fad that'll last a while. Maybe it'll stay, but if it goes, I'm sure Matt will be hunting it down or possibly finding it on the Atlantic City Boardwalk years from now!

~On this very night, ten years ago, along this very stretch of road in a dense fog just like this. I saw the worst accident I ever seen. There was this sound, like a garbage truck dropped off the Empire State Building... And when they pulled the driver's body from the twisted, burning wreck. It looked like this...
(Tell them Large Marge sent ya!)

Chestnuts roasted by Mugzy. . . @ 06/29/2004 08:32 PM EST

I am getting so sick of this atkins "carbs are the enemy" craze. It'll go away as soon as more people develop heart disease and damage their livers because of the diet.

I remember Coke 2 as well. That shit always went flat the minute after you opened it. Terrible. The only diet drink that, to me, tastes like the regular is Diet Dr. Pepper.

Chestnuts roasted by Number5 @ 06/29/2004 08:33 PM EST

They are pushing this crap as healthy, when it really contains an artificial sugar similar to aspartame which causes cancer in experiments. Stay away from diet sodas. Drink less regular soda or drink this thing called WATER.

Chestnuts roasted by Prince1999 @ 06/29/2004 08:43 PM EST

You're right, Prince, aspartane caused cancer in lab rats. But the dose needed to do so was ridiculously high- far more than any rat would consume in one (or even 100) meals. There's really no way to determine how much aspartance would be needed to cause cancer in a human. Maybe if someone was willing to drink a couple hundred cans of C2 in one sitting, perhaps.

But yeah, water is definitely the way to go. Get yourself a Brita filter and you're good to go!

Chestnuts roasted by 4thDown @ 06/29/2004 09:36 PM EST

I'm on Matt's side - I've been drinking C2 for almost a week thanks to a sale at the grocery store where I work, and it doesn't taste all that much different to me. It's maybe a tiny bit aspertam-y, but not nearly as much as regular Diet Coke (which I loathe : 0 p).

Chestnuts roasted by starwenn @ 06/29/2004 10:07 PM EST

Low carb this, low carb that, Atkins this, Atkins that, and yet I don't see America getting much slimmer...

Chestnuts roasted by Wes @ 06/29/2004 10:21 PM EST

I don't entirely get the Atkins diet. I know it wont be long before this C2 stuff is available at McDonald's. It will be funny to see carb-conscious fatties ordering this stuff with their 3 Big Macs. Yeah...bread is making you fat, not the 12 pounds of fried beef you just ingested.

Chestnuts roasted by pulseczar @ 06/29/2004 10:29 PM EST

If only it came in cartons.

Chestnuts roasted by OK Soda thinks C2 will catch on @ 06/29/2004 10:40 PM EST

As it is, I know have to order two value meals every time Im at McD's because they dont Super Size anymore.

What's crazy is when they try and force a salad down your throat as the healthy alternative. You feel really good about yourself for choosing it over the ridiculously large chocolate shake...until you read the Nutrition Facts on the salad dressing that came with it. You'd be better off dipping a Quarter Pounder in a cup of the restaurants old fryer grease.

Chestnuts roasted by IncogNegro @ 06/29/2004 10:47 PM EST

I HATE all the "low-carb" crap coming out and I can't wait for this damn diet trend to die!!!

On the other hand, those cans look REALLY cool! If I wasn't boycotting all "carb-reduced" foods, I'd pick one up!

Chestnuts roasted by Tetsu Deinonychus @ 06/29/2004 11:16 PM EST

You can't boycott Coca Cola. THEY OWN YOUR SOUL!

Chestnuts roasted by Fraggot @ 06/29/2004 11:47 PM EST

I'm praying this C2 stuff doesn't last for very long; Coca-Cola already has too many varities for a soda that, IMO, sucks.

Chestnuts roasted by God Animagnus @ 06/30/2004 12:02 AM EST

Regarding the fastfood/low carb connection:

IMO, it hit the peak in ridiculousness with MickeyD's "Adult Happy Meals"

Chestnuts roasted by Cameron @ 06/30/2004 12:16 AM EST

Yeah, not only did they cut down on the carbs but they cut down on the number of cans you get. The only thing they didnt cut down on was the price.

Chestnuts roasted by Cheesegod @ 06/30/2004 12:37 AM EST

Low Carb diets are for idiots, your body needs more carbs than this diet is allowing, it's extremely unhealthy, and I wonder if the Atkins whores know that when Dr. Atkins died, he weighed more than 200 pounds. Yup... real health nut there. If people wanna lose weight, just fucking exercise and cutting the bread from your diet aint gonna make you live any longer, I mean, last time I checked bread and grains were kinda the most important food of the day. Anyway, C2... I tried this out one day having no clue what it was. I thought it was a new flava of drink or something and when I tried it, I was apauled because it tasted almost identical to the original coke. I learned later that day what it was, and I guess I applaud them for making a not-quite-so-diet-coke-but-tastes-like-regular-coke but since I actually exercise and basically watch what I eat I'll just stick to regular coke.

Chestnuts roasted by Mr. S @ 06/30/2004 12:40 AM EST

"Regarding the fastfood/low carb connection:

IMO, it hit the peak in ridiculousness with MickeyD's "Adult Happy Meals" "

Yeah, thats pretty f'ed up. A real "Adult" Happy meal would be...

For the guys, a bigger than big mac "big mac" large fries or whatever, and the prize... porn. Lots of it.

For the ladies, perhaps a lighter burger, fries or salad or whatever ladies like, and the prize, one of those women mags that feature an article "10 ways to satisfy your man" when having sex and ocassionaly making him a meal should be the only 2.

Chestnuts roasted by James @ 06/30/2004 12:43 AM EST

I like the adult happy meals. The grilled chicken salad with lite Vinagrette is only a couple hundred calories (provided you don't eat all the blue cheese) You can have diet soda or bottled water. And I get the regular kids toy for my son instead of the pedometer.

Chestnuts roasted by FuzzyHulk @ 06/30/2004 01:12 AM EST

To hell with Cola the whole world over. Even Forest Gump knows Dr. Pepper is the way to go. And no, there are no prunes in the recipe, contrary to popular belief.
But yeah, I really kinda hate the low-carb craze--but mostly for two stupid reasons: I hate the abbreviation "carb" as I hate most abreviations (notice I used Dr. instead of "doctor", how hypocritical am I?) but also because of all the stupid diet books I sell at Barnes and Noble. Now, if all the money spent buying diet books, or those Dan Brown books (Da Vinci Code, etc) were spent on more rewarding pieces of literature, like Calvin and Hobbes or Tim Burton's Oyster Boy book--the world would be a better place. And Mary-Kate wouldn't be a skeleton.

Chestnuts roasted by inkmage @ 06/30/2004 01:13 AM EST

Grilled chicken Cobb salad, that is.

Chestnuts roasted by FuzzyHulk @ 06/30/2004 01:14 AM EST

btw Matt if you want one of those Burger King paper crowns, all of the BKs seem to have gotten in a whole slew of Spidey crowns as part of their Spider-man 2 promotion.

Chestnuts roasted by Luap @ 06/30/2004 01:45 AM EST

You'll actually notice the difference if you drink it warm. Usually when I get a 2 liter of coke, it usually comes warm and I can crack open the bottle and drink it warm and it's still good. But Blockbuster was giving away samples of the C2 and it came warm and it just didn't taste the same. However when I tried it cold, it was pretty similar, save for a little less sweet. Which my fat ass could use anyway.
Anyhow, how long to they make 2 liters? I can only get it in cans and 20 oz. The design is very attractive too. Even if they get rid of C2, they should keep the labels on regular coke.

Chestnuts roasted by Will @ 06/30/2004 03:10 AM EST

I can tell the difference between regular Coke and C2. C2 has a slightly flat taste to me. :/

What I find strange is the strange amount of cans in the cases around here.. 8 and 18 can cases?

