Artificial Sweeteners

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JenHall3310
JenHall3310 Posts: 13 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
OK, what's the low down on artificial sweeteners? Are they really thaaat bad for you, or should I stick with sugar?

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  • beccarockslife
    beccarockslife Posts: 816 Member
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    Medical science hasn't decided definitively but they are created in a lab, they are not food, they are a food like substance.
  • missdibs1
    missdibs1 Posts: 1,092 Member
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    This is what I have gathered and believe:

    Artificial sweeteners have 0 calories. So they will not effect your calorie count. What they will do is spike your insulin levels, and cause you to store fat, instead of burning it.

    Having a bit every now and then is probably ok (not for you keto fans). Personally I am off the stuff (good bye diet snapple, it was fun while it lasted.

    My new true love is water.
  • VeganSurfer
    VeganSurfer Posts: 383 Member
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    I don't consume them, I prefer organic, natural alternatives.
  • jsiricos
    jsiricos Posts: 338 Member
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    Give me migraines, I avoid them like the plague
  • wendydoodle
    wendydoodle Posts: 17 Member
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    I only drink it in my morning coffee and now i am trying to cut out coffee also. Trying to give up all my favorite things is driving me a little crazy.
  • bleedingdesu
    bleedingdesu Posts: 63 Member
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    In the past, there have been some of them that were shown to have some mild to serious negative health effects. Most of the sweeteners on the market today don't have any conclusive evidence of such, but many people have adverse reactions to them. My best friend gets extremely nauseated if he eats them, and I get splitting headaches within ten minutes of consumption.
    At the point, it really depends on how you feel eating them, and if the low calorie count is worth it!
  • GrendlStig
    GrendlStig Posts: 55 Member
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    They are not good for you. But there are millions of people who say that anything in moderation is okay. I've responded to a couple of posts about this topic and just happened to mention that I do not use any added sweetener, except honey. Boy, did I get laid into! Folks can rationalize any bad habit! And be very defensive about it, too. :)
    If you have access to Netflix, you may want to watch Hungry for Change. It's a documentary about diet, food and weight loss industries and the strategies used by them to create addiction to foods that ultimately prevent weight loss/promote weight gain. They talk specifically about artificial sweeteners and food additives and how they metabolize in your body and brain and the hormonal changes they cause in the body. The filmmakers promote eating clean/organic. I don't follow a 100% clean diet, but I do what I can. It's interesting! I made a lot of changes after seeing this!

    edit: There is more to food than calories, people!
  • BarackMeLikeAHurricane
    BarackMeLikeAHurricane Posts: 3,400 Member
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    I use them every day and I'm stronger, healthier, and and have less fat than ever before. I'm healthier now than when I was fat and drinking full sugar juice all day.
  • missdibs1
    missdibs1 Posts: 1,092 Member
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    OMG --> I almost forgot (Thanks scwhitson68) The spike in your insulin level/sugar rush, creates a crash effect, which promotes hunger and over eating.

    So those 0 calories can lead to calorie overload.
  • Acg67
    Acg67 Posts: 12,142 Member
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    They are not good for you. But there are millions of people who say that anything in moderation is okay. I've responded to a couple of posts about this topic and just happened to mention that I do not use any added sweetener, except honey. Boy, did I get laid into! Folks can rationalize any bad habit! And be very defensive about it, too. :)
    If you have access to Netflix, you may want to watch Hungry for Change. It's a documentary about diet, food and weight loss industries and the strategies used by them to create addiction to foods that ultimately prevent weight loss/promote weight gain. They talk specifically about artificial sweeteners and food additives and how they metabolize in your body and brain and the hormonal changes they cause in the body. The filmmakers promote eating clean/organic. I don't follow a 100% clean diet, but I do what I can. It's interesting! I made a lot of changes after seeing this!

    edit: There is more to food than calories, people!

    I'm sure that documentary isn't biased

    http://andevidencelibrary.com/topic.cfm?cat=4100&auth=1
  • FitFunTina
    FitFunTina Posts: 282 Member
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    I drank diet soda for years like a bad habit. I stopped all artificial sweeteners a couple of months ago after reading that they could be a potential trigger for seizures (I have had one - and drs have not been able to figure out why). While I do not know for sure what caused my seizure, I decided that I'm not willing to risk getting another seizure and took aspartame, sucralose, splenda, etc. out of my life.

    So it's sugar for me. Which means if I want a soda I have to fit it into my calorie budget. Most of the time, I'm not willing to allow for such an indulgence, but it's nice to have a treat!

    And what is more maddening is finding out where artificial sweeteners are hiding in regular foods. Seriously! My BIL had a pouch of big league chew for his sons. The first ingredient was sugar, BUT there was still aspartame in there.
  • viragoeap
    viragoeap Posts: 107
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    I have to be careful with them as they make me crave more and more. I've heard it's said that it's in my head with the cravings but no other foods makes me want to eat more like artificial sweeteners or sugar. I too enjoyed watching 'Hungry for Change'
  • Dfracassa
    Dfracassa Posts: 318 Member
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    Maybe it's just me, but I've noticed that artificial sweeteners have begun to give me gas. Like, really painful, all day long, no relief from medicines gas. And it was never like that before -- I've been drinking diet sodas for about 7 years, and though I don't have more than one or two a week, I was having powdered creamer in my work coffee and having really terrible gas every day. Now, at home, I use either natural creamer (Coffeemate Natural Bliss is tasty) or sugar and cinnamon, and I try to just avoid coffee at work. It sucks. I don't know if it is something I just developed in the past few months, or what, but I began doing little experiments on myself and yeah...artificial sweeteners are the culprit. Damn!
  • SideSteel
    SideSteel Posts: 11,068 Member
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    I'm not convinced that they are harmful in moderate doses.
  • krhodem
    krhodem Posts: 17
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    Scientifically, they say they're safe- that's what dietitians and nutritionists have set as their recommendation. I try to limit them because they do react in the body differently than sugar. I also try to limit natural sugar free substitutes as well because of some of the research I found in grad school.

    I would proceed with caution.
  • janebshaw
    janebshaw Posts: 168
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    I either use real sugar in moderate amounts or stevia, which is a plant extract.
  • toutmonpossible
    toutmonpossible Posts: 1,580 Member
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    Here's a link to an article by a nutrition specialist who practiced as a doctor:

    http://eatingacademy.com/nutrition/what-are-the-side-effects-of-aspartame-stevia-and-other-sugar-substitutes
  • JenHall3310
    JenHall3310 Posts: 13 Member
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    I'm *trying* to kick the soda habit, but those darn sweeteners are popping up everywhere. Drink mixes and such.
  • Fraileya19
    Fraileya19 Posts: 42
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    I'm *trying* to kick the soda habit, but those darn sweeteners are popping up everywhere. Drink mixes and such.

    I agree! They are in EVERYTHING now... even if I tried to completely cut it out it would be very difficult.

    I have even tried the Stevia/Sugar mix.. but they have SUCH an after taste to me. I have tried Truvia, Stevia, Agave nectar and all of them have an after taste horrible to me.

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