Is Splenda good or no?

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24

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  • rml_16
    rml_16 Posts: 16,414 Member
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    I happen to think it tastes like crap.
  • NBabi91
    NBabi91 Posts: 270 Member
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    Depends. Are you diabetic? Does your family have a history of diabetes? If you can use sugar safely and have the calories to do so, use it. If you are diabetic or have a low calorie threshold use one of the low calorie sweeteners.

    I'm diabetic, so I use aspartame. Splenda isn't sweet at all to me, so it's pretty much useless.

    Being diabetic or having a family hx of diabetes is not an automatic reason to use artificial sweetners. A tsp of sugar is = 5 grams of carbohydrate. The body sees 5g of CHO coming from sugar the same as 5g CHO coming from starch..BTW

    Except it doesn't. Starches and simple sugars such as glucose and sucrose do not metabolize at the same rate or exactly the same way. So I know how best to proceed with the explanation, may I ask how much college biology and chemistry you have in your background?

    Yes, you can. I have a Bachelors of Science in Nutrition Science and a Masters of Science in Human Environmental Sciences. I have been a Reg. Dietitian and Board Certified Diabetes Educator for almost 18 years...Thanks for asking. :)

    I am so happy this just happened.
  • branson101
    branson101 Posts: 173 Member
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    your either going to love it or hate it, but I love it. I use it for everything from coffee to baking. Although, I must say in response to an earlier comment that if you are a rat you might want to stay away from it, but I am assuming that you are a human being. I refuse to live in a bubble of paranoia and avoid everything under the sun, including the sun because some rat got cancer after being exposed to doses so large its ridiculous. but I am a diabetic and my doctor wants me to stay away from real sugar.
  • CarmenSRT
    CarmenSRT Posts: 843 Member
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    Depends. Are you diabetic? Does your family have a history of diabetes? If you can use sugar safely and have the calories to do so, use it. If you are diabetic or have a low calorie threshold use one of the low calorie sweeteners.

    I'm diabetic, so I use aspartame. Splenda isn't sweet at all to me, so it's pretty much useless.

    Being diabetic or having a family hx of diabetes is not an automatic reason to use artificial sweetners. A tsp of sugar is = 5 grams of carbohydrate. The body sees 5g of CHO coming from sugar the same as 5g CHO coming from starch..BTW

    Except it doesn't. Starches and simple sugars such as glucose and sucrose do not metabolize at the same rate or exactly the same way. So I know how best to proceed with the explanation, may I ask how much college biology and chemistry you have in your background?

    Yes, you can. I have a Bachelors of Science in Nutrition Science and a Masters of Science in Human Environmental Sciences. I have been a Reg. Dietitian and Board Certified Diabetes Educator for almost 18 years...Thanks for asking. :)

    Good. :bigsmile:

    You understand how blood glucose levels affect insulin release rates then. The simpler the carbohydrate, the fewer enzymes must be employed to break it down, the faster the BG rise, the more robust the insulin response rise. Some monos are worse than others for insulin response rate (looking at you lactose). Even among starches there is variation in rate of metabolism.

    PubMed is rife with human studies, both on glucose and insulin response to just about any saccharide you could wish. There's also investigation of the insulin response to the various low cal sweeteners. The body of evidence does not support an insulin response to non nutritive sweeteners (confining myself to those, instead of including the sugar alcohols for simplicity's sake).

    Those with impaired insulin response (I'll confine the conversation to Type II) cannot afford to tax their insulin production apparatus. To do so inevitably leads inexorably to exogenous insulin dependence. That is the end result to be avoided at all reasonable costs. In pursuit of that goal intake of simpler sugars is counter productive. Those with normal metabolic responses to sugar can pretty much have at it within reason. Diabetics do so at their peril.
  • rml_16
    rml_16 Posts: 16,414 Member
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    Carmen, just curious what degree YOU have.
  • ShaneOSX
    ShaneOSX Posts: 198
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    I would avoid it at all costs.

    Use Stevia, Xylitol, or Nectresse.

    They all taste different so you can try them out and see which agrees with you. I prefer Nectresse.
  • jenmsu83
    jenmsu83 Posts: 185 Member
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    I just started using Splenda not too sure if that's a good Idea or if I should keep on with my Raw sugar anyone?

