Splenda..?
Nic529
Posts: 69 Member
How bad is it for you?
And what zero or extremely low cal sweeteners can I use?
And what zero or extremely low cal sweeteners can I use?
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Replies
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To be perfectly honest I gave up all sweetners because I tried them all hoping to keep at least one. Since then I have dropped weight, feel much better, and I am not bloated at all. There is so much about them that they dont know I wont put it in my body. I miss my tea and crystal light but its not worth it. Try honey or just plain old sugar if your not diabetic.0
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How bad is it for you?
And what zero or extremely low cal sweeteners can I use?
The sky-is-falling brigade will be here soon. But the answer to your first question? It isn't bad for you, most likely. Only a small portion of the population have real adverse effects. The second? Use whichever you prefer. They all have the same health risks of zero. (Again, for the majority.)0 -
Honestly, I'm not a fan of artificial sweetners anyway. They go through an rigorous chemical process to be made (even the commercial Stevia products) If you must use a zero calorie sweetner try stevia that is sold as a supplement rather than a sweetner. The Stevia sold in the supplement section are there because they are too unprocessed to be sold as a sweetner according to FDA regulations. personally, I prefer to use fruit, honey, raw sugar, or no sweetner at all. Good Luck and remember read the ingredients list on Everything Always.0
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Use Truvia, or any stevia based sugar.It is zero calorie, and doesn't mess with your body like artificial sweeteners. It is for the Stevia plant I believe. The only issue is that it may be too sweet for some people. I personally love it!
A lot of reputable nutritionists recommend Stevia!!!0 -
For me, it wasn't about giving up the sweeteners, it was about giving up the SWEET.
Health benefits/risks of the actual artificial sweetener has nothing to do with it. If I eat everything sweetened, I expect everything to be sweet, and sugary sweet things will be more tempting to me. So I stick to known sweeteners with lots of calories for anything sweet I want to eat, because that forces me to moderate my intake of sweet things. I keep maple syrup, honey, brown sugar, and white sugar at the house. I do not have any fancy sweeteners. When I want my pancakes sweet, I put on some extra-dark amber real maple syrup. Loaded with calories. Which means I use small amounts. And damn does it taste good, because it's a treat, and may be the only sweet thing I eat the whole day.
Then, when confronted with something like the donuts my well-intentioned project manager brought in for our project status meeting early this morning, I was able to sit there through an hour-long meeting without any real temptation to dig in to the box of donuts that was sitting directly in front of me the whole time.
Embracing other flavors and just enjoying flavor in and of itself was my key to getting my diet under control and in balance.0 -
Honestly, I'm not a fan of artificial sweetners anyway. They go through an rigorous chemical process to be made (even the commercial Stevia products) If you must use a zero calorie sweetner try stevia that is sold as a supplement rather than a sweetner. The Stevia sold in the supplement section are there because they are too unprocessed to be sold as a sweetner according to FDA regulations. personally, I prefer to use fruit, honey, raw sugar, or no sweetner at all. Good Luck and remember read the ingredients list on Everything Always.
This is what I have been considering.. I have a few packets of Pure Via (Stevia extract) to try.. So we shall see
Thanks for all the feedback!0 -
For me, it wasn't about giving up the sweeteners, it was about giving up the SWEET.
Health benefits/risks of the actual artificial sweetener has nothing to do with it. If I eat everything sweetened, I expect everything to be sweet, and sugary sweet things will be more tempting to me. So I stick to known sweeteners with lots of calories for anything sweet I want to eat, because that forces me to moderate my intake of sweet things. I keep maple syrup, honey, brown sugar, and white sugar at the house. I do not have any fancy sweeteners. When I want my pancakes sweet, I put on some extra-dark amber real maple syrup. Loaded with calories. Which means I use small amounts. And damn does it taste good, because it's a treat, and may be the only sweet thing I eat the whole day.
