Anyone else concerned about artificial sweeteners and eat al

live2dream

The past couple years, I've pretty much cut out all artificial sweeteners (especially nasty aspartame!!) So that excludes almost everything labeled "diet" or "sugar-free", unless it's made with stevia or natural sweeteners.

I keep having people recommend the artificial junk to me, and I wonder if they have any clue about the poisons they are eating.

According to this article I read:

79 percent of American adults STILL regularly consume low-calorie and sugar-free products, most of which contain artificial sweeteners

59 percent of Americans STILL drink diet soft drinks

49 percent of Americans STILL use sugar substitutes

If you are one of these statistics, you should watch this film immediately—before you become a FAR GRIMMER STATISTIC.

What you don’t know can hurt you.

Here's the link to the article/video:
http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2010/02/06/sweet-misery-a-poisoned-world-you-can-finally-view-free-online.aspx

YogaRunner

I completely agree. I won't eat anything that has artificial sweeteners in it. Thanks for posting this.
Risa

mlh612

I agree.. I quit drinking soda and eating junk food b/c of all the artificial sweetners.. This after I finished reading "Skinny B*tch" Great book!!!

Thank for posting this!!

groucherella

anything with aspartame makes my stomach sick, so that's a good motivator for me to stay away.

jrich1

I still drink my diet coke and use Truvia, that wont be changing any time soon

fit2sit

lolwut?

karlowe

bump

4lafz

While I do not drink diet sodas (never have) - I do not worry about artificial sweetners in moderation. They are helping me lose weight right now. I used to be totally against them but now have a few items with artificial in them :-)

LotusF1ower

The problem comes with what to replace the sweeteners with though. I despise unsweetened tea and coffee, what would I use instead?

Please do not say honey, there are too many calories in honey and I would rather those calories go on food.

Sweeteners have nil calories in, I've used them for the last 20 years. It is either that or sugar, I will take sweeteners.

Allibaba

I try to avoid them as much as possible, I have read that they make you crave more sweets. But whatever works in the short term to get started on healthy habits, but in the long run the goal should be to eliminate these ingredients from your diet.

InsanlyIrene

Artificial sweeteners (of any kind) are all toxic (at least I feel they are my opinion) I never eat or drink anything with them in it, I use honey or raw non processed sugar instead (Sucanat).

luly727

I have to admit that I have Caffeine free diet soda, maybe 1 can 3-4 times a week, used to drink regular soda maybe 2-3 cans a day! Now I cant stand the sweetness of regular, and I used sweet N Low for my morning coffee
I just feel that in moderation its OK, I cant give up everything

Nina74

I don't drink/eat any artificial sweetners/sugars mostly because they give me nasty migraines, but secondly because their questionable safety. This includes splenda, which, although derived from natural sugar, is no longer natural sugar after it is processed. There are also studies that artificial sweetners only increase cravings for sugar/sweets, making it a vicious cycle. I use stevia or old fashioned sugar in moderation.

sillygoose1977

I don't like artificial sweeteners either but sometimes it is a necessary evil. Breathing the air, drinking the water, eating the meat and produce, talking on my cell, driving my car could someday kill me too but I won't stop doing those either.

Everything in moderation.

Nina74

The problem comes with what to replace the sweeteners with though. I despise unsweetened tea and coffee, what would I use instead?

Please do not say honey, there are too many calories in honey and I would rather those calories go on food.

Sweeteners have nil calories in, I've used them for the last 20 years. It is either that or sugar, I will take sweeteners.

Have you tried stevia (not truvia, which is not pure stevia!)? Most grocerers carry pure stevia in the little packets, which I keep at my desk, in my purse, at home. 1 packet sweetens my tea nicely.

amysj303

I have never been able to eat/drink anything with artificial sweetener, the taste is so noxious to me it's not even tempting. I like water, unsweetened tea and I drink soda so infrequently it has become almost syrupy tasting when I do drink it. A spoonful of sugar is only 30 cals and I still put that on plain oatmeal.

richmondhillgal

well, I drink one diet coke with splenda a day and sometimes I dont finish the 12 oz can so that's not bad at all, I don't think. I love splenda

AlyRoseNYC

No I am not concerned. I take a Slenda or Truvia in every cup of coffee I drink. Come to think if it, that's pretty much the only form of artificial sweetener I consume...

Aeriel

I try not to use artificial sweeteners, but there seems to be one thing I can't avoid it in.....chewing gum! Everywhere I look the gum is now sweetened with some type of artificial sweetener. Does anyone know any kind that is still sweetened with sugar or something natural?

LotusF1ower

The problem comes with what to replace the sweeteners with though. I despise unsweetened tea and coffee, what would I use instead?

Please do not say honey, there are too many calories in honey and I would rather those calories go on food.

Sweeteners have nil calories in, I've used them for the last 20 years. It is either that or sugar, I will take sweeteners.

Have you tried stevia (not truvia, which is not pure stevia!)? Most grocerers carry pure stevia in the little packets, which I keep at my desk, in my purse, at home. 1 packet sweetens my tea nicely.

Unfortunately, I don't think it's available here in UK, I will keep a look out for it though x

AlyRoseNYC

I tried to found out if anyone has actually DIED from using articial sweeteners, and couldn't find any reports. Putting a dangerous poison into your body would kill you. Please link me to some stats of the relation to artificial sweeteners and death.

angelascott919

I have found that many of the artificial sweeteners give me unbelievable indigestion, so I cut most of them out completely. Although I stopped drinking soda for several months I have taken to drinking 1/2 of a 12oz can with some of my dinners, usually Sprite Zero, I don't know if it is true but I feel better that it is a clear drink. I don't know if the stuff will really 'kill' you but I am sure it is not good for your system. Your body will naturally filter out some of the toxins like it does with alcohol and other things we take in that we don't even know about. Also when cooking if I find I need to sweeten something I just use sugar, it sweetens better and is natural, I just have to be ready to count the calories.

