Artificial sweeteners

vet272
vet272 Posts: 183
in Food and Nutrition
Are artificial sweeteners bad for you? Are some better than others. I like a coffee with 2 sugars but this can rack up the calories if using honey or syrup.
Advice please.
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Replies

  • emmamurphy82
    emmamurphy82 Posts: 7 Member
    I use Natvia. I have heard it's one of the better ones. Not too sure if this is true but i would be lost without sweetener! I'm in Australia. I'm not too sure if it's the same thing o/s
  • Biggipooh
    Biggipooh Posts: 350
    For me all artificial sweeteners are bad. My belly blows up like I am 10 month pregnant. lol. I only use Stevia as a sweetener. No effect on my belly and zero calories.
  • vet272
    vet272 Posts: 183
    Isn't stevia artificial then?
  • ladyark
    ladyark Posts: 1,101 Member
    For me all artificial sweeteners are bad. My belly blows up like I am 10 month pregnant. lol. I only use Stevia as a sweetener. No effect on my belly and zero calories.

    This exactly^^^^^ i even keep packets in my purse in case i am out and need one. I even gave up the crystal lite packets due to the artificial sweeteners for the same reason...
  • vet272
    vet272 Posts: 183
    For me all artificial sweeteners are bad. My belly blows up like I am 10 month pregnant. lol. I only use Stevia as a sweetener. No effect on my belly and zero calories.

    This exactly^^^^^ i even keep packets in my purse in case i am out and need one. I even gave up the crystal lite packets due to the artificial sweeteners for the same reason...

    Do you use a certain brand? Powder or tablets? Will have to eBay order as search is saying uk banned it!
  • MissLotte
    MissLotte Posts: 101 Member
    Personally I don't like the taste of sweeteners. I don't find them sweet at all, they leave a bitter after taste in my mouth. I do love my sugar though and although I know it contains sweetener, I can't taste it so I use Silver Spoon Half Spoon Sugar, the calories of one spoonful but tastes like two.

    I know there are bad reports/controversy about sweeteners like Aspartame (which is why I stay well clear of diet fizzy drinks) but I haven't looked into any others, I just don't like the taste of them. x
  • trisH_7183
    trisH_7183 Posts: 1,486 Member
    No artifical sweeteners for me,due to migraines.Have learned to live with it & use regular sugar in very small amounts.Flavored waters or SF iced tea works for me.
  • vet272
    vet272 Posts: 183
    No artifical sweeteners for me,due to migraines.Have learned to live with it & use regular sugar in very small amounts.Flavored waters or SF iced tea works for me.

    Do they aggravate migraines? I suffer with them and would have to stay clear of the artificial sweeteners if that's the case
  • CyberEd312
    CyberEd312 Posts: 3,536 Member
    2 spoonfuls of pure cane sugar is like 20 calories a spoonful.. I have 2 every morning in my coffee and it hasn't hindered my weight loss.... If it fits in your caloric intake and you aren't drinking 4 or 5 cups a day worth then I say stick to the sugar... you are obviously losing weight..... Best of Luck to you.... Oh and unless you have an underlying reason to not use them I am in the camp of artificial sweeteners are fine........ :drinker:
  • trisH_7183
    trisH_7183 Posts: 1,486 Member
    What causes migraines is unknown,according to medical info.Sometimes you can find a cause by eliminating one food group at a time.I can go months without a headache,so avoiding artificial sweeteners helps me.Good luck.
  • firesoul19
    firesoul19 Posts: 37 Member
    Artificial sweeteners don't effect blood sugar levels, right? Like they don't cause spikes like eating a pastry would? That's my biggest reason for still using them, even though they're questionable for your health. If I ate real sugar foods, yes, I think I could fit them in my calorie limits for the day, but the blood sugar spikes and dips are awful. I know, the answer is to give up sweets (or severly limit them) altogether. But.... um... No thank you! Kudos to you that can live without sweets and be happy.
  • jsiricos
    jsiricos Posts: 340 Member
    No artifical sweeteners for me,due to migraines.Have learned to live with it & use regular sugar in very small amounts.Flavored waters or SF iced tea works for me.