Chestnuts roasted by Lynx @ 06/30/2004 03:38 AM EST

Dammit!
Time Magazine posts an article on the 50 coolest sites on the web and NO X-E! Bastards!

http://www.time.com/time/techtime/200406/list.html

Chestnuts roasted by Joe @ 06/30/2004 07:16 AM EST

Why do so many people bal at having options.. if you don't like it.. don't buy it.. if you do, it's available. works for me.

That said, I choose water.

Chestnuts roasted by Scotto @ 06/30/2004 08:31 AM EST

The only Coke product worth any money IMHO is Diet Coke with Lime... Boy is that stuff ever good, and NO CALORIES!!!

I still don't get why they would spend so much money to make a product like this C2. You want to drink a Coke, do so, and then go walk for an hour to burn it off.

For the anti-Atkinites... I've been doing Atkins for over a year, but really it's all about cutting sugar and refined bread/pasta products. And chips. I've lost 45lbs, I exercise every day, and even though I cut my carbs I still eat more veggies and fruit than most people I know. No, I don't eat steak and bacon every day. When I cook for company it's all low-carb and my friends are amazed at what I serve them. Yeah, sometimes I long for a big plate of pasta or a baked potato or a big lump of sweet dough from Cinnabon, but a nice salmon steak with asparagus makes up for it.

People, fries do not count as veggies.

That being said... ice cold Diet Pepsi will always have the upper hand to any other cola! Remember Pepsi One??? Same thing as the new new Coke. Didn't last.

I give it a year before it's pulled off the shelves.

Matt, better stock up, we want to know how this stuff tastes after being stored 5 or 10 years!

Chestnuts roasted by Yzziefrog @ 06/30/2004 09:00 AM EST

It makes me laugh when I see the low carb hamburgers, the ones with no bun. Thats not a hamburger, whats the point? I also think that its stupid that suddenly it's healthy to eat nothing but bacon. As for myself, im a diet coke man. I just think its yummier.

Chestnuts roasted by zombone @ 06/30/2004 09:03 AM EST

"What's the point in having extra sugar and shit if you can mimic the taste nearly perfectly with less gunk?"

Because SOME people like ME are allergic to artificial sweetners! I would be PISSED if they got rid of regular Coke...In the long run, real sugar in moderation(caloric though it may be) is probably better for you than chemicals (she says as she stuffs a Hostess Blueberry Fruit pie down her gullet).

Chestnuts roasted by B-Dawg @ 06/30/2004 09:13 AM EST

plus, i am atkins freindly.....
anyone?

Chestnuts roasted by zombone @ 06/30/2004 09:14 AM EST

I tried this stuff a week or so ago and it still has that funky aftertaste of diet coke. I really can't stand that. I will stick to coke on the rare occasion that I drink a soda.
I seriously don't understand how you people can't taste that. Same with diet dr pepper. I can't stand that after taste.

I know some of you people are behind it, but I am %100 against the Atkins diet.
HE DIED!!!!! Case closed.

Chestnuts roasted by Stilewalker @ 06/30/2004 09:21 AM EST

Only time will tell... Dr. Atkins was the lead lemming. Who's following? Who will drink the Kool-Aid with him?

Chestnuts roasted by Nachokhaki @ 06/30/2004 09:47 AM EST

So when will Michael Ian Black be talking about Atkins on VH1?

Chestnuts roasted by Nachokhaki @ 06/30/2004 09:48 AM EST

Stilewalker: Dr. Atkins died of head trauma from slipping on an icy staircase and hitting his head on the concrete sidewalk.

This was probably caused by a worldwide conspiracy against his ideas. I bet Hostess-Frito-Lay ganged up with the Coke guys, Ben and Jerry's and 7-11 to waste the poor guy.

They enlisted ex-special ops people (from www.evilformerelitesoldiers.com, the same place supplying all the evil lieutenants in the James Bond movies) to surrepticiously pour water on the steps of the Atkins clinic, thus engineering his early demise.

If only he had hired the TMNT as bodyguards, he may still be alive.

But they miscaculated, now that he's dead he's a martyr to the cause and the the combined might of canadian bacon producers and broccoli growers are forcing the villains to put out all sorts of low-carb stuff, like Doritos Edge and C2. They're taking over the world, MWAHH MWAHH MWAAAAAHHHH!!!!!!!

(time for my meds... tralalalalala)

All jocking aside, he really did die from slipping on ice and banging his head. S*** happens, as they say.

Chestnuts roasted by Yzziefrog @ 06/30/2004 10:22 AM EST

"Even Forest Gump knows Dr. Pepper is the way to go. And no, there are no prunes in the recipe, contrary to popular belief.
But yeah, I really kinda hate the low-carb craze--but mostly for two stupid reasons: I hate the abbreviation "carb" as I hate most abreviations (notice I used Dr. instead of "doctor", how hypocritical am I?) "

I agree, it is the abbreviation that I dislike, too.

Also, I don't think you are a Hypocrite, since "Dr Pepper" is the name of the drink. There's actually no period.

I should know; I live just a few miles from the Dr Pepper museum in Waco, where the drink was invented!

Chestnuts roasted by Cameron @ 06/30/2004 10:29 AM EST

Gave up soda for Lent last year and found it to be the hardest thing yet... man, was I irritable for those 40 days. When you don't drink coffee, the only good source of caffeine is Coke... and daddy needs his caffeine in the morning, baby.

Anyway, I tried C2 the other day and found it to be... prrrrrretty good. Still got a slight aftertaste, vaguely reminiscent of Diet Coke, and it doesn't taste exactly the same as the Classic... if that's what people are hoping for, look elsewhere. But it's not bad, and for half the calories, you can't really beat that. When I want to be healthier, I'll still probably stick with Diet Vanilla Coke, but for a change of pace occasionally, I can see myself drinking C2 again. Good stuff.

Chestnuts roasted by The Lucky One @ 06/30/2004 10:34 AM EST

Four-barrell carbs?

Chestnuts roasted by kingklash @ 06/30/2004 12:02 PM EST

Funny how "healthy" stuff costs more that "regular" stuff. Considering that C2 has half the Sugar(corn syrup) and half the taste shouldn't it cost less? 1 liter C2 at local grocery store @ introductory price = 1.49. 1.5 liter Dr Pepper = .99. BTW, hey Cameron, have you had the Dr Pepper made with real sugar in Dublin, Tx. Its hard to find here in Austin, but...AWESOME! My wife is from Waco (Dr Pepper fanatic) so she knows where to get the good schtuff.

Chestnuts roasted by Blah...blah @ 06/30/2004 12:09 PM EST

So does that mean they're putting the cocaine back IN to C2?

If that's true then I'm buying.

Till then it's Diet Coke with Lime for me as well.....at least till I find the one place in Outer Mongolia that still stocks Pepsi Blue

Chestnuts roasted by Troy @ 06/30/2004 12:53 PM EST

I could definitely taste a difference between C2 and regular Coke. Mostly a weird aftertaste. I think it's literally just a 50% blend of regular and Diet Coke.

Chestnuts roasted by BaronVonHotPants @ 06/30/2004 01:19 PM EST

I agree that C2 has a flat taste. I thought at first that I got one that was flat, but after talking to several others, they agreed that it did taste like flat Coke.

Chestnuts roasted by a piece of milk @ 06/30/2004 01:57 PM EST

dammit now I want clear Pepsi

Chestnuts roasted by Jonas @ 06/30/2004 07:00 PM EST

Troy,
Maybe you should get like an 8-ball and pour it into a 2 liter of Coke. It might be a little stronger than the first Coke, but more coke in Coke can't be a bad thing, can it??

Chestnuts roasted by kidneyboy @ 06/30/2004 07:02 PM EST

Haven't tried it yet. But I must admit I really enjoyed Pepsi One. I'm kinda upset they don't make it anymore.

