The artificial sweetener debate gets a little more complicated when you look into the research on sweet taste receptors (yes, that’s what they’re called — PubMed it). Basically, the artificial sweeteners activate the sweet taste receptors in the mouth which upregulate glucose transporters in the gut. So, I think artificial sweeteners are okay alone, but if you, for example, drink a Diet Coke and eat some fries together you might get more glucose elevation than if you ate the fries without the Diet Coke. I’ve never seen a good study testing this idea though.