Be on the lookout: Aspartame is being renamed "AminoSweet" and will be marketed as a "natural" sweetener:

"Over 25 years ago, aspartame was first introduced into the European food supply. Today, it is an everyday component of most diet beverages, sugar-free desserts, and chewing gums in countries worldwide. But the tides have been turning as the general public is waking up to the truth about artificial sweeteners like aspartame and the harm they cause to health. The latest aspartame marketing scheme is a desperate effort to indoctrinate the public into accepting the chemical sweetener as natural and safe, despite evidence to the contrary."

More here: http://www.puppetgov.com/2010/02/13/aspartame-renamed-aminosweet-and-is-...

Just once, it would be great to see a no calorie sweetener that had no controversy. One that wouldn't only make your food taste amazing, but actually be good for you! An anti-oxident-rich sweetener that would end heart disease and cure blindness! Wouldn't that be great?

Alas, we are stuck with possibly harmful sugar alternatives. Even the much-vaunted herbal stevia is surrounded with questions. But what about Splenda, which is touted as being "natural" because it is made from sugar?

Well...natural is relative. Splenda is created by replacing hydrogen and oxygen atoms with chlorine atoms. Chlorine, as in chlorine bleach? Yes! But really, that in and of itself is no reason to freak out. A chlorine atom isn't the same thing as bleach.

Some claim that this makes Splenda similar to a pesticide, but it's good to note that chemically speaking, just because something is similar to one thing, doesn't mean it is that thing.