Diet Dr. Pepper is good. But I think Diet Mountain Dew is better.

Chestnuts roasted by JLAJRC @ 06/30/2004 10:52 PM EST

hey, for the record, mcdonalds still does the super size program, they just dont push it down your throats. I went to mcdonalds for dinner the other day and got my meal super sized to the big thing of fries and soda.

but yeah, Atkins sucks....carbs are your friend man. you can eat all the carbs you want as long as you burn them off. its when you arent active and let the carbs turn to fat that you have the problem.

Chestnuts roasted by Corey @ 06/30/2004 10:56 PM EST

I am getting sicked and tired of hearing about Atkins stupid diet. Oh well, in a year, the Boiled Cabbage diet will return from the grave to haunt us all! Catch the gravey train while it still in the station.

Chestnuts roasted by Rirse @ 07/01/2004 12:40 AM EST

mmmmm....gravy wheels....

Chestnuts roasted by zombone @ 07/01/2004 02:55 AM EST

erhm, biscuit wheels.....mmm

Chestnuts roasted by zombone @ 07/01/2004 02:55 AM EST

Screw Coke! It Jolt Cloa or nothing for me! Well, that's not true. I'll drink Coke or Pepsi if no Jolt is available, which it usually isn't. Here in St. John's, Newfoundland, its like finding friggin' Waldo!

And yes, fuck this low carb Atkin's bullshit! What the Atkin's people don't tell you is this Dr. Atkin's guy died of a heart attack weighing more than 260 lbs. To recap: DIED, HEART ATTACK, 260 LBS!!! I don't know about you, but these are not things I ascociate with a healthy diet.

Happy Canada Day!

Chestnuts roasted by A-wel Cruiz @ 07/01/2004 09:26 AM EST

I'm pretty sure the heart attack was caused by a medical condition that he was diagnosed with and not the diet itself.

Chestnuts roasted by JLAJRC @ 07/01/2004 10:15 AM EST

"Even Forest Gump knows Dr. Pepper is the way to go. And no, there are no prunes in the recipe, contrary to popular belief."

Not anymore, no. But it WAS originally designed as a laxative soft drink; it's just that it became wildly popular and they realized they could make more money marketing it to people who didn't necessarily need help crapping, so they removed the corresponding ingredients. So just remember, next time you enjoy a nice Dr. Pepper- it used to make ya have to poo.

Chestnuts roasted by The Lucky One @ 07/01/2004 11:10 AM EST

and i always used to wonde3r why i never like dr. pepper
i think i'll stick with mountain dew.
although cometo think of it, pepsi blue was pretty damn good, but i like the orange mountain dew far better.
mmmmm..... orange

Chestnuts roasted by staypuft428 @ 07/01/2004 02:36 PM EST

it's no Crystal Pepsi...

I believe you have my stapler.

Chestnuts roasted by Milton Waddams @ 07/01/2004 03:30 PM EST

If your gunna drink a damn coke don't be a wimp and drink a watered down version. Teeth decaying regular coke forever!!

Chestnuts roasted by Lawn Gnome From Hell @ 07/01/2004 10:53 PM EST

it's funny they call it C2, cause in some regions (like Japan), "Coke II" is actually the formula for "New Coke."

Chestnuts roasted by hiroshi @ 07/02/2004 01:18 AM EST

rrrrrraaaaarrrrrrggggggghhhhhrrr rrrgggghhrrr rrrggghhhhhrrrrrr.....

Chestnuts roasted by one angry wookie @ 07/02/2004 02:21 AM EST

Nope, Dr Pepper hasn't ever been a "prune drink"...urban legend...
here's what the Straight Dope says about it:

Nope, no prunes, never were.

There is also no period after Dr in Dr Pepper (it was dropped in the 50s). Mr. Haldeman is an observant fellow. I didn't know this until yesterday.

Dr Pepper is older than any of the other major soft drinks in America--older than Coke, Pepsi and 7Up. It was concocted in 1885 at Morrison's Old Corner Drug Store in Waco, Texas by the pharmacist, Charles Alderton. People ordered the drink there by asking Alderton to "shoot (them) a Waco." He wasn't interested in soft drink production, though, so he went back to pharmacy work and gave the recipe to the store owner, Wade Morrison, and a young beverage chemist, Robert S. Lazenby. Morrison came up with the name, but nobody really knows where he got it. You can find a dozen different theories on the web and at the Dr Pepper Museum in Waco. One story says that a pharmacist named Dr. Charles Pepper gave Morrison his first job, so Morrison returned the favor by naming the new drink after him.

Actually though, up until 1903 Coke did have a small amount of cocaine in it...so "Say 'ello to my little friend!"

Chestnuts roasted by Blah...blah @ 07/02/2004 09:34 AM EST

I'm not an Atkin's member but a few years ago I did cut down on my carbs (particularly soda) and I did slim down quite a bit. Plus I don't feel as lethargic when I'm drinking water. I'm definately more productive and put together. (Of what I don't know.)

Is the Atkin's diet a fad? Yeah it probably is but I do think that people could do with less carbs. Especially in places where people do most of their traveling in cars and spend most of their time behind a desk. However too much of anything is usually not a good thing.

Oh and Dr. Atkins died from head trauma after slipping on some ice. Here's the report by cnn

http://www.cnn.com/2003/HEALTH/04/17/obit.atkins/
and BBC World News

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/health/2957343.stm

Chestnuts roasted by nutgrrrs @ 07/02/2004 11:23 AM EST

Oh yeah! and I like Dr Pepper! But I don't know anything about it being a laxative.

Chestnuts roasted by nutgrrrs @ 07/02/2004 11:26 AM EST

I'm about as far from an Atkins (or South Beach) diet fan as one can get. I have tried Diet Coke, and can't stand the taste. Diet Pepsi is okay, but that's probably just because regular Pepsi isn't that great, so it doesn't seem so bad in comparison.

Anyway, I think C2 is better than regular Coke because it doesn't have the heavy syrup aftertaste. Too much syrupiness in Coke, definitely.

Chestnuts roasted by Sphynn @ 07/02/2004 12:06 PM EST

Anyone that thinks Atkins died from a heart attack needs to be fitted for a tin foil hat. Head trauma/6'0" and 200 lbs.
http://www.thesmokinggun.com/archive/atkinsmed1.html.

The whole heart attack/obese thing was concocted by an anti Atkins asshat. His diet DOES suck however and should not be promoted.

Chestnuts roasted by Anti Atkins, but pro truth @ 07/02/2004 12:53 PM EST

Straight dope I love that website...Anyway C2 is ok, slightly flat, but not the worst thing ever...that said, pop(cola,soda)whatever you call it is not going to make or break your diet, probably pisses your dentist off(or makes him rich, which probably secretly pleases him)by the way, if we didn't have vices a lot of people would be out of work, dentists, cops, attorneys, bartenders, pornographers, I think I'm off on a tangent here anyway...Anyway C2 will last a year or so and then be reintroduced in a few years with the same concept different name...

By the way, I know its a little too late for a poll, but I still call it "pop" mock me if you will...please let me know I'm not the only one out there who calls it that. Pop or soda?

Chestnuts roasted by whitemale_98/competent soldier @ 07/02/2004 01:35 PM EST

You know, they still make Pepsi One...I'm drinking one right now, actually. And I've never had a problem finding it anywhere around here.

What I want to see is the return of Crystal Pepsi. I loved that stuff. I mean, it didn't have that caramel color in it that turns your urine dark-baby-puke yellow!

Chestnuts roasted by PrinceLytewyng @ 07/02/2004 02:02 PM EST

Everyone I know on the Atkins diet was a fat cow and still is

Chestnuts roasted by Fatty Patty @ 07/02/2004 03:40 PM EST

No matter HOW many carbohydrates I eat, I'm still as skinny as a rail. My principle of diet is: Otherwise eat whatever you like in whatever quantities you want, but the more carbohydrates, the better. Maybe I should write a book about it.

