Aspartame, Splenda, Stevia, to use or not to use artificial

Raphi

I'd like to know your opinion on this everyone: I'm kind of new to this weight loss universe, and I notice that there is a LOT of artificial food out there! I LOVE desserts, chocolate, cake, cookies, name it! And I'm tempted by the guilt free recipes like diet soda cake, fat free cool whip, etc. But, I can't bring myself to feed artificial sweetener to my kids or to overindulge myself... Am I over-reacting??

Livi_Loves_Pink

Stevia is a natural sweetener made from the Stevia plant.

scarecrow41

I don't think you are overreacting. There are a ton of studies demonstrating the harmful effects of aspartame and sucralose (splenda). I don't think this applies to stevia, however, since it is quite simply a plant and is all natural. I'm not sure the effects it has on blood sugar but I think its safe to say that there are no chemicals or manmade products added to it.

mvl1014

Stevia is ...from the Stevia plant.

Yes, and HFCS comes from corn and Heroin comes from poppy plants. ;-)

OP, I don't use artificial sweeteners and even avoid sugar alcohols, but I've seen that most people here live on the stuff.

stormieweather

I use Stevia and unrefined natural sugar sparingly. I refuse to use anything else. I'd rather eat a tiny bit of something that doesn't contain poisons that scarf a plateful of something that does.

mhollist

Your not overreacting at all! Aspartame and splenda have been linked to causing other health issues and a lot of people are actually allergic them. While Stevia does come from a plant, be careful of what you buy and read every label because sometimes they do extra processing. Even refined sugar goes through multiple processes that are questionable. Personally, I only eat pure cane sugar or sugar in the raw. They are the most unaltered and natural. Also, try substituting honey at times instead of sugar like in your hot tea. It is all natural, never goes bad, and if harvested locally can help relieve outdoor allergies.

omid990

there are those that swear by the stuff and those that wouldn't touch it if their life depended on it.

Personally, i go for moderation. try to limit the amount of artificial sweeteners. If it comes down to no sweets or artificial sweets, it won't kill you to treat yourself every now and again. :flowerforyou:

angelaspring

where do you purchase Stevia? Trader Joes? or any local supermarket?

adrienneflamm

Do NOT eat artificial sweetener!!! I highly recommend Jillian MIchael's book, "Motivate your Metabolism"... it will open your eyes to what you are putting into your body and doing to your natural hormone levels when you eat artificial foods. I lost 20 pounds alone, just from modifying what I eat, now i'm working on how much I eat.

tiffanygil

Well I eat it.

I picked between the lesser of two evils...The 100 extra pounds I carried around or eating (in moderation) artifical sweetners. It goes with everything else in life, dont over do it.

afyfe

I eat splenda in very small amounts. Otherwise, I LOVE Sun Crystals which is a mix of stevia and pure cane sugar. I try to do natural as much as possible within reason.

smae1980

Stevia is ...from the Stevia plant.

Yes, and HFCS comes from corn and Heroin comes from poppy plants. ;-)

OP, I don't use artificial sweeteners and even avoid sugar alcohols, but I've seen that most people here live on the stuff.

stevia is not comparable to heroin and the comparison is ridiculous! Stevia is an all natural sweetener derived from the stevia plant similar to how raw sugar is derived from sugar cane. Check lables on commercially packaged products.Good organic stevia can be purchased at natural food stores

mvl1014

stevia is not comparable to heroin and the comparison is ridiculous! Stevia is an all natural sweetener derived from the stevia plant similar to how raw sugar is derived from sugar cane. Check lables on commercially packaged products.Good organic stevia can be purchased at natural food stores

Would you prefer marijuana? Not even "derived" just grown and smoked.

I was making the point that it being natural isn't indicative of how good or not good for you it is.

Margiegoble7

Please read my sugar article called: The Secret Poison--it will answer your questions--by the way stevia isn't an artificial sweetner it is a natural form of sweetness from the stevia plant.

Raphi

Please read my sugar article called: The Secret Poison--it will answer your questions--by the way stevia isn't an artificial sweetner it is a natural form of sweetness from the stevia plant.

Where can I find the article?

scarecrow41

stevia is not comparable to heroin and the comparison is ridiculous! Stevia is an all natural sweetener derived from the stevia plant similar to how raw sugar is derived from sugar cane. Check lables on commercially packaged products.Good organic stevia can be purchased at natural food stores

Would you prefer marijuana? Not even "derived" just grown and smoked.

I was making the point that it being natural isn't indicative of how good or not good for you it is.

I'm not even sure why or what you are arguing here. You're making a strawman at best. Stevia has been used for CENTURIES in South America as a sweetener in food and drinks and Japan has been using it widely since the early 70's. Aspartame and Sucralose are both heavily processed chemicals while stevia is a mildly processed version of a leaf.

mvl1014

Where can I find the article?

I didn't have anything nice to say about the article, so I didn't comment, but I did see it so I found the link for you:
http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/80961-the-secret-poison


edit: Once more for the crowd that didn't get it the first time:
"I was making the point that it being natural isn't indicative of how good or not good for you it is."

Raphi

Thanks for the link
I get your point: the fact that a product is natural doesn't mean that it is automatically good for us; even though at times, it is.

