Sugar or Splenda

Jenninedinburgh
Jenninedinburgh Posts: 70 Member
edited October 7 in Food and Nutrition
Hi there,

I am taking my health step-by-step - exercising more and eating better. After a trip to my mother's house in Mississippi and seeing her pantry full of PROCESSED foods, I came back home to Scotland and decided that I need to do even better at eating better (I started cutting processed foods a few years ago by about 70%, but I think it's time to add to that). First move - cut out diet coke. I always considered it a treat, but have read up on it and I don't think it's a good thing. It got me to thinking - maybe I should cut out Splenda as well as I use it often in coffee and tea. It prompted me to look at the calories and a teaspoon of sugar is ONLY 16 calories!!! I ask myself, is 16 calories worth forgoing in order to put a teaspoon full of chemicals in my body??

What do you do? What do you think about sugar versus splenda?
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Replies

  • Loves418
    Loves418 Posts: 330 Member
    I use sugar even if its 2 teaspoons because the splenda twice I have tried made me sick, can't explain why..it makes me feel just ill all over. I would rather cut back somewhere during the day and put the two sugars in my hot tea in the morning.
  • cramernh
    cramernh Posts: 3,335 Member
    Honestly... if sugar is not in its natural form (found in real foods), I dont consume it.
    I definitely cannot consume artificial sweetners and junk such as Splenda due to some medical complications..
  • BrendaLee
    BrendaLee Posts: 4,463 Member
    I can't stand the aftertaste with artificial sweeteners, and I actually feel like I'm ruining beautiful, natural food by adding chemicals. I stick with sugar.
  • CyberEd312
    CyberEd312 Posts: 3,536 Member
    Use Domino Pure Cane sugar, it is only 15 calories a spoon full................
  • I don't add sugar or splenda, if I want to add something to my food I add Stevia.
  • vs1023
    vs1023 Posts: 417 Member
    I avoid artificial sweeteners. I stopped Splenda because it made me crave more sweets and i think it messed with my body a bit. I felt a lot of anxiety when I was using it and when I started it was 2 packets and then eventually I needed like 4 in my coffee. Wasn't good. I switched to Stevia extract and don't have the same issues. FWIW, I only use sweetener in my coffee.
  • Priincess_Natalie
    Priincess_Natalie Posts: 367 Member
    I skip all sugar and artificial sweeteners. If I use anything at all, I use Stevia.
  • I haven't noticed an after taste with Splenda but I believe everything in moderation. I only use it twice a day. One cup of coffee in the a.m. and one cup of tea after work. The rest of the day is plain water.
  • waxon81
    waxon81 Posts: 198 Member
    I swapped sugar for splenda (sweet and low) about a month or so ago. Cant even tell the difference now, apart from its alot less cals
  • WifeMomDVM
    WifeMomDVM Posts: 1,025 Member
    As others said, stay away from the fake sweeteners or chemically altered ones. Just sugar in moderation. Try some honey for some added anti-viral benefits. :)
  • beamishcas
    beamishcas Posts: 226 Member
    I also started to use Stevia and prefer it over Splenda
  • KeepOnMoving
    KeepOnMoving Posts: 383 Member
    check out some web sites like Health.com they have info on sweeteners.

    Have you heard about Agave? It's sweeter than sugar therefore, you use smaller amounts, saving calories.
  • busterbluth
    busterbluth Posts: 115 Member
    I usually use Stevia, but I can't tell the difference in taste between that and Splenda. I hate Sweet n Low or Equal.
  • Jenninedinburgh
    Jenninedinburgh Posts: 70 Member
    Hi there,

    Thanks for all of the replies. It's really interesting to read your thoughts/habits.

    Regarding, Stevia, I've never heard of it so decided to Google it. http://www.stevia.com/ The website states that it's "natural" yet has zero calories....even lettuce has calories, so I find it hard to believe that Stevia is natural? It sounds like it's another cooked up substitute to me?
  • MrsKunz
    MrsKunz Posts: 151 Member
    Ok i love sugar and splenda but i just use a mixture of both but i know i shouldn't due to some medical things that have now happen to my father i encourage everyone to read what i am about to tell you!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
    My father at the age 50 started having random seizures. No doctor could tell us why.... I went to 3 brain doctors and 4 different hospitals, and several other doctors. Tons of tests and probes and trial and errors. It was a never ending cylce until one day we went back to square one started with our small town family doctor and he asked do you drink diet drinks??? My dad said of course i have been drinking them for 25 years!!! the doctor said stop NOW!!! No artificial sweeteners at all!!!!!! The doctor was currently doing study work on the long term effects of sweeteners. The chemicals in them really effect the brain and nervous system. My dad still to this day has random seizures, dizziness, and has had 1 stroke and 3 heart attacks!!!!!!!!!!!! He is my life and i hope that everyone hears me when i say if you use them read up on the ones you use extensively before you use them. My dads brain and nervous system will never be the same.
  • TazzytheMotivator
    TazzytheMotivator Posts: 646 Member
    I love spenda, but you are correct what can your body do with chemical.I can't seems to put it down. But you are correct in your thinking. After i finished this last package i will not buy it anymore . Thank you for bring it to my attention .
  • christibear
    christibear Posts: 93 Member
    Why not honey, its actually good for you in moderation and it can be a substitute all the time but most of the time it works great and it tastes good and its all natural.
  • Dawn22s
    Dawn22s Posts: 6 Member
    I have a horror story with Splenda. I loved Yoplait Whipped Yogurt and two years ago in January, I stocked up due to a sale so it was the mainstay of my diet for breakfast / snacks. By February I was so sick I went to my doctor and he couldn't figure out what was wrong with me. I went thru several tests to rule out cancer or other problems such as Crohn's or IBS and nothing was found. (I was still eating the stupid yogurt).

