Trying to stay off the Splenda and Aspartame!

eaglewoodwill
eaglewoodwill Posts: 20
in Health and Weight Loss
Read a few articles about how terrible the stuff is. I have been trying to stay off of it but man I miss my Diet Coke! I have kicked it out of my coffee and I miss that a bunch too. Is adding some sugar in the raw so bad?
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Replies

  • vmekash
    vmekash Posts: 422 Member
    If you have to have sugar, have the real deal. They keep discovering bad news about substitutes.
    Moderation in everything is key. Enjoy!
  • Cheryl1018
    Cheryl1018 Posts: 59
    Definately stay away!!!! It causes headaches, joint pain, stomach issues and is just no good!!! Be sure to check yogurts and flavored waters to be sure it doesn't have them in it either.
  • jeffn9
    jeffn9 Posts: 21 Member
    If you have to have sugar, have the real deal. They keep discovering bad news about substitutes.
    Moderation in everything is key. Enjoy!

    This. The fake stuff is not natural and we're not so great at making things that end up working well for us in the lab :)
  • TrailRunner61
    TrailRunner61 Posts: 2,505 Member
    Does it bother you? I've used them since the early 80's and have no side effects yet. I don't use them exclusively but I refuse to drink 120+ calories if I choose to have one soda, and don't fear sweeteners. I'm more worried about the pesticides sprayed on food.
  • farmboyphotography
    farmboyphotography Posts: 181 Member
    Whenever I start drinking diet soda with aspartame, within two or three days, I start getting odd twitchy eye movements and cloudy vision if I keep drinking more than one soda a day. Splenda makes me feel lethargic and unsteady on my feet. Even stevia makes me feel dizzy and gives me cloudy vision. Heck, I even have a negative sensitivity to high fructose corn syrup and that stuff is supposedly chemically exactly the same as cane sugar. If that is the case, why would it cause negative reactions that sugar does not cause???

    I agree with what you say about moderation. It seems like I am better off with old fashioned sugar instead of the substitutes!
  • tlnurse
    tlnurse Posts: 229 Member
    I'm trying to give it up as well.....so gave it up for "Lent" to try to break my habit. I have discovered Truvia which is a "natural" sugar extract. It is "0" calories and the consistency is more like sugar. I just couldn't handle my tea and coffee with no sweetening....maybe give that a try:)
  • jenilla1
    jenilla1 Posts: 11,118 Member
    Stevia = :heart:
  • SanteMulberry
    SanteMulberry Posts: 3,202 Member
    Read a few articles about how terrible the stuff is. I have been trying to stay off of it but man I miss my Diet Coke! I have kicked it out of my coffee and I miss that a bunch too. Is adding some sugar in the raw so bad?

    If you have to have a sweetener, glucose (the industry name is "dextrose") is the safest. You can get it at your local bulk foods store. I wouldn't eat a lot of any kind of sweetener, but when you have to have one, glucose is the one. It is sometimes called "corn sugar" but you shouldn't confuse it with high fructose corn syrup solids. The hfcs industry people recently asked the FDA for permission to call their stuff "corn sugar" but thankfully, the FDA turned them down so as to not confuse people. Dextrose/glucose and hfcs are totally different substances. There should be NO fructose.

    p.s. Table sugar (i.e. sucrose) is 50% fructose--not a whole lot less fructose than hfcs and we know how bad hfcs is for us.
  • barbiesnd
    barbiesnd Posts: 54 Member
    Does it bother you? I've used them since the early 80's and have no side effects yet. I don't use them exclusively but I refuse to drink 120+ calories if I choose to have one soda, and don't fear sweeteners. I'm more worried about the pesticides sprayed on food.

    ^^^^this, I haven't had any problems so far either. As with everything else......moderation.
  • LiziAB
    LiziAB Posts: 55
    Splenda gives me a headache, but I tolerate aspartame so I will have a diet coke once in a while (one every two or three weeks) . For my coffee I use one teaspoon of raw sugar (down from three). Normally I drink water.
  • lilmisfit
    lilmisfit Posts: 860 Member
    The only artificial sweetener I use is Splenda, and I've had no issues.
  • SideSteel
    SideSteel Posts: 11,068 Member
    I prefer aspartame and don't have any issues at the relatively low dose I consume. I've also seen a fair amount of research on it.
  • OneDimSim
    OneDimSim Posts: 188 Member
    n e one tried Nectresse? thoughts? Reviews?
  • 0408boys
    0408boys Posts: 72 Member
    I can apprecaite your post completely. I LOVE diet coke and gave it up 3 months ago. I do allow myself one every now and then as a treat, but it certainly isn't part of my daily diet anymore. Feel free to add me as a friend, maybe we can stay motivated to avoid the 'evil' drink together!
  • SanteMulberry
    SanteMulberry Posts: 3,202 Member
    Whenever I start drinking diet soda with aspartame, within two or three days, I start getting odd twitchy eye movements and cloudy vision if I keep drinking more than one soda a day. Splenda makes me feel lethargic and unsteady on my feet. Even stevia makes me feel dizzy and gives me cloudy vision. Heck, I even have a negative sensitivity to high fructose corn syrup and that stuff is supposedly chemically exactly the same as cane sugar. If that is the case, why would it cause negative reactions that sugar does not cause???

    I agree with what you say about moderation. It seems like I am better off with old fashioned sugar instead of the substitutes!

