Zero Calorie Sweetener vs. Natural Sugar

I use Splenda or flavoured stevia drops, but I try to cut out extra sugar wherever I can. And the studies that tell you how bad the stuff is usually involve extreme doses. Everything is bad for you in extreme doses. I'm not going to worry about one packet of Splenda in my coffee.

Go with an organic sugar (not the refined, white stuff). 15 calories isn't going to break your diet, plus it tastes SO much better than artificial sweeteners.

I use stevia.

Everything is bad for you and causes cancer (or so they say so eventrually).....I guess moderation is key!

I use Truvia or Stevia. I did some reading in a fitness book and that artificial stuff is actually quite scary!! Truvia and Stevia are natural sugars, but not refined like the regular white stuff. It's kind of like white flour. Companies take that good grain/wheat and bleach it to preserve it and give it a longer shelf life. It's the same with white sugar (minus the bleaching, I believe) Stevia and Truvia won't spike your blood sugar, won't give you any calories and taste like white sugar! It's the best switch I never made!!

^^^Great info. I use these myself and what she said is very true. All natural sweeteners and they are 0 calorie!

I used to use Sweet n low, but once I got off of it (yes it was kind of like an addiction) It gives me a headache if I use too much. I can only have at most 1 diet coke in a day (I used to drink 8 or more :noway: ) But now for tea and coffee I will use a packet or 2 of either Stevia in the raw (or truvia) or possibly splenda. I feel much better.

I don't have any concerns about low to moderate consumption of artificial sweeteners.

I don't have any concerns about low to moderate consumption of artificial sweeteners.

REPORTED!

Love myself some raw honey every once in a while, but I try and stay away from anything processed ATM. That includes white sugar and artificial sweeteners. Stevia drops suffice sometimes.

You should be careful with ATM you can get sick

Definitely stay away from artifical sweeteners. I use pure stevia extract, and very little of it. Stevia is a natural food, not an artifical sweetener. But it's a good idea to try to wean yourself from adding any extra sweetness to foods, as it can trigger a desire (or train your pallet to anticipate) for sweets that you might inadvertently fill with some really bad-for-you foods. Here's some good info on Stevia: http://www.livestrong.com/article/268751-stevia-the-glycemic-index/ Good luck!

Zero calorie sweeteners confuse the body and make you gain weight around the midsection.

I thought confusing my body helped me loose weight

You're thinking of muscles.

I often get tea from the store or the gas station- I sweeten as often as I can using just Truvia/Stevia, but Arizona Diet Green Tea is sweetened already with Splenda and a touch of honey.

I have had no adverse effects personally from any sweeteners and definitely don't feel like wasting excess calories on more caloric sugars. If I had to choose though I would use the Demerara cane sugar personally.

Cancer risks.. not afraid. I had an aunt die of her second bout with cancer and she never put any harmful substances into her body. My mom, meanwhile, has been smoking for close to 50 years without a glitch in the system. I feel like other than HUGE outside sources (like nuclear radiation in good doses or way too much tanning) you're pretty much either going to get it or not get it.

It's best to eat/intake all natural foods when we can, but it probably isn't worth stressing big time over, either.

I was a big believer in Stevia and was using for the last year or so. Then I learned in my nutrition for nurses class that stevia was considered an artificial sweetener; it was even in my textbook! I was shocked and questionned the teacher about it. She stated that it was a natural product, but it has something to do with the way it is processed. She also shared a story how she was getting bad hot flashes that she attributed to "the change", until she stopped using stevia. Reluctantly, I decided to experiment and went back to sugar (in the raw) for a few days to see if it would effect my horrific hot flashes. I can't believe the results. They went away! I still get a little warm at night, but I used to drip sweat just trying to clean my house. Now I am back to real sugar which I am not happy about, but to mitigate its effects, I buy the natural sugar that has not been dyed white.

I use Agave, Natural co**** palm sugar, or Honey. I do believe they have higher calories but they are natural and you body can digest them.