Spleda, Stevia, & other sugar substitues?

snobuni08

What is the deal? Now all you hear is that they are worse than sugar and that the substitutes actually make you crave more sweets which ultimately leads too weight gain. I don't drink very much, if any diet soda but crystal or mio is always a nice treat in my water. I know cutting out sweet in general and drinking plain water is best but what are your thoughts on the subject. Go for the regular sugar or stick with the splenda/stevia trend?

sarahbeth17

it's artificial sweeteners that are bad for you, like splenda sweet n low etc but stevia is different it's not artificial so that's all that I use, it tastes better anyways!

crystalmichelle82

I asked that question not too long ago to a fellow Beachbody coach and nutritionist Ashley Grimwade. She said that she uses splenda but they are all equally fine. Now that doesnt mean over-use them. Everything in moderation. But don't use sugar of course. Just use it as a sugar substitute. I use splenda too but I dont use much sweetener for anything. When I make things typically i put fruit it in and there are natural sugars. But if I am perhaps making a bowl of rice krispies or cheerios sometimes i will sprinkle splenda on it, usually i just put sliced bananas though. hope that helps.

Jenny56dreams

I personally like Stevia. Its been said that it is better and safer than Splenda. Plus I like the taste better. Hope this helps a little.

cathyAprice

Try Stevia...it's a natural sweetener that also contains fiber

www.cathyprice.net

icerose137

Don't lump stevia in that artificial crap. Stevia is a naturally sweet herb that has been proven to actually have positive health benefits.

stormieweather

Splenda and Stevia are very different. Splenda is a molecularly modified form of sugar combined with bulking agents. Stevia is a natural plant derivative.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Splenda
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stevia

Stevia is natural with no known health risks.

Splenda, Sucralose, Aspartame, and Saccharin are most definately NOT natural and have potential health risks involved.

http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/artificial-sweeteners/MY00073

melsinct

I try not to eat or drink anything with added sugars, however I have to have sugar in coffee and oatmeal. I use the straight up natural stuff. All of those other sugar-like products, including the supposed "natural" ones, taste funky to me and leave a chemical aftertaste. Like everything else (butter comes to mind) I would rather use less of the real stuff. In my mind, if a person is consuming so much sugar they feel the need to use Splenda or other zero calorie sweeteners, then there is a good chance they are just eating way too much sugar in their diet. Of course, that is a general statement and doesn't take into account diabetics and whatnot.

mperry8111

I use Splenda in my coffee, Crystal light mix-ins in my water, but I limit myself to 2 a day. As far as making you crave more sweets, you're only going gain the weight if you actually go ahead and eat them. Tracking your food is very helpful in keeping all that under control.

IMYarnCraz33

Idk about stevia but splenda should not even be on the supermarket shelves.
I dont use sugar substitutes but if/when I change over, I would use Truvia.

http://www.wnho.net/splenda_chlorocarbon.htm
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QD2TUyL2w5c

Pandorian

Yeah, Splenda, Aspartame, bah the list goes on and on... the artificial ones... or the heavily processed versions BASED on stevia (that'd be truvia and purevia) are the ones to avoid. (truvia and purevia are also "combined with bulking agents." especially the packaged one that "cup for cup" measures like sugar)

Stevia itself can be grown in your herb-garden... so it's not fake/artificial.

SHBoss1673

Splenda and Stevia are very different. Splenda is a molecularly modified form of sugar combined with bulking agents. Stevia is a natural plant derivative.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Splenda
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stevia

Stevia is natural with no known health risks.

Splenda, Sucralose, Aspartame, and Saccharin are most definately NOT natural and have potential health risks involved.

http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/artificial-sweeteners/MY00073

I'm sorry, I have to take issue with this reply. you said:
Splenda, Sucralose, Aspartame, and Saccharin are most definately NOT natural and have potential health risks involved.

and then quoted the mayo clinic article (I assume to prove this point), but they do not list any potential health risks on that article, so I'm curious to know what those potential health risks are.

That cancer myth was debunked a long time ago by the way. neither Aspartame nor Saccharin have been shown to cause cancer, and these have been studied to death. Even the national cancer institute denied these claims.

The only research that I have found about artificial sweeteners is that they can cause (in SOME people) a craving for more sweet tasting foods, not that any of the FDA approved artificial sweeteners actually cause harm in and of themselves.

I have no problem with any of the natural low calorie sweeteners, but artificial sweeteners sometimes get a bad wrap IMHO.