In regard to Coca-Cola C2, I doubt it'll be around for a while: Regardless of the specifics, it IS a compromise in both taste and nutrition. I wouldn't be surprised if it went the way of Crystal Pepsi or Coke II in due course. So buy it and stock up on it while you still can.

Chestnuts roasted by Andrew T. @ 07/02/2004 04:31 PM EST

so the C2 comes in 8 packs? Doesn't that assume you WILL drink it all, adding 2 more sodas than you would normally drink? That makes it pointless to have half the carbs and sugar. Sheesh.

Drink water!

Chestnuts roasted by Creedo @ 07/02/2004 05:23 PM EST

Comments about taste aside, it's pretty easy to confirm that C2 isn't "literally just a 50% blend of regular and Diet Coke."

Check the ingredient list - they're using sucralose and acesulfame potassium in addition to aspartame as artificial sweeteners.

Chestnuts roasted by Matt Berg @ 07/02/2004 05:40 PM EST

If you ask me Coke classic doesnt have enough fucking sugar.

Chestnuts roasted by Outrider @ 07/02/2004 06:25 PM EST

Is this damn carb fad over YET?!? It's a waste of time and money.

Chestnuts roasted by AngeFaitore @ 07/02/2004 06:27 PM EST

"What's the point in having extra sugar and shit if you can mimic the taste nearly perfectly with less gunk?"

Let's think of the people with PKU!

I've got to get some of this C2. I sampled it at the store. . . mmmmmmmmmmmmm, good.

Chestnuts roasted by Dustin @ 07/02/2004 08:37 PM EST

I'm going to add that I rarely drink soda (or "pop" as the Canucks call it). I personally think that all pop in the world ought to be replaced with beer. Mmmmmmmmmmmm.....

Chestnuts roasted by Nate @ 07/03/2004 12:11 AM EST

hey! i've got an idea! instead of drinking soda at all drink black coffee. tastes a HELL of a lot better than Diet shit. plus it's better for you than soda. but i still drink soda anyway.(*cough*i'm a hypocrite*cough*and kinda fat*cough*) and C2 isn't so bad. and yeah Crystal Pepsi should come back, even though i hate Pepsi, it was fuckin' good. finally, yeah fuck diets and shit. just do what you feel is right as long as you don't do diets.

Chestnuts roasted by Bart Watts @ 07/03/2004 03:22 AM EST

It's no better than pepsi one. They have Tom Green on thier side. So there.

Chestnuts roasted by ryan @ 07/03/2004 04:08 AM EST

8-packs of C2 on sale at the same price as a 12-pack of regular and diet coke. Is this just the beginning- like coffee in 12 ounce "pound" cans?

Chestnuts roasted by bbfreckles @ 07/03/2004 06:25 PM EST

I actually prefer "New Coke" to this stuff. Tastes like coke with the diet coke aftertaste. yuck.

Chestnuts roasted by Whisper @ 07/03/2004 08:33 PM EST

C2 makes me nuts; like someone further up, I have an allergy to artificial sweetner (I thought my mom and I were the only ones!). Well actually, it's only aspartame. Sucralose (Splenda) was a godsend to me because before I could never have anything that was sugar-free. When C2 was announced, I thought it would use sucralose, and I'd finally be able to drink something with fewer calories, being as I'm a soda fiend.
But no dice. Grrrrr!
I'm sticking with Cherry Coke.

Chestnuts roasted by GadgetMouse @ 07/03/2004 10:33 PM EST

If there'sone thing good about Atkins is that it's made low sugar stuff so much easier to find than it was a year ago. Like half the people I know are diabetic, I'm insulin resistant... blah blah. So there's more stuff out there that we actually CAN eat and drink.

Just sucks that it took a trendy diet to do it, and not "there are millions of diabetics and the American lifestyle is making more by the truckload on a daily basis".

Just my 2 cents.

Chestnuts roasted by Silkenray @ 07/04/2004 01:15 AM EST

If there'sone thing good about Atkins is that it's made low sugar stuff so much easier to find than it was a year ago. Like half the people I know are diabetic, I'm insulin resistant... blah blah. So there's more stuff out there that we actually CAN eat and drink.

Just sucks that it took a trendy diet to do it, and not "there are millions of diabetics and the American lifestyle is making more by the truckload on a daily basis".

Just my 2 cents.

Chestnuts roasted by Silkenray @ 07/04/2004 01:15 AM EST

I've never truly appreciated Coca Cola as much as I have been fond of Diet Coke, but I'll be damned if they try and take the real thing away from me!
If I am going to drink soda, I am going to drink something loaded with sugar and caffeine! give me the fire, not the flame!
ps
POP IS BAD FOR you! you drink it for a quick jolt and SUGAR HIGH! people counting carbs shouldn't be touching anything they can't see through anyways!

Chestnuts roasted by Bitsy&Roary @ 07/04/2004 01:59 AM EST

C2, low carb happy meals. If I ever buy food that comes with a toy I will friggen kill myself?

That said, I’m all for the Atkins diet. This diet is going to single handedly cause the premature death of and entire generation of stupid people who think bacon is healthy. Then those of us who exercise instead of following a diet that killed its creator can live in peace.

The burgers and donuts are on me.

Chestnuts roasted by wieserfp @ 07/04/2004 01:57 PM EST

I'm allergic to aspartame, so unfortunately I can't try this one out. I'm still mystified as to why more companies don't switch to Splenda for their soft drinks. (one of the more tastebud friendly artificial sweeteners) Diet Rite with Splenda was one of the tastiest diet drinks I ever had, PLUS it has no calories. Imagine that! The only reasons I could possibly think of that people are still using aspartame are 1) contracts with the company that produces it, and 2) it's probably cheaper than Splenda, even wholesale.

Currently I prefer Stevia for sweetening (errr..."supplementing"...) my tea and drinks. It's delicious, calorie-free, and comes from a plant rather than a test tube. Just a few drops sufficiently sweetens a two-liter bottle of Kool-Aid. The flavor between brands varies, but I've found some before that tastes absolutely delicious sprinkled on strawberries. :d

Chestnuts roasted by Me!!! @ 07/04/2004 03:24 PM EST

They stole this idea from Tenacious D!!!!!!

"...could you go HALF Coke and HALF Diet Coke?"

Does anyone else see this?

Chestnuts roasted by Hawkeman @ 07/04/2004 05:16 PM EST

I firmly believe that all soda, diet or not would greatly benefit from twice the carbonation they have now. The more bubbles, the better

Chestnuts roasted by Hotchie @ 07/04/2004 06:35 PM EST

It's all about the sleep diet!!!

Chestnuts roasted by krustieklown @ 07/05/2004 02:22 AM EST

I hate diet soda with a passion. That after-taste is horrible, and it just has no kick to it. I'd rather go thirsty than drink it.

That said, C2 is a huge step up from Diet Coke. I would actually be quite content to drink it if it were the only thing available.

But make no mistake, it still can't compare with real Coke. It has a slightly lighter, blander taste.

So I'm sticking with Coke Classic. Oh, and I look at all those people clutching their diet sodas and find it very hard to believe that sugary soda is what caused their weight problem.

I also think Atkins is retarded. If you eat generally healthy and modest portions of whatever and exercise like crazy you should do all right.

Chestnuts roasted by Desslar @ 07/05/2004 02:53 AM EST

c2 is good. tastes like normal coke. but i'd rather drink normal coke and get diabetes than to get cancer and blindness.

pepsi blue is the most offensive tasting soda i've had besides anything diet and moxie. raspberry flavored food plain sucks.

surge also sucked.

Chestnuts roasted by matt g @ 07/05/2004 02:21 PM EST

C2 isn't so bad, basically coke with water in it, and with half the carbs it's more marketable than no-carb diet coke. But beyond taste, rest assured I've found out that it will explode just the same in a fire ( http://www.bitterjerksociety.org 27 June post).

