Sweetener dilemma? Splenda or Stevia?

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  • SoCalWoman
    SoCalWoman Posts: 2,384 Member
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    Has anyone tried replacing sugar and artificial sweetener with agave nectar? I've been meaning to try it, but I really don't use sweetener much outside what's in my diet tea.

    Yes...I find you use less than honey. It's very sweet. a little goes a long way.
    Like you, I don't use sweeteners much, but I will admit to using agave in my cocktails though (in place of high calorie mixes)
  • AlyRoseNYC
    AlyRoseNYC Posts: 1,075 Member
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    Sugar FTW!
  • GetFitE
    GetFitE Posts: 247 Member
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    I used Splenda for the longest time and loved it, but after hearing on Dr Oz that Splenda usually results in your craving sugar MORE, I decided to make a switch, since I ALREADY have a big sweet tooth and struggle to control it some times. I use Truvia (while more expensive)...tried buying the wal-mart brand, but after looking at the ingredients, noticed that Truvia is more natural vs lab created Wal-Mart version of truvia. But since the switch, I actually use LESS truvia than I did splenda, which was less then I used of regular sugar. **And I never noticed and after taste with either in hot beverages (mostly what I drink), but did notice a splenda after taste if I made sweet tea or a cold drink; haven't tried it with truvia yet**
  • tlamarch
    tlamarch Posts: 105
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    stevia all the way stay far far away from all the other stuff, super bad for you
  • Chasofkc
    Chasofkc Posts: 2 Member
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    I've been working with a natural path and one complaint I had was constant headaches... she made me cut out ALL artificial sweeteners -- within 2 weeks my headaches were a thing of the past. She indicated artificial sweeteners are destroying our bodies from the inside out and that its just like poison. I switched to Stevia and am still headache free..
  • gatecityradio
    gatecityradio Posts: 401
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    Stevia if I have a choice. A lot of times at work the only choice in tea is either sweet tea with sugar or sweet tea with splanda, so I go with splenda then. I have a stevia plant but I have no idea how to prepare it.
  • myfitnessnmhoy
    myfitnessnmhoy Posts: 2,105 Member
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    Never joined the sweetener debate.... I have always used Dominoes pure cane sugar it is only 15 calories a spoonful......

    ^^^ Same here. I preferred to lose the addiction to everything needing to taste sweet.

    However, my wife much prefers Stevia and it appears (so far) to be a healthier product than other sweeteners.

    Time will tell. I know the side effects of sugar - calories and an insulin response. I don't know the long-term side effects of sweeteners that have only been on the market for a few years.

    My wife keeps insisting that I try it, because "it's based on a plant". My observation of "so is hemlock" was not well-received.
  • myfitnessnmhoy
    myfitnessnmhoy Posts: 2,105 Member
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    4. studies show . . . - given enough time, you can find studies that show ANYTHING has ill effects. I read a study showing stevia caused DNA mutation in lab rats. Experiments have to be substantiated and recreated in order to be considered as valid evidence in ANY study. Just "hearing" about some negative study somewhere is not proof.

    Oddly enough, it was the same flawed study methodology that originally got people off the first artificial sweetener - saccharin. Which can cause cancer. If you're a mouse. And you eat three times your body weight a week of it.
  • myfitnessnmhoy
    myfitnessnmhoy Posts: 2,105 Member
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    Has anyone tried replacing sugar and artificial sweetener with agave nectar? I've been meaning to try it, but I really don't use sweetener much outside what's in my diet tea.

    My wife went through an Agave Nectar phase, I tried it and it wasn't bad. It's pretty pricey, though.

    For 16 calories a teaspoon, plain old sugar works fine on the rare occasions I need to sweeten something when I'm away from home.

    I also buy locally-produced maple syrup from a friend and raw honey, and those are my preferred sweeteners at home. But I gave up needing EVERYTHING sweet as part of starting my first "diet" about ten years ago, and honestly don't feel the need for sweetener often. Pancakes and peanut-butter-and-honey sandwiches are about all I use the sweetener for.
  • miracle4me
    miracle4me Posts: 522 Member
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    Here is my experience perhaps it will help someone. I started VLC trying to kick the sugar addiction an fructose addiction. I only succeeded in exchanging sugar for artificial sweeteners addiction. I first tried Truvia but I do not like the taste of stale cotton candy in my tea. Next Splenda, and I really went through a lot of it, emptying sugar bowls a day worth for 2 months thinking I would never again need sugar. My Protein Shake named Cherry Twister by Syntrax called nectar has Sucarose in it another name for Splenda along with Aspartame. I was in artificial sugar Heaven! Until hell exposed my illusion and my health took a drastic turn for the worse, and reading my profile you will see I have health issues already and did not need any new problems. I first started coughing nearly non stop, next I had severe shortness of breath like I could not inhale deeply. I finally like the dumb blonde I am put 2 and 2 together and realized every time I ate anything with splenda in it I started coughing so badly with shortness of breath! My lungs have been damaged in some way and this is only since March when I switched from Fructose.

    I went to the search engine to see if Sucarose aka Splenda affects your lungs. I was shocked to see Dr. Mercola whom I highly respect and buy his products from was warning Splenda to many people is like DDT or agent orange to the lungs and can cause lung cancer! I just talk about this and I am coughing again and my lungs still are recovering. Normally people do not get the symptoms something is wrong but I am grateful for the warning signs. Aspartame does not give me warning signs and I can use it without any known health problems. Oh except one and that is mentally I know and read what others including Dr. Mercola has said about Aspartame, search for yourself in search engine, white oozing matter in the brain, epilepsy, brain tumors. YIKES when you start reading about the negative feedback on these 2 sweeteners i was shocked beyond belief. Why is this in our healthy protein powders and diet foods?

