My daily coffee/tea (sugar vs splenda war)

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  • stealthq
    stealthq Posts: 4,298 Member
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    I'm unaware of such rat studies. Links to peer reviewed research in high impact journals would be awesome.

    This is where you'd have a problem. Generally speaking, these kinds of studies don't make it into any journal that would remotely be called high impact. To be fair, a lot of well-designed and well-thought-out studies don't either because the findings do not make a broad enough impact in their field (in the opinion of the editors) to be accepted. This is not to say that the studies we're talking about are well-thought-out or well-designed.
  • cfschlueter
    cfschlueter Posts: 2 Member
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    I was also addicted to sweetness/sugar (my poison of choice was coca cola) and like so many others who have responded I weaned myself from it and was successful. Before that I had tried going "cold turkey" but caved in after a few days and went right back to drinking the same amount of sweet drinks. It really is like an addiction with the cravings, etc. I like my hot tea sweetened so I do add a little honey to it to add just a hint of sweetness. As for the artificial versus natural sweeteners, I would recommend you avoid the artificial ones like they're the plague! There have been a number of studies that have shown that people who use artificial sweeteners weigh more that those who use natural sugars so if you must have sweetness just use some kind of natural sugar even if there are calories. There are a number of plant based sweeteners out there that you can use. Stevia is super sweet so a very little bit will go a very long way and is low calorie. There's also a product called Just Like Sugar (it's made from chickory) that I think tastes better than Stevia. Bottom line recommendations...wean from the sugar for overall success and use any of the natural sugars over the artificial ones.
  • NikkiDerrig386
    NikkiDerrig386 Posts: 1,096 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!

    knFYZWh.gif

    Lol woa killer "I have way more important things in life to fret over. Good luck!" - A lttle rude don't ya think?
  • NikkiDerrig386
    NikkiDerrig386 Posts: 1,096 Member
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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 :)

    I have. I hate the after taste -_-
  • Pamstimelines
    Pamstimelines Posts: 79 Member
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    I used to use a teaspoon of sugar and a bunch of sweetened cream in my coffee but I have eliminated the sugar and now just use the creamer. I can't quite drink it black yet ...
  • Amanda_S80
    Amanda_S80 Posts: 6 Member
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    I use liquid Stevia and I don't find it has an aftertaste. I also find that you don't need much as it is much sweeter than sweetener and sugar.
  • carrieous
    carrieous Posts: 1,024 Member
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    yes honey is a lot of calories too. I gave up all sugars- real, fake and honey- and I feel much better. I do still have 2 teaspoons of brown sugar on my oatmeal on the weekends but that is IT
  • Gingerspice45
    Gingerspice45 Posts: 137 Member
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    you could try stevia or truvia if your looking for a low calorie alternative to sugar...oh I just read you did and didn't like it. I would just cut back your sugar intake then. I drink coffee and tea black myself.
  • Nissi51
    Nissi51 Posts: 381 Member
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    No answers for you as I am totally and 100% addicted to Splenda. I would not know what to do without it!
  • SoLongAndThanksForAllTheFish
    SoLongAndThanksForAllTheFish Posts: 831 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.

    Not "funny" or odd at all: honey's 'durability' is due to basic physical lack of enough moisture for microbes to process and actually causes water to be pulled out of them, while twinkie's "never breaking down" partial truth is due to preservatives designed to kill/metabolically interfere with microbes. Maybe this example will explain it: there is a big difference in keeping pool pond scum free in the winter by emptying it of water (honey) or filling it with chlorine and bromine (twinkies).
  • oneday987
    oneday987 Posts: 41 Member
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    Hi

    I usually don't have any kind of sweeteners in coffee, tea, etc.

    I'm on the low carb, high fat (lchf) lifestyle .. when I need to use a sweetener I use erythritol. If you are interested in finding out more about it, here is a link:

    http://authoritynutrition.com/erythritol/

    good luck!
  • dangerousdumpling
    dangerousdumpling Posts: 1,109 Member
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    I have one cup of coffee with 1 tablespoon of half and half and 1/2 tsp of sugar. 2 tablespoons of half and half and 1 teaspoon of sugar if I'm feeling saucy. Every once in a while I'll go crazy and make some extra strong coffee, stir 1 tablespoon of sugar into it to dissolve, pour it over ice, and add 4 tablespoons of fat free half and half. Yum!

