thoughts on artificial sweetners?

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  • rachempoo
    rachempoo Posts: 134 Member
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    I myself am unable to use artificial sweetners like Splena (though some would argue that this is still sugar) and Sweet & Low. If I don't use regular sugar, I use honey, agave nectar or sometimes Stevia. From some of the things I've read about fake sweetners and how they interact with your system, I am glad that I am allergic. I don't think I would want to put that in my body regardless of my allergy.
  • greentart
    greentart Posts: 411 Member
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    I, personally, don't use artifical sweetners. It's a conscious, personal choice. I would rather use agave nectar, honey, or just some plain ole sugar. A study done recently said that those who drink diet sodas (articial sweeteners) are MORE at risk for diabetes.
    True, a couple teaspoons isn't going to affect you that much. But I'm trying to be healthier overall, so I say no go.
  • jbs2travel
    jbs2travel Posts: 68 Member
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    I use stevia - it's natural
  • Derpes
    Derpes Posts: 2,033 Member
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    People demonize artificial sweeteners but have little credible data to substantiate their claims.

    Most of the claims come from charlatans that offer natural health solutions absent evidence.

    Here is a helpful link:

    http://www.cancer.gov/cancertopics/factsheet/Risk/artificial-sweeteners
  • islandlifenc
    islandlifenc Posts: 107 Member
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    Stevia. KAL Liquid Stevia is my favorite.

    Stevia is a 0 calorie sweetener that comes from a plant. It is not a frankenfood that was invented in a lab. It has been used in some cultures for thousands of years without incident.

    I won't go near artificial sweeteners. They're poison to the body, wreak havoc on your insulin levels, drive an insatiable urge for carbs and sweets and they will have toxic effects on the body over time.

    Of course there is big lobbying money in the artificial sweetener industry. Sort of like there's big money in the genetically modified foods (GMO) industry, and these industries tend to have revolving doors with our government, so you can't expect to get the real low down on how bad that stuff is from any government-funded agency.

    I know of certain people on here who recoil at any link from an alternative health site, so I can only encourage you to do your own research:

    http://www.naturalnews.com/artificial_sweeteners.html
  • greentart
    greentart Posts: 411 Member
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    Except that Stevia isn't actually all natural, especially if you buy a major food company's brand. Not until a major food company got involved did stevia become legal, and only after it had been highly processed using a patentable chemical-laden process…so processed that Truvia (Coca-Cola’s branded product) goes through about 40 steps to process the extract from the leaf, relying on chemicals like acetone, methanol, ethanol, acetonitrile, and isopropanol. Some of these chemicals are known carcinogens. Why would you want to put that in your body?

    If you want to use Stevia, make sure that its labeled "whole leaf stevia", or simply buy your own stevia plant to use as sweetner.

    You should try Stevia it is a plant base product so it's all natural. Many people made the switch to it. I've been using it for more than two months and i like it. I don't drink coffee but use it in my natural yogourt.
  • ObtainingBalance
    ObtainingBalance Posts: 1,446 Member
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    Chemicals vs calories... hmmm . Lol. =P


    I use stevia.
  • ImtheOnethatsCool
    ImtheOnethatsCool Posts: 212 Member
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    my only thoughts on this, is that I think artificial sweeteners taste gross, so I just use the real thing, but less of it.
  • gp72dpr
    gp72dpr Posts: 16 Member
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    I drink three cups of coffee per day with 1 teaspoon of sugar in each cup and I have lost 16 lbs in 30+ days. I would use sugar and not artificial sweetners. For the little amount of calories, its not worth it. If you deprive yourself of a little sugar, your body may crave it.
  • TedStout
    TedStout Posts: 241
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    Oh for...!!!!!!! Okay...I am 50. In my lifetime I have heard of virtually every food being "bad" for you. Peanut butter, milk, honey, sugar, artificial sweeteners. So people go all obsessed about it, and next thing you know we get outbreaks of e coli in "organic" vegetables. My personal opinion...eat what you want. If you are worried about it, use something else. Just use moderation like in everything else. If a teaspoon of (name your brand) is going to kill you, you will have a long life.
  • ninerbuff
    ninerbuff Posts: 48,618 Member
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    It's fine in moderation. Unless one has an adverse reaction to them, then a small amount a day isn't going to "poison" you. You have a higher chance dying in a car accident than being poisoned from artificial sweetners.

