real sugar vs. artificial sweetners

helbohn

so i'm torn. i am a naturalist at heart. i like natural ingredients and prefer them over artificial food of any sorts. i love love love sweet stuff in my life! espcially monkey bread! :-) yah, just the mere mention of it makes my mouth water.

so i came up to this recipe : http://skinnyhabits.blogspot.com/2009/04/skinny-monkey-bread.html it says to put in 1/4 cup splenda. my instincts just won't let me put the stuff in my cart at the grocery store. the calorie count here is for 6 servings at 130 per.

now compared to this recipe: http://www.livestrong.com/recipes/monkey-bread-6/ . the calorie count for this one is for 12 servings at 295 per. that's a big difference!!

Now for being the naturalist lover that i said i am, i found this recipe: http://recipes.sparkpeople.com/recipe-detail.asp?recipe=303743. the calorie count is for 10 servings at 332.6 per. holy schmoly!!

now IMHO, ~to me~ it seems the first one is the quick fix, easy way! the second one is doable. the third one to me is the most natural one. YES it's highest in calories. it's all about moderation. and getting healthy. a nice treat like that once in a great while, is totally worth it, and the ingredients are the most natural from artificial-ness. which is part of my journey, to free myself from the artificialness.

how do you feel about this debate?

~most experts agree that sugar substitutes in general are neither the cause nor the cure for obesity.~

Kellyr107

What about Stevia?

mkennedym

eating too much causes obesity. frankly, if you have self control, make the 3rd one and just have a half piece when you eat it.

schlubba

I don't look at artificial sweeteners for the obesity or weight part of it, I look at it for side effects and overall health down the road. Sucrolose was designed in a pestecides lab and aspartame came about while trying to find a cure for something else. Now while aspartame is made of 2 natural chemicals, the breakdown of it is poisonous. You might want to do a little research on it for yourself and don't quote anything I say. But take into account that while it is an FDA regulated sweetener, all the tests on it are old and newer studies after time are possibly showing other side effects. If it's me, I prefer to stick to natural sugar, honey being my primary choice. And Stevia is another I like as well, my wife grows her own stevia plants in the garden every year, and it doesn't take much to sweeten.

Noctuary

I use artificial sweeteners because I am Diabetic. Sugar is going to kill me way before sweet n low does.

schlubba

I use artificial sweeteners because I am Diabetic. Sugar is going to kill me way before sweet n low does.

Well there is that too

helbohn

stevia? hmmm.. need to research that more. when a craving calls, one must answer it...right? giving into temptation doesn't and shouldn't make us see red at the end of the day. i just have the mentality that if it didn't grow or eat from the earth, it's not the right choice for me. ignorance was such bliss, and being conscious burns calories in itself! :happy:

monkeybelle83

I just picked up some to put in my Iced Tea. I'm cautiously optimistic

WWE_chick

I have it kind of easy I guess because I live with my mother who is diabetic so we rarely had sugar in the house.
Personally i use real sugar when baking........but its rare I eat anything I bake. (I don't have a sweet tooth - I have a carb tooth)
I do drink coffee though and for that I use Truvia which is a natural sweetener and supposedly better health wise than splenda.

AnnieeR

I don't suppose "neither" is a helpful answer?

I've just gone cold turkey on sugar in the past week and I feel completely different - way more energy, able to stay up later at night, and have finally started seeing the scale move again in the right direction. I have strong feelings against chemical sweeteners and so I'd probably say use real sugar as an occaisional treat....

Dnsnyder

I would highly recommend Stevia sweetener. It's delicious. I use Stevia in the Raw (by makers of Sugar in the Raw) to sweeten coffee, tea, etc. It is a NATURAL sweetener that comes from the stevia plant.

Here is a link to the manufacturer's website...they provide a little bit of explanation of it's origin. http://www.steviaextractintheraw.com/Our-Products.aspx#

I've actually had stevia plants in my garden too. I used to actually pick the leaves and chew on them because they are so sweet. I would like to try to make tea from it too, but haven't done so yet.

Good luck!

melsinct

I don't do the fake stuff myself but realize it is a personal choice and don't judge. I would rather eat a smaller serving of food or drink containing real sugar out of principle and for the fact that the fact that splenda, stevia, etc. tastes awful to me. However, I understand why people who drink loads of flavored drinks (Crystal Light and the like) would want to use the fake stuff, or diabetics, or whatever the reason may be. My advice is always research, educate yourself, and make a decision you feel comfortable with.

tbrockett

It's funny that I came across this discussion just after reading an article suggesting sugar may be a toxin. In case you're interested (and to add a little to the discussion) : http://www.nytimes.com/2011/04/17/magazine/mag-17Sugar-t.html?_r=2&pagewanted=all

DoReMiFaSoLaTiDo

I had be a Stevia loyalist for the past 2 or 3 years.... I have since tried Agave nectar and its giving Stevia a run for the $$ in my heart.

currently use Agave nectar in recipes and Stevia in drinks ( hot or cold tea, etc) . I am afraid to try Agave in my much beloved morning cup of herbal tea or I may be forced to break up with Stevia