Then, when confronted with something like the donuts my well-intentioned project manager brought in for our project status meeting early this morning, I was able to sit there through an hour-long meeting without any real temptation to dig in to the box of donuts that was sitting directly in front of me the whole time.
Embracing other flavors and just enjoying flavor in and of itself was my key to getting my diet under control and in balance.
Also something I have been wanting to do.. I feel like maybe if I cut out sweet maybe I wont crave it so much..?0 -
Stevia0
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If my choices are real sugar or fake, I pick splenda because it doesn't have the bitter aftertaste, blue packets/equal is always my 2nd choice. I don't know if it's building up a mass of health problems for me later, but sweets are my downfall. If I can see Dt. Dr. Pepper or splenda in my ice tea as a treat, maybe I won't pick up that damn cookie.0
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Realistically, if you don't consume Splenda in large quantities, there are no known adverse reactions. The majority of tests done on lab rats were given 5x the amount of Splenda than the vast majority of the population would consume daily. I love it. I use 2 packs in my coffee instead of creamer most days, and I use the sugar/splenda blend for cooking. Honestly, it's up to you. Some people will say it is a horrible thing to ingest and others will say it's not. Read the research for yourself and the ingredients and weigh out your options. Thats what I do0
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For me, it wasn't about giving up the sweeteners, it was about giving up the SWEET.
Health benefits/risks of the actual artificial sweetener has nothing to do with it. If I eat everything sweetened, I expect everything to be sweet, and sugary sweet things will be more tempting to me. So I stick to known sweeteners with lots of calories for anything sweet I want to eat, because that forces me to moderate my intake of sweet things. I keep maple syrup, honey, brown sugar, and white sugar at the house. I do not have any fancy sweeteners. When I want my pancakes sweet, I put on some extra-dark amber real maple syrup. Loaded with calories. Which means I use small amounts. And damn does it taste good, because it's a treat, and may be the only sweet thing I eat the whole day.
Then, when confronted with something like the donuts my well-intentioned project manager brought in for our project status meeting early this morning, I was able to sit there through an hour-long meeting without any real temptation to dig in to the box of donuts that was sitting directly in front of me the whole time.
Embracing other flavors and just enjoying flavor in and of itself was my key to getting my diet under control and in balance.
This is pretty much how I feel, too. If I want sweet, I just have some of the real deal and figure it into my calories. Worth every bit 0 -
i used splenda forever and recently changed to stivia, when I do use sweetener, I'm trying to cut it out all together....0
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Splenda has like 3.8 cals/packet. Be careful! I was very very pissed when I found out.0
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I haven't seen anything yet that claims Splenda is bad for anyone's health, but maybe I'm not looking hard enough because I enjoy using it.
The reason I use an alternative to sugar is that I'm mildly hypoglycemic. (I would prefer honey as a sweetener in my tea if I didn't have this issue.) I keep my aspartame intake low (a can of diet pop every couple of weeks) because that substance is apparently a migraine trigger and I've had previous problems with recurring migraines or severe headaches.
I really think it's about finding what you're comfortable with and watching for any side-effects that may indicate your body doesn't like Splenda, aspartame, stevia, etc. I bake with regular sugar or honey (depending on the recipe) and keep the Splenda for my tea, so I'm not going overboard with any one substance.
I also agree that reducing the amount of sweetness in general can help. I used to eat large amounts of chocolate at one time (before discovering I was shooting myself in the foot due to undiscovered lactose intolerance - yes, I have dietary issues, but at least no known allergies!) and I didn't think of it as that sweet back then. These days I eat small amounts and find it tastes better. It's like I was desensitised previously and now I'm back to a proper appreciation.0 -
Splenda has like 3.8 cals/packet. Be careful! I was very very pissed when I found out.
Hmm, I'm sure the packet I used this morning in my tea said 0 cals, but I'm going to double-check the label on the box, and also the bag of Splenda with fibre that MIL gave us. I usually use one packet per pot of tea because one per cup is too sweet for me - same with the Splenda Flavours that I buy sometimes for extra pizzazz in the tea. 0 -
Some people do have reactions from it. The worst one I had was the horrible rashes.
