Home > Relish Austin > Archives > 2011 > February > 08 > Entry
Low-cal Dr Pepper? New drink is almost a 10
Features copy desk maestra Sue Owen is our resident Dr Pepper expert. You’ll rarely find her desk without a can or small bottle of Dr Pepper on it, which is why I asked her to review the new low calorie version of the drink that is being tested in Austin.
As the newsroom’s unofficial chief Dr Pepper addict, I was pleased to help evaluate Ten. In a blind taste test of Diet DP (sweetened with aspartame; 0 calories per can), regular DP (high-fructose corn syrup; 150 calories per can) and Dublin Dr Pepper (cane sugar; 100 calories per 8-ounce bottle) alongside DP Ten (high-fructose corn syrup and aspartame), Ten was the closest to straight Dr Pepper, though definitely not identical. Dublin DP has a clean, sweet taste. Diet tastes plastic, to me at least. And Ten, as several of my colleagues agreed, is much like regular DP, but with a slight fake-sweetener aftertaste.
Conclusion: It might be good enough for some DP drinkers to switch. But how much good will that do them? I consulted Austin dietitian Amy Bluntzer, who as my former college roommate, has been silently horrified by my levels of soda consumption for years. She said, “For someone who needs to cut calories and is trying to make gradual changes, then going from a regular soda to this might be a good choice, with the ultimate goal being less soda and more water.” So remember: H2O still beats Ten.
Photo from Dr Pepper.
Permalink | Comments (32) | Post your comment Categories: Drinks
Comments
When commenting, we ask that you keep things civil and abide by our Visitor Agreement. To report comment abuse, click here.
By Eva
February 8, 2011 3:12 PM | Link to this
Seriously? High fructose corn syrup and aspartame in one drink? How in the world can that be considered a healthy choice? False advertising at it’s finest. Wake up people! You are what you eat and those two ingredients are BAD for your health.
By Todd
February 8, 2011 3:22 PM | Link to this
Healthy choice? Really? I mean Really? I agree with Eva, I couldn’t have said it better myself!
By Jason
February 8, 2011 3:30 PM | Link to this
Junk
Get back to regular SUGAR. And I mean CANE SUGAR. Anything else is just wrong.
By KS
February 8, 2011 3:37 PM | Link to this
Ditto - aspartame and HFCS!?!? What kind of a dietitian would say that would be a good choice? That’s ridiculous. It’s not all about the calories, it’s what’s IN the food/beverage you’re consuming. I’d take 500 nutrient-rich calories over 10 calories that are detrimental to my health, any day. Beverages sweetened with aspartame often contain zero calories because aspartame isn’t a food, so our bodies don’t recognize it as one and can’t metabolize it. These ingredients have been shown to cause serious health issues!
By Tamara
February 8, 2011 3:39 PM | Link to this
So… It sounds like Dublin DP wins, in my opinion. Cane Sugar & “sweet, clean taste” Much Like Mountain Dew Throwback, in fact. Cane Sugar gets my thumbs up.
By Tamara
February 8, 2011 3:41 PM | Link to this
So… It sounds like Dublin DP wins, in my opinion. Cane Sugar & “sweet, clean taste” Much Like Mountain Dew Throwback, in fact. Cane Sugar gets my thumbs up.
By J'nae
February 8, 2011 3:57 PM | Link to this
Dublin Dr. Pepper is the way to go and like all things in MODERATION. I go out of my way to find the Dublin DP. With out it, I wouldn’t be drinking DP anymore and it’s my favorite. I remember when there wasn’t a distinction between DP and Dublin DP. Only have to look as far back as the early 80’s. Tastes like I remember. :-) Ban HFCS & Apsertame. If you need something 0 cals why not use stevia?
By Anna
February 8, 2011 3:59 PM | Link to this
Guess what I won’t be buying….
By Stan
February 8, 2011 5:20 PM | Link to this
Aspartame and HCFS all in one? What are you nuts? This betrays your bio (read left). Who’s paying you to do this? The distributor, the bottling plant, or the main office?
