What's your sweetener?

Sjarkey15

I don't use it often (maybe once a week) but my go to sweetener used to be honey! I only use it in tea , oatmeal, and Greek yogurt....

At my last visit my doctor told me stevia is the only sweetener I should use while I'm losing weight. I didn't really understand his reasoning and never even bought some... Thoughts?!

Also... My dentist recommended I added some xylitol to my diet to help with some teeth problems I'm having. I love it. My teeth feel cleaner. It's natural, comes from a birch tree and is an easy substitute for regular sugar. Has anyone used it? Couldn't find much here about it.

BlueBombers

Regular sugar

LizaGetz

The reason your doctor said to use stevia is because the carbohydrates in it come from Erythritol - a sugar alcohol that passes through your system mostly undigested. Since the body doesn't break it down, you don't get energy/calories from it. There are a number of different sugar alcohols (FYI, they're also called polyols) that manufacturers use in reduced-calorie and low-sugar food products, and each one has a slightly different digestibility, calorie count, & impact on your blood sugar & metabolism. Unfortunately, the labeling laws in the US allow companies to label sugar alcohols as calorie-free, even though some are partially digestible and therefore technically contain as many as 3 kilocalories per gram.

Might've been TMI or too technical, but it's info I got off a thread on ChowHound about sweeteners, Truvia, Stevia, etc. Did that make any sense?

I stopped using sugar in my coffee, and for my oatmeal, I use ground cinnamon and strawberries. Haven't heard about xylitol...

dizzyupdreams

I love Stevia.

westwifey

The only natural "no-calorie" sweeteners I'm familiar with are stevia, erythritol and monkfruit, I've used stevia and the powdered monkfruit in a myriad of foods, and am not a huge fan of either for the taste, though they are at least "decent." I've read some good reviews about erythritol but haven't tried it yet - supposedly it's good for baking. My personal preference is palm sugar, honey or agave - all are less processed than traditional granulated sugar and will cause a slightly less drastic spike in blood sugar. However, being diabetic and trying to lose weight means I have to severely limit "real" sugars of any kind. The one thing that does seem to be proven is that all of the artificial sweeteners on the market are NOT good for you at all. So if you want low or zero calorie, it's best to carry your own packets of the natural stuff (Truvia, Nextresse, Stevia/Monkfruit In the Raw, etc...) with you so you're not stuck somewhere using the pink, blue or yellow stuff - those are all just legal POISON.

SPeffer1

I pretty much only use sweetener when it's called for in recipes but I just stick to basic sugar. Or for my son in the morning instead of syrup he eats honey.

Lizplus3

I use regular sugar for some things, Splenda for my coffee and I have started using Truvia on things.

Francl27

Regular sugar. My protein powder has stevia, and it's fine, but I just can't get over the aftertaste of most artificial sweeteners.

I don't use any in tea though (which is good considering how much I drink...).

Amandawith3kids

i'm so sweet i just stick my finger in.

melsinct

Regular sugar.

In my opinion, if you are using so much sugar at 15 calories per teaspoon that you need to seek out zero calorie options, then maybe it is time to address your high sugar consumption. Obviously if you are seeking out other sweeteners due to medical issues (diabetes, etc.) then that is a different story.

zeal26

Usually regular sugar but I do sometimes switch a teaspoon of sugar in my porridge for Splenda.

fivethreeone

Splenda. The holes in my brain are just my little way of making sure everyone can keep up with me. I'm a helper.

MityMax96

Stevia in the morning when I am in my fasted state

sugar the other times

seltzermint555

In baking/recipes, regular sugar - white or brown, usually. Sometimes honey (in yogurt especially). I am open to trying natural/different sweeteners but it seems like I only use a sweetener of this type 1-2 times a week so it's not a big thing for me or my husband at this point.

In my morning coffee (one cup per day) I use one packet of aspartame...I know, I know...I prefer its taste to anything else including regular sugar. For a few years I used agave but have heard mixed information on it and it's expensive, so...

I don't sweeten my tea.

Galatea_Stone

Sugar, splenda, and Coke Zero.

Anonycatgirl

Sugar or honey, depending on the purpose and my mood. I don't use a lot of sweetener except in baking (never did) and I'm not baking nearly as much at the moment.

I can't stand the aftertaste of artificial sweeteners (they all taste odd to me), and agave triggers migraines. I'm curious about stevia, mostly for baking, but haven't tried to see if I detect the aftertaste some people do.

MysteriousMerlin

Splenda in my coffee or tea, regular sugar in baking, but I only add half of what the recipe calls for. I will sometimes use a half Splenda / half sugar mix for baking (after having already cut the sugar in half) if the texture doesn't change much (like in cookies and quick bread).

Anything else is likely regular sugar or brown sugar.

dbmata

i'm so sweet i just stick my finger in.

Same here, but I use a different appendage.

My old high school nickname was sweet pants.

MysteriousMerlin

i'm so sweet i just stick my finger in.

Same here, but I use a different appendage.

My old high school nickname was sweet pants.

You wore pants made out of fruit leather too?!

in_the_stars

Lips like sugar...

dbmata

i'm so sweet i just stick my finger in.

Same here, but I use a different appendage.

My old high school nickname was sweet pants.

You wore pants made out of fruit leather too?!

underwear. Yes.

madbrewer

Raw sugar. Maple syrup.

There's no need for all these low-cal / diet / artificial / etc. sweeteners if you don't overdo natural sugars. Just eat real food, in reasonable quantities, savor every bite of it, and get a decent amount of exercise.

In my opinion, all these weird "diet" / "substitution" ingredients are a big factor in why weight control efforts fail: These things don't taste right, they make you feel somehow deprived, and you end up gobbling up everything you can while trying to get the satisfaction you'd have gotten if you had just eaten a reasonable quantity of nicely prepared REAL food.

Of course, nice fresh fruit is a wonderful sweet treat.

Pirate_chick

I use sugar or honey. I refuse to use artificial sweeteners. I don't want to acquire a taste for them. NTM only people in my family that used chemical sweeteners wound up getting cancer.

seltzermint555

NTM only people in my family that used chemical sweeteners wound up getting cancer.

statistics and stuff

QuietBloom

Sugar. Honey. Agave nectar. Depends on what I am sweetening, and what we have sitting in the cupboard.

cwolfman13

I use sugar when a recipe calls for it...and I put 4 grams of brown sugar in my oats in the morning. I guess I've never had sugar issues to the extent that I felt like I needed to consume all kinds of artificial sweeteners...I don't think I've ever even tried any of that stuff before...at least to my knowledge I have not.

starznholes

Light Agave in my tea.

Timelordlady85

sugar in the raw

yasoyyo

Typically Stevia drops - I have English Toffee and Vanilla flavoured ones at hand. I often combine them with other natural or artificial sweeteners though, I find that makes for a more balanced taste.