Artificial Sweetner Alternative

To get me off of sodas - I started with Propel - it has sugar but is low cal. Now I drink just plain water. BTW - if you are drinking regular caffeinated tea - you need to add the same amount in additional water. Caffeine acts as a diuretic. Good luck :-)

I use Stevia. I've not had any reactions to it, and it has left me with no cravings. Check it out on Wikepedia: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stevia

A few Natrual sweetner calories will not hurt you. Try honey, real maple syrup

Hey Mal,
I use Truvia...comes from the Stevia (sp) plant...I LOVE it!!!

Here is a nice article that might make you rethink using any kind of artificial sweeteners:

http://www.time.com/time/health/article/0,8599,1711763,00.html


A couple things to note about the article. The studies found that rats that consumed artificial sweeteners ate more calories (1) and the sweeteners changed how their bodies actually burned calories for the worse (2). It also goes on to say that each diet soda you drink per day increases your chance of being obese (3).

Direct quotes from the article:

1) "When an animal eats a saccharin-flavored food with no calories, however — disrupting the sweetness and calorie link — the animal tends to eat more and gain more weight, the new study shows."

2) "The sugar-fed rats, for example, showed the expected uptick in core body temperature at mealtime, corresponding to their anticipation of a bolus of calories that they would need to start burning off — a sort of metabolic revving of the energy engines. The saccharin-fed animals, on the other hand, showed no such rise in temperature."


3) "for every can of diet soda people consumed each day, there was a 41% increased risk of being overweight."

If you are having the headaches to ALL of the artificial sweetners, it may not be the "sweet" at all. Most of the sweetners sold in the US have additives in them to make them compliant for the FDA. Truvia sold in the US is not pure stevia, the FDA made the manufacturers cut it with an additive to be sold in the grocery stores. It may be the additive causing you problems. Try ordering some pure stevia online from another country. Stevia is the most "natural" of the "fake" sugars out there since it is from an actual plant and not manufactured via chemical reaction. Getting natural honey is getting difficult too, but it is still out there. The stuff in the grocery stores are pasturized and processed for shelf life and color consistancy.

Good Luck!