Gigi_licious

If Stevia is a plant, and it's so natural....why is it white? Just curious.

johnHouTX

While Stevia is probably the best sugar substitute it does have its faults. Stevia plant is green as you would imagine and they process it to make it white and add fillers. This bleaching and the fillers is what is bad for you. Stevia in the raw is 300 times sweeter than sugar. I buy Frontier Bulk Stevia Herb Powder(Green), CERTIFIED ORGANIC, 1 lb. package. This is not processes and is only the plant dried and pulverized into a powder. 1/16 of a teaspoon sweetens a glass of tea. Half a teaspoon sweetens an entire pitcher of cool-aid. If you use to much, it taste very harsh and bad. If you buy this experiment, use too little and work your way up to your sweetness level. I started with just a pinch in a glass of tea until I figured out what was good. I purchases this 1lb bag and have half left after 3 months. Being 300 times sweeter than sugar you use very little. If you want healthy this is the way to go. Hope this helps.

John

cjnolt

I also recommend stevia, organic agave nectar, honey, sucanat or unsweetened applesauce depending on how you are using it.
The most important thing to remember when using sweeteners is that they should be used in moderation.

stormieweather

Splenda and Stevia are very different. Splenda is a molecularly modified form of sugar combined with bulking agents. Stevia is a natural plant derivative.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Splenda
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stevia

Stevia is natural with no known health risks.

Splenda, Sucralose, Aspartame, and Saccharin are most definately NOT natural and have potential health risks involved.

http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/artificial-sweeteners/MY00073

I'm sorry, I have to take issue with this reply. you said:
Splenda, Sucralose, Aspartame, and Saccharin are most definately NOT natural and have potential health risks involved.

and then quoted the mayo clinic article (I assume to prove this point), but they do not list any potential health risks on that article, so I'm curious to know what those potential health risks are.

That cancer myth was debunked a long time ago by the way. neither Aspartame nor Saccharin have been shown to cause cancer, and these have been studied to death. Even the national cancer institute denied these claims.

The only research that I have found about artificial sweeteners is that they can cause (in SOME people) a craving for more sweet tasting foods, not that any of the FDA approved artificial sweeteners actually cause harm in and of themselves.

I have no problem with any of the natural low calorie sweeteners, but artificial sweeteners sometimes get a bad wrap IMHO.

I didn't say anything about cancer. I said "potential health risks". If you believe something has the potential to harm you, why in the world would you take the risk?

Studies show that for every diet soda a person drinks, they have a huge (nearly 50%) increased chance to be obese. A diet soda is one which is artificially sweetened, without calories. You don't agree that this is a "potential health risk"???

Another study:

A great study was published in the Journal of Behavioral Neuroscience by a group of scientists, doctors, and medical researchers from Purdue University which closely examined the effects of artificial sweeteners on weight gain. The researchers gave two different groups of rats some yogurt, one batch sweetened with natural sugar and one with saccharin, then monitored their behavior, eating habits, and physiological changes over the next few weeks. Their findings were eye opening.

The researchers found that the total food consumed over the next 14 days dramatically increased only in the artificial sweetener group. Despite them taking in fewer calories from the yogurt itself, their overall caloric intake following the consumption of the artificially sweetened yogurt increased substantially. Second, this group gained a significant amount more weight than the natural sugar group, and of course, their body fat increased as well. The third finding was that the rats that were fed the artificial sweeteners actually lost several degrees in their core temperature, which is a definite sign that their metabolism slowed down.

So, not only did the artificial sweetener group of rats gain more weight and body fat, but their metabolism was indefinitely affected, which led to increased caloric intake well after their initial intake of the sugar substitute.

From http://achieve-fitness.com/blog/2010/07/07/artificial-sweeteners-linked-to-obesity/

The actual study: http://psycnet.apa.org/journals/bne/123/4/772/

http://www.webmd.com/diet/news/20050613/drink-more-diet-soda-gain-more-weight
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/02/080210183902.htm

It's not worth it to me to take the chance, and I simply cannot recommend the products to anyone else.

SHBoss1673

Splenda and Stevia are very different. Splenda is a molecularly modified form of sugar combined with bulking agents. Stevia is a natural plant derivative.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Splenda
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stevia

Stevia is natural with no known health risks.

