Tag: splenda

Splenda Coke!

Ashley Bischoff5 Comments

I’ve been pining for Splenda Coke for some time, but it looks like my wish may come to fruition. Apparently, Coke is considering introducing a new Coke variety in 2005 made with Splenda (!).

The new drink, which could be called Coke Zero, Coke Light, Tab or a variation of Tab, would have no calories and be sweetened with sucralose and another artificial sweeter, according to a report in Beverage Digest.

The product is still in the “concept testing” phase, Beverage Digest said. A spokeswoman for Coca-Cola refused to confirm or deny speculation that the drink was in the works. […]

Of course, sucralose-based colas are already here, namely Diet RC and Diet Rite (both of which are made by the same company, but Diet RC also has caffeine). And I could probably drink Diet RC for the rest of my life and not mind it, but Splenda Coke has the additional advantage of Coca Cola’s marketing muscle — it should be available just about anywhere.

Oatmeal

Ashley Bischoff16 Comments

I had read good things about oatmeal and health, so I bought some (apparently, the effects are present primarily in slow-cook oatmeal, so I bought that type).

About two weeks back, I made some according to the directions on the package (boil the water and oatmeal mixture, easy). It didn’t actually turn out very well, as it ended up rather soggy. I’m not sure if I made the oatmeal correctly and I’m just not an oatmeal-person, or if I overcooked the oatmeal leading to its sogginess. I did add some cinnamon and Splenda, of course, but the sogginess remained.

Just today, I decided to give oatmeal another chance. But, to eliminate the possibility of sogginess, I just poured some dry oatmeal into a bowl (along with a sprinkling of cinnamon and Splenda). It was a bit on the mouth-drying side ;), but a glass of water close-at-hand took care of that.

It was actually pretty tasty. And, with Splenda having no Calories, I could add as much as I wanted without feeling guilty (other than the inherent guilt of using up all my Splenda and having to go buy some more).

I am curious whether the cooking process is linked to the healthiness of oatmeal; after all, I didn’t cook it at all this time, and I wouldn’t want to lessen its health benefits on that account. All the same, if you don’t like cooked oatmeal (but don’t mind oats in general), you may want to try this technique.

Natural Peanut Butter

Ashley Bischoff101 Comments

I bought some Natural Peanut Butter the other day at Target. I needed some more peanut butter anyway, and I didn’t want the trans fat associated with regular peanut butter.

I hadn’t had natural peanut butter in years, probably not within the past ten years or so. As a kid, I didn’t like it much, as I preferred the sweetness of regular peanut butter. Trying it again now, it was quite tasty. It tasted as if it was created through crushing peanuts and putting the peanut-carnage right in a jar.

The only downfall, it seems, is that it was quite sticky — on a slice of bread it would seem to gum-up my mouth more so that regular peanut butter would tend to. I’m curious as to what factor is contributing to the stickiness.

I know it’s not for a lack of fat, as the Natural Peanut Butter has 16g (but of the “good fat”). And, I don’t think that the lower sugar-content would be a factor, as I wouldn’t think that sugar would contribute to stickiness one way or another.

Any ideas on techniques as to what could reduce the stickiness of natural peanut butter? I was thinking of adding (no-calorie) Splenda to my next peanut butter sandwich, so as to more closely resemble the sweetness that I’m used to, but is there anything that I could add that might unstickify the sandwich?