Chestnuts roasted by The Fifty-fifth of something @ 07/05/2004 02:34 PM EST

if you lick your lips after drinking it, it's kinda like a semi-sweet sand. which is gross. why should coca-cola go out of it's way for the anti-carb fashion!?

Chestnuts roasted by yvette @ 07/05/2004 03:03 PM EST

This stuff is ok. But followers of the low-carb diet (like myself) know we can't have it. One of the pillers of a low-carb diet is no sugar what so ever. So...Coke (And Pepsi with there Pepsi Edge) allmost got it right. Now if they replaced the sugar with Splenda they woulden't have a problem getting us low-carbers. But for now, I'll stick with Diet Rite. Has no carbs and no caffeen (which is also another pillar for low-carb...well at least for Atkins)

Chestnuts roasted by The Chairman @ 07/05/2004 03:56 PM EST

Pepsi is done with Pepsi Edge....not much of a hot seller....And Coke aint selling that much of C2 also...theyll be off the shelves by the end of the summer...i should know i work for a supermarket...i love being an insider I happen to like the taste of both...but it made no sense for Pepsi to do it... Pepsi, Pepsi One, Pepsi Edge, and Diet Pepsi......yet Pepsi dont see the popularity of Mountain Dew Live-wire??!!!Best soda...period!

Chestnuts roasted by Ralph @ 07/05/2004 09:41 PM EST

Pepsi is done with Pepsi Edge....not much of a hot seller....And Coke aint selling that much of C2 also...theyll be off the shelves by the end of the summer...i should know i work for a supermarket...i love being an insider I happen to like the taste of both...but it made no sense for Pepsi to do it... Pepsi, Pepsi One, Pepsi Edge, and Diet Pepsi......yet Pepsi dont see the popularity of Mountain Dew Live-wire??!!!Best soda...period!

Chestnuts roasted by Ralph @ 07/05/2004 09:41 PM EST

I cant belive my comment was posted twice...my aplogies lol!

Chestnuts roasted by Ralph @ 07/05/2004 09:43 PM EST

"Mountain Dew Live-wire??!!!Best soda...period"

if you enjoy drinking piss

Chestnuts roasted by Dakez @ 07/06/2004 12:25 AM EST

I certainly am NOT Atkins friendly. Something seems wrong about cutting carbs. This is good for all the people that are, but I am so sick of the word CARBS!

Chestnuts roasted by The Dragonrider @ 07/06/2004 11:03 AM EST

I haven't seen this C2 anywhere yet, but I'll get it if not for the reduced carbs, then for the awesome can design.

Chestnuts roasted by Thibidaiox @ 07/06/2004 10:34 PM EST

I tried a bottle of C2. It tastes almost like Diet Coke. The reason: It is simply Coke with a 50/50 blend of sugar and NUTRASWEET. There you have it folks, that's the secret.

Drinking a different formulated Coke isn't going to help you lose weight. Getting off your fat, X-E reading ass will! Go exercise. Walk. Jog. Whatever, DO SOMETHING!!!!!!!!!!!!

Chestnuts roasted by Superfly @ 07/06/2004 10:54 PM EST

I tried a bottle of C2. It tastes almost like Diet Coke. The reason: It is simply Coke with a 50/50 blend of sugar and NUTRASWEET. There you have it folks, that's the secret.

Drinking a different formulated Coke isn't going to help you lose weight. Getting off your fat, X-E reading ass will! Go exercise. Walk. Jog. Whatever, DO SOMETHING!!!!!!!!!!!!

Chestnuts roasted by Superfly @ 07/06/2004 10:54 PM EST

Alright rant time!!!!!!!!!!!!! I think that people should stop worrying about being thin and trying all these diets to be thin, and worry about being healthy! health is important, more important than beeing the size of a broom handle!!!!!!!!!!!!! drives me crazy to think that people cut out something that their body needs just to look a certain way!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Also, with Mcds and all this healty stuff they sell, when people want to go to Mcds they dont go b/c they want a salad they go becuase they crave fries and burgers! I feel bad for Mcds b/c just because there number one they get the bad media of being unhealthy! if someone goes to Mcds 3 times a day and claim its MCds fault for making them fat its not, these people have a real problem and need real help, its so sad they have this problem and its so hard for them to find help!...
C2 I havent seen it around but I wont try it, Ill stick with regular coke!!!!! and in no way shape or form would I ever drink a pepsi product so Ive never tried all that other stuff! I love Vinilla coke! anyone else? also last thing whitemale, I call it pop but I thought that was b/c Im canadian, and americans called it soda? or maybe its just in the area you live in? cause I live right by buffalo NY and they seem to call it pop also? dont know?

Chestnuts roasted by I LIKE TO RANT! @ 07/07/2004 12:23 PM EST

Hey, I like Coke and I gots diabetes! Yay me!

Chestnuts roasted by kingklash @ 07/07/2004 04:26 PM EST

Crystal Pepsi was the only gimmick soda ever worth a damn in my book. Never Forget!

Chestnuts roasted by The Milkman @ 07/07/2004 06:09 PM EST

You know how they say that in a divorce the children are the ones who really lose out? Well in a low-carb diet the kidneys are the ones that really lose out. I'm serious here people, insure your kidneys, becasue kidney theives are gonna be all over us in about 5 years.

Chestnuts roasted by s0fa @ 07/08/2004 09:51 AM EST

you sad freaks. who in their right mind is actually going to fall for low carb cola? for gods sake, if you want to lose weight STOP EATING SO MUCH!! The atkins diet will kill you all because it is obviously sucha terrible idea, but provides you with a way to lose weight while still packing your greedy self satisfied faces, and when it faisl you have someone else to blame. Losers.

Chestnuts roasted by Justin @ 07/09/2004 06:10 AM EST

I found this at rochdaleonline.co.uk go to message board under cola facts
In an e-mail received today, someone sent me the following:

I drink lots of Diet Coke and have some of these symptoms. I hope that
none of you drink as much of this stuff as I always have, but be
aware: In October of 2001, my sister started getting very sick. She
had stomach spasms, was having a hard time getting around, and walking
was a major chore. It took every-thing she had just to get out of bed;
she was in so much pain.

By March 2002, she had undergone biopsies, and was on 24
various prescription medications. The doctors could not figure
out what was wrong with her. She was in so much pain and was so sick,
she knew she was dying.

She put her house, bank accounts, life insurance, etc. in her oldest
daughter's name, and made sure her younger children were to be
with her oldest daughter. She wanted her last hurrah, so she planned a
trip to Florida (basically in a wheelchair) for March 22nd.

On March 19th I called her to ask her how one of her tests went, and
she said the doctors didn't find anything on the test, but they
believed she had MS.

I thought, oh, my.... then I recalled an article a friend of
mine e-mailed to me. I asked her....Do you drink Diet pop? She said,
yes, as a matter of fact, she was getting ready to open one that
moment. I told her not to open it and to stop drinking the diet pop. I
e-mailed her the following article.

She called me within 32 hours after our phone conversation and told me
she had stopped drinking the diet pop, and she can walk...she went up
the stairs, and the muscle spasms went away. She said she didn't feel
100% but she sure felt a lot better. She told me she was going to her
doctor with this article and would call me back when she got home.

She called me and said her doctor was amazed. He is going to call all
of his MS patients to find out if they consume artificial sweetener.
In a nutshell, she was being poisoned by the aspartame in the diet
soda, dying a slow death.

When she got to FL March 22nd, all she had to take was one pill, and
that was a pill for poisoning. She is well on her way to
recovery.....and she is walking! No wheelchair! The following
article saved her life:

If it says "SUGAR FREE" on the label, DO NOT EVEN THINK ABOUT IT!