Splenda, Sucralose, Aspartame, and Saccharin are most definately NOT natural and have potential health risks involved.

http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/artificial-sweeteners/MY00073

I'm sorry, I have to take issue with this reply. you said:
Splenda, Sucralose, Aspartame, and Saccharin are most definately NOT natural and have potential health risks involved.

and then quoted the mayo clinic article (I assume to prove this point), but they do not list any potential health risks on that article, so I'm curious to know what those potential health risks are.

That cancer myth was debunked a long time ago by the way. neither Aspartame nor Saccharin have been shown to cause cancer, and these have been studied to death. Even the national cancer institute denied these claims.

The only research that I have found about artificial sweeteners is that they can cause (in SOME people) a craving for more sweet tasting foods, not that any of the FDA approved artificial sweeteners actually cause harm in and of themselves.

I have no problem with any of the natural low calorie sweeteners, but artificial sweeteners sometimes get a bad wrap IMHO.

I didn't say anything about cancer. I said "potential health risks". If you believe something has the potential to harm you, why in the world would you take the risk?

Studies show that for every diet soda a person drinks, they have a huge (nearly 50%) increased chance to be obese. A diet soda is one which is artificially sweetened, without calories. You don't agree that this is a "potential health risk"???

Another study:

A great study was published in the Journal of Behavioral Neuroscience by a group of scientists, doctors, and medical researchers from Purdue University which closely examined the effects of artificial sweeteners on weight gain. The researchers gave two different groups of rats some yogurt, one batch sweetened with natural sugar and one with saccharin, then monitored their behavior, eating habits, and physiological changes over the next few weeks. Their findings were eye opening.

The researchers found that the total food consumed over the next 14 days dramatically increased only in the artificial sweetener group. Despite them taking in fewer calories from the yogurt itself, their overall caloric intake following the consumption of the artificially sweetened yogurt increased substantially. Second, this group gained a significant amount more weight than the natural sugar group, and of course, their body fat increased as well. The third finding was that the rats that were fed the artificial sweeteners actually lost several degrees in their core temperature, which is a definite sign that their metabolism slowed down.

So, not only did the artificial sweetener group of rats gain more weight and body fat, but their metabolism was indefinitely affected, which led to increased caloric intake well after their initial intake of the sugar substitute.

From http://achieve-fitness.com/blog/2010/07/07/artificial-sweeteners-linked-to-obesity/

The actual study: http://psycnet.apa.org/journals/bne/123/4/772/

http://www.webmd.com/diet/news/20050613/drink-more-diet-soda-gain-more-weight
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/02/080210183902.htm

It's not worth it to me to take the chance, and I simply cannot recommend the products to anyone else.

You are correct, you didn't mention cancer, but it was mentioned in the mayo clinic article you posted, mentioned and discarded as false.

some of the other articles you posted actually prove my point out. Observational science is highly suspect when considered on it's own.
And I quote (from the WebMD article listed above)

Fowler is quick to note that a study of this kind does not prove that diet soda causes obesity. More likely, she says, it shows that something linked to diet soda drinking is also linked to obesity.

the above quote is in reference to a study done on people who drink diet soda, and is basically saying simply that the people who drink diet soda are more likely to be obese or overweight, which only makes sense, since it's one common vehicle for reducing caloric intake, which is what people who are trying to lose weight normally do.

I'll give you a few more research papers on the topic for you to peruse.

http://www.ajcn.org/content/53/4/872.full.pdf+html?sid=8834d6ac-e0e7-4bc3-b867-5b43a21b2311

http://www.ajcn.org/content/89/1/1.full.pdf+html?sid=8834d6ac-e0e7-4bc3-b867-5b43a21b2311

http://www.ajcn.org/content/51/6/963.full.pdf+html?sid=8834d6ac-e0e7-4bc3-b867-5b43a21b2311

NOW, none of these papers are conclusions, and I have no problem with someone not drinking soda because their is no definitive proof either way, but saying something like they may have potential health risks is not a meaningful statement and just causes undo alarm IMHO. The same way you could say, eating soup could cause drowning as yes, it could theoretically happen, but in reality, there's no proof that this is a reasonable assumption to make.

I'll say this, I have an open mind, and the minute a study or research project can find definitive, and repeatable, proof that links an artificial sweetener to any kind of change in metabolism, then I'll rethink my stance on this. But until then, how about we just say that there are SOME researchers that have observed that people who drink diet soda are generally more inclined to be overweight or obese. That's a much more reasonable statement in my mind.

