Splenda...Good or Bad?

spinurbuttoff

Ok, so I'm a big unsweet tea fan, but I like to put Splenda in my unsweet tea. I've heard a LOT of people say negative things about artificial sweetners. What's the truth? Is Splenda ok or not?

Des92

I use Splenda. It tastes fine, and I believe it's less harmful to the body than sugar - as far as I know there is no strong evidence claiming otherwise, just a lot of hype.

mallorybriann

Have you tried Stevia sweetener?
Or Sweet Tea flavored Mio?
I believe Splenda is better than Sweet n Low...
Found this on MFP in a previous thread

http://www.youtube.com/embed/liU0SVvU8zg

ambie35

I think its one of those decisions where you need to decide between the lesser of two evils.

fitaliciag

i use it too, but i heard that stevia is the most pure way to subsitute sugar without all the extra cals.

Angela4Health

Try Stevia!

dittiepe

Oh boy, you could find arguments all over the chart about Splenda. I use it and like it. It's artificial, so there are chemicals in it. If you're not worried about that, it's fine to use. If you'd rather go more natural, you could try Stevia or Truvia. Personally, its so expensive, I go with what's on sale

hapemopirate

I used Splenda in my coffee and tea. Some people say that it gives you headaches or stomach issues. There is some evidence that people who drink artificial sweeteners actually take in more calories over the day, because the sweet craving won't go away. I just don't find to be true for myself. So I would say, know yourself. Do what works best for you.

EmBlazes

I think its one of those decisions where you need to decide between the lesser of two evils.

....I agree with this

I actually try not to have artificial sweetener too often as it's just another chemical you are putting into your body :frown:

I have an occasional diet coke and sometimes use sweetener but I'm more like to use Agave Nectar (a Low GI natural sweetener) than sugar or sweetener.

It's very much personal preference.

Jechira

There has always been negative hype about artificial sweeteners especially aspartame (sweet and low). Splenda though is sucralose which has its own issues. I found this article http://www.medicinenet.com/artificial_sweeteners/page9.htm which I think explains it pretty well. If you don't like what you read try Stevia, it is a plant based sweetener and not chemically derived like splenda.

lovejoydavid

There has always been negative hype about artificial sweeteners especially aspartame (sweet and low). Splenda though is sucralose which has its own issues. I found this article http://www.medicinenet.com/artificial_sweeteners/page9.htm which I think explains it pretty well. If you don't like what you read try Stevia, it is a plant based sweetener and not chemically derived like splenda.

Betty Kovacs is prolific and prominent RD, and I often agree with her (despite her polemics), but when she writes articles like this she is just so clearly biased! It makes taking her attempts at 'scientific' articles seriously very difficult. In the end, the difference between between sucralose and sucrose is two chlorines where once there where hydroxides, and the increased electronegativity tightens a bond that the body could once break.

agleckle

I personally think that it is too early to tell what some of these sweeteners do to your body. Some, like Splenda, have only been around and strongly used for a decade or a more so we have no idea what the long term side effects are... I mean, at the end of the day, they are all just different unnatural chemicals that we are putting into our bodies...

freerange

Here is my stand, I don’t know if it’s good or bad, but I try to stay away from artificial stuff, sweetener or anything else. Just because I believe natural is always the better choice.

funkyspunky871

I use splenda all the time, and I will continue to use it no matter what anybody says. I trust the makers of splenda, and I trust the FDA on keeping artificial sweeteners relatively safe.

lovejoydavid

Oh boy, you could find arguments all over the chart about Splenda. I use it and like it. It's artificial, so there are chemicals in it. If you're not worried about that, it's fine to use. If you'd rather go more natural, you could try Stevia or Truvia. Personally, its so expensive, I go with what's on sale

I know it is not at all what you meant, but I think it is fair to remind people that sugar is a chemical substance. So is water! Heck, so is a diamond! Anything that requires a bond to be broken to separate it's parts is a chemical substance, and that is how we tell it apart from mere mixtures. I suppose what you mean is that sucrolose does not appear in nature which is true. However, when looking to stevia and truvia, one might remember that you are actually talking about steviol glycosides, and most particularly (and specfically with truvia) rebaudioside A. Clearly chemical names, and chemically obtained extracts of a stevia plant. Frankly, they use ethanol and methanol to extract the crystalline sweet substances from the rest of the plant, a process not unlike that which is used to get the cocaine alkaloid from a coca leaf.

vlc1979

my health coach says she prefers Splenda b/c it doesn't cross the blood brain barrier...

Elizabeth_C34

Splenda gives me the runs...

lovejoydavid

I personally think that it is too early to tell what some of these sweeteners do to your body. Some, like Splenda, have only been around and strongly used for a decade or a more so we have no idea what the long term side effects are... I mean, at the end of the day, they are all just different unnatural chemicals that we are putting into our bodies...

I think that is a fair statement, and provided that it is accompanied with an otherwise healthy diet, is quite appropriate. However, as it has been tested since the 80's, and in production since the early 90's, I think that whatever sucrolose side effects are still to crop up will be subtle. Given that the current sugar binge (though I consider the salt to be worse) in amercican culture is anything but subtle, and the effects are known and catastrophic, I prefer the idea of substitutes to its continuation. Surely, though, that is an extreme qualifer, and I still like the idea of sugar in moderation to substitutes in wide use.

totalimageguy

Splenda contains chlorine according to "Excitotoxins: The Taste That Kills"

lovejoydavid

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Splenda contains chlorine according to "Excitotoxins: The Taste That Kills"

It does, the chlorine replaces hydroxides in the bond. However, the electronegativity of that bond is the reason that we cannot digest it for calories. As such, the chlorine passes out of the body, intact with the molecule, without ever becoming a free chloride ion.

live2dream

Must watch: http://www.foodista.com/blog/2011/06/20/how-splenda-is-deceving-you.- Dr Mercola has done A LOT of research on this and also wrote a book on it- Sweet Deception.

Do Not trust the FDA- most of the members also work for the same corporations that sell the products. True Fact. Most products Do Not get enough testing and get passed. They only see dollar signs, not caring about our health. We have to look out for ourselves.