Unbelievable. Guess who just booted you off his Twitter feed.
By David Olson
February 8, 2011 5:30 PM | Link to this
Next thing you know, they will be putting granuals of radioactive material so the soda will be ‘sparkly and give your skin a nice flushed appearance of health’.
Product develoment execs at these companies should be using the new products every day (6 times a day - once with each meal, once with each of 2 snacks and in the evening before going to bed) for 5 years before it gets released on the market. I wonder how many these new bad ideas would then be unleashed on an unwitting public.
By Jacinta
February 8, 2011 7:46 PM | Link to this
Is Aspartame good for us now, or HFCS? Since when would these be healthier choices? Ridiculous!! People need to wake up and take a look around them, become more responsible for their health!
By Wendy
February 9, 2011 10:56 AM | Link to this
I cannot believe someone would recommend something so toxic with BOTH aspartame and HFCS in it!!!! I got this link to check it out and I am shocked. I was so hopeful of finding a soft drink that my kids and husband could finally drink without guilt. The only one that is on the market right now is ZEVIA… which DOES use stevia but unfortunately is hard to get and expensive. So they drink Crystal Light PURE FITNESS with Truvia. I have never seen this Dublin DP so maybe I should try looking for that so that they can get a good “pop” now and then. This is just more of Monsanto getting its hands into everything with their aspartame. POISON
By andi
February 9, 2011 11:24 AM | Link to this
seriously? Yikes! My favorite soda of all times, Dr Pepper, is trying to kill me! No thank you.
By Sue Owen
February 10, 2011 11:19 AM | Link to this
Hey guys! I’m enjoying the feedback. The dietitian I quoted is NOT recommending the drink as a healthy choice. Her quote says that it could be useful to someone who is specifically trying to reduce calories — while working toward the goal of reducing soda and increase water intake. This is not a recommendation for drinking soda. And indeed I want to point out that she definitely does not think well of my soda intake, though she has been far too nice, for many years, to lecture me on it. Just wanted to drop that in — Please carry on!
By Allen
February 10, 2011 4:28 PM | Link to this
Not sure why they can’t use Sucralose (aka Splenda)
By Andy
February 15, 2011 1:26 PM | Link to this
I agree with Allen. Splenda has much less of an aftertaste than aspartame.
By Grant Henry
February 17, 2011 12:01 PM | Link to this
Thanks for the article Sue. It’s a shame so many have taken the opportunity to use it as a soapbox for anti-aspartame wailing. Last time I checked, no one lives forever. Have fun and enjoy life people - and quit trying to push your choices on others. Save that for the bible thumpers.
By Z
February 21, 2011 2:48 PM | Link to this
I fit the target demo, heard the radio commercials, and picked up a 12 pack yesterday. I typically drink diet Dr. Pep. or Coke Zero twice a day and something is not quite right with the this 10. The flavor profile is a little off and it seems less fizzy. I also dislike the gray can. Funny nobody has ever accused me of being wimpy for drinking diet drinks.
By Lauren
February 22, 2011 6:29 PM | Link to this
People, very small amounts of HFCS are not going to kill you.
Neither is aspartame.
This drink is supposed to be a lower calorie alternative to regular soda. It meets that goal, while improving upon the taste of Diet DP.
If you only drink an occasional soda, good for you. You’re not the targeted market for this product. This is intended for regular soda drinkers who would like a lower calorie product.
By Dirk
February 22, 2011 10:08 PM | Link to this
I for one with diabetes am glad that I am in one of the test markets I hate the taste of diet and this at least I can stomach without gagging the only time I can taste the aspartame is if the soda gets warm or flat otherwise I think its a great way for me to cut down on the sugar
By Lindsay
February 23, 2011 12:06 AM | Link to this
This commercial is gender discrimination!! Aspartame is dangerous to our health. There’s aspartame poisoning; it is said that aspartame turns to formaldehyde in the body!
