Has Anyone Had Troubles With Crystal Light?

[wilbragirl]

Hi there! It's a balmy 45F in Vermont...Where the ....is winter???

Anyway, has anyone had GI troubles with Crystal Light powdered mixes?

Shari

Waitsfield Vermont

[WGibs]

I haven't, but artificial sweeteners are a common cause of diarrhea in some people. If the Crystal Light is the only time you consume artificial sweeteners, then that might be what you're reacting to.

Of course, this may depend upon the nature of your GI troubles

[StrongerToday]

I've never been able to tolerate Nutrasweet.

[hlm34]

i was told by my dietician that crystal light was not gluten free. at least not the lemonade or pink lemonade.

[WGibs]

i was told by my dietician that crystal light was not gluten free. at least not the lemonade or pink lemonade.

That's strange...here are the ingredients of the lemonade:

CITRIC ACID (PROVIDES TARTNESS), POTASSIUM AND SODIUM CITRATE (CONTROL ACIDITY), ASPARTAME (SWEETENER), MAGNESIUM OXIDE (PREVENTS CAKING), CONTAINS LESS THAN 2% OF NATURAL FLAVOR, LEMON JUICE SOLIDS, ACESULFAME POTASSIUM (SWEETENER), ARTIFICIAL COLOR, YELLOW 5 LAKE, BHA (PRESERVES FRESHNESS).

and here's pink lemonade:

CITRIC ACID (PROVIDES TARTNESS), POTASSIUM CITRATE (CONTROLS ACIDITY), MALTODEXTRIN (FROM CORN) ASPARTAME (SWEETENER), MAGNESIUM OXIDE (PREVENTS CAKING), CONTAINS LESS THAN 2% OF NATURAL FLAVOR, ACESULFAME POTASSIUM (SWEETENER), ARTIFICIAL COLOR, RED 40 LAKE.

I don't see any gluten -- Crystal Light is a Kraft food, so they wouldn't hide it in "natural flavors" or any other tricky ingredient.

From what I can tell, it's gluten-free.

[Guest nini]

it is gluten free, but I haven't tried it, I don't like artificial sweeteners in any form. My body can't tolerate them.

I stick with plain ol water or fruit juice most of the time...

[kevsmom]

I've been diabetic for 27 years, so i guess I am used to artificial sweetners. I drink the Crystal Lite Raspberry Ice Tea all the time with no problems.

Cindy

[Guest cassidy]

I just drank two glasses of the lemonade and I feel fine. It has never bothered me before either.

[jenvan]

I can't drink them...but artificial sweetners give me GI issues. I stay away from them.

[hlm34]

that is so interesting! i love crystal light lemonade and i have been staying away all this time! I wonder why she would say that? maybe at one time they were not gluten-free but now they are?? oh i am so happy to have it back on my list again!!

[mftnchn]

Just checking if anyone has an update on Crystal Light. It is a Kraft product, is it gluten-free or has anyone has problems with it (other than it contains aspartame?)

[Fiddle-Faddle]

The dad of one of my high school friends was a chemist who helped to develop Aspartame. He wouldn't let his family touch it--he was sure it was carcinogenic, and said that it was never subjected to proper long-term testing.

I tried it once or twice, and think it tastes absolutely HORRIBLE--strong chemical aftertaste. I'll never touch it again.

I certainly agree that plain water gets boring, and straight fruit juice is just too much sugar, even if it IS natural. But what about mixing fruit juice with sparkling water and adding a splash of lime?

[Juliebove]

I could be wrong on this, but... I believe that the powdered kind you buy is gluten-free, but the made up kind is not gluten-free. I could be remembering the wrong drink though. Our local QFC was closing out a bunch of bottled drinks this summer and I was going to buy the ones my daughter liked when I noticed something (wheat gluten?) on the label that stopped me from buying it.

[Silly Yak Pete]

I have no problems drinking the lemonaide. I hope there is no hidden gluten in it.

[sharps45]

Some of the flavors contain Maltodextrin, which in cross-checking here in the forums I've found may contain or produce MSG. MSG does contain gluten. This is a very tiny amount, though, so it may not trigger a reaction in most. The deeper I dig into food additives, it starts to look like we'd have to eat nothing but dirt to be gluten-free. Maybe we just have to weed out as much as possible. I don't like getting glutened, but I won't worry myself sick over it neither.

[KarcyJean]

Hi there! It's a balmy 45F in Vermont...Where the ....is winter???

Anyway, has anyone had GI troubles with Crystal Light powdered mixes?

Shari

Waitsfield Vermont

Hey! I called Kraft foods and they said that all flavors of Crystal Light, as well as all flavors of Kool-Aid, Country Time and the South Beach mixes are all gluten-free. Hope this helps!

[familyscrapper]

I get severe diarrhea every time I try Crystal Light. However, I don't drink or eat many products with aspertame in them either. So I guess I will eliminate yet another product from my gluten-free diet.

[sa1937]

I get severe diarrhea every time I try Crystal Light. However, I don't drink or eat many products with aspertame in them either. So I guess I will eliminate yet another product from my gluten-free diet.

Be aware that this is a very old thread and product ingredients do change from time to time.

That said, Kraft is a very good company as far as labeling is concerned and if there would be gluten in any of their products, it would clearly state (wheat or whatever) on the label. Some people do have problems with artificial sweeteners. I don't know that I do but I just don't like the taste of them.

[love2travel]

My chiro told me that for anyone in chronic pain (i.e. fibromyalgia) that aspartame can compound pain (especially muscular) and he was adamant that I exclude it. So, I have been aspartame free now for several months.

[T.H.]

The deeper I dig into food additives, it starts to look like we'd have to eat nothing but dirt to be gluten-free.

Even the dirt could get us, if anyone walked over it eating a piece of bread and dropping crumbs. Ack, glutened by dirt, wouldn't that be a kick in the pants, LOL.

...and goodness, I was thinking of this as a joke, and just remembered my friend's celiac toddler, eating dirt on the playground the other day, next to two other toddlers who were eating crackers and tossing them all over the ground around them. Maybe not as funny as I thought!