Inquiry: Carolyn de la Pena : EMPTY PLEASURES: THE STORY OF ARTIFICIAL SWEETENERS

We have all eaten and drunk foods with artificial sweeteners in them like Saccharin, Sucaryl and NutraSweet, often in futile attempts to diet and lose weight. But what do we know about these chemicals? Are they good for us? How have these artificial sweeteners affected our attitudes towards nutrition and eating? Tonight on Inquiry we talk with CAROLYN DE LA PENA, Professor of American Studies at the University of California, Davis. Her new book, EMPTY PLEASURES: THE STORY OF ARTIFICIAL SWEETENERS FROM SACCHARIN TO SPLENDA, is an eye-opening history of how chemical manufacturers and food businesses worked together to market these chemicals to Americans all in the name of dieting. If you have ever had a diet soda or microwaved a lo-calorie meal in the hopes of eating more sensibly, don’t miss tonight’s show!