By Chet
February 25, 2011 9:42 AM | Link to this
In the past I’ve been a huge fan of ddp. It’s all that I drink. Just last night I picked up a bottle of the DP 10 and the taste was MUCH better than ddp. Thats strange to men because I’ve been advocating DDP over DC for the last few years because it had much more flavor. Now DP comes with this greatness.. I love it! Great job DP, once again you’ve made another customer happy.
By irrational
February 26, 2011 12:33 AM | Link to this
@Chet: I smell a cutout. Just tried a can of this for free on the drag (guadalupe between 21st and 27th) and wow its bad. I mean, real bad. Of course, diet dr pepper is bad too
Here’s a great idea i’ve been using for years: pour yourself HALF a glass of regular Dr Pepper (I buy the version in the green bottles made from imperial cane sugar), then top it off with seltzer water OO look you just cut your calories in half! Not that you’ll ever see Dr Pepper Snapple Group advertise this … because it would cut their sales in half too ><
By Marcus
February 27, 2011 9:04 PM | Link to this
You anti-aspartame people truly are confused. As a biochemist, I can tell you that aspartame is just two amino acids-that your body already uses-linked together. There is absolutely no science supporting that aspartame is bad for you, unless you have PKU. It’s just a couple of amino acids. Do your research and stop being so uptight people.
By Adrian
February 28, 2011 9:43 PM | Link to this
Aww man! No wonder I’ve been feeling wimpy all these years! The word DIET is on the can! Now all my friends will see that I’m tough because it says 10!
By Chris
March 1, 2011 8:11 AM | Link to this
Unfortunately, Dr. Pepper 10 is an intentionally misleading product name. While the 20 oz. bottle seems to suggest that it has only 10 bold calories, in fact that bottle contains 25 calories (10 calories per 8 oz). And a 12 oz can, also seeming to suggest it contains 10 calories, actually contains 15. Perhaps this is not a significant difference in terms of calories, but this kind of packaging contributes to the growing confusion consumers face with product labeling and serving sizes and illustrates perfectly the misleading marketing practices in which companies like Dr. Pepper engage.
By stillsane
March 9, 2011 2:21 PM | Link to this
I saw it. I bought it. I drank it. I like it. I hope they make it available in College Station.
By Bobbie
March 22, 2011 7:08 PM | Link to this
I would like to see a Diet Dr. Pepper made with Splenda or Truvia. I am allergic to Aspartame and Saccharine. Dr. Pepper is about the only thing I drink. It would be nice to be able to get fewer calories without migraines.
By Carol
March 25, 2011 5:55 PM | Link to this
I love the new Dr Pepper 10…would much rather drink it then the old after taste Diet Dr Pepper.
By Michael Berone
April 11, 2011 12:59 PM | Link to this
I’ve been hoping for a splenda or truvia version of Dr. Pepper for years. I used to drink Dr. Pepper very heavily for years and years. It is unquestionably my favorite beverage in the world. There is nothing that compares.
In my older years, I’m having to cut back. I absolutely cannot stand aspertame. I have very refined taste buds (wish I could be a tester for Dr. Pepper…my taste buds are extraordinary) and I can detect aspertame in anything. Adding fresh lemon to any drink with aspertame will help tame it some.
If the Dr. Pepper Execs are reading this, please consider using a more modern sweetner like splenda or truvia.
By pandaranol
June 20, 2011 10:01 AM | Link to this
Clôturer de vingt-cinq ou trente sous, ou bien en dispense des accusés, de hésitation résumé et de la retraite un magnifique propriétaire. Retiens bien ce qu’elle fait, et il cultiver les voix articulation presque au fond cet individu se trouver que, dans ses chiffon blancs.
By Mackenzie Przedwiecki
June 22, 2011 2:31 AM | Link to this
Hi the information on this blog is just incredible it keeps us coming back time and time again ,personallythis site has helped me through some very tough funerals so i couldnt like it any more i have done my best to to word out about this blog as i know that others need to read this thing ,cheers for all your time you take in making this fabulous resource ! ok,nice one