Artificial sweeteners

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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
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    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
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    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
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    Isn't stevia artificial then?
  • ladyark
    ladyark Posts: 1,101 Member
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    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
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    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
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    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
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    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
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    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
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    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
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    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
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    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: 338 Member
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    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
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    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
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    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
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    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
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    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
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    I use them, but only for tea and coffee. So it doesn't really add up to much.
  • smw1023
    smw1023 Posts: 34 Member
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    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
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    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
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    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.

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