    Do they aggravate migraines? I suffer with them and would have to stay clear of the artificial sweeteners if that's the case

    Yes, if that's a trigger for you, it'll hurt
  • AnsiStar
    AnsiStar Posts: 165 Member
    I got my stevia in liquid form from healthsupplies.co.uk :) price may shock you but it's quite a large bottle!
  • pinktoesjb
    pinktoesjb Posts: 302 Member
    I try to avoid processed stuff and there's so many horror stories about sweetners I just try to stay well away from them especially as I have sugar tolerence issues and I have heard they can contribute to diabetes.

    Agave nectar is very sweet, low GI and I find I use a lot less than I would vs honey or sugar, maybe give that a go. My friend switched to having it in her coffee recently and has said she now finds sugar in her coffee tastes too sweet and she doesn't like it.

    Either that or just try to get used to it without the sugar- if you only drink coffee with a load of sugar dumped in it then maybe you just don't like coffee!
  • Hexahedra
    Hexahedra Posts: 894 Member
    I would rather use a little bit of real sugar than artificial ones. But, if it's soda then I have no choice, better take the diet version rather than drinking that much sugar.
  • Biggipooh
    Biggipooh Posts: 350
    UK banned Stevia? I had not idea. Wonder why. Maybe it would take all the other sweeteners out of business, lol. It is a natural sweetener.
  • LeanneGoingThin
    LeanneGoingThin Posts: 215 Member
    I use them, but only for tea and coffee. So it doesn't really add up to much.
  • smw1023
    smw1023 Posts: 34 Member
    Artificial sweeteners don't effect blood sugar levels, right? Like they don't cause spikes like eating a pastry would? That's my biggest reason for still using them, even though they're questionable for your health.



    This is questionable. Some studies show artificial sweeteners are so sweet they actually fool your body and can over time cause the same spikes/insulin response as sugar. I avoid them as they make me feel terrible; bloated, migraines so I would rather use real sugar or nothing at all.
  • hippiejacket0810
    hippiejacket0810 Posts: 68 Member
    Artificial sweeteners are horrible! I was being checked for cancer. Turns out.. Artificial sweeteners were the cause for my terrible labor pain feelings, headaches, bleeding after intercourse, etc. Maybe a couple here and there. But I used it daily with coffee or if I went out and had tea. I cut it out and feel great again.
  • anjoneill
    anjoneill Posts: 98 Member
    UK banned Stevia? I had not idea. Wonder why. Maybe it would take all the other sweeteners out of business, lol. It is a natural sweetener.

    Truvia is the UK Stevia. It is totally natural and can be used like sugar.
  • RunningRichelle
    RunningRichelle Posts: 346 Member
    There is always a huge debate on this topic.

    My line on it is simple: If it came from an actual plant, eat it. If it was made by some guy WORKING in a plant, don't eat it.
  • MaureensFreshStart
    MaureensFreshStart Posts: 102 Member
    I try to avoid artificial sweeteners as much as I can - aspartame (Nutrasweet) has always given me a headache, and sucralose (Splenda) just doesn't agree with my tummy - so even if I was tempted to use them, my body would quickly remind me why I shouldn't! I've also read several studies where both are unsafe anyway, so I'd rather not even risk it, even if my body was fine with it.
  • mangogirl272727
    mangogirl272727 Posts: 95 Member
    Aspartame is the worst; it is converted to formaldahyde in the body and has been linked to (though never proven to cause) cancer and neurological problems.
    I'd say splenda is better, and stevia is the best (it is a natural plant extract). But something to keep in mind: studies have conclusively proven that consumption of large amounts of any artificial sweeteners leads to weight GAIN. Essentially the sweet taste of artificial sweeteners signals to your body that calories are incoming, and when your body doesn't actually receive any calories it causes out of control cravings (as your body is looking for those calories it expected). I wouldn't worry about this unless you're consuming large amounts of sweetener though (guzzling diet soda, etc.). I personally use 5-10 drops of stevia in my coffee every morning and have never had a problem.
  • vingogly
    vingogly Posts: 1,785 Member
    Stevia is a plant; Truvia is a brand name for Stevia (also available here in the USA). I use Truvia and Nectresse, which has monk fruit extract. Both also include erythritol, a sugar alcohol derived by fermentation from glucose which can cause digestive upset in some (try eating a bunch of sugar free candy and you'll see what I mean). If I don't have Truvia or Nectresse available, I'll use Splenda as a fallback.