    Then I started to track my food and started looking up everything I was eating on a friend's advice that maybe I was developing an allergy to the dye or something else in the food.

    So I stopped eating all processed foods (including the yogurt) and in about 3 days started to feel much better. I waited for another couple of days and started adding back in foods that I normally eat and waited 2 days to introduce a new food. When I got to the yogurt within 3 hours I was nearly back to the level of sickness I was in previously.

    I looked their label and of course, the flavors I enjoyed (especially Lemon) had Splenda.

    I haven't touched the Cr@p Splenda since.
  • MrsKunz
    MrsKunz Posts: 151 Member
    As others said, stay away from the fake sweeteners or chemically altered ones. Just sugar in moderation. Try some honey for some added anti-viral benefits. :)

    this just made my coffee glorious!
  • Janelle31
    Janelle31 Posts: 23 Member
    There seems to be more information coming out in the news that indicates that artificial sweeteners can really mess with our brains. One thing about them is that they are hundreds of times sweeter than actual sugar, which is why you can use so little and still get that sweetness. Unfortunately our bodies don't register them the same way that it registers sugar, which can actually increase our cravings for sweet stuff. I'm just not sure I want to buy into the hype that comes along with the artificial stuff.

    Personally I try to avoid artificial sweeteners as much as possible. I rarely drink anything besides water and milk, so when I do occasionally want a glass of pop or whatever, I don't worry too much about what's in them, although I will always choose the "real" thing over a diet version. Also, in baking, you can easily cut back the amount of sugar called for in a recipe by half. There are the occasional things that take some trial and error, but you won't even notice a difference most of the time.
  • I use real sugar, as well as honey. I can't stand artificial sweeteners. They taste funny to me. I once accidentally has some Coke Zero and kept wondering why the hell it tasted so funny until I figured out what it actually was. XD
  • andiechick
    andiechick Posts: 916 Member
    I can't stand Splenda, it leaves a horrible aftertaste in my mouth. I use silver soon half spoon, tastes much nicer n has the same consistency of sugar x
  • I use Splenda for everything, the huge decrease in calories is very worth it, and diets high in sugar are not healthy for you. I avoid sugar as much as possible. I try to avoid non-Splenda artificial sweeters also, Splenda so far seems pretty safe according to research. I tried Stevia and don't like the taste. I hate the taste of "normal" sodas and they taste funny to me.
  • MrsKunz
    MrsKunz Posts: 151 Member
    PLEASE READ WHAT HAPPENED TO MY DAD


    Ok i love sugar and splenda but i just use a mixture of both but i know i shouldn't due to some medical things that have now happen to my father i encourage everyone to read what i am about to tell you!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
    My father at the age 50 started having random seizures. No doctor could tell us why.... I went to 3 brain doctors and 4 different hospitals, and several other doctors. Tons of tests and probes and trial and errors. It was a never ending cylce until one day we went back to square one started with our small town family doctor and he asked do you drink diet drinks??? My dad said of course i have been drinking them for 25 years!!! the doctor said stop NOW!!! No artificial sweeteners at all!!!!!! The doctor was currently doing study work on the long term effects of sweeteners. The chemicals in them really effect the brain and nervous system. My dad still to this day has random seizures, dizziness, and has had 1 stroke and 3 heart attacks!!!!!!!!!!!! He is my life and i hope that everyone hears me when i say if you use them read up on the ones you use extensively before you use them. My dads brain and nervous system will never be the same
  • grapenutSF
    grapenutSF Posts: 648 Member
    Stevia is natural. My brother had a stevia plant in his garden and MAN! Take a bite of that leaf and you'll be blown away by how sweet a green plant can be! It's natural. It's real. It's yummy in coffee. I'm a fan.
  • grapenutSF
    grapenutSF Posts: 648 Member
    PS- a tiny bite of 1 lettuce leaf is closer to 0 cals than 1 cal too. It's not exactly 0, but it rounds to 0.
  • christibear
    christibear Posts: 93 Member
    I use Splenda for everything, the huge decrease in calories is very worth it, and diets high in sugar are not healthy for you. I avoid sugar as much as possible. I try to avoid non-Splenda artificial sweeters also, Splenda so far seems pretty safe according to research. I tried Stevia and don't like the taste. I hate the taste of "normal" sodas and they taste funny to me.

    Actually I would rather have the real stuff and just work it into my calories, it tastes better and it better for you, especially honey, I mean everything in moderation, but honey can actually help the body process fat. I just do not like the taste of artificial sweeteners and there is too much conflicting information about whether or not they are actually good for you.
  • plushkitten
    plushkitten Posts: 547 Member
    Try stevia. Its a natural zero calories sweetener without the processing found in other sweetners such as splenda or sweet and low. Plus, it doesn't have that bitter chemical after taste. Its also super popular in Japan. I loooove it and recommend it for sure. :)
  • ckffgirl
    ckffgirl Posts: 6 Member
    Splenda has toxins. Stevia is a natural sweetner that is much healthier and toxin free.
  • vs1023
    vs1023 Posts: 417 Member
    Hi there,

    Thanks for all of the replies. It's really interesting to read your thoughts/habits.

    Regarding, Stevia, I've never heard of it so decided to Google it. http://www.stevia.com/ The website states that it's "natural" yet has zero calories....even lettuce has calories, so I find it hard to believe that Stevia is natural? It sounds like it's another cooked up substitute to me?

    Stevia comes from A plant and initially was sold as a dietary supplement and not a sweetener. It wasn't until the soda companies wanted to add it to their drinks that it had changed. Though some of their versions of stevia are processed and chemically altered. So I buy straight stevia extract at whole foods. Like another person said its used in Japan for ages now and I think china too.
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