I have spent several days lecturing at the WORLD
ENVIRONMENTAL CONFERENCE on "ASPARTAME," marketed as
'NutraSweet', 'Equal', and 'Spoonful'. In the keynote address by the
EPA, it was announced that in the United States in 2001, there was an
epidemic of multiple sclerosis and systemic lupus. It was hard to
understand what toxin was causing this to be rampant.

I stood up and said that I was there to lecture on exactly
that subject. > >>I will explain why Aspartame is so dangerous:

When the temperature of this sweetener exceeds 86 degrees F, the wood
alcohol in ASPARTAME converts to formaldehyde and then to formic acid,
which in turn causes metabolic acidosis. (Formic acid is the poison
found in the sting of fire ants.) The methanol toxicity mimics among
other conditions multiple sclerosis.

People were being diagnosed with multiple sclerosis in
error. Multiple sclerosis is not a death sentence, whereas methanol
toxicity is!

Systemic lupus has become almost as rampant as multiple
sclerosis, especially among Diet Coke and Diet Pepsi drinkers.
The victims usually do not know that aspartame is the culprit. He or
she continues its use, aggravating the lupus to such a degree that it
may become life threatening.

We have seen patients with systemic lupus become asymptomatic
once taken off diet sodas. In the case of those diagnosed with
multiple sclerosis, (when in reality, the disease is methanol
toxicity), most of the symptoms disappear. We've seen many cases
where vision returned and hearing improved markedly. This also
applies to cases of tinnitus.

During a lecture I said, "If you are using ASPARTAME
(NutraSweet, Equal, Spoonful, etc.) and you suffer from fibromyalgia,
spasms, shooting pains, numbness in your legs, cramps, vertigo,
dizziness, headaches, tinnitus, joint pain, depression, anxiety
attacks, slurred speech, blurred vision, or memory loss, you probably
have ASPARTAME DISEASE!"

People were jumping up during the lecture saying, "I've got some
of these symptoms. Is it reversible?"
Yes! Not drinking diet sodas and keeping an eye out for aspartame on
food labels, yes!

We have a very serious problem. A stranger came up to Dr.
Esposito (one of my speakers) and me and said: "Could you tell me why
so many people seem to be coming down with MS?"

During a visit to a hospice, a nurse said that six of her friends, who
were heavy Diet Coke addicts, had all been diagnosed with MS. This
is beyond coincidence! Diet Coke and Diet Pepsi etc. ARE NOT DIET
PRODUCTS!

The Congressional Record states that they make you crave carbohydrates
and will make you FAT. The formaldehyde stores in the fat
cells, particularly in the hips and thighs. Dr. Roberts stated in
his lecture that his patients, once off these products and even with
no significant increase in exercise, lost an average of 19 pounds over
a trial period.

Aspartame is especially dangerous for diabetics. We found
that physicians believed that they had a patient with retinopathy,
when in fact, the symptoms were caused by aspartame. The
aspartame drives the blood sugar out of control. Thus, diabetics may
suffer acute memory loss due to the fact that aspartic acid and
phenylalanine are neurotoxic without the other amino acids found
in protein. Thus, it passes the blood brain barrier and deteriorates
the neurons of the brain, causing in diabetics (as well as in patients
not suffering from diabetes) various kinds of brain damage, seizures,
depression, manic depression, panic attacks, rage, violence. (The
Aspartame in thousands of pallets of diet Coke and diet Pepsi consumed
by men and women fighting in the Gulf War may be partially to
blame for the well-known Gulf War Syndrome.)

Dr. Roberts warns that it can cause birth defects, i.e.,
mental retardation, if taken at the time of conception and
early pregnancy. Children are especially at risk for neurological
disorders and should NOT be given NutraSweet.

I can relate different case histories of children who are
on NutraSweet having grand mal seizures and other disturbances.
Unfortunately it is not always easy to convince a parent that
aspartame is to blame for his/her child's illness. Only by trial and
success will parents be able to warn other others to take their
children's health into their own hands.

Stevia, a sweet herb, NOT A MANUFACTURED ADDITIVE, which helps
in the metabolism of sugar (which would be ideal for iabetics) has
now been approved as a dietary supplement by the FDA. For years the
FDA has outlawed this sweet food because of their loyalty to MONSANTO.
Books on this subject are available: EXCITOTOXINS: THE TASTE THAT
KILLS - written by Dr. Russell Blayblock (Health Press -800-643-2665)
and DEFENSE AGAINST ALZHEIMER'S DISEASE written by DR H.
Roberts, also a diabetic specialist.

These two doctors will be posting a position paper with some
case histories on the deadly effects of Aspartame on the Internet.
According to the Conference of the American College of Physicians,
"We are talking about a plague of neurological diseases caused by this
deadly poison." Here is the problem: There were Congressional Hearings
when Aspartame was included in 100 different products. Since this
initial hearing, there have been two subsequent hearings, but to no
avail. Nothing has been done. The drug and chemical lobbies have very
deep pockets. Now there are over 5,000 products
containing this chemical, and the PATENT HAS EXPIRED!! I assure you,
MONSANTO, the creator of Aspartame, knows how deadly it is. They
fund, among others, the American Diabetes Association, the American
Dietetic Association, the Conference of the American College of
Physicians. This has been exposed in the New York Times--to no avail.

These Associations cannot criticize any asdditives or convey
their link to MONSANTO because they take money from the food industry
and have to endorse their products. Senator Howard Hetzenbaum wrote a
bill that would have warned all infants, pregnant mothers and children
of the dangers of aspartame. The bill would have also instituted
independent studies on the problems existing in the population
(seizures, changes in brain chemistry, changes neurological
and behavioral). It was killed by the powerful drug and chemical
lobbies, letting loose the hounds of disease and death on an
unsuspecting public

Chestnuts roasted by Bryan @ 07/09/2004 08:33 AM EST

I found this at rochdaleonline.co.uk go to message board under cola facts
In an e-mail received today, someone sent me the following:

I drink lots of Diet Coke and have some of these symptoms. I hope that
none of you drink as much of this stuff as I always have, but be
aware: In October of 2001, my sister started getting very sick. She
had stomach spasms, was having a hard time getting around, and walking
was a major chore. It took every-thing she had just to get out of bed;
she was in so much pain.

By March 2002, she had undergone biopsies, and was on 24
various prescription medications. The doctors could not figure
out what was wrong with her. She was in so much pain and was so sick,
she knew she was dying.

She put her house, bank accounts, life insurance, etc. in her oldest
daughter's name, and made sure her younger children were to be
with her oldest daughter. She wanted her last hurrah, so she planned a
trip to Florida (basically in a wheelchair) for March 22nd.

On March 19th I called her to ask her how one of her tests went, and
she said the doctors didn't find anything on the test, but they
believed she had MS.

I thought, oh, my.... then I recalled an article a friend of
mine e-mailed to me. I asked her....Do you drink Diet pop? She said,
yes, as a matter of fact, she was getting ready to open one that
moment. I told her not to open it and to stop drinking the diet pop. I
e-mailed her the following article.

She called me within 32 hours after our phone conversation and told me
she had stopped drinking the diet pop, and she can walk...she went up
the stairs, and the muscle spasms went away. She said she didn't feel
100% but she sure felt a lot better. She told me she was going to her
doctor with this article and would call me back when she got home.

She called me and said her doctor was amazed. He is going to call all
of his MS patients to find out if they consume artificial sweetener.
In a nutshell, she was being poisoned by the aspartame in the diet
soda, dying a slow death.

When she got to FL March 22nd, all she had to take was one pill, and
that was a pill for poisoning. She is well on her way to
recovery.....and she is walking! No wheelchair! The following
article saved her life:

If it says "SUGAR FREE" on the label, DO NOT EVEN THINK ABOUT IT!

I have spent several days lecturing at the WORLD
ENVIRONMENTAL CONFERENCE on "ASPARTAME," marketed as
'NutraSweet', 'Equal', and 'Spoonful'. In the keynote address by the
EPA, it was announced that in the United States in 2001, there was an
epidemic of multiple sclerosis and systemic lupus. It was hard to
understand what toxin was causing this to be rampant.