    I use sweetener in my morning and afternoon cup of tea or coffee, occasionally sprinkled on fruit, and occasionally in cooking. My taste has changed over the past few years and I don't enjoy highly sweetened products like I used to; eat less sweet things (or salty things) and you'll find your taste will change. But I have no plans to completely eliminate sweeteners. All things in moderation.
  • alyngard
    alyngard Posts: 103
    UK banned Stevia? I had not idea. Wonder why. Maybe it would take all the other sweeteners out of business, lol. It is a natural sweetener.

    Truvia is the UK Stevia. It is totally natural and can be used like sugar.

    Truvia has stevia extract in it, but they are not the same thing at all. Stevia extract is directly from the stevia plant and has not been processed and added to like Truvia. Typically stevia extract comes in liquid form with a little dropper. One tsp of stevia extract is equal to one cup of sugar, but a bit over 1/3 cup truvia is equal to one cup sugar.
    I use truvia, but have just ordered stevia extract from Amazon and am waiting to get it in the mail. I live in the UK and wasn't able to find it at any stores (waitrose, wholefoods etc).
    Although I am sure unrefined sugars are better for you. I drink a lot of coffee and tea and just am not willing to use the extra calories on that (plus I'm always over sugar because I eat a lot of fruit).
    My advice would be to use liquid stevia extract if you are going to use artificial sweetener a lot. It's probably the best out of all of them for you.
  • MaureensFreshStart
    MaureensFreshStart Posts: 102 Member
    http://news.msn.com/us/splenda-goes-from-safe-to-caution-after-leukemia-found-in-mice
  • lilmiss_sunshine29
    lilmiss_sunshine29 Posts: 136 Member
    2 spoonfuls of pure cane sugar is like 20 calories a spoonful.. I have 2 every morning in my coffee and it hasn't hindered my weight loss.... If it fits in your caloric intake and you aren't drinking 4 or 5 cups a day worth then I say stick to the sugar... you are obviously losing weight..... Best of Luck to you.... Oh and unless you have an underlying reason to not use them I am in the camp of artificial sweeteners are fine........ :drinker:

    OMG - 312 lbs! well done you
  • vet272
    vet272 Posts: 183
    Anyone ever put honey in coffee? The artificial sweetener articles are terrifying me lol. Maybe back to unrefined sugar for me. Suppose honey would at least have added benefits though. Thoughts?
  • Charlottesometimes23
    Charlottesometimes23 Posts: 687 Member
    Aspartame is the worst; it is converted to formaldahyde in the body and has been linked to (though never proven to cause) cancer and neurological problems.
    I'd say splenda is better, and stevia is the best (it is a natural plant extract). But something to keep in mind: studies have conclusively proven that consumption of large amounts of any artificial sweeteners leads to weight GAIN. Essentially the sweet taste of artificial sweeteners signals to your body that calories are incoming, and when your body doesn't actually receive any calories it causes out of control cravings (as your body is looking for those calories it expected). I wouldn't worry about this unless you're consuming large amounts of sweetener though (guzzling diet soda, etc.). I personally use 5-10 drops of stevia in my coffee every morning and have never had a problem.
    Fruits are also converted to formaldehyde. Are they bad as well?

    I would be interested to read the studies that have conclusively proven that consumption of large amounts of AF leads to weight gain.
  • Charlottesometimes23
    Charlottesometimes23 Posts: 687 Member
    Anyone ever put honey in coffee? The artificial sweetener articles are terrifying me lol. Maybe back to unrefined sugar for me. Suppose honey would at least have added benefits though. Thoughts?
    Most of the frightening artificial sweetener articles are rubbish written by quacks like Mercola and the Health Ranger. Unfortunately they can be very convincing.
    Here are some articles that might be worth reading to help you make a decision.

    http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/artificial-sweeteners/MY00073

    http://www.cancerwa.asn.au/resources/cancermyths/artificial-sweeteners-myth

    http://www.efsa.europa.eu/en/press/news/130108.htm?utm_source=newsletter&utm_medium=email&utm_content=feature&utm_campaign=20130108

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