Artificial sweeteners and carbohydrates?

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CuracaoRunner
CuracaoRunner Posts: 21 Member
in Food and Nutrition
Ok guys, I'm a Southern Ohio girl who LOVES obscenely sweet tea (I think I really belong Down South). Instead of using sugar, I've been using Splenda, thinking everything was peachy, or raspberry if you don't like peach. Anyways, I found out, that 3 packets, according to this website I went to, don't remember the name, said that 3 packets is the equivalent of 16 grams of carbohydrates. Great Scott! Is there a truly carb free sweetener or am I deluded?

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  • BombshellPhoenix
    BombshellPhoenix Posts: 1,693 Member
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    That would mean it's 64 calories. Macro nutrients have caloric value. If it says zero calories, there aren't any carbs in it.

    Also, there's nothing inherently wrong with carbs unless you have a medical condition. Though I understand using zero calorie sweetener to save calories :P
  • CuracaoRunner
    CuracaoRunner Posts: 21 Member
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    I'm more concerned about carbs than calories. I don't really follow a specific diet, but lean more towards Atkin's than anything.
  • leahraskie
    leahraskie Posts: 260 Member
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    On MFP 3 packets is only 2 grams of carbs, must have gotten rounded weird somewhere.

    :/ I think the website you used was wrong.
  • TeaBea
    TeaBea Posts: 14,517 Member
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    I learned to like unsweetened tea. This was back in the day when Sweet'n Low was the only low calorie option (blech!).

    With artificial sweeteners that actually taste good....maybe it's not needed. But you could try stepping down gradually. You might acquire a taste for unsweetened tea.
  • marissanik
    marissanik Posts: 344 Member
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    If you don't follow a specific diet, why are you concerned about the carbs?? Your diary isn't open so I can't offer much feedback but I don't think the carbs will affect you that much unless you're carb restricting (which I wouldn't recommend because carbs are delicious and fuel your body!)
  • _benjammin
    _benjammin Posts: 1,224 Member
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    Ok guys, I'm a Southern Ohio girl who LOVES obscenely sweet tea (I think I really belong Down South). Instead of using sugar, I've been using Splenda, thinking everything was peachy, or raspberry if you don't like peach. Anyways, I found out, that 3 packets, according to this website I went to, don't remember the name, said that 3 packets is the equivalent of 16 grams of carbohydrates. Great Scott! Is there a truly carb free sweetener or am I deluded?
    Don't believe that website. By law (US labeling), a packet of splenda must be less than 5 calories. So Maybe there would be 1 gram of carbs per packet.
  • _benjammin
    _benjammin Posts: 1,224 Member
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    You might acquire a taste for unsweetened tea.
    BLASPHEMY!
  • BombshellPhoenix
    BombshellPhoenix Posts: 1,693 Member
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    I'm more concerned about carbs than calories. I don't really follow a specific diet, but lean more towards Atkin's than anything.

    My point was there's a caloric value to carbs and add someone stated if it's less than 5 calories or so they can label or zero, I believe. Which means, it's probably around 1 carb pet packet.

    Why are you so scared of carbs? The only thing that'll stop weight loss is not being in a calorie deficit
  • DanielCathers
    DanielCathers Posts: 53 Member
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    http://ndb.nal.usda.gov/ndb/foods/show/6308?qlookup=splenda&fg=&format=&man=&lfacet=&max=25&new=1

    Splenda is made of sucralose and dextrose/fluffed maltodextrin. Sucralose basically provides no energy (and is not considered a dietary carb as far as nutrition labels go) but the dextrose bluking agent is basically a normal carb.

    The database has 3 packets at 2.74 g of carbs.
  • CloudyMao
    CloudyMao Posts: 258 Member
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    granulated sweeteners are around 1g per packet because of bulk.

    The thing about these carbohydrates in the sweetener is that they are indigestible - malitol and the likes.
    It makes no difference to the atkins or keto diets.
  • 123_lac
    123_lac Posts: 66 Member
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    There are Carbs in artificial sweeteners. I have diabetes, and they raise my blood sugar. If you read the ingredients, most of them contain dextrose I believe. I use pure liquid Stevia. It's the only sweetener I've found that doesn't cause a spike.

    I'm sure the amount of Carbs is small in each packet. I'm not sure about the rules for nutritional labels, but I know if its a small amount they can list is as zero when in fact its not.
  • 123_lac
    123_lac Posts: 66 Member
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    I found an old box of sweet n low in my cupboard. The label states in small print under the regular nutritional label that is has less than 4 calories per serving and the number one ingredient is nutritive dextrose.
  • MrBill1234
    MrBill1234 Posts: 3 Member
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    In the UK you can get Splenda/Sucralose in tablet form. It has no maltodextrin - instead the Sucralose is bound by some lactose - but a tiny amount. Each tablet is about 2mm in diameter and is the equivalent to 1 teaspoon of sugar and has 1 calorie.

    Here is the nutrition info:

    Nutrient per 100g per mini
    Energy kCal 348kCal 1kCal
    Energy kJ 1,477kJ 1kJ
    Protein 10.0g Trace
    Carbohydrate 76.9g Trace
    of which sugars 76.9g Trace
    Fat Nil Nil
    of which saturates Nil Nil
    Fibre 1.6g Trace
    Sodium 0.7g Trace
    Salt N/A N/A

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