Aspartame Shame

On Easter Sunday, our church had a cook-out after the service. I loaded my plate with all the traditional cook-out goodies, and headed off to the drink table to grab myself a soda. A diet, caffeinated soda.

Yes, you heard me.

I buy organic, all-natural, paraben and preservative-free, but I still love my diet soda. It doesn't make sense, I know. And maybe I'll give it up one day, but not today. At my first prenatal appointment, my doctor told me that caffeine and artificial sweeteners were fine in moderation, and so I moderate. At some point in my second trimester, I began to allow myself one caffeinated, artificially sweetened beverage a day. Most days, I still only drink water, so when the craving for a diet soda hits, I allow myself to indulge.

Back to the story.

I'm at the drink table, and as I pause to consider the array of beverage selections, the girl responsible for pouring the drinks asks what I'd like. I see Diet Dr. Pepper, Diet Coke, Cherry Coke Zero - all my favorites - and I'm trying to decide which one I want. And the girl who pours the drinks, she sees my pregnant belly and she says, "This one is caffeine free!" She's holding a bottle of some orange, high fructose corn syrup, un-caffeinated, caloric soda and I'm all like, uh, sure, give me that one. Because that is what this girl thinks I "should" drink, and what will she say if I ask for Diet Dr. Pepper instead???

Nothing. That's probably what she would have said. I'll never know though, because I grudgingly took the orange, high fructose corn syrup, un-caffeinated, caloric soda and drank it.