I never added it to anything, however It was an ingredient in all my protein shakes & bars, powerade, & yogurt.0 -
The way food labeling works, they are legally allowed to list foods that have less than 5 calories as "0 calories". It's a huge scam. The portions are specifically sized to keep it under 5 calories so it can be listed as "0". Food Politics!Splenda has like 3.8 cals/packet. Be careful! I was very very pissed when I found out.
Hmm, I'm sure the packet I used this morning in my tea said 0 cals, but I'm going to double-check the label on the box, and also the bag of Splenda with fibre that MIL gave us. I usually use one packet per pot of tea because one per cup is too sweet for me - same with the Splenda Flavours that I buy sometimes for extra pizzazz in the tea.
It's similar to how products are allowed to be labeled as "0 trans fat" when they can be up to 0.5 g/serving (I think- it might be 1g/serving).
Edit to add: I used to use a ton of those delicious yellow packets. I used it liberally on everything. Since finding out about the calories I have switched to stevia (which is truly 0 calorie) and Truvia (which I can't quite tell with certainty if it is truly 0 calorie or not- it contains 3 g of eurithritol (sp?) carbohydrates, but I am further investigating truvia because I really love it)0 -
I don't think there is anything wrong with it, but I stopped using it a few months ago and went back to sugar. I prefer the taste of sugar and each packet has only 15 claories. I could burn that off with 30 jumping jacks or less. Totally worth it for me.0
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How bad is it for you?
And what zero or extremely low cal sweeteners can I use?
The sky-is-falling brigade will be here soon. But the answer to your first question? It isn't bad for you, most likely. Only a small portion of the population have real adverse effects. The second? Use whichever you prefer. They all have the same health risks of zero. (Again, for the majority.)
I don't know about "sky-falling brigade" but if you think of weight loss in terms of trying to eat healthily instead of trying to eat junk that is supposedly better because some chemical in it means you get less calories, then the more processed something is, the less you should eat of it!
These sweeteners haven't been around that long relatively speaking, so we probably don't really know what the real effects of long term use are just yet, but anything that's been messed with to that extent has to have some drawbacks.
Like some other posters have said, try to use small amounts of more natural sweeteners like fruit, honey, juice, maple syrup or good old sugar! cut down gradually so your taste buds get used to less sweetness gradually. I have sugar on my porridge (oatmeal) every morning and have cut down gradually from 1 desert spoon to 1 teaspoon of sugar and it tastes just fine and not too many calories in the grand scheme of things.
Real, sustainable weight loss is a lifestyle change to healthy eating, not eating artificial, low calorie versions of the junk you ate before!0 -
Real, sustainable weight loss is a lifestyle change to healthy eating, not eating artificial, low calorie versions of the junk you ate before!
Totally agree!0 -
How bad is it for you?
And what zero or extremely low cal sweeteners can I use?
The sky-is-falling brigade will be here soon. But the answer to your first question? It isn't bad for you, most likely. Only a small portion of the population have real adverse effects. The second? Use whichever you prefer. They all have the same health risks of zero. (Again, for the majority.)
Wrong. It is VERY bad for you.0 -
How bad is it for you?
And what zero or extremely low cal sweeteners can I use?
The sky-is-falling brigade will be here soon. But the answer to your first question? It isn't bad for you, most likely. Only a small portion of the population have real adverse effects. The second? Use whichever you prefer. They all have the same health risks of zero. (Again, for the majority.)
Wrong. It is VERY bad for you.
Mmmm ... not so much.0 -
How bad is it for you?
And what zero or extremely low cal sweeteners can I use?
The sky-is-falling brigade will be here soon. But the answer to your first question? It isn't bad for you, most likely. Only a small portion of the population have real adverse effects. The second? Use whichever you prefer. They all have the same health risks of zero. (Again, for the majority.)
