If you have a sweet tooth and an aversion to non-sugar sweeteners, then make sure to check the ingredients list when buying your soft drinks. In the UK avoiding obvious diet versions of drinks does not necessarily lead you to products sweetened only with sugar. For example, here are the ingredient lists for Schweppes Lemonade in various countries:
Australia
- Carbonated water
- Sugar
- Citric acid
- Acidity regulator (sodium citrate)
- Natural flavours
Ireland
- Carbonated water
- Sugar
- Citric acid
- Flavourings
- Preservative (sodium benzoate)
- Sweetener (sodium saccharin)
UK
- Carbonated water
- Sugar
- Lemon juice from concentrate
- Citric acid
- Flavourings
- Acidity regulator (sodium citrate)
- Sweeteners (aspartame, sodium saccharin)
- Preservative (potassium sorbate)
- Antioxidant (ascorbic acid)
Sprite in the UK is similarly afflicted, though with a different sweetener. 7 Up and many supermarket home brands still offer sugar-only varieties.