I stood up and said that I was there to lecture on exactly
that subject. > >>I will explain why Aspartame is so dangerous:

When the temperature of this sweetener exceeds 86 degrees F, the wood
alcohol in ASPARTAME converts to formaldehyde and then to formic acid,
which in turn causes metabolic acidosis. (Formic acid is the poison
found in the sting of fire ants.) The methanol toxicity mimics among
other conditions multiple sclerosis.

People were being diagnosed with multiple sclerosis in
error. Multiple sclerosis is not a death sentence, whereas methanol
toxicity is!

Systemic lupus has become almost as rampant as multiple
sclerosis, especially among Diet Coke and Diet Pepsi drinkers.
The victims usually do not know that aspartame is the culprit. He or
she continues its use, aggravating the lupus to such a degree that it
may become life threatening.

We have seen patients with systemic lupus become asymptomatic
once taken off diet sodas. In the case of those diagnosed with
multiple sclerosis, (when in reality, the disease is methanol
toxicity), most of the symptoms disappear. We've seen many cases
where vision returned and hearing improved markedly. This also
applies to cases of tinnitus.

During a lecture I said, "If you are using ASPARTAME
(NutraSweet, Equal, Spoonful, etc.) and you suffer from fibromyalgia,
spasms, shooting pains, numbness in your legs, cramps, vertigo,
dizziness, headaches, tinnitus, joint pain, depression, anxiety
attacks, slurred speech, blurred vision, or memory loss, you probably
have ASPARTAME DISEASE!"

People were jumping up during the lecture saying, "I've got some
of these symptoms. Is it reversible?"
Yes! Not drinking diet sodas and keeping an eye out for aspartame on
food labels, yes!

We have a very serious problem. A stranger came up to Dr.
Esposito (one of my speakers) and me and said: "Could you tell me why
so many people seem to be coming down with MS?"

During a visit to a hospice, a nurse said that six of her friends, who
were heavy Diet Coke addicts, had all been diagnosed with MS. This
is beyond coincidence! Diet Coke and Diet Pepsi etc. ARE NOT DIET
PRODUCTS!

The Congressional Record states that they make you crave carbohydrates
and will make you FAT. The formaldehyde stores in the fat
cells, particularly in the hips and thighs. Dr. Roberts stated in
his lecture that his patients, once off these products and even with
no significant increase in exercise, lost an average of 19 pounds over
a trial period.

Aspartame is especially dangerous for diabetics. We found
that physicians believed that they had a patient with retinopathy,
when in fact, the symptoms were caused by aspartame. The
aspartame drives the blood sugar out of control. Thus, diabetics may
suffer acute memory loss due to the fact that aspartic acid and
phenylalanine are neurotoxic without the other amino acids found
in protein. Thus, it passes the blood brain barrier and deteriorates
the neurons of the brain, causing in diabetics (as well as in patients
not suffering from diabetes) various kinds of brain damage, seizures,
depression, manic depression, panic attacks, rage, violence. (The
Aspartame in thousands of pallets of diet Coke and diet Pepsi consumed
by men and women fighting in the Gulf War may be partially to
blame for the well-known Gulf War Syndrome.)

Dr. Roberts warns that it can cause birth defects, i.e.,
mental retardation, if taken at the time of conception and
early pregnancy. Children are especially at risk for neurological
disorders and should NOT be given NutraSweet.

I can relate different case histories of children who are
on NutraSweet having grand mal seizures and other disturbances.
Unfortunately it is not always easy to convince a parent that
aspartame is to blame for his/her child's illness. Only by trial and
success will parents be able to warn other others to take their
children's health into their own hands.

Stevia, a sweet herb, NOT A MANUFACTURED ADDITIVE, which helps
in the metabolism of sugar (which would be ideal for iabetics) has
now been approved as a dietary supplement by the FDA. For years the
FDA has outlawed this sweet food because of their loyalty to MONSANTO.
Books on this subject are available: EXCITOTOXINS: THE TASTE THAT
KILLS - written by Dr. Russell Blayblock (Health Press -800-643-2665)
and DEFENSE AGAINST ALZHEIMER'S DISEASE written by DR H.
Roberts, also a diabetic specialist.

These two doctors will be posting a position paper with some
case histories on the deadly effects of Aspartame on the Internet.
According to the Conference of the American College of Physicians,
"We are talking about a plague of neurological diseases caused by this
deadly poison." Here is the problem: There were Congressional Hearings
when Aspartame was included in 100 different products. Since this
initial hearing, there have been two subsequent hearings, but to no
avail. Nothing has been done. The drug and chemical lobbies have very
deep pockets. Now there are over 5,000 products
containing this chemical, and the PATENT HAS EXPIRED!! I assure you,
MONSANTO, the creator of Aspartame, knows how deadly it is. They
fund, among others, the American Diabetes Association, the American
Dietetic Association, the Conference of the American College of
Physicians. This has been exposed in the New York Times--to no avail.

These Associations cannot criticize any asdditives or convey
their link to MONSANTO because they take money from the food industry
and have to endorse their products. Senator Howard Hetzenbaum wrote a
bill that would have warned all infants, pregnant mothers and children
of the dangers of aspartame. The bill would have also instituted
independent studies on the problems existing in the population
(seizures, changes in brain chemistry, changes neurological
and behavioral). It was killed by the powerful drug and chemical
lobbies, letting loose the hounds of disease and death on an
unsuspecting public

Chestnuts roasted by Bryan @ 07/09/2004 08:33 AM EST

I was hoping they'd bring back Max Headroom to market this junk, just like I was with Vanilla Coke. I don't really care one way or the other about the soda, but what with Alf getting his own talk show and all, we might as well finish turning the 21st century into the '80s just like Back to the Future 2 said we would.

Guess they don't want people to be making a C2=New Coke association. Aw well.

Do some Max Headroom ads for this, Coke, and you might be able to convince me to c-c-catch the wave. Otherwise forget it.

Chestnuts roasted by NOW!!!! @ 07/11/2004 06:42 PM EST

How could anyone know piss tastes like Live Wire unless one has tasted piss before????.....
yuk who drinks piss when Live-Wire is so much more orangy tasting yuuuuuuuuuuuum...like unfrozen ice pops love it!!!!

Chestnuts roasted by Ralph @ 07/12/2004 04:51 PM EST

Lupus? I have lupus. Only girls can get lupus, which brings me to my next point...

Chestnuts roasted by Nate @ 07/12/2004 09:47 PM EST

The reasons they're not pushing diet coke as the "low carb" drink are as follows:
+Diet Coke is actually made to appeal to pepsi lovers, smoother more treacle like taste.
+the gimmick of the atkins diet is all the so called good food and still loose weight (although personally I'm not keen on just eating vast amounts of bacon) thus DIET coke doesn't fit that image because its like your missing the good bits so it doesnt fit the atkins ethos. Plus diet coke has been advertised totally towards a female market (here at least in england anyway) while atkins is very popular with fat smelly businessman yuppie types.

Chestnuts roasted by James Hicks @ 07/12/2004 10:15 PM EST

I can't figure out what the hells up with C2. I see it all over the damn place here in California, the stores bought them up like it was the new crack, but they aren't selling. The huge displays, were talking lite beer with Jeff Gordon on it, they're huge! just sit there. All my friends said it tastes like hot ass and gasoline so I'm afraid to drink it myselfe. I'll stick with vanilla/classic coke. Or I could just eat packs of Sweet N' Low mixed in with coffee grounds and water, whatever. Oh, by the way, has anyone tasted the new Diet Mountain Dew? It's really nasty. Some of my friends said it tastes like Theraflu, but Iv'e never had it so I wouldn't know.

