Artificial Sweeteners

ottermotorcycle
ottermotorcycle Posts: 654 Member
in Food and Nutrition
Hi there.
I'm an artificial sweetener addict. If I don't have at least one cup of iced coffee with sweet n low and at least a 16oz diet coke... well, it's been a very strange day, because I always have those things. They are my crutches.

I can cut out the sweetener in hot coffee because turbinado sugar and honey both dissolve more easily in it. I rarely sweeten tea, and then only with honey. Does anyone have suggestions for my iced coffee?

I have a feeling I'm just going to have to suck it up and use willpower to get over diet soda.
I also have a "light" iced tea mix sweetened with splenda that I use.. but that's probably just as bad? Are some artificial sweeteners better than others?

any thoughts are welcome.

Replies

  • Acg67
    Acg67 Posts: 12,142 Member
    Hi there.
    I'm an artificial sweetener addict. If I don't have at least one cup of iced coffee with sweet n low and at least a 16oz diet coke... well, it's been a very strange day, because I always have those things. They are my crutches.

    I can cut out the sweetener in hot coffee because turbinado sugar and honey both dissolve more easily in it. I rarely sweeten tea, and then only with honey. Does anyone have suggestions for my iced coffee?

    I have a feeling I'm just going to have to suck it up and use willpower to get over diet soda.
    I also have a "light" iced tea mix sweetened with splenda that I use.. but that's probably just as bad? Are some artificial sweeteners better than others?

    any thoughts are welcome.

    You're fine consuming artificial sweeteners

    inb4fearmongerers
  • BobsLittleBird
    BobsLittleBird Posts: 28 Member
    Artificial sweeteners are sweeter than sugar so when you eat artificial sweeteners it can cause your body to crave more sweetness. Also not all the affects of artificial sweeteners on the body are known yet and they can mess with some peoples nervous systems. Some people experience migraines when they consume aspartame for example.

    An alternative to try to get you over the artificial sweetener hump would be xylitol, it is a sugar alcohol derived from corn cobs and trees and contains about 1/3 less calories than sugar.

    *Side bar be careful of consuming any soda even diet soda as they are very acidic and can demineralize your teeth, (I'm a dental hygienist and I see it far to often unfortunately)
  • dstromley1
    dstromley1 Posts: 165
    Artificial sweeteners are sweeter than sugar so when you eat artificial sweeteners it can cause your body to crave more sweetness. Also not all the affects of artificial sweeteners on the body are known yet and they can mess with some peoples nervous systems. Some people experience migraines when they consume aspartame for example.

    An alternative to try to get you over the artificial sweetener hump would be xylitol, it is a sugar alcohol derived from corn cobs and trees and contains about 1/3 less calories than sugar.

    *Side bar be careful of consuming any soda even diet soda as they are very acidic and can demineralize your teeth, (I'm a dental hygienist and I see it far to often unfortunately)

    This^ i like stevia tho xylitol has funny taste, ID stay away from aspartame, Theres alot of controversy about it right now,
  • ottermotorcycle
    ottermotorcycle Posts: 654 Member
    @BobsLittleBir I know about the teeth thing... and I have awful teeth. Another reason I should try to kick the habit! I personally don't think I have too many negative effects from them, but I haven't stopped so I guess I wouldn't know for sure. Thanks to you and dstromley1 I think I'll try out xylitol and stevia and see what works for me.

    & Thank you Acg67, I know there's a lot of negative hype, but I am trying to get my diet to have less chemicals in it. In my book, artificial sweeteners already beat out processed sugar.
  • SideSteel
    SideSteel Posts: 11,068 Member
    Hi there.
    I'm an artificial sweetener addict. If I don't have at least one cup of iced coffee with sweet n low and at least a 16oz diet coke... well, it's been a very strange day, because I always have those things. They are my crutches.

    I can cut out the sweetener in hot coffee because turbinado sugar and honey both dissolve more easily in it. I rarely sweeten tea, and then only with honey. Does anyone have suggestions for my iced coffee?

    I have a feeling I'm just going to have to suck it up and use willpower to get over diet soda.
    I also have a "light" iced tea mix sweetened with splenda that I use.. but that's probably just as bad? Are some artificial sweeteners better than others?

    any thoughts are welcome.

    You're fine consuming artificial sweeteners

    inb4fearmongerers

    ^ I absolutely agree with this. I wouldn't have any concern over it especially considering the very low quantity you're consuming.
  • dstromley1
    dstromley1 Posts: 165
    usually i agree with most of what sidesteel says but this time i dont. theres tons of studys showing that they can cause serious harm and possibly cancer and many other heath issues.
  • SideSteel
    SideSteel Posts: 11,068 Member
    usually i agree with most of what sidesteel says but this time i dont. theres tons of studys showing that they can cause serious harm and possibly cancer and many other heath issues.


    You're welcome to disagree with me and I should clarify that I'm referring to aspartame. I've also seen plenty of research on this but I've not reached your conclusion. I have no concerns over it, provided you don't have phenylketonuria and are unable to metabolize phenylalanine.

    I am assuming here that we are talking about doses that are consumed by most humans. If you're consuming a few cases of diet soda per day I would consider re-evaluating that for potential risk (although that would still fall under the ADI for aspartame). If you're consuming a couple of cans per day I would have zero concern.
  • dstromley1
    dstromley1 Posts: 165
    hey thats cool thats your opinion but id seriously recomend digging a little deeper into it, I dont trust the FDA any more after some of the things ive read about aspartame and GMO foods.
  • SideSteel
    SideSteel Posts: 11,068 Member
    hey thats cool thats your opinion but id seriously recomend digging a little deeper into it, I dont trust the FDA any more after some of the things ive read about aspartame and GMO foods.

    Let me ask you an honest question, and I'm not saying this to offend you:

    Do you think it's possible that I've done research on this and just reached a different conclusion on this topic?
  • lizzie1030
    lizzie1030 Posts: 60
    I put unsweetened vanilla almond milk in my iced coffee.
  • dstromley1
    dstromley1 Posts: 165
    No i know im not saying your unknowledgable at all. Im just saying theres lots of disinformation on the internet, but hey to each his own if you feel its safe then continue im not here to push my belifs on anyone,
  • SFGrynch
    SFGrynch Posts: 4
    Stevia, my sugar substitute of choice, comes in several forms most of which dissolve in cold liquid. Or, if I want to make an iced coffee with a sweetener that doesn't dissolve easily, I microwave just enough of the coffee or milk to dissolve it, and then fill it up with the rest of the coffee and ice. I try to avoid other non-natural sweeteners including aspartame, sucralose, and saccharin.

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