The usage of low sugar or sugar free mixes can be a great way to significantly lower calories and still maintain flavors.  However, artificial sweeteners have not always received the best press and there seems to always be some controversy or disagreeing professional arguing the pros and cons of their consumption.  The information below is just a quick review the most commonly used artificial sweeteners to sharpen you knowledge and help you make the best decisions for yourself.

The Pink Packets: Saccharine is the artificial sweetener found in the pink packet and sold under the name Sweet & Low®.  It is the original artificial sweetener that was discovered in late 1800s and introduced to the market in 1957 and has been used safely by people ever since. Saccharin is made through a multi-step process combining two chemical groups, and is about 300 times sweeter than sugar. Saccharine is likely the most controversial sweetener due to the fact that in the 1970’s animal studies indicated it was linked to cancer and the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) required the manufacture to print a warning label on each packet indicating so.  In the late 1990s, after more than 30 human studies found an overwhelming amount of support promoting saccharin's safety, the National Toxicology Program removed it from its list of cancer causing agents and the warning label was eliminated.

The Blue Packets: Aspartame is the sweetener found in the blue packets under the name NutraSweet and the brand Equal®. It was discovered in 1965 and granted approval for use by the FDA in 1981 after more than 100 scientific studies were conducted and reviewed.  It is made by joining together natural two amino acids with a methyl-ester group, all of which occur naturally in foods eaten everyday. Aspartame is about 200 times sweeter than sugar and has the ability to intensify and extend fruit flavors, such as cherry, strawberry and citrus flavors. Aspartame's safety has been documented in more than 200 objective scientific studies over 35 years. The safety of aspartame has been confirmed by the regulatory authorities in more than 100 countries.

The Yellow  Packets: Sucralose is the sweetener found in the yellow packets under the name Splenda®.  The FDA first approved the use of sucralose as a nonnutritive sweetener in 1998 and expanded this approval in 1999 and it quickly became the most popular artificial sweetener due to its similarities to sugar. Sucralose is made through multi-step process that starts with sugar and converts it to a no calorie, non-carbohydrate sweetener and is about 600 times sweeter. While it tastes like sugar and has a similar structure, it is not considered a natural product. The safety of sucralose has been documented in more than 100 scientific studies conducted over a 20-year period. In addition, sucralose has been reviewed by the FDA and other national regulatory agencies, as well as by international health authorities such as the World Health Organization, and has been to be safe for use by all consumers.