Thank you everyone for your answers, they are very enlightling :flowerforyou:

imagymrat

I use stevia in my green tea and I love it! honey is great, but honestly I don't want the extra calories it gives me...yay Stevia! I even bake with it.
Holy toledo I have to edit everything this morning. I cannot spell.

vanessadawn

Sometimes I use artificial sweeteners in moderation. I agree that stevia is now said to be good, but so was every other sweetener that ever came out right? I still think it might mess with your metabolism, tricking your body into thinking it's getting energy when its really not. That being said I still use them in moderation. Although sometimes an extra 15 calories to sweeten my coffee with real sugar isn't that much of a stretch of my diet. Good luck in your choices, hope you choose something you are comfortable with!

July24Lioness

Stevia is ...from the Stevia plant.

Yes, and HFCS comes from corn and Heroin comes from poppy plants. ;-)

OP, I don't use artificial sweeteners and even avoid sugar alcohols, but I've seen that most people here live on the stuff.

This is me for the most part.............

I do use a bit of stevia on occasion. But not the Truvia stuff.............I get sweet leaf stevia from my local Coop or another health food store.

becabunny

I have read Jillian's book as well at it make SO much sense. Our bodies aren't meant to process the chemicals. She suggests the best way to eat healthy is to eat naturally and simple, food in it's most simple form. I love sugar in the raw and the one packet a day in my coffee hardly dents at my calories. I have also made the switch to organic dairy products and meats when I can. I suggest this book to everyone, not necessarily for her diet plan in the back of the book. It is a good honest look at what healthy means, and she has some honest opinions and stories to tell, including how much she screwed her body up with "diet foods", extreme working out and low calorie intake. I must admit I still love a twix every now an then but it was good to really think, what am I putting in my body?!?

Mamakatspokane

Well I eat it.

I picked between the lesser of two evils...The 100 extra pounds I carried around or eating (in moderation) artifical sweetners. It goes with everything else in life, dont over do it.

Agreed!

kiffypooh

I eat face sugar all the time, I LOVE me some diet coke. However, I do not give it to my daughter and don't ever plan to. I don't think kids need face anything and rarely need the nonfat or low fat alternatives while they are young and still growing. If I have a recipe calling for fake sugars I use vanilla or real sugar. I plan to stop using them myself once I go on maintenance, but until then I feel like they get me through.

1204life

no way!!! don't do it! My rule is, if I can't pronounce it, I don't eat it. Once you get used to eating real fruits and veggies, you will start to prefer them over all that processed fake crap!

1204life

Kiffypooh,
So happy to hear that you don't feed that junk to your kids! Please, people! Do not let your children drink diet soda! Do the research.

Raphi

I have read Jillian's book as well at it make SO much sense. Our bodies aren't meant to process the chemicals. She suggests the best way to eat healthy is to eat naturally and simple, food in it's most simple form. I love sugar in the raw and the one packet a day in my coffee hardly dents at my calories. I have also made the switch to organic dairy products and meats when I can. I suggest this book to everyone, not necessarily for her diet plan in the back of the book. It is a good honest look at what healthy means, and she has some honest opinions and stories to tell, including how much she screwed her body up with "diet foods", extreme working out and low calorie intake. I must admit I still love a twix every now an then but it was good to really think, what am I putting in my body?!?

I have to get my hands on that book for inspiration :happy:

Raphi

no way!!! don't do it! My rule is, if I can't pronounce it, I don't eat it. Once you get used to eating real fruits and veggies, you will start to prefer them over all that processed fake crap!

I agree: this MFP program is so great !! The more I log in my food, the more I'm conscious about what I put in my body. The other day, I ate a Flurry at McDonald's, and when I came home an had to ring in the 500 something calories, let me tell you that I got a MAJOR reality check :noway: !! And next time I get a craving, I'll think twice before stuffing my face with that...
Since I got here, I make a lot of better choices and I enjoy cooking more! I'm renovating my recipes, cutting the sugar content in half, sometimes more than that, substituting it with honey or maple syrup (my fav), substituting fat with apple sauce,white flour with 100% whole grain, etc... But when I browse for low cal recipes, especially for desserts (my weakness), It's mostly all artificial, fat free, splenda, etc, etc... Hence this post :flowerforyou: Thanks for your input (continue to inform me), because there is so much publicity out there, that it makes the fake stuff appear normal...
Have a nice day, everybody :bigsmile:

scarecrow41

Sometimes I use artificial sweeteners in moderation. I agree that stevia is now said to be good, but so was every other sweetener that ever came out right? I still think it might mess with your metabolism, tricking your body into thinking it's getting energy when its really not. That being said I still use them in moderation. Although sometimes an extra 15 calories to sweeten my coffee with real sugar isn't that much of a stretch of my diet. Good luck in your choices, hope you choose something you are comfortable with!

You're making the (incorrect) assumption that stevia is new and man-made. It has been used as a sweetener in South America for countless CENTURIES. It as been used in Japan since the early 70's. Japan is a much healthier culture than ours and they've indicated no adverse effects from the product.

kiffypooh

Kiffypooh,
So happy to hear that you don't feed that junk to your kids! Please, people! Do not let your children drink diet soda! Do the research.

One of my big aw moments was when I realized I was eating things I would NEVER even think about giving my daughter. Why is it good enough for me but a huge NO for her? That's when I stopped a lot of bad habits. Thank you!:flowerforyou:

kiffypooh

I just reread my original post, FAKE not face!!! Wow, I'm losin' it.