    Now I have found a replacement and it is NuNaturals Stevia, the only Stevia brand I found that does not have a bitter aftertaste. I LOVE it. Stevia is natural from a leaf. So my advice do your research carefully just because your body does not give you a warning sign does not mean it is not being harmed by the chemicals in it.

    I am in desperate need of a great tasting Whey Protein Shake with Stevia that can be shipped to Europe using Paypal. I only use Paypal for purchases online. I really wanted Jay Robb from USA but I can't find any online store that will ship internationally and allow paypal for payment method. If anyone reading this knows another product or knows where I can buy Jay Robb said to be the best tasting Protein Powder please email me. If anyone knows of another one that does not use sucarose or aspartame and tastes really good low in calorie and in carbs please email me. I am very low on protein in my diet because I have stopped drinking my Syntrax nectar. Eggs are not my favorite food and I have to get more protein. This is my experience with Sucarose/Splenda. I was so disappointed to see Optimum whey also uses Sucarose. Now the newest advertising gimmick is NO aspartame in fact Syntrax nectars newest improvement on their formula is advertising no sugar,no aspartame, its all Sucarose now! Xzylatol I can't spell the name sorry seems to be another safe alternative and I use that also but it has more calories and carbs. Coconut palm sugar tastes just like brown sugar so yummy, but the carb count again is not VLC. I speak from my experience and I know many people will say they never have problems, for those of us who do have health issues with Sucarose they are very serious ones. I am grateful for the best sweetener I have found No carb or calorie Nunaturals Stevia.
  • now_or_never12
    now_or_never12 Posts: 849 Member
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    I don't think it really matters. Go with whatever one you like best and fits in your budget.

    I have always used the generic brand of splenda and have never had a problem. Some people get migraines using them so that would be the only way I could see to not use the aritficial sweeteners.

    I purchased a generic brand of Stevia when I was on vacation in the US and wanted to try it out. I don't find there's much of a difference. Bit of a different taste but that's it.

    Truvia has multiple chemicals in it that are not listed on the ingredients label (wish I could remember where the article was). Sure, Stevia is all natural and comes from a plant however as another poster pointed out there are multiple other all natural things that can be deadly. Tobacco, various drugs, arsenic, etc. So, just because it's natural doesn't mean something is actually good for you or won't do harm to your body.

    Look at a lot of the packages of things you eat and drink... a lot of them are filled with chemicals and artificial flavours, sweeteners and colours.
  • now_or_never12
    now_or_never12 Posts: 849 Member
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    Awesome thanks! so many great comments.. I think I´ll stay with Stevia.. It tastes a little weird but just in case since Splenda is not natural better be safe.. haha :)

    Just because it's natural doesn't mean something is good for you... just something to think about. Go with whichever one you like best.
  • nichalsont
    nichalsont Posts: 421 Member
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    My doctor recommends Stevia because it is plant based (?). Personally, I doubt I will ever give up my Sweet & Low.
  • now_or_never12
    now_or_never12 Posts: 849 Member
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    Stevia if I have a choice. A lot of times at work the only choice in tea is either sweet tea with sugar or sweet tea with splanda, so I go with splenda then. I have a stevia plant but I have no idea how to prepare it.

    Take off the leaves and dry them ... either in the sun, food dehydrator or just leave them in a warm place for a day or so. Lay them in a single layer when drying.

    Once they are fully dried you can do two things with them..

    1) Grind them up in a coffee bean grinder or something like that and there's your powdered Stevia.
    2) Grind them up until they are a powder and place in water. Let that sit for 24 hours. Now you've got liquid Stevia.
  • RonSwanson66
    RonSwanson66 Posts: 1,150 Member
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    Dr. Mercola whom I highly respect

    Whenever you see this, it's safe to disregard everything that person has to say.
  • MonicaT1972
    MonicaT1972 Posts: 512
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    Neither, I just don't consume anything that requires sweetening.
  • mrandolph69
    mrandolph69 Posts: 197 Member
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    I prefer Truvia.
  • miracle4me
    miracle4me Posts: 522 Member
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    Dr. Mercola whom I highly respect

    Whenever you see this, it's safe to disregard everything that person has to say.
    [/quote

    I do not know what you have against Dr. Mercola nor do I care to hear it. The search engine has many more who agree with him on the dangers of splenda. I speak from my own experience with it and I am not the only one with health issues because of it.
  • RonSwanson66
    RonSwanson66 Posts: 1,150 Member
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    Dr. Mercola whom I highly respect

    Whenever you see this, it's safe to disregard everything that person has to say.

    I do not know what you have against Dr. Mercola nor do I care to hear it. The search engine has many more who agree with him on the dangers of splenda. I speak from my own experience with it and I am not the only one with health issues because of it.

    Try using PubMed or Google Scholar. You'll then see just how full of **** he is.


    Also check out Quackwatch and Science Based Medicine

    http://www.sciencebasedmedicine.org/index.php/9-reasons-to-completely-ignore-joseph-mercola-and-natural-news/


    http://www.skepdic.com/mercola.html


    http://www.quackwatch.com/11Ind/mercola.html

    http://www.sciencebasedmedicine.org/index.php/joe-mercola-quackery-pays/
  • WillPowerYes
    WillPowerYes Posts: 103 Member
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    IMHO, it makes sense that NO type of artificial sweetener is "good" for you (high concentrations of any chemical are to be suspected as unhealthy), and that would also be expanded to concentrations or extractions made from natural products such as stevia (because extracts are a way of having too much of a chemical, even though natural).

    So, if "healthy eating" is the goal, there is no place for either splenda nor stevia.

    But if "calorie counting" is the goal, then there is a choice to be made.

    [This does not apply to sugar restricted diets such as diabetes, that is a different discussion.]

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