From September 2009:

Imagine being told that you no longer had the option of buying your favorite foods. For many, that has come true. In high school, students take pride in the many options they have from the classes they take to who they choose to hang out with. Unfortunately, our choices in what we as students drink have been slimmed down. The vending machines have recently been filled with Coke Zero products instead of the regular Coke products.
Recently, all DeKalb County schools have started selling Coke Zero products exclusively. Coke Zero is advertised as a healthy alternative for people, but at Chamblee it is the only option. Advertising zero calories in Coke Zero creates a façade that one can consume as much as they please. This misconception can cause many health problems, especially neurological ones. Someone could get tumors, have seizures, and have changes in brain chemistry. The county and schools are telling us that they think Coke Zero is healthier, but our lifestyle and the way we eat should be our choice.
Over the summer, Venezuela’s Health Ministry banned Coke Zero products in its country. The ministry tested Coke Zero’s ingredients and found sodium cyclamate, a substance banned by the US Food and Drug Administration in 1964. Cyclamate has been known to cause cancer and was not listed under the ingredients list in Venezuela’s Coke Zero. While no study has been conducted to prove whether or not cyclamate is in Coke Zero products manufactured in the US, no one should take the risk of endangering their health.
Original Coke products are high in sugar, but Coke Zero contains a dangerous artificial sweetener known as aspartame. The county is trying to help the student body prevent itself from becoming overweight, however aspartame does not promote weight loss. A study by the National Cancer Institute showed that aspartame may induce sugar cravings. A New York Times article also stated that aspartame can become addictive.
DeKalb County is not helping us prevent weight gain by giving us “’diet” products, but instead allowing us to damage our brains and put ourselves at risk for becoming reliant on artificial sweeteners With moderation, a healthy diet, and active lifestyle, the occasional regular Coke is of no danger to us. Students need to be allowed the option of choosing what they want to drink. The county should allow regular Coke as well as Coke Zero to be sold, giving students the option of what to drink.
Our health and lifestyle choices should be our business and not something that the schools focus on. They should continue to help us excel in academics and educate us on how to make better choices for ourselves. As students, we can decide whether or not to use that information when making decisions.