My daily coffee/tea (sugar vs splenda war)

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NikkiDerrig386
NikkiDerrig386 Posts: 1,096 Member
in Food and Nutrition
For years I used Splenda. I used it way too much. I mean I used it in coffee, tea, plain yogurt, plain oatmeal, etc. I used it that much to cut calories. Well about 3/4 months ago I stopped using it. When I stopped I got sever migraines and was miserable. I stopped because it is not good for you. Many studies done on rats show that splenda use caused very aggressive cancers in them. So I switched to good ol fashion sugar. I would use a mixture of raw sugar and table sugar. I like my stuff very sweet so I trained my palate to use only 2 teaspoons. Well now after the holidays I am cracking down again and want to cut calories. I like my black tea with fat free cream and sweetened. Thats what I wake up with and I want to give myself at least that while I am dieting. I was trying to be healthy today and used honey instead. I used 1 tablespoon. It was more calories!!! It was a waste bc it wasn't even as sweet as the sugar ad it was less calories. What do you use in your coffee or tea?
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Replies

  • nomeejerome
    nomeejerome Posts: 2,616 Member
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    Use what you think tastes the best in your coffee or tea.
    Sugar is a carb.
    We are not rats, we are humans.
  • fruttibiscotti
    fruttibiscotti Posts: 986 Member
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    I learned to wean myself off of adding sweeteners. I don't miss it anymore, I can even drink an espresso straight up.
  • stealthq
    stealthq Posts: 4,298 Member
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    Those studies you refer to were:

    A) in rats, so not terribly relevant to humans (rats and mice are used as models because they are cheap to maintain, fast reproducing, and not many people complain about their use, not because they're the best animal model out there), and
    B) had the rats basically drowning in the stuff.

    Search PubMed for high sugar consumption and cancer. You will pull back multitudes of studies correlating high consumption of sugar and sugary foods to cancers of various types in actual humans. However, those studies have about as much value to determine that sugar causes cancer as the one you linked to for Splenda causing cancer.

    In case I'm being too subtle about it, that would be about none. Correlation != causation.

    Those types of studies are good for determining directions for future research and to justify running properly controlled studies to address those hypotheses. That's it. Don't read too much into them, and don't live your life by them.
  • inittoloose10
    inittoloose10 Posts: 11 Member
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    If it makes you feel any better, breakfast and lunch calories are planned around 2 cups of coffee 2T of sugar and 4 T of half and half, every day of the work week for me. Which is about 200 calories so thatt only leaves me 1100 for food all day.

    I have tried giving up coffee to rid my self of the sugar but I don't know if its worth it you know.
    I say increase your real sugar intake dump the splenda.
  • illuvatree
    illuvatree Posts: 185 Member
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    In black tea, I use unsweetened almond milk. But if I need to actually sweeten something, I'm likely to use stevia or agave.

    (I personally get what you're saying. I've always been okay with Splenda, but hearing more things about it, I've tried to cut it out more. Even though they're in these awesome ice pops that I love and I don't know if I can cut those out of my diet permanently, lol. People who can't really taste it are lucky.)
  • _John_
    _John_ Posts: 8,641 Member
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    I'm unaware of such rat studies. Links to peer reviewed research in high impact journals would be awesome.
  • mellynat
    mellynat Posts: 345 Member
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    i struggled w this too. am a HUGE coffee drinker. and have been drinking coffee everyday of my life since middle school. I usually used sweeten creamer. but that started to make me nauseous. so for the past 2 yrs i drank it w half n half and sugar. i wanted to cut back on my sugar intake. so I stopped adding the sugar completely. started by adding less teaspoons. now i drink it w half n half and my taste buds got used to it. occasionally ill add sugar .
  • mumblemagic
    mumblemagic Posts: 1,090 Member
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    I'm unaware of such rat studies. Links to peer reviewed research in high impact journals would be awesome.

    I'm not sure specifically about splenda, but aren't there a few about aspartame? I thought splenda was sucralose, not aspartame?
  • JoJo__Fit
    JoJo__Fit Posts: 258 Member
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    Stevia & 1% Horizon chocolate milk instead of creamers.
  • billsica
    billsica Posts: 4,741 Member
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    I have to say, I think you are giving to much power over your daily coffee. Either do or do not use sweetener, its relatively minor.

    I stopped using sugar or splenda or milk or cream and went black. (except on weekends when I have splenda at home). I have way more important things in life to fret over. Good luck!

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  • GingerLolita
    GingerLolita Posts: 738 Member
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    I never sweetened my coffee. Some unsweetened almond milk, vanilla extract, and cinnamon make it perfect. :) However, if you really need it sweet, go with the sugar over splenda. In addition to the side effects you've experienced and those you are concerned about, artificial sweeteners trick your body because your brain thinks they are sugar and will provide calories; since there are no calories, you will crave more sugar later. 2 teaspoons of sugar is only 30 calories, but see if you can cut it down to 1 teaspoon with some vanilla extract, cinnamon, or other flavorings.