GaveUp

Splenda and Stevia are very different. Splenda is a molecularly modified form of sugar combined with bulking agents. Stevia is a natural plant derivative.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Splenda
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stevia

Stevia is natural with no known health risks.

Splenda, Sucralose, Aspartame, and Saccharin are most definately NOT natural and have potential health risks involved.

http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/artificial-sweeteners/MY00073

I'm sorry, I have to take issue with this reply. you said:
Splenda, Sucralose, Aspartame, and Saccharin are most definately NOT natural and have potential health risks involved.

and then quoted the mayo clinic article (I assume to prove this point), but they do not list any potential health risks on that article, so I'm curious to know what those potential health risks are.

That cancer myth was debunked a long time ago by the way. neither Aspartame nor Saccharin have been shown to cause cancer, and these have been studied to death. Even the national cancer institute denied these claims.

The only research that I have found about artificial sweeteners is that they can cause (in SOME people) a craving for more sweet tasting foods, not that any of the FDA approved artificial sweeteners actually cause harm in and of themselves.

I have no problem with any of the natural low calorie sweeteners, but artificial sweeteners sometimes get a bad wrap IMHO.

splenda - Made by replacing three hydroxyl groups with chlorine. The resulting molecule is not recognized as sugar by the body and as such, is not digested. Some refer to Sucralose as Chlorinated Sugar. Sucralose does not occur in nature.

SHBoss1673

splenda - Made by replacing three hydroxyl groups with chlorine. The resulting molecule is not recognized as sugar by the body and as such, is not digested. Some refer to Sucralose as Chlorinated Sugar. Sucralose does not occur in nature.

um, was this in reference to something? I'm confused why it was posted.

candiigraham

I just wanted to add, to read the label on the Stevia in regular supermarkets (like Shop n Slave) it always include and "ose" added which doesn't make it pure. I use sweet leaf stevia, it's as pure as you can get, besides the "all green" stevia. I buy it from the health food store or whole foods. Gonna consider the pure stuff next time - thanks for posting that!

lauristewart

Splenda and Stevia are very different. Splenda is a molecularly modified form of sugar combined with bulking agents. Stevia is a natural plant derivative.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Splenda
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stevia

Stevia is natural with no known health risks.

Splenda, Sucralose, Aspartame, and Saccharin are most definately NOT natural and have potential health risks involved.



tp://www.mayoclinic.com/health/artificial-sweeteners/MY00073

I'm sorry, I have to take issue with this reply. you said:
Splenda, Sucralose, Aspartame, and Saccharin are most definately NOT natural and have potential health risks involved.

and then quoted the mayo clinic article (I assume to prove this point), but they do not list any potential health risks on that article, so I'm curious to know what those potential health risks are.

That cancer myth was debunked a long time ago by the way. neither Aspartame nor Saccharin have been shown to cause cancer, and these have been studied to death. Even the national cancer institute denied these claims.

The only research that I have found about artificial sweeteners is that they can cause (in SOME people) a craving for more sweet tasting foods, not that any of the FDA approved artificial sweeteners actually cause harm in and of themselves.

I have no problem with any of the natural low calorie sweeteners, but artificial sweeteners sometimes get a bad wrap IMHO.

I couldn't agree more!! I had lunch with registered dietitians and asked their opinion on artifical sweeteners and they say the artifical sweeteners are SAFE!! These ladies are professionals and know their stuff. They do not get their info off of the internet. They get their info from other professionals!! Yes, they are not natural but what really is natural?? Junk food is all processed and most of us are here b/c of too much junk food, possibly?? Everyone has an opinion about this but I stand my ground that these are helpful toolsd to manage one's weight. And if u can do that, ur risk of becoming diabetic or have other health issues will decrease!

shellyhef1

I never use splenda, nor have I ever used Stevia, but I am a huge fan of Organic Agave Nectar. I put it in my oatmeal, drizzle some on my fruits, etc. Can also use it to sweeten a smoothie.

bcattoes

Stevia is a plant. I don't really know what all they do to it to transform it from a leafy grean plant to the powders that are sold, so I don't know if it's any better than the other artificial sweetners. I don't really care for the taste of artificial sweetners and don't want the calories or the insulin surge from sugar so for the most part I just drink unsweetened tea, water or wine. When I do have a soft drink, I go for diet if it's available because I don't like the taste as much, and therefore won't be tempted to drink more than I need to quench my thirst, plus I don't want to blow any calories that I could have in a glass of wine later. :drinker: