Sugar or sugar substitutes?

SirAwesomenessThe3rd

Sometimes I use stevia for certain things because sugar isn't needed (I also like the toffee flavor). Other times I use sugar. I do like coconut palm sugar, it's tasty and has a lower amount of sugar per serving size (a tbs is only 3 grams of sugar). I'm not used to regular sugar, and have just never had it around. But, if I am out and I need to add sweetness I will probably add a little sugar. I don't usually need extra sugar. Diet sodas are bad for teeth enamel because they are very acidic (citric acid and phosphoric acid). and some sweeteners and sugar alcohols can cause bloating and abdominal pain (but everyone is different).

Well that would certainly add to the explanations I've been looking for regarding my bloating every now and again. Usually only when I drink diet coke. Usually the abdominal pain is just gas though from all the veggies I eat :embarassed:

TabbathaAnne

Use stevia and love it. I don't get the " aftertaste" comments, to me it tastes like sugar, but it's relatively expensive.

I dont think its expensive at all. Yes, my very small shaker of powdered Stevia costs nearly 15 dollars, but I dont need much at all, and so it has lasted me for almost one whole year! Granted, I dont use it in everything, but it is so sweet, you really dont need much!

I love Stevia lol, can we tell! :P

ninerbuff

I drink a couple of diet Pepsi's everyday. Don't buy the hoopla on cancer or holes in the brain. Show me the bodies...........:laugh: :laugh:


A.C.E. Certified Personal and Group Fitness Trainer
IDEA Fitness member
Kickboxing Certified Instructor
Been in fitness for 28+ years and have studied kinesiology and nutrition

I would show you the brain, but I don't have access to the magazine I found it in.
I'm not sure how much it takes for it to have any affect... or how long it takes for it to happen...
but did you know that Splenda replaces the caloric molecules in sugar with chlorine molecules?
I just read it on the website to make sure, and from what I read there it seems safe enough.
I know a few years ago I saw something on T.V that made a huge deal about it, though.
Of course the Splenda company won't say their product is bad, so it's really hard to know for sure.

I eat a lot of things made with sugar substitutes and aspartame...

I stick to using regular sugar for anything I make myself, though.
Better safe than having cancer! It's just a few extra calories. No big deal.

Of course, I could be completely wrong.
I don't feel like looking up a bunch of information right now to find out if I'm right or wrong.
No harm in me saying too much is dangerous, though.
Too much of anything is harmful to our bodies.

I would urge you to look at actual peer reviewed clinical studies on aspartame. There are lots of them done by Universities and Journals of Medicine.
I haven't found one yet that verifies the claims of many "holistic, natural, anti chemical" bloggers, writers, supporters. Scare mongering is common amongst the "natural" crowd, even here on MFP.
With claims of aspartame turning into formaldehyde in the body to scare people, they neglect to say that eating fruits turns into formaldehyde too.
Don't believe articles, opinions, blogs, etc. unless you have some very good studies by unbiased (that's why peer review) sources.

A.C.E. Certified Personal and Group Fitness Trainer
IDEA Fitness member
Kickboxing Certified Instructor
Been in fitness for 28+ years and have studied kinesiology and nutrition

ninerbuff

Splenda is really bad for you...

How is it really bad? Or is that something you've just heard?

A.C.E. Certified Personal and Group Fitness Trainer
IDEA Fitness member
Kickboxing Certified Instructor
Been in fitness for 28+ years and have studied kinesiology and nutrition

ninerbuff

I drink a couple of diet Pepsi's everyday. Don't buy the hoopla on cancer or holes in the brain. Show me the bodies...........:laugh: :laugh:


A.C.E. Certified Personal and Group Fitness Trainer
IDEA Fitness member
Kickboxing Certified Instructor
Been in fitness for 28+ years and have studied kinesiology and nutrition

I would show you the brain, but I don't have access to the magazine I found it in.
I'm not sure how much it takes for it to have any affect... or how long it takes for it to happen...
but did you know that Splenda replaces the caloric molecules in sugar with chlorine molecules?
I just read it on the website to make sure, and from what I read there it seems safe enough.
I know a few years ago I saw something on T.V that made a huge deal about it, though.
Of course the Splenda company won't say their product is bad, so it's really hard to know for sure.

I eat a lot of things made with sugar substitutes and aspartame...

I stick to using regular sugar for anything I make myself, though.
Better safe than having cancer! It's just a few extra calories. No big deal.

Of course, I could be completely wrong.
I don't feel like looking up a bunch of information right now to find out if I'm right or wrong.
No harm in me saying too much is dangerous, though.
Too much of anything is harmful to our bodies.

Anything that isn't natural obviously isn't healthy for the body!! Sugar all the way.

Really? Aspirin isn't natural (it's processed) and has been found good for heart health. Oral antibiotics aren't natural.
Protein powders aren't natural. Neither are daily vitamins that are processed and made into pills. Kinda of a broad statement there.

A.C.E. Certified Personal and Group Fitness Trainer
IDEA Fitness member
Kickboxing Certified Instructor
Been in fitness for 28+ years and have studied kinesiology and nutrition

Pebble321

Regular sugar but less of it is the solution for me.

Two reasons for this - one is that I don't like the taste of any of the substitutes - especially stevia, it's disgusting. The other point is that in the long term I want to get out of the habit of eating things that aren't naturally sweet. So, for me, using sugar substitutes doesn't help me get to where I want to be.

CaelGomez

I drink a couple of diet Pepsi's everyday. Don't buy the hoopla on cancer or holes in the brain. Show me the bodies...........:laugh: :laugh:


A.C.E. Certified Personal and Group Fitness Trainer
IDEA Fitness member
Kickboxing Certified Instructor
Been in fitness for 28+ years and have studied kinesiology and nutrition

I would show you the brain, but I don't have access to the magazine I found it in.
I'm not sure how much it takes for it to have any affect... or how long it takes for it to happen...
but did you know that Splenda replaces the caloric molecules in sugar with chlorine molecules?
I just read it on the website to make sure, and from what I read there it seems safe enough.
I know a few years ago I saw something on T.V that made a huge deal about it, though.
Of course the Splenda company won't say their product is bad, so it's really hard to know for sure.

I eat a lot of things made with sugar substitutes and aspartame...

I stick to using regular sugar for anything I make myself, though.
Better safe than having cancer! It's just a few extra calories. No big deal.

Of course, I could be completely wrong.
I don't feel like looking up a bunch of information right now to find out if I'm right or wrong.
No harm in me saying too much is dangerous, though.
Too much of anything is harmful to our bodies.

I would urge you to look at actual peer reviewed clinical studies on aspartame. There are lots of them done by Universities and Journals of Medicine.
I haven't found one yet that verifies the claims of many "holistic, natural, anti chemical" bloggers, writers, supporters. Scare mongering is common amongst the "natural" crowd, even here on MFP.
With claims of aspartame turning into formaldehyde in the body to scare people, they neglect to say that eating fruits turns into formaldehyde too.
Don't believe articles, opinions, blogs, etc. unless you have some very good studies by unbiased (that's why peer review) sources.

A.C.E. Certified Personal and Group Fitness Trainer
IDEA Fitness member
Kickboxing Certified Instructor
Been in fitness for 28+ years and have studied kinesiology and nutrition

I'd rather be safe than sorry.
I couldn't help but to look something up about it real quick.
I read the health problems each type of sugar substitute caused in rats, and why it is still supposedly safe for humans.
I read what the FDA states about each kind of sugar substitute. They say it's safe for consumption...
but my personal opinion is that you can't always trust what the FDA says.
Sometimes something seems safe, but a few years later is dubbed hazardous to our health.
I think it's something people need to be aware of, and consume at their own risk.
I don't want innocent yet ignorant people dying because of something as simple as not eating Splenda, lol.
I'm not saying fake sugar is absolutely bad for you (besides the fact too much of ANYTHING is unhealthy)...
I don't trust the intelligence of the world as a whole.
People smoke, and die from cancers relating to that.
People choose to get so drunk that they abuse loved ones, drive drunk, and kill.
People claim that they are not bad, even when they abuse animals, loved ones, steal, cheat, etc.

I know I can be paranoid about a lot of things...
even though I know that, though, I believe it is better to be safe than sorry. (:
I've just had a problematic life the past 19 years, I try to protect my well-being from people's mistakes and poor choices.
If that makes any sense.

I obviously don't think all too much about sugar substitutes and their link to cancer...
if I was more worried about it, I would discontinue my consumption of Yoplait Light yogurt!
I'm just saying that I read things and saw things on T.V. that enhanced my awareness on this subject.
There's a good chance I'm just being extremely ignorant... and too lazy to search up more facts. (;

Meg_78

Absolutely real sugar ...never a substitute ...gross (and I'm not on the whole stevia love train either!)

I haven't tried it yet but how come you don't like the stevia?

I think its a fad...I don't think actual sugar is a problem ... The problem lies in how much of it people consume. So I am happy to eat real sugar in moderation.

sunshine2212677

i like spender - its made from sugar, so all naural, but has almost zero carbs and calories.
and it tastes great on homemade popcorn!!!
:happy:

inkandsheep

I use stevia if I want to add sweetness to tea, otherwise I buy unrefined sugar to use in baking etc. as it's the least processed version of sugar.

ninerbuff

I drink a couple of diet Pepsi's everyday. Don't buy the hoopla on cancer or holes in the brain. Show me the bodies...........:laugh: :laugh:


A.C.E. Certified Personal and Group Fitness Trainer
IDEA Fitness member
Kickboxing Certified Instructor
Been in fitness for 28+ years and have studied kinesiology and nutrition

I would show you the brain, but I don't have access to the magazine I found it in.
I'm not sure how much it takes for it to have any affect... or how long it takes for it to happen...
but did you know that Splenda replaces the caloric molecules in sugar with chlorine molecules?
I just read it on the website to make sure, and from what I read there it seems safe enough.
I know a few years ago I saw something on T.V that made a huge deal about it, though.
Of course the Splenda company won't say their product is bad, so it's really hard to know for sure.

I eat a lot of things made with sugar substitutes and aspartame...

I stick to using regular sugar for anything I make myself, though.
Better safe than having cancer! It's just a few extra calories. No big deal.

Of course, I could be completely wrong.
I don't feel like looking up a bunch of information right now to find out if I'm right or wrong.
No harm in me saying too much is dangerous, though.
Too much of anything is harmful to our bodies.

I would urge you to look at actual peer reviewed clinical studies on aspartame. There are lots of them done by Universities and Journals of Medicine.
I haven't found one yet that verifies the claims of many "holistic, natural, anti chemical" bloggers, writers, supporters. Scare mongering is common amongst the "natural" crowd, even here on MFP.
With claims of aspartame turning into formaldehyde in the body to scare people, they neglect to say that eating fruits turns into formaldehyde too.
Don't believe articles, opinions, blogs, etc. unless you have some very good studies by unbiased (that's why peer review) sources.

A.C.E. Certified Personal and Group Fitness Trainer
IDEA Fitness member
Kickboxing Certified Instructor
Been in fitness for 28+ years and have studied kinesiology and nutrition

I'd rather be safe than sorry.
I couldn't help but to look something up about it real quick.
I read the health problems each type of sugar substitute caused in rats, and why it is still supposedly safe for humans.
I read what the FDA states about each kind of sugar substitute. They say it's safe for consumption...
but my personal opinion is that you can't always trust what the FDA says.
Sometimes something seems safe, but a few years later is dubbed hazardous to our health.
I think it's something people need to be aware of, and consume at their own risk.
I don't want innocent yet ignorant people dying because of something as simple as not eating Splenda, lol.
I'm not saying fake sugar is absolutely bad for you (besides the fact too much of ANYTHING is unhealthy)...
I don't trust the intelligence of the world as a whole.
People smoke, and die from cancers relating to that.
People choose to get so drunk that they abuse loved ones, drive drunk, and kill.
People claim that they are not bad, even when they abuse animals, loved ones, steal, cheat, etc.

I know I can be paranoid about a lot of things...
even though I know that, though, I believe it is better to be safe than sorry. (:
I've just had a problematic life the past 19 years, I try to protect my well-being from people's mistakes and poor choices.
If that makes any sense.

I obviously don't think all too much about sugar substitutes and their link to cancer...
if I was more worried about it, I would discontinue my consumption of Yoplait Light yogurt!
I'm just saying that I read things and saw things on T.V. that enhanced my awareness on this subject.
There's a good chance I'm just being extremely ignorant... and too lazy to search up more facts. (;

Nothing wrong with good intentions. If some feel they'd rather be safe than sorry, then that's an approach they feel better with.
What I feel is important is to ensure that misinformation doesn't get spread around because some site or article says it's true because of experience or anecdotal evidence. While some people have adverse reactions to sugar substitutes, the general population as a whole deals with them just fine.

A.C.E. Certified Personal and Group Fitness Trainer
IDEA Fitness member
Kickboxing Certified Instructor
Been in fitness for 28+ years and have studied kinesiology and nutrition

yarwell

i like spender - its made from sugar, so all naural, but has almost zero carbs and calories.
and it tastes great on homemade popcorn!!!

It's made from sugar and chlorine, but chlorine is natural too.

Koldnomore

Regular sugar but less of it is the solution for me.

Two reasons for this - one is that I don't like the taste of any of the substitutes - especially stevia, it's disgusting. The other point is that in the long term I want to get out of the habit of eating things that aren't naturally sweet. So, for me, using sugar substitutes doesn't help me get to where I want to be.

^^THIS.

My lifelong eating plan does not include having to buy 'substitutes' I need to learn how to eat properly. What happens when you travel and they don't have 'substitutes'? or when you go out, to a friend's house, to visit family? what about if you lose your job and can no longer afford them? or maybe they just are no longer available for another reason? Why would I create a dependency on things when it's just easier to learn to eat less or do without?

BinaryPulsar

Regular sugar but less of it is the solution for me.

Two reasons for this - one is that I don't like the taste of any of the substitutes - especially stevia, it's disgusting. The other point is that in the long term I want to get out of the habit of eating things that aren't naturally sweet. So, for me, using sugar substitutes doesn't help me get to where I want to be.

^^THIS.

My lifelong eating plan does not include having to buy 'substitutes' I need to learn how to eat properly. What happens when you travel and they don't have 'substitutes'? or when you go out, to a friend's house, to visit family? what about if you lose your job and can no longer afford them? or maybe they just are no longer available for another reason? Why would I create a dependency on things when it's just easier to learn to eat less or do without?

You can eat whatever you want without becoming fanatical or dependent on it. I had to cut down on sugar because of a medical issue, and I got used to that. It wasn't for weight reasons. I can understand why some people don't like stevia, but I like it for the day to day kinds of things that for me do not need sugar. I don't have a sweet tooth anyway (so I don't use a lot of it).

FredDoyle

I drink a couple of diet Pepsi's everyday. Don't buy the hoopla on cancer or holes in the brain. Show me the bodies...........:laugh: :laugh:


A.C.E. Certified Personal and Group Fitness Trainer
IDEA Fitness member
Kickboxing Certified Instructor
Been in fitness for 28+ years and have studied kinesiology and nutrition

I would show you the brain, but I don't have access to the magazine I found it in.
I'm not sure how much it takes for it to have any affect... or how long it takes for it to happen...
but did you know that Splenda replaces the caloric molecules in sugar with chlorine molecules?
I just read it on the website to make sure, and from what I read there it seems safe enough.
I know a few years ago I saw something on T.V that made a huge deal about it, though.
Of course the Splenda company won't say their product is bad, so it's really hard to know for sure.

I eat a lot of things made with sugar substitutes and aspartame...

I stick to using regular sugar for anything I make myself, though.
Better safe than having cancer! It's just a few extra calories. No big deal.

Of course, I could be completely wrong.
I don't feel like looking up a bunch of information right now to find out if I'm right or wrong.
No harm in me saying too much is dangerous, though.
Too much of anything is harmful to our bodies.

I would urge you to look at actual peer reviewed clinical studies on aspartame. There are lots of them done by Universities and Journals of Medicine.
I haven't found one yet that verifies the claims of many "holistic, natural, anti chemical" bloggers, writers, supporters. Scare mongering is common amongst the "natural" crowd, even here on MFP.
With claims of aspartame turning into formaldehyde in the body to scare people, they neglect to say that eating fruits turns into formaldehyde too.
Don't believe articles, opinions, blogs, etc. unless you have some very good studies by unbiased (that's why peer review) sources.

A.C.E. Certified Personal and Group Fitness Trainer
IDEA Fitness member
Kickboxing Certified Instructor
Been in fitness for 28+ years and have studied kinesiology and nutrition

Hear hear!
People make all kinds of claims without any evidence to back them up.
Think critically people.
Here's a starter:
http://www.sciencebasedmedicine.org/index.php/aspartame-truth-vs-fiction/

gmppr

I have found a natural sugar replacement called xylobrit which has a low GI and is suitable for diabetics. It tastes the same as ordinary sugar but is half the calories and you can cook with it. It comes from Birch trees apparently! My dentist has tried it and says its better for your teeth than sugar so that's fine by me.

slkehl

Most, if not all, sugar substitutes can eventually lead to cancer.

False. Saccharine can lead to cancer in rats. But fortunately, you are not a rat. You process sugar substitutes using a completely different pathway, not the one leading to cancer in rats. Once there was an answer for why rats were getting cancer and how it was impossible for this to happen in humans, those warnings were removed from the fake sugar packets. I believe this was ten years ago.

oldreg

I have not read too many of the replies, but of the ones I did - I left like I should say something.

The advantage of using substitutes is obvious - zero calories. However the sweet taste causes insulin levels to rise regardless of the number of calories. However, with no extra calories to process and increased insulin levels your body looks for more energy and you do not get that feeling of being satiated. With regular sugar you do not have this trick going on in your body and you will not remain hungry post meal.

Another problem with some of the artificial sweeteners is your body does not have the proper pathways to process them molecules. Since the artificial stuff is not being metabolized you are looking at build up or excretion. However, some processing does take place and it sometimes leads to toxins being formed from the material since it is not being used for energy. For instance - some artificial sweeteners (such as Aspartame) are neurologically damaging or Sucralose (Splenda) breaks down to a toxic formaldehyde molecule and then most is excreted.

Comparing the two - real sugar is actually less damaging in moderate quantities. However, in excess they are both very damaging. The best thing to do is just limit amount of simple sugars in your diet, and consume sugars that are found in fruit which are accompanied by a large amount of fiber, nutrients, and water. These are the things that refined sugar miss and it tricks your body into consuming calorically dense foods without knowing - since the water and fiber are removed you do not feel satiated by 300 calories of pure sugar, but 300 calories of an apple or orange would fill you to the max. Or try eating three whole bananas without getting sick.

mariagabriella

neither.

honey!!

I actually don't use either sugar or substitutes... I occasionally use honey though, especially if I'm a bit sick (like now). otherwise I'm happy without sugar.

Geni_B

I use stevia and it is the best I have found do some research on the internet you will be surprised how different it is from the other sweetners.