Thoughts on Truvia and aspartame?

I'm waiting patiently for someone to explain the process technology of getting the chemical that we think is sweet out of the green leaves beloved of the PR people. Armed with that info I could form an opinion. Or is the "unprocessed raw form" a pile of leaves ?

Truvia uses erythritol as a carrier for the stevia extract, this can't be called "natural" on advertising in the UK.

How is erythritol unnatural? Isn't that sugar alcohol?

Yes, manufactured in a lab. Aspartic acid and phenylalanine are also both natural, so why is aspartame not considered natural?

.

Most packaged foods that should have no business containing added sugars are ridiculously sweet, such as tomato sauce

Why should tomato sauce not contain sugar?

HA, it depends where you are from. In the UK and some other countries, tomato sauce is what American's call "ketchup" which always contains sugar. In the US, tomato sauce is pureed tomato you may put on pasta or use in lasagna. Language barriers :bigsmile:

stay away from aspartame, it causes tumors in the liver and gives headaches. Don't know enough about truvia

stay away from aspartame, it causes tumors in the liver and gives headaches. Don't know enough about truvia

No, it really doesn't.

little do people know there is even aspartame in everyone's daily bread. Go figure.

Yuck, not my bread.

Barring medical issues, my opinion is if you eat SO MUCH sweetened stuff where you need a zero calorie sweetener to help you meet your calorie goal, then the problem isn't the sweetener. The problem is your eating too much crap with boatloads of sugar. Of course, most people don't want to hear that and would rather search high and low for some miracle sweetener that allows them to get their sugar fix without paying the caloric penalty.

What would you say to the individual who is drinking a couple of diet sodas per day because it helps him or her kick their regular soda habit, resulting in a reduction in energy intake?

Again, just my opinion but I don't think drinking diet soda is any better than drinking regular soda. Sure, less calories but it is still garbage. Americans are well trained by food companies to love everything sweet. Most packaged foods that should have no business containing added sugars are ridiculously sweet, such as tomato sauce, salad dressings, etc. As a nation we have a serious sugar problem and not much desire to change. Of course, this is just my lone opinion so feel free to consume all of the aspartame and stevia you want.

Most packaged foods that should have no business containing added sugars are ridiculously sweet, such as tomato sauce

Why should tomato sauce not contain sugar?

Since being on MFP, one thing I've learned is a bit of sugar plus a bit of acid (lemon, vinegar, etc) equals FLAVOR! Yum! I used to eat everything out of a box from the freezer...well not everything, but I rarely cooked from scratch. Tomatoes are slightly acidic, so a slight amount of sugar makes the sauce delicious!

Americans are well trained by food companies to love everything sweet. Most packaged foods that should have no business containing added sugars are ridiculously sweet, such as tomato sauce, salad dressings, etc. As a nation we have a serious sugar problem and not much desire to change. Of course, this is just my lone opinion so feel free to consume all of the aspartame and stevia you want.

No one is "trained by food companies" to love "sweet". It is an evolutionary response to seeking nutrition. Sweet and fat are the caloric dense foods that early humans sought out to ensure they wouldn't starve to death. There are numerous studies that show that the brain actively encourages you by disengaging the satiety signals when there is highly sweet/highly fat food being ingested. In fact, it prefers a combination of the two over all other tastes. And in fact, some people are more susceptible to this phenomenon than others.

We are living in an obesogenic environment: highly accessible and palatable fat, sweet food is everywhere. Weight loss is hard. Very hard. And to criticize someone who chooses to enjoy a sweet treat in the form of diet soda is a little rude. I've given up a lot on my path to healthier eating, and diet soda is a vice I choose to enjoy. I also use splenda in my protein bars so that they are sweet, but can still fit into my daily calories. That doesn't make me weak or stupid or lacking in desire to change. It means I am using all the tools available to achieve my goal.

I need to make this a life long plan of eating. The thought of never having anything sweet just to avoid gaining weight is pretty depressing. Oh, and by the way, I have lost 90lbs though watching what I eat, gradually adding in more veg and lean protein and avoiding eating out, and increasing my exercise from merely walking to 5 hours of cross-fit type training and 4 hours of volleyball every week. So don't tell me I have no desire to change simply because I don't eat the way you think I should. Aspartame has been proven safe and continues to be studied. And if I want sugar, I'll eat it if I can fit it into my calories. There is nothing inherently wrong with it either.

stay away from aspartame, it causes tumors in the liver and gives headaches. Don't know enough about truvia

For you maybe. Like some here, I remain unconvinced that aspartame causes any issues for the general population (except for PKU as Sidesteel mentioned). It's probably the most studied additive by independent sources and the science doesn't show evidence for a lot of the claims made by "naturalist's" and anti aspartame proponents. Just don't drink a case of diet soda a day.

A.C.E. Certified Personal/Group FitnessTrainer
IDEA Fitness member
Kickboxing Certified Instructor
Been in fitness for 30 years and have studied kinesiology and nutrition