Koolaid Question. HELP!

ilovejesusmyfather1981

I can't find the answer to this. How does presweetened koolaid have less sugar?? Also how can the canister be so small if it contains 32 cups of koolaid?? The canister says each cup=8oz there is 16 grams of sugar instead of 27. Is it because it contains fructose? And if so, is it just as bad as drinking the 27 grams of sugar using packets? I have a major addiction to coca cola. I am trying to stop drinking it. I need something sweet to drink every now and then. I'm on a super tight social security budget and the packets are cheaper. Also, I'm trying to do it the best way with less sugar. I can't stand fake sweeteners. I can spot them everytime other people can't. I hate the taste. Any help would be appreciated. Thank you.
Here is a link in case you don't know what presweetened koolaid is:
https://www.amazon.com/Kool-Aid-Grape-Soft-Drink-Mix/dp/B00FS5EJCM/ref=asc_df_B00FS5EJCM?tag=bingshoppinga-20&linkCode=df0&hvadid=80058242182177&hvnetw=o&hvqmt=e&hvbmt=be&hvdev=c&hvlocint=&hvlocphy=&hvtargid=pla-4583657821158544&psc=1

Replies

Lietchi

The canister doesn't contain 32 cups, it contains enough 'concentrate' to make 32 cups I'm guessing (you're supposed to dilute the product with water).

As for sugar versus fructose: fructose is simply a type of sugar, so the total sugar amount in the nutritional info includes the fructose.

cwolfman13

It doesn't contain 32 cups, it makes 32 cups. A serving is listed right on the label as 1/8 cup which makes 8 fluid ounces. For 1/8 cup of powder there is 16 ounces of sugar. You would have to compare the serving of 1/8 cup vs whatever the serving is with the pouches to see apples to apples sugar content. I would wager that the serving sizes differ which is why the sugar amount differs.

goal06082021

cwolfman13 wrote: »

It doesn't contain 32 cups, it makes 32 cups. A serving is listed right on the label as 1/8 cup which makes 8 fluid ounces. For 1/8 cup of powder there is 16 ounces of sugar. You would have to compare the serving of 1/8 cup vs whatever the serving is with the pouches to see apples to apples sugar content. I would wager that the serving sizes differ which is why the sugar amount differs.

This is physically impossible unless you meant grams - an ounce is 28 grams, they're not equivalent.

The label boasts that the Kool-Aid contains less sugar compared to soda - however, if you look at the actual nutrition label, "a serving" of Kool-Aid powder is still almost 100% sugar. Per the label, one serving of powder is 17g, 16 grams of which are sugar. Basically, there's 16 grams of sugar and 1 gram of flavoring and food coloring in each 17g scoop of Kool-Aid powder. If OP is not accustomed to weighing out their 17g scoop of Kool-Aid powder, they may be surprised at how little that is. The only difference between the big tub of "pre-sweetened" Kool-Aid and the little paper packets is that the "pre-sweetened" tub just has the sugar already in it that the packet tells you to add. You're paying for sugar that you can't use for anything else because it's got food coloring and flavoring mixed into it.

Now, going back to that "as compared to soda" thing - here's a nutrition facts label for a regular old can of Coke:
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Serving size for the Coke is 12 oz (one can), 39g sugar per 12 oz. The serving size for the Kool-Aid is 8 oz, so we divide 8 by 12 to get an equivalent-sized serving of Coke - imagine we have two 8-oz glasses and I've filled one with the grape Kool-Aid and one with the Coke. 8 divided by 12 is 0.67; multiply that by the sugar in a whole can of Coke to get the sugar in our 8-oz glass, we get 26g. The label on the Kool-Aid says "This product contains 16 grams of sugar per serving compared to 27 grams of sugar in leading regular sodas." Which, as we saw with the calculations above, that does indeed appear to be the case. Their math checks out, but you need to play with the numbers a little yourself.

So, in terms of which is "better" - assuming OP weighs out their serving of Kool-Aid powder and knows how much they're actually using, if the choice is between a glass of Kool-Aid and a same-sized glass of regular soda, yes, the Kool-Aid will have less sugar in it. (And the lack of carbonation is very slightly better for OP's teeth.) But the Kool-Aid itself is still basically just a big glass of sugar-water. I get wanting a sweet drink sometimes, I get not liking artificial sweeteners - I don't like them much, either. I would advise OP, if they're going to buy drink mix instead of prepared beverages, to pay very close attention to how much mix they're using when they make a glass or a batch of Kool-Aid.

BarbaraHelen2013

Also, just to point out that nutrition label is intending you to use the *cap* (lid) of the container as a measure - not an American measuring ‘cup’.

We don’t have Kool Aid here so I don’t have a frame of reference for the actual size of that package but there might be a significant difference between the 1/8 cap and 1/8 cup, if you’re measuring rather than weighing out your 16g of sugar and 1g of what I assume is colouring/flavouring that constitutes a ‘serving’.

paints5555

goal06082021 wrote: »

cwolfman13 wrote: »

So, in terms of which is "better" - assuming OP weighs out their serving of Kool-Aid powder and knows how much they're actually using, if the choice is between a glass of Kool-Aid and a same-sized glass of regular soda, yes, the Kool-Aid will have less sugar in it. (And the lack of carbonation is very slightly better for OP's teeth.) But the Kool-Aid itself is still basically just a big glass of sugar-water. I get wanting a sweet drink sometimes, I get not liking artificial sweeteners - I don't like them much, either. I would advise OP, if they're going to buy drink mix instead of prepared beverages, to pay very close attention to how much mix they're using when they make a glass or a batch of Kool-Aid.

Asking a question here - why is carbonation bad for teeth? I have always thought it was the acid in soda that was bad for teeth, not the carbonation. And the Kool-Aid has plenty of that - citric acid is 3rd in the ingredient line after the sugar sources.

Luke_rabbit

Growing up, I always made the Kool aid packets with more water and less sugar than the directions say. You can slowly make the adjustment. Even my uber-sweet-tooth siblings eventually adjusted to my version.