    You've been lied to---hfcs is NOt exactly the same as cane sugar. You should read some unbiased reports on hfcs. Of course the hfcs industry is going to try to convince you that their evil brew is "completely natural"--it is not. But, they both contain concentrated fructose---not so good. Glucose is the way to go if you absolutely HAVE to have a sweetener.
  • aepdx
    aepdx Posts: 218 Member
    Stevia = :heart:
  • x_JT_x
    x_JT_x Posts: 364
    I never had trouble with Splenda/Sucralose until 2010. I started getting brutal, rip the muscle off the bone leg cramps at night. Took ages to narrow down the cause but it was the sucralose. I have to read the labels of everything I buy because it's in so many foods now. If it slips by me and I end up ingesting some...even so little as a piece of chewing gum that I don't even swallow...it's a given that that night will be beyond miserable. It hasn't happened in quite some time now that I know what to look for but I accidentally ate something with sucralose 2 weeks ago. The muscle in my foot cramped so badly that night that my husband couldn't even manually force my foot to flex to relieve the cramp. Ended up having to take two muscle relaxers and just sat there and sobbed while I waited for them to kick in. It doesn't happen with anything else. Just sucralose. Really makes me wonder what the heck is in that stuff.
  • Lavon_G
    Lavon_G Posts: 26 Member
    I've just started using Stevia and really like it.
  • _noob_
    _noob_ Posts: 3,306 Member
    My degree is in toxicology and I make no attempt to avoid aspartame and Splenda is my artificial sweetener of choice for my iced tea.
  • CyberEd312
    CyberEd312 Posts: 3,536 Member
    Does it bother you? I've used them since the early 80's and have no side effects yet. I don't use them exclusively but I refuse to drink 120+ calories if I choose to have one soda, and don't fear sweeteners. I'm more worried about the pesticides sprayed on food.

    ^^^^this, I haven't had any problems so far either. As with everything else......moderation.

    Agreed I have no symptoms whatsoever from it and use it daily. I prefer pure cane sugar in my morning travel mug coffee but I have 2 or 3 diet pepsi a day and don't by all the fear mongering... Chances are 43 months ago at 560 lbs. that I wouldn't be here typing this today so I won't fret over a few diet sodas..... But to each there own..... Best of Luck
  • juliekaiser1988
    juliekaiser1988 Posts: 604 Member
    Does it bother you? I've used them since the early 80's and have no side effects yet. I don't use them exclusively but I refuse to drink 120+ calories if I choose to have one soda, and don't fear sweeteners. I'm more worried about the pesticides sprayed on food.

    ^^ this.

    I use the fakes in one way or another every single day. No problems here.

    Talk to me once you've give up ALL fried foods.
  • jackhoskinson10
    jackhoskinson10 Posts: 1
    I m hooked love splenda in my coffee and cant seem to break the habit , had no issues that im aware of
  • kelsully
    kelsully Posts: 1,008 Member
    Read a few articles about how terrible the stuff is. I have been trying to stay off of it but man I miss my Diet Coke! I have kicked it out of my coffee and I miss that a bunch too. Is adding some sugar in the raw so bad?


    I have replaced a good deal of my Diet Coke with LaCroix Lime sparkling water..so much better and I still feel like I am getting a drink that is more fun than plain water
  • ddky
    ddky Posts: 381 Member
    Several years ago, I began to have mini seizures. While researching anti seizure meds, I found a link about seizures and aspartame. I gave up the aspartame and never began the medicine and never had another seizure. I dont think that was coincidence.
  • graciesmomma0209
    graciesmomma0209 Posts: 36 Member
    I gave up diet sodas because of all the sodium in it. I do drink tea periodically throughout the day because I love caffeine lol. I sweeten it with splenda but I try not to use a whole lot in. Just enough to take away the boring taste of unsweetened tea,
  • cjlorigan
    cjlorigan Posts: 209 Member
    I m hooked love splenda in my coffee and cant seem to break the habit , had no issues that im aware of
    This^ Love my Splenda!!
  • juliekaiser1988
    juliekaiser1988 Posts: 604 Member
    Definately stay away!!!! It causes headaches, joint pain, stomach issues and is just no good!!! Be sure to check yogurts and flavored waters to be sure it doesn't have them in it either.

    Good Lord.

    Let's just start panic and irrational fear, shall we?
  • eaglewoodwill
    eaglewoodwill Posts: 20
    Thanks everyone for the feedback! So many different viewpoints is really helpful. I think I will go for the "once in a while is OK" path. I used to have a few splenda in my coffees and three or four diet cokes a day. I appreciate all the info and any friend requests will be accepted!
  • now_or_never13
    now_or_never13 Posts: 1,575 Member
    DO you have a sensitivity to sweeteners? If you don't I personally don't see a reason not to consume them as long as you aren't consuming a lot of them. So far the only "proof" they have come up with relates to rats. They have yet to properly prove it causes issues in people aside from those who have a sensitivity to sweeteners.
  • now_or_never13
    now_or_never13 Posts: 1,575 Member
    I gave up diet sodas because of all the sodium in it. I do drink tea periodically throughout the day because I love caffeine lol. I sweeten it with splenda but I try not to use a whole lot in. Just enough to take away the boring taste of unsweetened tea,

    A lot of fresh foods contain more sodium than diet pop does. The amount in a can of pop is pretty much nothing compared to some other foods out there.

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