Sugar or Splenda

kdrosendaul

Nothing artificial for me. If I want sweet I eat sugar .I think all of the artificial sweeteners taste nasty, even stevia. Same with butter & chocolate, I only eat the real unadulterated product.

Kateinprogress

I'll admit I still use spenda in my coffee (I like the taste of it though and a bit once a day isn't terrible!).
When I'm baking I usually use half real sugar and half splenda or truvia if the recipe needs more than 1/3 cup. If it's less than that I just use regular sugar. It's worked really well so far and really helps cut the calories down without the fake splenda taste!

MrsKunz

The FDA had to remove the cancer warring on saccharine years ago and admit the made a "mistake". There is no hard proof that artificial sweeteners cause cancer or anything else. Unless these people that say they have issues are in a bubble with no other food or environmental stimuli I would seriously question their supposed results. You can die from eating food tainted with E Coli that is supposedly healthy. Eat what you want and don't stress out about. Life is much too short to worry that everything might give you cancer.

Sorry Not to be rude but please tell my sick possibly dieing father this tell him this after he seizes and doesn't remember this tell his rich doctor who helped us help him tell his rich doctor who makes tons of money to figure these things out that you "think" what you do
Again not to be rude but do more research ask more sick people what it does to them

MrsKunz

........

NOTE:
Saccharin = Sweet & Low
Sucralose = Splenda
Aspertame = Equal

thats good info!!! thanks

vs1023

The FDA had to remove the cancer warring on saccharine years ago and admit the made a "mistake". There is no hard proof that artificial sweeteners cause cancer or anything else. Unless these people that say they have issues are in a bubble with no other food or environmental stimuli I would seriously question their supposed results. You can die from eating food tainted with E Coli that is supposedly healthy. Eat what you want and don't stress out about. Life is much too short to worry that everything might give you cancer.

Can't say I trust the FDA too much so I do all my own research and come to an educated conclusion myself. There are a lot of special interests in the FDA. Just do some reading about Monsanto. As an individual it is your (general) responsibility to take charge of your health. I'm. No against drs at all because they saved my son, but it's important to do your own research too and not take everything you hear on tv, in the media, etc as truth.

jadedone

I generally use sugar, honey, agave or stevia (and truvia).

I have stevia extract that I use in some tea.

If I am drinking coffee that needs sweetener, I use sugar. I use honey for tea if it needs it (for me the teas that take sugar are ones that go with milk, or astringent herbals ones).

I don't like the artificial sweeteners, I think they taste funny. But if I am drinking iced tea and it has been over brewed, I'll use splenda or equal. About 1/3 of a packet. This happens around 4 times a year.

I prefer natural sweeteners, or real ones.

Stevia does have its own after taste, if you use too much. You hardly need more than a pinch. I am not sure what is in truvia, but they have added something tasteless to bulk up the stevia and give it a sugar like consistency.

LilMissFoodie

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!!!!!!!!!!!!

I'm really sorry to hear about your Dad. It sounds to me though like maybe there is something else going on since he is still having symptoms. I know you are saying that the sweeteners permanently damaged his nervous system but do you have any proof of this? I wouldn't really accept the answer that doctor gave you as fact, it sounds a tad dodgy to me.

Studies have shown that there are no significant long term effects of approved sweeteners when consumed on an 'everyday' basis - ie if you are drinking 4 litres of diet coke each day you might want to rethink things.

ruby_red_rose

I try to not sweeten my beverages. On the rare occassion that I do sweeten my beverage, I use sugar. The tiny amount of calories in a tsp of sugar is really not worth eating chemicals ove.r

claire_90

splenda over sugar
sugar over equal

ozycat

bump

seal57

I try to not sweeten my beverages. On the rare occassion that I do sweeten my beverage, I use sugar. The tiny amount of calories in a tsp of sugar is really not worth eating chemicals ove.r

Amen......:drinker:

Jenninedinburgh

I am not sure what is in truvia, but they have added something tasteless to bulk up the stevia and give it a sugar like consistency.

This would not surprise me - from a commercial perspective, it not only makes sense to do this to sell more to consumers as it makes it look more like something they are acclimated to consuming, but also probably makes the plant go further - i.e. they can make more money from a harvest.

