UK introduced a tax on high sugar drinks a few years ago. Most drinks changed their recipe to be under the threshold and taste weird now. Coca Cola was the only one that didn’t. I just looked and a 24 pack of cans is £15.25 for original where diet and zero are on sale at £8.50. The tax is only about £2 on that though so no idea why it’s so much more.
I pretty much entirely stopped drinking all of them though because I can’t stand the taste now so I guess the tax worked. They are lowering the sugar threshold again in a couple years so I imagine more recipe changes are coming.
Zephorah@discuss.online 2 days ago
That’s not a bad idea. It is addictive. Tax it like alcohol and tobacco. I’ve watched a subset of diabetics scream that they need sugar no matter what healthcare tries to say about it. Tears. More often, anger and spiteful overconsumption in reaction to being told no. (A subset, not all.)
Rhynoplaz@lemmy.world 2 days ago
If a diabetic has low blood sugar, then they literally DO need sugar, and fast!
AVincentInSpace@pawb.social 12 hours ago
Which is true, and a good argument in favor of diabetics having easy access to sugary things – not having them when they’re needed can literally be life-threatening. It is not, however, am argument for everyone having easy access to them – corporations bet on people getting addicted to them, and sugary drinks in particular give a sharp increase in risk for developing diabetes.
Rhynoplaz@lemmy.world 7 hours ago
There’s no question that sugar is bad for you. I just wanted to point out that the person I was replying to was VERY wrong about what diabetes is and how it works.
wonderingwanderer@sopuli.xyz 1 day ago
That’s hypoglycemia, not diabetes which is hyperglycemia
Rhynoplaz@lemmy.world 1 day ago
My wife has diabetes and I can tell that you think you know what you’re talking about, but you’re very wrong.
rumba@lemmy.zip 1 day ago
You message is is medically wrong, It misunderstands both diabetes and hypoglycemia, and it gives unsafe advice.
A diabetic with low blood sugar absolutely does need fast‑acting sugar.
That’s not optional, not “only if they messed up,” and not something complex carbs can fix quickly enough.
Hypoglycemia is an acute medical emergency, especially for insulin‑dependent diabetics.
Complex carbs (starches) take 20–60 minutes to digest.
A hypoglycemic diabetic can lose consciousness in under 5 minutes.
This is false.
Hypoglycemia is extremely common in diabetics, especially those using insulin or sulfonylureas. It is not a separate condition. It is a direct consequence of diabetes treatment.
Insulin overdose
Delayed meals
Exercise
Alcohol
Illness
Normal day‑to‑day variation in insulin sensitivity
All can cause hypoglycemia in diabetics.
So saying “that’s hypoglycemia, not diabetes” shows a misunderstanding of how diabetes works.
You should consider educating yourself about diabetic hypoglycemia or insulin_overdose. before you start handing out medical advice.
slemptastrophe@piefed.social 2 days ago
I was one of those people who knew my lifestyle was unhealthy, and turning it around was always just one week away. The diagnosis of type II felt like a loss of agency. Like it was no longer my choice to cut back on, or to cut out sugar.
Once the initial shock of diagnosis and grief over all the foods I’d lost settled down, the truth was clear. I had made the choice. The choice to open every single one of those sodas, the choice to go with convenience over health. The choice to kick the can down the road, and I still had the choice to diet, or die slowly.
Not gonna lie and say my diet is perfect now but, according to my NP, my labs paint the picture of someone successfully managing diabetes. I know I still have some work to do though.
Zephorah@discuss.online 1 day ago
Not easy, you’ve done well.
slemptastrophe@piefed.social 1 day ago
Thanks!
brb@sh.itjust.works 2 days ago
That’s what we are doing in Finland. Sugar free drinks are taxed at 20c/l but other drinks can go up to 59c/l depending on the sugar amount
Just checked prices from one grocery store and coke zero 24-pack is 15.50€ while the regular one is 19.50€
ThanksForAllTheFish@sh.itjust.works 1 day ago
Overall, Coke is most affordable compared with minimum wage in England, especially when Coke Zero is on offer, then Helsinki; in the US it takes the most minimum-wage work to buy a litre, and because regular and sugar-free cost exactly the same, there’s no price incentive at all to choose the sugar-free one.
In England for a 24 pack (330ml?), sugar is £15 (€17.5, $20 USD), sugar free is £12 with a deal for £8.50 (€10, $11.5 USD), no deals for the sugar one! £12.71 is minimum wage here (€14.86, $17.21 USD). In US Walmart I see 24 pack of sugar and non sugar for $15.37 USD (12 OZx24) and US minimum wage is $7.25 USD (£5.40, €6.30).
dmir@gehirneimer.de 1 day ago
Does that include artificial sweeteners? I have some sort of prejudice against them that I couldn't substantiate with research, but one thing is certain: none of them felt good to me.
I am much happier with drinking less sweet beverages overall, but made with regular sugar. Actually tend to spend less that way, even if I pay more for less - I just happen to be buying that much less frequently that way.