Artificial sweeteners vs. natural sugar vs. unsweetened?

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lindsaybutela
lindsaybutela Posts: 6
in Health and Weight Loss
Hey, everyone! I'm sure this topic has been done to death, but what thoughts does everyone have concerning artificial sweeteners vs. natural sugar? I use Splenda in my coffee and tea because I don't want the added calories from using real sugar. (I am consistently over on my sugar recommendation from MFP because I eat fruit about 3-4 times/day :-).) However, are they really that bad for you? Honestly, I work 3 part time jobs, my days are between 10-15 hours long, and I am finishing my Bachelor's degree online with a four year old and husband (who doesn't cook much :-P ) so giving up my caffeine boost isn't an option :-) Is it better for my overall health to stick to natural sweeteners or better for my weight to keep my calories to a minimum if possible? Maybe keep my artificial sweeteners until I hit my goal and switch? Is there a healthier no-calories sweetener out there? HELP!

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  • WeightLossTrek
    WeightLossTrek Posts: 127
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    I just started using Stevia. Which is all natural and zero calories, so you might want to take a look at it.
  • Lutiebelle
    Lutiebelle Posts: 36 Member
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    I switched to Truvia after all the negative info on sweeteners.
  • Onesnap
    Onesnap Posts: 2,819 Member
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    Eat as many whole foods as possible and stick to real sugar in moderation. Don't put harmful unnecessary chemicals in your body. I get headaches from fake sugar, and my doctor says to avoid it. I must say though, if pregnant women can't have fake sugar how is it good for the rest of us? The less processed food you eat, the easier it will be to eat less fake sugar and sugar overall.

    Don't worry about sugar from fruit. That's the kind your body knows what to do with. Fake sugar is not something your body understands how to process. Some of our fake sugars in the US are banned in other countries. There's a reason for that. Fake sugar just fools your body into thinking it's getting something sweet. A few hours later you have a major sugar craving again.
  • ashleigh2311
    ashleigh2311 Posts: 105 Member
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    so giving up my caffeine boost isn't an option :-)

    ditto!

    i drink so much tea/coffee that if i replaced all the sweetener with sugar my daily sugar level would be through the roof!
    Even the calories in the amount of sweetener i use add up to an annoyingly high amount ! :(
  • Pandorian
    Pandorian Posts: 2,055 MFP Moderator
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    I'm all for Stevia, when its the actual plant / stuff you get at the health food store. If you're getting it at the grocery store as Truvia or Purevia... well here's a link

    http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/180927-truvia-and-purevia-leave-it-on-the-grocery-store-shelf
  • blisterpeanuts
    blisterpeanuts Posts: 67 Member
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    Fruit is really good for you; keep eating it.

    Stevia is a natural herb that appears to be harmless. I've been eating it for years.

    As another poster says, everything in moderation. Real sugar and stevia are probably safer sweeteners than saccharin, aspartame, and splenda. But a little of anything isn't going to kill you, as far as anyone knows.
  • david081
    david081 Posts: 489 Member
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    Chemicals like phenylalynene and aspartame are bad for your health, whereas to me, half a level teaspoon of unrefined sugar in my tea is not
  • david081
    david081 Posts: 489 Member
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    Chemicals like phenylalynene and aspartame are bad for your health, whereas to me, half a level teaspoon of unrefined sugar in my tea is not
  • ImperfektAngel
    ImperfektAngel Posts: 811 Member
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    i use Sun Crystals in my coffee, not sure if this is good or bad, I used to use Splenda but it gave me horrible stomach problems
  • meshellw
    meshellw Posts: 50 Member
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    wow this is more confusing.. maybe I shouldn't use anything...nope that wont happen. I drink Lipton white tea with raspberries.. Hope its okay to drink...
  • Onesnap
    Onesnap Posts: 2,819 Member
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    wow this is more confusing.. maybe I shouldn't use anything...nope that wont happen. I drink Lipton white tea with raspberries.. Hope its okay to drink...

    Make your own ice tea and add lemon to it. You can make a pitcher at a time and use the Lipton cold brew bags. Any type of bottled tea does not have the health benefits. It's just filled with fake fruit flavor. If you want a bottled tea that's good for you try Honest Tea. They even sell some with under 20 calories or 0 calories and still filled with antioxidants.
  • cupotee
    cupotee Posts: 181 Member
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    Artificial sweeteners give me headaches, so that's not much of an issue. I can see the appeal though :) Sweetness for no calories. I think sweeteners are fine if you can handle them. The toxicity level for them is really high, and I don't see any problems.

    Sugar is okay, but it's rare in nature, so even natural sugars should be eaten in low doses. Fruit's okay because they have fiber, which lessens the absorption time (time food spends in the duodenum). Try to stay away from fructose though (mostly found in high fructose corn syrup)- it causes metabolic syndrome.

    The best advice, i think, would be to wean yourself off sweetness. Tea is pretty good unsweetened, and coffee is tolerable with just 1 pack of sugar.

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