Umpire57

I try to not sweeten my beverages. On the rare occassion that I do sweeten my beverage, I use sugar. The tiny amount of calories in a tsp of sugar is really not worth eating chemicals ove.r

Question: Do you grow your own food? If not then I bet you are still getting plenty of chemicals.

deborahjeancanaday

Has anyone had trouble with Agave sweetener? I have only used in moderation in baking.

ksubero

WHY ARTIFICIAL SWEETNERS CAN MAKE YOU SICK

Splenda is an artificial sweetener that is chemically derived from sucralose. Sucralose is made by taking sugar and replacing some of the OH( hydroxyl) groups with chlorine. The resulting structure is very stable and not as easily digerstable by humans. Splenda can legally be marketed as calorie free because, according to the FDA, any food that has less than 5 calories per serving can be classsified as " Zero Calorie".
The reason artificial sweetners can make people sick is because when it reaches the intestines we attempt to break it down for energy but cannot, hence the reason it has no calories. The results from our body's attempt to get energy from sucralose can include cramps, constipation and diarrhea.
Artificial sweetners can actually cause people to gain weight because it has the ability to make one more hungry. This effect is caused by the body's response to consuming a food which provides little to no caloric and nutritive value. Put simply, digestion takes energy and if you comsume foods with no calories you will certainly consume more.
But you knew that, didn't you?
Kj

- Kj is a registered Canadian Society of Exercise Physiologists Personal Trainer, a Certified Kinesiologist, Municipal Fitness Appraiser, a Nutritionist and Dietician student.

Jenninedinburgh

I try to not sweeten my beverages. On the rare occassion that I do sweeten my beverage, I use sugar. The tiny amount of calories in a tsp of sugar is really not worth eating chemicals ove.r

Question: Do you grow your own food? If not then I bet you are still getting plenty of chemicals.

I think you're right - it's almost impossible to avoid eating foods that have either chemicals added or sprayed on them - BUT we can do our best to minimise....to at least cut where we can. For me it's a work in progress. For example, I know I need to also find a more natural substitute for my morning oatmeal...just looking at the powder in the bowl with the oats tells me they have done a lot of processing....

Jenninedinburgh

WHY ARTIFICIAL SWEETNERS CAN MAKE YOU SICK

Splenda is an artificial sweetener that is chemically derived from sucralose. Sucralose is made by taking sugar and replacing some of the OH( hydroxyl) groups with chlorine. The resulting structure is very stable and not as easily digerstable by humans. Splenda can legally be marketed as calorie free because, according to the FDA, any food that has less than 5 calories per serving can be classsified as " Zero Calorie".
The reason artificial sweetners can make people sick is because when it reaches the intestines we attempt to break it down for energy but cannot, hence the reason it has no calories. The results from our body's attempt to get energy from sucralose can include cramps, constipation and diarrhea.
Artificial sweetners can actually cause people to gain weight because it has the ability to make one more hungry. This effect is caused by the body's response to consuming a food which provides little to no caloric and nutritive value. Put simply, digestion takes energy and if you comsume foods with no calories you will certainly consume more.
But you knew that, didn't you?
Kj

- Kj is a registered Canadian Society of Exercise Physiologists Personal Trainer, a Certified Kinesiologist, Municipal Fitness Appraiser, a Nutritionist and Dietician student.

Thanks for this. Exactly the information I was looking for...my own Google search brought up similar information, but there is some here that I had not found

Goofy076

I use splenda for everything from baking to my coffee.. I think its a great sugar substitute

MeowserKitty

Stevia

AND only Truvia seems to taste good.

Bentley2718

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

For the record, Sweet'N Low is a brand of saccharin. Splenda is a brand of sucralose. Although I am not a chemist, my understanding is that the chemical make-up of saccharin and sucralose is quite different. I'm not saying you should or shouldn't eat either.

Oh, and I think Steva has a weird taste to it. I still use it for some things, but don't overdo it or ICK.

As for the whole chemical argument, water is a chemical, even completely "natural," "organic" food is full of chemicals, what do you think life comes from? I'm not saying we shouldn't be weary of things created in labs, intended to fool our bodies, but I don't think saying something is a chemical is particularly informative or a sound argument.