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

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  • yellowrose33
    yellowrose33 Posts: 4
    I have been using Stevia for about a year now (I was gestational diabetic and wanted to find a way to still have the things I was craving). I love it and so does my husband! I have both the liquid (for drinks and sauce making) and the powder (for baking and other cooking) forms. I definitely recommend staying away from Truvia as it is a Stevia blend so it is still very processed. I have used both SweetLeaf and Stevita. Stevita is more reasonably priced but SweetLeaf is easier to find. I have found SweetLeaf at King Soopers (Kroger) in the organic section (green box or green labeled bottles) in the baking aisle and also Whole Foods.

    Stevita also has powdered drink mixes like crystal light but mad with Stevia instead. They have a chocolate mix too that is GREAT for hot chocolate.

    If you can't seem to give up soda but don't want to drink the diet stuff...there is a brand called Zevia that is made with Stevia and is 0 Calories. It comes in Cola, Orange, Lemon Lime, Ginger Ale, and Root Beer. They were nice to have when trying to cut back on our soda intake.

    I think Stevia is amazing. You can stevia cookbooks at Barnes and Noble. I have even experimented with my own recipes and have come up with a bbq sauce and ketchup and many more.
  • questionablemethods
    questionablemethods Posts: 2,174 Member
    I've never tried stevia. Even a tiny bit of Splenda seems to give me "gastrointestinal distress" so I stay away. I just try not to add sweetener to things. If I do, I just use sugar. One of the things that I noticed when I started cutting down on and later cutting out processed foods, I stopped needing to sweeten things. I find everything perfectly sweet enough in its natural form now. You might find you end up not needing anything.
  • dogmeat
    dogmeat Posts: 83
    Like it's been said above, whether something is "natural" or "artificial" is not an indicator of whether its good or bad for us. Plenty of naturally occurring substances are poisonous, toxic, carcinogenic and lethal to us, and plenty of "artificial" substances are perfectly healthy.

    I think plenty of people are blinded by buzzwords like natural/artificial, and forget that deep down it's all just chemistry and molecules.

    As for stevia/aspartame, BOTH have been indicated (and vindicated, rinse, repeat) in relation to adverse health effects, with roughly similar result ratios. If you think it's smart to avoid aspartame based on the research available, you should probably avoid stevia too.


    In my opinion, either is fine as long as it's used in moderation.
  • noseovertail
    noseovertail Posts: 99
    We try to use raw honey as a sweetener instead of anything artificial. I used to like agave nectar but now they are saying it may not be as healthy as you think... though I would use raw agave nectar over aspartame or sugar any day.
  • lizbeth787
    lizbeth787 Posts: 101 Member
    I say no to artificial sweeteners - I recently have discovered that my daily use of sucralose (splenda) has caused me many health problems.... and it's sad it took me almost 2 years to figure it out.

    I am very adamant about what goes into my body - whole foods, natural ingredients, yet I used Splenda every day in my coffee and oatmeal. I had horrible gas, bloating, constipation, migraines - you name it. I only days ago linked it to my used of Splenda. I cut it out and within two days I felt great.

    If you google "splenda side effects", there are forums with crazy comments about what splenda did to their bodies.

    On another note, everyone's insides are different - I suppose mine is more sensitive than most. I didn't enjoy being uncomfortable every day, but some people may not mind it.
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