    The problem is if I make my coffee too good I want more of it. More good coffee=more calories.
  • naariel
    naariel Posts: 37
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    In my opinion, the taste/need for a very-sweetened coffee or tea isn't a taste/need for coffee or tea, but for sugar. That can have two big causes and solutions, combined or not :

    - "Sweet tooth" (with or without actual sugar craving), and then I would rec using less and less sugar/sweeteners to develop and discover your tastes, as well as break the sugar craving if there is one. If you overuse sugar/splenda for everything, that would clearly falls in this category.

    Since you changed that habit, if the problem stays with some food/beverage in particular...

    - It could be, simply, a distate for the actual food that is sweetened. And then I would simply and straighforwardly ask: why bother eating/drinking it if you need to alienate its taste to be able to consume it? That is a general observation, doesn't have to concern only coffee, and also concerns the general western overuse of salt to mask the taste of veggies etc.
    I know a lot of people who drink coffee or tea but don't actually enjoy the taste of coffee or tea and end up actually drinking "not quite coffee/tea" (like, sweetened milk with a bit of coffee if you squint). I never liked black coffee. Tried a few times because I (felt I) needed the caffeine, but the only times I enjoyed my beverage was when it was, to be honest, not an actual coffee, but slighty-coffee-flavoured milk/cream.
    There are so many options for tea (with caffeine) and infusions (that could mean lack of caffeine for a time, but really you don't need caffeine to be able to up your energy levels) that I really don't understand the need to stick to mainstream coffee if that means sweetening it like crazy. Respect your palate and find what you really like, I'm sure such beverages exist.

    Finally, a bit of rationalisation: maybe it's indeed the sweet/creamy part you want in the morning, instead of the coffee. So yes, you could just stop and find a beverage you like "for how it really tastes". Otherwise, if it's just a morning treat and 30 kcal worth of sugar added, I would just say "go for it". You can surely find other (more significant) changes to make. It would be more of a problem with 4-5 cups a day, but one ? Enjoy. (Also, there are some great recipes for alternative sweeteners, like cinnamon, vanilla etc. Spices is definetly a help for dieting, whether to limit sugar or salt, or to "spice things up" and make healthy cooking/eating not boring and tasteless.)
  • AmykinsCatfood
    AmykinsCatfood Posts: 599 Member
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    Stevia or Truvia.
  • transmute
    transmute Posts: 50 Member
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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 :)

    I have. I hate the after taste -_-

    Did you try different brands? I've been told that some brands have that vile aftertaste you mention, and others don't-- but that will probably depend on your personal sensitivity to that kind of taste. I was recommended NuNaturals alcohol-free stevia drops as not having the aftertaste, but I've not tried it myself.
  • Thegirlhasmoxy
    Thegirlhasmoxy Posts: 5
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    I like my coffee with sugar and cream but you can also add cinnamon (ideally when it's brewing) to sweeten it. I find that I need less sweetener this way.
  • aleggett321
    aleggett321 Posts: 186 Member
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    I have to have my cup of Darjeeling tea with two tsp of sugar and a goodly splash of 2% milk in the morning. It's how I start my day and has been for decades.
  • adblanche
    adblanche Posts: 8
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    You are absolutely right that agave, honey, etc. are all types of sugar. But there are different types of sugar. The reason that agave is sweeter (approximately 1.5 times) is because it contains a higher proportion of fructose (about 90 percent) in relation to glucose.

    For a comparison, high fructose corn syrup is roughly 55 percent fructose.
  • brevislux
    brevislux Posts: 1,093 Member
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    I drink my coffee or tea without sugar. It took me a while to get used to it really, but when you're used to not eating very sweet or very salty food anymore, it wouldn't taste good to you anymore. It's best to try and avoid sweeteners if you can...

    I first used stevia when I decided I wanted to stop drinking with sugar, and slowly I just stopped using the stevia too.
  • rahlpn
    rahlpn Posts: 551 Member
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    Stevia or Monk fruit. I get the store brand Stevia and use 1tsp per 9oz with one or two TBS flavored creamer and it's sweet.

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