Before anyone goes Splenda crazy....

fiendiish
fiendiish Posts: 186
edited September 20 in Food and Nutrition
In trying to prove to my husband that plain table sugar is evil....I found out Splenda has 3.3.- 4 calories per packet...

http://www.scientificpsychic.com/blogentries/splenda-sweetener-the-delusion-of-low-calories.html

http://www.lowcarbfreedom.com/2005/06/an_update_to_th.html

Replies

  • dwarfer22
    dwarfer22 Posts: 358 Member
    I can't help you on that. While it's true that sugar has a ton of calories, I am finding more and more bad info on Splenda. What I'm hearing is that although it is a derivitive of sugar it is not a natural product and should be used w/ caution. Stevia, Truvia, pure-via and agave juice all the all natural substitutes w/ no cals. Plus I just started using Truvia and it is yummy!. Splenda gives me a headache. GL w/ the hubby tho. :tongue:
  • aapye
    aapye Posts: 9
    Splenda is not good for you. I spent years studying Nutrition. They've had to take it out of restaurants because of how sick it makes people. Long term can be disatrous (sp). I like Truvia but there hasn't been studiid much
  • questionablemethods
    questionablemethods Posts: 2,174 Member
    Even a tiny bit of Splenda gives me terrible abdominal cramps. No thanks. I would much rather use plain ol' sugar if I really want it on something.
  • suziblues2000
    suziblues2000 Posts: 515 Member
    Have you tried Sun Crystals? It is a blend of cane sugar and stevia. Only about 5 calories per 2 teaspoons. Not bad.
  • jackpotclown
    jackpotclown Posts: 3,275 Member
    I'm an equal addict, and yeah there's a few cals in that too, but I'll take my chances
  • jmathews
    jmathews Posts: 196
    Hello...I'm a Splenda addict. There I said it!!!
    Tried some of the ones mentioned above but I'm with jackpotclown, I'm taking my chances.
  • AnnieeR
    AnnieeR Posts: 229
    I'm not a fan of any chemical sweeteners. I tend to just use a tiny bit of the most unprocessed real sugar I can find. A few calories, to me anyway, are a fair price to pay for not putting a lot of questionable chemicals in me. I've read up a bit on Xylitol and have used that a bit as I try to stay as low GL as I can, but I still would rather just go with the real thing....
  • lilmissy2
    lilmissy2 Posts: 595 Member
    It usually takes people a while to get used to the taste of artificial sweeteners but it can be one of the easiest ways to cut back on calories. There is a lot of hype out there about the dangers of sweeteners... mostly rubbish. There has been some research suggesting a link between sweetener and brain tumours but the studies were done using tiny rats and more splenda (actually splenda doesnt include the ingredient in the research) than a human could possibly eat.

    Most of my dietitian friends (and myself) would advise patients that they have a much higher (and actually proven) risk of developing cancer from obesity than from artificial sweetener ;)

    If it's not your thing, I respect that but there isn't really a good health reason why you shouldn't have it.
  • IrishChik
    IrishChik Posts: 465 Member
    Hello...I'm a Splenda addict. There I said it!!!
    Tried some of the ones mentioned above but I'm with jackpotclown, I'm taking my chances.

    Same here. I have talked to every doctor I have about it and none of them say to go off.

    These days every item you put in your mouth has some potential problem that "could" cause this or that in the long run.
  • dwarfer22
    dwarfer22 Posts: 358 Member
    oops
  • DeathIsMyGift
    DeathIsMyGift Posts: 434 Member
    Splenda is the devil. I'd rather put natural sugars in my body than any of that fake crap. But of course--as always--that's just me.
  • July24Lioness
    July24Lioness Posts: 2,399 Member
    I don't use any added sugar (table sugar) and I don't use artificial sweeteners either.

    I use Sweet Leaf Stevia and I am looking to grow my own stevia plant and start using my own.

    I do buy splenda in the small packets for my husband (can't convince him to not use it at this point), he uses it in his coffee.