As with so many things in our world today... it may not be good for you but it is a necessary thing sometimes just to make it through life. Like fast food, alcohol, chocolate, etc.... ALL THINGS IN MODERATION!!!!

sandytracy

No I am not concerned. Here is what I learned recently in my diabetes education classes.

Nutritive sweeteners (Sucrose, fructose, lactose, honey, corn syrup, molasses, fruit juice, concentrate) = They all have the same amount of carbs and calories per serving. Fructose & high fructose corn syrup may raise cholesterol & triglycerides.

Sugar Alcohols (ends in 'tol' such as Sorbitol, Lactitol) = 1/2 the calories and carbohydrates of sugar. 70-90% as sweet as sugar, do not cause cavities, but because they are partially digested they may cause gas.

Artificial Sweeteners such as Equal & Sweet 'N Low (Saccharin, Aspartame, Acesulfame-K, Sucralose) = Negligible calories & carbohydrates so count it as Zero Carb, Zero Calorie, Super sweet.

Saccharin safety information: 30 human studies, removed from list of carcinogens in 2000, 300 times sweeter than sugar, bitter aftertaste, heat stable (you can cook with it and retain the sweetness). It's a chemical compound.

Aspartame (Equal & Nutrasweet) safety information: FDA Reports: "Fewer compounds have withstood such detailed testing and repeated close scrutiny, and the process through which aspartame has gone should provide the public with additional confidence of its safety." Tested and approved in 100 countries, 1995-2001 Research Project by National Cancer Institute, National IInstitutes of Health & American Association of Retired Persons. 567,000 human subjects (read that again - 567.000 human subjects!!) were followed. No link was found between aspartame and cancer. 200 times sweeter than sugar, less bitter aftertaste. Not heat stable, so don't cook with it. It's an amino acid. It's naturally occurring.

Acesulfame-K (Sweet One, Diabeta Sweet) safety information: 90 studies over 15 yrs, tested and approved in 90 countries, 200 times sweeter than sugar, less aftertaste, heat stable. It's modified potassium called potassium chloride. Just as table salt is called sodium chloride.

I don't have the info on Truvia (Stevia) but it's a leaf. It tastes sweet but it's got no calories and no carbs. In a previous form it was more fiber supplement that happened to be sweet (it didn't dissolve in cold drinks well), I have no other info on it than that. It comes from the stevia plant.

I have to say I like the Truvia but have not tried it in the newest form. I also use Splenda and the Splenda-blends to cook with and no one has noticed a taste difference. Of course using plan old granulated sugar works fine, I just use less if I really need to use it.

MacMadame

Artificial sweeteners have been demonized since they first started showing up. Yet rarely do the claims against them hold up scientifically.

And this whole "natural" vs. "unnatural" distinction is often false as well. First of all, if "natural" means in it's natural state, no sugar or sugar substitute is natural because you can't go out and find crystals of sugar/sugar substitute growing in the earth. Cane is processed to extract what we think of as sugar, corn is processed to get corn syrup and stevia crystals are extracted from the stevia plant. So they all come from a plant, but they aren't what I think of as natural.

Truvia, OTOH, has additional processing done to it and an additional ingredient (a sugar alcohol). Splenda and High Fructose Corn Syrup also have additional processing. I don't think any of those are truly natural in the way most people understand that word. They do "come from nature" in that they are made from plants. But more than extraction is done to produce them. To me, that makes them processed.

IMO what you want to eat depends on your goals and your values and your individual body response to each choice. Sugar alcohols make me fart, for example, so I avoid them. Other "diet" foods often are full of artificial ingredients to make up for the lack of sugar. I'd rather eat one real homemade cookie than 5 diet cookies, for example, because the diet coookie has all sorts of crap in it like guar gum and preservatives.

iliketopaint

Everyone is entitled to their own opinion of course, but I really encourage everyone to read this article, and watch this lecture, however long.

http://abcnews.go.com/GMA/OnCall/story?id=4271246&page=1

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dBnniua6-oM

Allibaba

I try not to use artificial sweeteners, but there seems to be one thing I can't avoid it in.....chewing gum! Everywhere I look the gum is now sweetened with some type of artificial sweetener. Does anyone know any kind that is still sweetened with sugar or something natural?

Glee gum is sold at whole foods and it is natural, it is expensive and the flavor doesn't last very long but it is tasty. I have given up gum for the most part because most of it seems to have aspartame in it.

sbilyeu75

I've been having a terrible time finding protein powder that does not have artificial sweetners. I've tried a couple with stevia, but after some research, I don't want to do that either. (There's too many unknowns, and i feel not researched enough.)

live2dream

This is my favorite stevia: http://www.vitacost.com/Wisdom-Natural-Sweet-Leaf-Clear-Liquid-Stevia

Great for tea and lasts a long time!

HealthyChanges2010

bump

wildfiona

another good lecture:

http://topdocumentaryfilms.com/russell-blaylock-nutrition-and-behavior-aspartame/

btw I think sweetners taste like poison - they leave a really bitter taste in my mouth.

HealthyChanges2010

another good lecture:

http://topdocumentaryfilms.com/russell-blaylock-nutrition-and-behavior-aspartame/

btw I think sweetners taste like poison - they leave a really bitter taste in my mouth.

Watched this one last night....very informative!! Amazing how we have power over what effects our brain simply by making healthier choices!

I find this brain stuff absolutely fascinating!! I'll be checking out and catching up on the other links later on...thanks!!:drinker:
I'd love any more links you happen to have and I do see some others on that site...so I'll be watching alot on there!