Artificial Sweeteners

I've been researching artificial sweeteners for some time now, looking at their use for a project unrelated to supplements. I've always known that Aspartame had the potential for unhealthy side-effects but until recently, I had no idea just how dangerous it really can be. Aspartame is basically a poison and there is strong evidence that it is associated with a range of health conditions as serious as brain cancer.
How on earth can the FDA give the natural supplement industry a difficult time then approve of a product shown to cause brain cancer in lab animals?
You'll need to do your own research to answer that question, and believe me it won't take you long. Yes it's all about money changing hands but it really is a story that should be read and understood. After doing so you'll never use an artificial sweetener again. And don't think that Splenda is a healthy option to Aspartame based sweeteners, it comes with its own unique set of risks and side-effects.
It really puts us between a rock and a hard place with our selection of 'low calorie' food and drink products. Without doubt sugar and HF Corn syrup is bad for us, but what alternative do you have if sweeteners are basically poisons?
There are ways to make some of what you consume at home, yourself, from safe and natural ingredients. For example, there are various published recipes for making cola's. There are some companies offering cola bases that can be added to selzer or club soda and produce a pleasing alternative to Coke and Pepsi, but it isn't the real thing by any means. (excuse the pun).
The biggest hurdle is getting your kids away from cola drinks and onto something more natural. They're most vulnerable to these toxins and most vulnerable to high-sugar soda's. My advice would be to try and educate them from an early age. Find ways to pique their interest in healthy alternatives to mainstream soda's and 'diet' foods. I remember growing up between the ages of around 6 and 16 and being fascinated with chemistry. I had one of those cheap chemistry sets when I was 7 or 8 where I could conduct experiments at home. Perhaps there's a way for you to come up with some interesting and entertaining way for you to get your kids into healthy habits. Maybe an experiment to recreate the flavors of cola, but present it in a way that is a challenge to the kids, one where they'll have some fun working on the project and they'll be less critical about the taste of the outcome! I don't have kids, if I did, I'd devote a lot of time trying to educate them and engage them on the dangers of unhealthy eating and in particular the dangers of these so called diet products. You owe it to them.
Meanwhile, try some honey to replace sugar, Splendor, and the other low-cal sweeteners wherever you can. I'm not using this to plug our honey products. I know they're not a viable sweetener alternative in most cases, but if you could start by cutting out 10 or 20% of those harmful additives, purely as a quick-start first step to getting on the right path, then I would strongly encourage it.