Sugar substitutes that wont give me a headache?Help please

bceltic
bceltic Posts: 135 Member
in Food and Nutrition
Good morning,

For a long time I used Splenda ( sucralose), and suffered from headaches every day! Aspartame products do the same to me! After a lot of research , I found others with Hypothyroidism also suffered from headaches using this. My headaches stopped as soon as I stopped using it. I switched to organic sugar. I drink apx 3 cups of tea a day, and using org sugar will really put a dent in my calorie count here, so I've been using Pur via ( stevia)substitute this week. I'm getting headaches again :(. In the beginning of the week , I thought maybe it was just from the abrupt change in diet and sugar detoxing, but I do think it is the substitute now. The after taste is also HORRIBLE!
I would love any suggestions!! Thanks
Bridget

Replies

  • songbyrdsweet
    songbyrdsweet Posts: 5,691 Member
    Are you sure there isn't something else going on at the same time? I don't want to say it's all in your head, but each artificial sweetener has an entirely different chemistry, so I'm not sure how they all could result in the same symptom. Sucralose is table sugar with a specific compound replaced with an electrolyte, aspartame is two amino acids stuck together, stevia is actually a carbohydrate sugar, etc.
  • ebonyroche
    ebonyroche Posts: 682 Member
    try stevia, its the only one that didn't give me headaches.
  • sharonfoustmills
    sharonfoustmills Posts: 519 Member
    sweeten your stuff with honey, all natural with lots of antibiotic properties- that's my advice for you (you will probably have to make your drinks with warm water to get it to dissolve well, but then you can always add ice)-- remember a little honey goes a long way so the calories do not add up as bad as you would think

    eta: unless you are diabetic, then consult with your doctor
  • cadaverousbones
    cadaverousbones Posts: 421 Member
    Do you usually eat a lot of sugar in your diet? If you do it could just be your bodys way of reacting to the change in your diet. I would also make sure you are getting enough nutrients and drinking enough water, getting enough sleep etc. Stevia is an all natural 0 calorie sweetener made from a plant, so I am not sure why that would give you headaches like the other artificial sweeteners. You could try just going back to regular sugar, agave nectar, or honey.. but it could also be something else causing it.
  • Casstevens133
    Casstevens133 Posts: 142 Member
    To be honest if you're only drinking 3 cups a day, 3 teaspoons of granulated sugar is only 45 calories ..... Got to be better than the headaches- all assuming you only have 1 teaspoon per cup? I hate using sweeteners because of all the bad reports about them so on the odd occasion I drink coffee (i dont take sugar in tea) I do have auger. I hope this helps :)
  • iamsc
    iamsc Posts: 8 Member
    sweeten your stuff with honey, all natural with lots of antibiotic properties- that's my advice for you (you will probably have to make your drinks with warm water to get it to dissolve well, but then you can always add ice)-- remember a little honey goes a long way so the calories do not add up as bad as you would think

    eta: unless you are diabetic, then consult with your doctor

    You could try a honey simple syrup, it'll make it easier to stir into your drinks. Here's a recipe, not that you'd even really need one: http://www.spoonandsaucer.com/honey-simple-syrup/
  • Lobster1987
    Lobster1987 Posts: 492 Member
    www.holdthecarbs.com has some sugar substitutes that are natural. I like their products- they specialize in no/low carb baking products.
  • CARBLEGEND
    CARBLEGEND Posts: 47 Member
    NEVER SUBSTITUTE GODS GREATEST CREATION...SUGAR!
    The LEGEND
  • onwarddownward
    onwarddownward Posts: 1,683 Member
    Either skip the sweeteners or try stevia.
  • bceltic
    bceltic Posts: 135 Member
    Thanks for all the responses. I am drinking lots of water this week, and get plenty of sleep. The headaches started this week when the healthy eating started and I started the pure via. The spoons in my kitchen are tablespoon size, and I was using apx 2 large scoops in every tea :(. Im leaning towards the change in diet and sugar detox now, after reading responses. I have tried the agave previously, and may try that again. The aftertaste of Stevia is ruining my morning tea. My hope someday is to eliminate the tea all together, but Im not quite ready for that yet! Thanks
  • angieroo2
    angieroo2 Posts: 970 Member
    To be honest if you're only drinking 3 cups a day, 3 teaspoons of granulated sugar is only 45 calories ..... Got to be better than the headaches- all assuming you only have 1 teaspoon per cup? I hate using sweeteners because of all the bad reports about them so on the odd occasion I drink coffee (i dont take sugar in tea) I do have auger. I hope this helps :)

    Exactly.

    But if you really want to cut it out, you can use agave nectar which is 20 calories per teaspoon.
  • xcatsaxon
    xcatsaxon Posts: 43 Member
    Splenda put me in the hospital with intestinal inflammation, I cannot do fake sweeteners at all, our bodies are not meant to absorb or use it and research has shown it can cause setbacks because your body will still crave sugar, and you overeat in other areas to get it. I have switched to unprocessed sugar and honey/agave and in small amounts. I had to wean myself down to barely using anything at all, but over time it has worked to curb any cravings. OH, and local honey! My allergies aren't as bad anymore =)
  • StacyReneO
    StacyReneO Posts: 317 Member
    You are probably getting the headaches from sugar and other food withdrawals (did you lower your carb intake?). Have you tried liquid stevia? You only use 3-4 drops of it.
  • lorenzovonmatterhorn7549
    lorenzovonmatterhorn7549 Posts: 495 Member
    I use either honey or agave syrup most of the time.
  • mi2ak2co
    mi2ak2co Posts: 16 Member
    You are not alone! A few years ago realized that diet sodas triggered migraines so switched to the rare sugar sweetened soda, unsweetened coffee. Later tried to reduce lunch calories by switching to reduced calorie frozen lunches and headaches returned. Just tried stevia flavored water, no expectation of an issue, and after a week of headaches realized may be a trigger and donated remaining portion of case, headaches stopped. Otherwise I eat everything with no issues (other than weight gain). Science nerd, so would love to understand the chemistry conundrum of different chemical structures having same result. Reduce amount used and stick to sugar/honey/agave?
  • Shesaid_destroy
    Shesaid_destroy Posts: 128
    I would say stevia, but to me, it tastes funny in tea and coffee.
    You can go for agave syrup (same cal count as sugar but you will use half as much), maple syrup tastes yummy.
    You could also find 'fructose' at the organic store (brand name 'Vivis'). Like agave syrup, it has the same cal count but again, you will use half and it looks and taste just like granulated sugar. Great for baking as well.
  • bceltic
    bceltic Posts: 135 Member
    Ive tried Agave before, I think I just stopped buying it because it went so fast in here and its pricey. Nobody ever touched my organic sugar, so at least that lasted a little while. I'm going to try the Agave again first and if that don't work ( taste), then I'll just switch back to the organic sugar and measure it out instead of just pouring it in!!

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