    Other than that, we drink Zevia, water and unsweetened tea.
  • Johnnyswife
    Johnnyswife Posts: 1,447 Member
    In trying to prove to my husband that plain table sugar is evil....I found out Splenda has 3.3.- 4 calories per packet...

    http://www.scientificpsychic.com/blogentries/splenda-sweetener-the-delusion-of-low-calories.html

    http://www.lowcarbfreedom.com/2005/06/an_update_to_th.html
    Too much of anything is a bad thing. lol I still use sugar, just tiny amounts, or none at all. Splenda is too sweet, and Stevia has a weird aftertaste. :sick:
    Hope your hubby comes around for you.
  • sandara
    sandara Posts: 830 Member
    Hello...I'm a Splenda addict. There I said it!!!
    Tried some of the ones mentioned above but I'm with jackpotclown, I'm taking my chances.

    I know it's not good for you but I'm a splenda addict too! Gonna hafta try the new stevia stuff but it's so expensive. I couldn't make it without some kind of artificial sweetener. :cry:
  • aippolito1
    aippolito1 Posts: 4,894 Member
    My parents used Splenda for a LONG time and they got horrible headaches after awhile because of it. As soon as they stopped eating it, they went away, so it was directly related. They use Stevia now because it's made from a natural plant. :happy: I don't use any artificial sweeteners. If I have tea or coffee, I use honey. I'll take my chances with regular sugar over anything else.
  • fiendiish
    fiendiish Posts: 186
    After hearing the bad stuff about Splenda...I thought I would do some research. I had no idea....

    I've started using Truvia. LOVE IT!
  • sniffles
    sniffles Posts: 295
    I've heard Stevia isn't that great for you either.

    http://www.diet-blog.com/07/is_stevia_safe.php

    And that's just one blog exploring the 'safety' of Stevia.

    It's too bad we all have such sweet tooths!

    I cut out ALL sweeteners for awhile and honestly it got to the point where foods tasted really damn good in their natural state with no sweeteners or seasonings (I still prefer having no salt, pepper, etc. on my vegetables/meat). Sugar is the absolute hardest thing to cut out but once it's out you don't miss it. Trust me!

    It's curious how sweeteners seem to dull our taste buds...
  • selbyhutch
    selbyhutch Posts: 531 Member
    Truvia is very nice... otherwise honey for me.
  • NYIceQueen
    NYIceQueen Posts: 1,423
    I always get nasty headaches from Splenda. And yes, I've had a product BEFORE knowing it had splenda, got the headache, went back to look, and yep, there it was as an ingredient.

    To cut the Sun Crystals taste a bit, I use one packet to 1 tsp-1 1/2 tsp sugar for my coffee. I used to put in 6 TEASPOONS. Then I'd have about 4-5 cups a day. So it's a big help to cut down on the amount of calories, but I still get some of the regular stuff in there.

    Again, though, everything in moderation. Right now I'd rather have freshly squeezed lemonade versus Crystal Light lemonade for example because, frankly, I can't pronounce half the chemicals in Crystal Light. :ohwell:
  • robin52077
    robin52077 Posts: 4,383 Member
    I just read this:

    SPLENDA(R) Granular
    1 tsp = 0.5 gm carb = 2 calories
    one half cup = 12 gm carb = 48 calories
    1 cup = 24 gm carb = 96 calories

    *1 tsp. = 1 serving

    Packet of SPLENDA(R)
    1 packet = .9 gm of carb = 4 calories

    *1 packet has the sweetness of 2 tsp of sugar

    Note: Per U.S. labeling laws, anything with less than 5 calories per serving, is properly labeled as "zero" or no-calorie.

    The caloric and carbohydrate content for sugar is as follows:

    Sugar
    1 tsp = 4 gm of carb= 16 calories
    one half cup = 96 gm of carb= 385 calories
    1 cup = 192 gm of carb = 770 calories




    I never knew about the calories in splenda, I use about 12 packets a day!
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