Chestnuts roasted by EhhEff @ 07/12/2004 11:36 PM EST

PS: If you guys want a good diet-ish soda just opt out for Pepsi One, it tastes just like Pepsi. Pepsi One could beat up C2.

Chestnuts roasted by EhhEff @ 07/12/2004 11:56 PM EST

You know, I just have to laugh at all these Atkinites...I can remember pretty much every "__ is bad for you" diet fad that there was.
First, it was sugar. No more sugar, it's bad for you.
Then, next came fat. No more fat, it's bad for you.
Then - came an addition. Calcium. Calcium is good for you, let's put it in EVERYTHING! Now, we have the latest in diet fads, the dreaded CARBOHYDRATE! No more carbs, it's bad for you.

Okay, so what are we going to say is bad for us next? Protein? Vitamins? Minerals? Hey, guess what? AIR makes you fat, so stop breathing now if you want to lose weight!

...blink...

Hey, here's an idea! Here's how you can lose weight and get fit and healthy! It's the new "Diet Plan for the Obviously Unaware"!

Part One - Eat a Healthy Balanced Meal three times a day, your largest meal being breakfast. Make sure to include all of the four food groups and drink plenty of water.

Part Two - A Regular Routine of Moderate Exercise. No, working the remote to your TV is not exercise. Walk in your neighborhood, go for a nice swim, maybe some dance if you're up for it. Don't forget to stretch so you don't hurt your joints beforehand.

Part Three - Eat your meals SLOWLY, and only eat until you're full. Many people eat far too quickly, and don't realize that they are full until it's too late and they have already stuffed themselves to past their full point. As for eating until full, regardless of your parents pounding into your head that you have to always clean your plate, you shouldn't overdo yourself, regardless. Better the food become leftovers than fat. I mean, you wouldn't overfill your car's gas tank if all that extra gas was just going to flow onto the ground and do your car no good, right? Why do it to your body?

Part Four - Get a good night's sleep every night. You might wonder, "How is that going to help me get healthy?" Simple. If you don't get a good night's sleep, that being at least 8 whole hours a night of uninterrupted slumber (before you ask, no, 2 four-hour naps don't cut it), you wake up tired. So, you rely on lots of caffeine and/or carbs to give you energy to wake up. Many, many sleep-deprived nights later, you're consuming more caffeine and carbs to stay awake, and it's happily wreaking havoc on your body by speeding your heart up and storing excess fat. Can we say, "heart disease and obesity", everyone? I knew you could.

Well, so after I write my best-selling diet book, you can all say that you heard it here first.

Heh.

Chestnuts roasted by Syntania @ 07/13/2004 06:57 AM EST

I work at a grocery store and since starting there back in November I've seen some crazy things. Probably the craziest thing I've seen is these Atkin's diet followers. Over time I've actually gotten to know some of my customers and most of them have been mind raped into believing the low carbohydrate diet actually works.

Whenever I see them I always ask them how they're doing as well as, if they're on a diet, how's the diet going. Over the span of about three months only one person has reported any loss...a whole five pounds. That's right ladies and gentleman. Follow the low carbohydrate craze and you too can lose five pounds in three months. People are such morons.

For you Atkin's lovers out there the full word is "carbohydrate." There's no such thing as a "carb."

Chestnuts roasted by Brillski @ 07/14/2004 10:25 PM EST

I like C2 but the University of Texas at San Antone dosen't sell Coke products... I tried the Pepsi One (the precursor for Pepsi edge) and it was also pretty much just like regular w/ a little aspethame-taste, but get this... The whole point to Pepsi One is that it is one calorie, but in the regular bottle it is 2.5 servings!!! (yes I do realize that the math is for 1 can, but it is a little ridiculous to do it that way)

Chestnuts roasted by Tad @ 07/14/2004 10:58 PM EST

C2 definitely tastes different, more like new coke than classic coke

Chestnuts roasted by m othman @ 07/15/2004 07:54 PM EST

Haven't tried the C2, but I drink diet sodas now. It took a while to get used to the flava, but I'm saving like 300 calories a day (I lost about 10-15 pounds in two months just for this). It looks like C2 and Pepsi Edge are a lot like Pepsi One. I won't bother with it, because I already rock the zero calorie.

Chestnuts roasted by Mondo Man @ 07/15/2004 11:52 PM EST

I've tried both C2 & Pepsi Edge. C2 is closer to Coke than Pepsi Edge is to Pepsi, IMO. Ironically, the C2 has quite an "edge" to it; Pepsi Edge tastes a little watered down.

Both of them cost more than their full-sugar or diet counterparts. C2 was $2.50 for an 8-pack and Pepsi Edge was $2.00 for a six-pack. I did find Pepsi Edge in a 2-liter for the same price as regular Pepsi--not sure if that price will last.

Both of them contain sucralose (the sweetener that's "made from sugar, so it tastes like sugar," like the Splenda ad says). Splenda by itself in the stores is kinda expensive.

C2 still contains those artificial sweeteners found in diet soda. Diet soda makes my head hurt, so I avoid it.

Pepsi Edge contains sugar & sucralose. It lost some flavor, but what's there is all natural, at least.

I'm not a low-carb nut, but I'd love to see Pepsi Edge as a permanent product. Somebody finally made a soda w/o boatloads of sugar in it. C2 can hang, frankly, unless they get rid of the aspartame.

The government subsidizes farmers that grow sugar & oil crops (corn, soybeans, sugar cane, etc.), so food and beverage makers can pump tons of tasty sugar & fat into their products w/o much extra cost. That's partly why McDonald's supersized drink cup, up until they recently scaled back, held six gallons of soda and doubled as a homeless shelter. Jesus, when the drink is bigger than the rest of the meal, there's a problem.

A few questions:

Was there a lot of soda available where anyone else went to school? I grew up in the 80s, and in school, soda was a privilege. There was one soda machine in the cafeteria, and you could only go get a soda during study hall by signing up. According to today's news, more lunchrooms are starting to look like Taco Bell. Morley Safer did a piece about it on "60 Minutes a few years ago. My god, those kids were fat, and they were downing Pepsi like nobody's business. They were like miniature Hutts, never happy but always looking for another bite of something. Morley had the gall to ask one of them to try eating a salad instead. They battered him & threw him in the fry machine.

Lotsa people probably remember "Pepsi Free," from BTTF 1, but does anyone remember the "Pepsi Free" commercial where everybody was singing to the tune of "We Are Family" by Sister Sledge? I actually heard the song in that commercial before I ever heard the actual song. Of course, I also can't listen to the "Voodoo Chile" riff w/o saying "My Seven Bizzos" at the end.

Anyone like Lemon Coke? I think it tastes like Pledge.

What was the difference between Pepsi One and Diet Pepsi? Was it a calorie? If so, what was the point?

Anyone remember Pepsi Light (or Lite perhaps)? I remember a commercial with a bunch of athletic guys in towels in a locker room, all dancing in a line, singing:

"We loooove Pepsi Light/
Refreshing Pepsi Light/
That little drop of lemon
Makes it taste so right"

or something like that.

Any coincidence that the McRib is always paired up with a Dr Pepper in the value meal promos? I've never had a McRib, but if they go good with Dr Pepper, they HAVE to suck. I have a theory that McRibs are actually buried under the world's glaciers, and as soon as a few million have been unearthed, McDonald's starts running those commercials.

Anyway, long live Pepsi Edge.

Chestnuts roasted by Pat @ 07/19/2004 12:38 AM EST

Coke C2 Is Coke 2, which is NEW COKE! The scandal is on, people!

Chestnuts roasted by MNc @ 07/19/2004 12:53 PM EST

Pah to Coke C2. I am in Peru at the moment and Inca Kola is truly the greatest coke in the history of humanity. (I can not make any judgements on the quality of soft drinks in pre-history, I apologise)

Chestnuts roasted by Todd Bixelby @ 07/19/2004 07:06 PM EST