    A.C.E. Certified Personal/Group FitnessTrainer
    IDEA Fitness member
    Kickboxing Certified Instructor
    Been in fitness for 30 years and have studied kinesiology and nutrition
  • sweetfluffy
    sweetfluffy Posts: 24 Member
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    I use Truvia sweetner in yoghert it tastes like sugar excatly !! but it doesnt work for me with hot drinks , so I use one teaspoon of sugar that wouldnt be much calories to aviod artificial sweetners :-)
  • sw0301
    sw0301 Posts: 46 Member
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    I can't imagine that anything that would give me a headache would be good for anyone! I'd much rather make sure I have the calorie room for real sugar or honey over substituting with any of that crap.
  • NicoleTaulman
    NicoleTaulman Posts: 5 Member
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    With my having osteoarthritis and my daughter having IBS, I have stopped ALL artificial sweeteners in our home. I do not buy any "diet" foods anymore, because we are more concerned with health than diet. I, too, NEED my coffee in the morning, green tea in the evening, and some kind of sugar added to my oatmeal and bran cereal. I switched to Liquid Stevia. It is all natural and only takes a bit to get used to the different taste.
  • OliveBruises
    OliveBruises Posts: 68 Member
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    Not sure which would work for coffee (as it's up to your preference) but in general, here are some clean/natural sweeteners:

    Honey
    Maple Syrup
    Agave
    Sucanant
    Rapadura
    Maple Sugar Flakes
    Stevia (real Stevia like the kind by Sweet Leaf... not Truvia)
    Maple Sugar
    Brown Rice Syrup
    Molasses
    Coconut Palm Sugar
    Banana Powder
    Date Sugar

    My personal rule of thumb is to avoid "white" sweeteners as they are usually refined or made with foreign chemicals. The body cannot properly break down foreign chemicals. When this occurs free radicals are created in the body and free radicals have been linked to cancer. As far as refined sugar, I’m not going to explain the entire scientific refining process, but instead I’ll just list out some of the terms used to describe what happens in the factory to go from plant to table: clarified with lime, treated by a phosphatation process, spun in a centrifuge, bleached by sulphur dioxide, treated in a carbonatation process to produce a whiter product. If you prefer still using things like this in moderation, that is your preference. If not, there are many great alternatives in the list I've provided above.
  • TwelveSticks
    TwelveSticks Posts: 288 Member
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    Personally, I've cut back a massive amount on the amount of artificial sweeteners I consume (from nigh on 2 litres of Pepsi Max a day to 500ml once in a while). I'm pretty sure it wasn't good for me, but I'm equally happy that what I consume now is unlikely to be causing me problems.

    The 'science' behind it causing weight gain (in rats) because it fools you into being hungry when you're not and thus makes you eat more is surely irrelevant for MFPers anyway, since we're all keeping track of all our calories aren't we?
  • ILiftHeavyAcrylics
    ILiftHeavyAcrylics Posts: 27,732 Member
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    I haven't seen any evidence that has convinced me to give up the small amount of Splenda I use. I put it in my coffee every morning. I've never noticed any changes in hunger or sugar cravings, which is one of the common reasons people give not to use them. I personally hate the taste of stevia. Splenda is the only artificial sweetener that tastes good to me.
  • MeganGable
    MeganGable Posts: 68 Member
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    it depends if you value health more than weight loss, or vice versa.


    If it's just 2 tsps, I'd personally go with honey or sugar


    ^what he said
  • weinbagel
    weinbagel Posts: 337 Member
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    have you tried stevia? i use "NuNaturals liquid vanilla stevia" and i think it's better for you. i used to be a splenda addict (10+ packets in one cup of coffee) and then i realized it had such bad effects on me! i would get sooo bloated. stevia is just as tasty!
    I drink mainly water (a lot of it), but I do love my morning coffee!! I use 1 packet of splenda per cup and I only have 1 cup per day, maybe 2. Is this a detrimental amount of splenda?? I would have to use 2-3 tsp of regular sugar to get the sweetness I prefer, which is why I reach for the splenda. I know artificial sweetners have a bad rep, but what about in moderation??
  • carrieous
    carrieous Posts: 1,024 Member
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    i used to use splenda before i gave up sugars and sweeteners last year (not without a few setbacks, i do have real sugar sometimes). I dont think its bad per se but now that i dont put it in my coffee, i think i have lost my taste for sweetness altogether (unless i have PMS- hence the setbacks:)

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