Wrong. It is VERY bad for you.
Mmmm ... not so much.
Wow. So since when is an ARTIFICIAL sweetner good for you? Yup, did a college research project on Splenda, did my research, and also was effected by it.0 -
How bad is it for you?
And what zero or extremely low cal sweeteners can I use?
The sky-is-falling brigade will be here soon. But the answer to your first question? It isn't bad for you, most likely. Only a small portion of the population have real adverse effects. The second? Use whichever you prefer. They all have the same health risks of zero. (Again, for the majority.)
Wrong. It is VERY bad for you.
It was fine for me for a while, and now it makes me very sick. Lay on the couch until it passes kind of sick. It took too long to figure out that's what was making me so sick too, because I had it just fine before. The sky is not falling. Just beware. Look up Sucralose Toxicity at the same time you are looking up the benefits of Splenda. That way you get a picture of both side of the coin.
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maybe you have some evidence to back up that claim that it is bad for you? or good for you? personally i love it, and i believe everything this ok to have with moderation but that just me IMOHow bad is it for you?
And what zero or extremely low cal sweeteners can I use?
The sky-is-falling brigade will be here soon. But the answer to your first question? It isn't bad for you, most likely. Only a small portion of the population have real adverse effects. The second? Use whichever you prefer. They all have the same health risks of zero. (Again, for the majority.)
Wrong. It is VERY bad for you.
Mmmm ... not so much.
Wow. So since when is an ARTIFICIAL sweetner good for you? Yup, did a college research project on Splenda, did my research, and also was effected by it.0 -
maybe you have some evidence to back up that claim that it is bad for you? or good for you? personally i love it, and i believe everything this ok to have with moderation but that just me IMOHow bad is it for you?
And what zero or extremely low cal sweeteners can I use?
The sky-is-falling brigade will be here soon. But the answer to your first question? It isn't bad for you, most likely. Only a small portion of the population have real adverse effects. The second? Use whichever you prefer. They all have the same health risks of zero. (Again, for the majority.)
Wrong. It is VERY bad for you.
Mmmm ... not so much.
Wow. So since when is an ARTIFICIAL sweetner good for you? Yup, did a college research project on Splenda, did my research, and also was effected by it.
Hey it tastes great for sure. Just, I recommend doing some research on it.0 -
I think Splenda is fine unless you are consuming like HUGE amounts of it. It's a lot better than sweet n low and equal. I use Splenda and Stevia and it never kept me from losing weight ever! I got to 125lbs and a size 4 using them. I only use stevia for iced or hot tea because I think it tastes bad in anything else. Splenda tastes the closest to real sugar to me.0
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I wouldn't worry about a little bit of spenda! Gimme a break, everything is bad for you. Pop, smoking, tanning, alcohol, cookies, candy...they are all bad! lol Just don't eat 50 packets of splenda everyday! haha0
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A coworker of mine has heart attack-like symptoms when he has splenda. He went to the ER a few times and the doctors told him that he was not having a heart attack, but didn't know why he had the symptoms. Finally a doctor told him that some people react to it. Makes you wonder if those that don't have the in-your-face symptoms are still having something not-so-great going on in their body because of it.0
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My imput, stick to natural. Your body doesn't know what to do with the chemicals that are found in artifical sweetners.!!! Truvia and Stevia are great You can use the real thing too, just remember that you have to use in moderation if you are going to use the real thing. Use honey, which is great for you and sweetens better with less(again in moderation). Find things like nutmeg and cinnamon to put in coffee that give you a flavor rather than just a "sweet" taste. Stick to natural sweeteners in baking IE apple sauce...that one helps you reduce oil as well too! Research also has shown that drinks that use artifical sweetners, like diet soda and teas, may increase the risk for developing Metabolic syndrome and Type II Diabetes. (http://care.diabetesjournals.org/content/32/4/688.short)0
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