    I use splenda everyday in my coffee (about 2-3 packets in 2-3 cups of coffee) and haven't had any ill effects. I'm sure it's better for your body to use real sugar, but I am content using my splenda and saving the cals/carbs for other foods. ;)
  • Anna800
    Anna800 Posts: 637 Member
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    Don't use it! switch to stevia!
  • jenmsu83
    jenmsu83 Posts: 185 Member
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    NO!!!!!!!! Stay away from sugar substitutes. Any manmade sugar alternatives are horrible for us. Although there haven't been enough studies conducted to difinitively say yes or no, anything that is a manmade chemical is not good for you. It a poison.Here is one article that may help you to decide. http://www.womentowomen.com/healthyweight/splenda.aspx

    I for one am not going to take the chance. There are so many things that go into our bodies that we can't control, but this is one we can. I would much rather use real sugar and just control the amount I use.

    So all manmade chemicals are bad for you and a poison, even though you admit there is nothing to really support that?

    LOL I noticed that too...
  • cfregon
    cfregon Posts: 147
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    Personally, I don't use enough sugar to make calories a big issue- But when cooking/baking I tend towards using local honey or a stevia product (truvia usually). Both of which I might use in my occasional coffee or to sweeten oatmeal. I do get some of the artificial stuff though- I use water flavoring packets sometimes and the brand I use uses the fake sweeteners. I already plan on ditching that brand once I finish what's in my cabinet.
  • tikikris
    tikikris Posts: 81 Member
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    I don't touch sugar or artificial sweeteners. And let me tell you, I immediately dropped weight and my mood levels stabilized. Stevia, honey, molasses, agave, and pure maple syrup are better for you.
  • idream2bgwen
    idream2bgwen Posts: 424 Member
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    No thanks! If I need to sweeten something up, I use Stevia and in extreme moderation! :)
  • Amber82479
    Amber82479 Posts: 629 Member
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    Personally, SPLENDA = CHEMICALS = BAD.

    I choose Stevia instead :)
  • SideSteel
    SideSteel Posts: 11,068 Member
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    I have yet to see any evidence that would suggest that artificial sweeteners are harmful when consumed at "reasonable" dose. That being said, if they allow someone to make something taste sweet, and save calories doing so, then go for it.
  • DontStopB_Leakin
    DontStopB_Leakin Posts: 3,863 Member
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    If you eat Splenda, you will eventually die.




    True story.
  • Acg67
    Acg67 Posts: 12,142 Member
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    Personally, SPLENDA = CHEMICALS = BAD.

    I choose Stevia instead :)

    Not all chemicals are bad, in fact some are essential to human life
  • SideSteel
    SideSteel Posts: 11,068 Member
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    If you eat Splenda, you will eventually die.




    True story.

    I would like to change my previous statement.
  • CarmenSRT
    CarmenSRT Posts: 843 Member
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    Carmen, just curious what degree YOU have.


    Pre med: that's bio and chem majors, plus my minor is psych. Then I had mini strokes that made med school ill advised. My background is solid, but persistent short term memory loss would make it look as if I'd used some much better student's transcripts to apply. From an ethical standpoint I'm no longer that person.
  • _Elemenopee_
    _Elemenopee_ Posts: 2,665 Member
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    Depends. Are you diabetic? Does your family have a history of diabetes? If you can use sugar safely and have the calories to do so, use it. If you are diabetic or have a low calorie threshold use one of the low calorie sweeteners.

    I'm diabetic, so I use aspartame. Splenda isn't sweet at all to me, so it's pretty much useless.

    Being diabetic or having a family hx of diabetes is not an automatic reason to use artificial sweetners. A tsp of sugar is = 5 grams of carbohydrate. The body sees 5g of CHO coming from sugar the same as 5g CHO coming from starch..BTW

    Except it doesn't. Starches and simple sugars such as glucose and sucrose do not metabolize at the same rate or exactly the same way. So I know how best to proceed with the explanation, may I ask how much college biology and chemistry you have in your background?

    Yes, you can. I have a Bachelors of Science in Nutrition Science and a Masters of Science in Human Environmental Sciences. I have been a Reg. Dietitian and Board Certified Diabetes Educator for almost 18 years...Thanks for asking. :)

    I have internet wood.
  • TangledUp_InBlue
    TangledUp_InBlue Posts: 397 Member
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    Artificial sweeteners taste like toenails.

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