    Also, I get fruity teas from Teavana and they're sweet enough without added sugar!
  • Seajolly
    Seajolly Posts: 1,435 Member
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    I actually used to be addicted to sugar, but I weaned myself off of it, and now I really don't crave it as much! But when I need something sweet in my beverage (coffee or tea), I go for the following:

    - maple syrup
    - honey
    - agave (rarely - I'm much more inclined to go for the maple syrup or honey)

    I recently bought some coffee syrups that are made with agave, and come in vanilla and hazelnut flavors. Really tasty!

    I try to be as natural as possible, so I NEVER use Splenda or any of the other chemical sweeteners.
  • RllyGudTweetr
    RllyGudTweetr Posts: 2,019 Member
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    I actually used to be addicted to sugar, but I weaned myself off of it, and now I really don't crave it as much! But when I need something sweet in my beverage (coffee or tea), I go for the following:

    - maple syrup
    - honey
    - agave (rarely - I'm much more inclined to go for the maple syrup or honey)

    I recently bought some coffee syrups that are made with agave, and come in vanilla and hazelnut flavors. Really tasty!

    I try to be as natural as possible, so I NEVER use Splenda or any of the other chemical sweeteners.
    You know maple syrup, honey, and agave nectar are all types of sugar solution, right? And that all foods can be expressed by their chemical composition?
  • ckspores1018
    ckspores1018 Posts: 168 Member
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    When I started making good quality coffee, freshly ground, I found that I didn't need sweeteners to enjoy it. Well worth the extra expense to get those calories back!

    Just a thought.
  • Seajolly
    Seajolly Posts: 1,435 Member
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    I actually used to be addicted to sugar, but I weaned myself off of it, and now I really don't crave it as much! But when I need something sweet in my beverage (coffee or tea), I go for the following:

    - maple syrup
    - honey
    - agave (rarely - I'm much more inclined to go for the maple syrup or honey)

    I recently bought some coffee syrups that are made with agave, and come in vanilla and hazelnut flavors. Really tasty!

    I try to be as natural as possible, so I NEVER use Splenda or any of the other chemical sweeteners.
    You know maple syrup, honey, and agave nectar are all types of sugar solution, right? And that all foods can be expressed by their chemical composition?

    Yes, I wasn't denying that these things aren't sugar? I was just saying I prefer sugars in their natural state. That's why I even limit agave, because it's highly processed as well. There are nutrients in maple syrup and honey. Honey is antibacterial as well, and honey that is even thousands of years old is still edible. How incredible is that, a food that does not break down? I choose to nourish my body with sugars that actually provide nutrition - not just sweetness.
  • Jenniferstone86
    Jenniferstone86 Posts: 18 Member
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    I am a big fan of Stevia. Its a great alternative and comes from a plant so it gives me a better piece of mind
  • RllyGudTweetr
    RllyGudTweetr Posts: 2,019 Member
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    I actually used to be addicted to sugar, but I weaned myself off of it, and now I really don't crave it as much! But when I need something sweet in my beverage (coffee or tea), I go for the following:

    - maple syrup
    - honey
    - agave (rarely - I'm much more inclined to go for the maple syrup or honey)

    I recently bought some coffee syrups that are made with agave, and come in vanilla and hazelnut flavors. Really tasty!

    I try to be as natural as possible, so I NEVER use Splenda or any of the other chemical sweeteners.
    You know maple syrup, honey, and agave nectar are all types of sugar solution, right? And that all foods can be expressed by their chemical composition?

    Yes, I wasn't denying that these things aren't sugar? I was just saying I prefer sugars in their natural state. That's why I even limit agave, because it's highly processed as well. There are nutrients in maple syrup and honey. Honey is antibacterial as well, and honey that is even thousands of years old is still edible. How incredible is that, a food that does not break down? I choose to nourish my body with sugars that actually provide nutrition - not just sweetness.
    Funny how the (false) rumors about how Twinkies never break down was never seen as a strong selling point for them among the health-conscious, and yet honey's durability is. Honey's processed too, incidentally; it's just primarily processed by something other than humans.
  • WickedPineapple
    WickedPineapple Posts: 698 Member
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    I had a similar problem when I started logging regularly. I like coffee with my sugar. :) I used to drink coffee all morning (3-4 cups), the I cut my intake to one cup on workdays with a tbsp sugar and soymilk creamer. I started drinking tea to replace my lost cups of coffee. I discovered I like my green or herbal tea strong and black, which is convenient. As long as you're staying within your calorie limit and getting all your nutrients, I don't see a problem with using sugar.
  • Torgrills
    Torgrills Posts: 103 Member
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    I used to drink quite a bit of coffee and loved it with cream and sugar, but when I became pregnant last year I was diagnosed with gestational diabetes. It was a HUGE adjustment, but like the other posters I weaned myself. I switched to Stevia in the meantime but I was concerned with using artificial sweeteners during pregnancy so I weaned completely in about a week. Now that I've had my daughter, I find I only need about a teaspoon of sugar in a large cup of coffee if I want it sweet at all, and I won't use artificial sweeteners. Some days it's just nice to have a little splash of half and half and nothing more.
  • erinbuberinxo
    erinbuberinxo Posts: 64
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    Have you tried Stevia? It's a low calorie sweetener but it's 100% natural, made from a plant and is soooo sweet just like a normal sweetener and 100% okay for your body :)

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