Splenda

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  • ruth1104
    ruth1104 Posts: 40 Member
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    I haven't heard of Stevia before, what is it? I asked on the message boards before if anybody knows if fruit sugar (granulated fruit sugar, looks like normal sugar) is healthier than normal sugar, or just better because you need less but didnt get a lot of replies.. To avoid too much sugar in my tea I drink lots of fruit and herbal teas that already have lots of flavour :D (and lots have their own health benefits too!)
  • elmct57
    elmct57 Posts: 594 Member
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    stevia is a plant related to the sunflower family. it's also called sweetleaf and has been around since way back. USA banned it in the 90's unless listed as a food supplement. Other countries, like Japan, have used it as a sweetener for decades or centuries. Some folks find it has a bitter taste if too much is used, or say there's an aftertaste. a friend of mine claims it has an anise taste (licorice-like). i use a drop of it in my iced tea sometimes. it's powerful and you don't need to add much at all. it's sold flavored also (amazon and other places).

    years ago when there weren't many choices, i did use fructose in my protein shakes. i prefer agave now.
  • elmct57
    elmct57 Posts: 594 Member
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    fructose versus sucrose...it all depends. if you're diabetic, it metabolizes slower and has a lower glycemic index.
    however, it can interfere with ldl levels and some birth control. your liver breaks it down into sucrose and glycogen inside your body. try google for more info on the two. the debate is ongoing.:wink:
  • weaklink109
    weaklink109 Posts: 2,831 Member
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    To those longing to drink coffee "like a man" as in BLACK. Here is my solution. I can't drink caffeinated coffee or my sleep pattern goes out the window and I feel like I should be flying around on a broom, so whenever I go to Starbucks, I ask for decaf. They almost always have to make it at the time, so as I am standing near the barista, gathering dust, waiting for my decaf, I noticed they had sugar free caramel syrup. I asked her to pump a couple into my medium sized coffee, and to my amazement, with a splash of milk, it tasted FINE without ANY sweetener. Before this, to avoid Splenda, which I found made me more susceptible to cravings, I would use a packet of raw sugar and a packet of Splenda, and it would be borderline tolerable. The sugar free syrup is fantastic.

    A couple of weeks later in my grocery, I discovered a decaf caramel flavored coffee. It was in the beans that have to be ground, so I had some ground up and tried it. Wonderful, no sweetener needed, just a splash of milk, and I am good to go.

    I have found that consuming anything with artificial sweetener will give me the munchies at night. Who needs that?--not me.
  • Nich0le
    Nich0le Posts: 2,906 Member
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    To those longing to drink coffee "like a man" as in BLACK. Here is my solution. I can't drink caffeinated coffee or my sleep pattern goes out the window and I feel like I should be flying around on a broom, so whenever I go to Starbucks, I ask for decaf. They almost always have to make it at the time, so as I am standing near the barista, gathering dust, waiting for my decaf, I noticed they had sugar free caramel syrup. I asked her to pump a couple into my medium sized coffee, and to my amazement, with a splash of milk, it tasted FINE without ANY sweetener. Before this, to avoid Splenda, which I found made me more susceptible to cravings, I would use a packet of raw sugar and a packet of Splenda, and it would be borderline tolerable. The sugar free syrup is fantastic.

    A couple of weeks later in my grocery, I discovered a decaf caramel flavored coffee. It was in the beans that have to be ground, so I had some ground up and tried it. Wonderful, no sweetener needed, just a splash of milk, and I am good to go.

    I have found that consuming anything with artificial sweetener will give me the munchies at night. Who needs that?--not me.

    Read the ingredients for ALL sugar free items, IF sucralose is on the label you are drinking splenda, aspertame you are drinking sweet & low etc. There are not many things out there that are labeled sugar free that are very good for you.

    As far as the flavored coffee beans, I worked in the coffee industry for over a decade and I can tell you that flavored coffees are made of a combination of natural and synthetic flavoring oils. The synthetic oils are chemically based these chemicals include alcohol, propylene glycol and vegetable oils as well as solvents. These items are used as preservatives for the beans and although the chemicals and solvents used have to be approved by the FDA lets be honest and say the FDA doesn't always have the best record. Also the process to which they decide if the chemicals and solvents are good for consumption is how the chemicals and solvents react to the materials they are stored in and the damage done to the equipment they are processed in.

    Natural is best, there is nothing wrong with natural sugar sources, you know sugar, fructose, agave, honey and REAL stevia not the marketing worlds version of stevia. Think of these things when you shop, what is the source of the food? And remember, the more healthy the marketers of a food product claim it to be the more likely it is to be one of the unhealthiest choices you will put in your cart.

    done ranting :laugh: for now/................

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