Artificial Sweeteners

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riderguydave
riderguydave Posts: 11 Member
in Food and Nutrition
In my quest to get my weight under control, one obvious target to be cut is the empty calories in sugar. While reducing sugar intake is desirable, and while I have already cut back significantly on the sugar I'm adding, I'm not ready to give up on sweetener of some type in my coffee or tea, for example. Any thoughts on which is the lesser evil? Sucralose (e.g., Splenda), Aspartame (e.g., Equal, NutraSweet) or Stevia (e.g., PureVia, TruVia)?

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  • fragilegift
    fragilegift Posts: 347 Member
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    I use Hermesetas, which is saccharine. This one suits me better than the others. The other types make me feel..'odd.' I cant quite explain how.

    Anecdotally, a friend switched from real sugar to Stevia (cos it was 'natural') and ended up having a flare up of some liver issue he has.

    Listen to your body, whichever route you choose.
  • ninerbuff
    ninerbuff Posts: 48,669 Member
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    Pick the one you like the taste of.

    A.C.E. Certified Personal and Group Fitness Trainer
    IDEA Fitness member
    Kickboxing Certified Instructor
    Been in fitness industry for 30 years and have studied kinesiology and nutrition
  • SomeNights246
    SomeNights246 Posts: 807 Member
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    Pick the one you like the taste of.

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

    Precisely this.

    I have tried most of the artificial sweeteners now. Stevia tastes gross to me and leaves a bitter after taste. Monk fruit does, too. Asparteme is 'meh'. I need to use a LOT of it for it to taste 'right' to me. I tend to lean toward sucralose. I go all by taste, though. If I don't like something, I'm not going to use it.

    They say that stevia and monk fruit extract are the lesser of the evils. I don't know for certain that this is or isn't true, but it's worth noting. Still, they both taste... horrible to me. You might like the taste, though.
  • stuffinmuffin
    stuffinmuffin Posts: 985 Member
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    Pick the one you like the taste of.

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

    ^^^^^ This.
  • NMgirl2006
    NMgirl2006 Posts: 18 Member
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    I love, love, love truvia and its all natural - its a mixture of erithytol and stevia! There is a little after taste but after a while it goes away. I love that its natural and not splenda or aspartame or sweet and low....my favorite no calorie drink it water - 3 true lemon drink packet and 5 packets of truvia in a 32 oz container....so freshing!
  • NMgirl2006
    NMgirl2006 Posts: 18 Member
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    Stevia NuNaturals is wonderful - a little bit goes a long way and becasue of how it is processed there is no bitter after taste - it is pricey though. When I dont have Truvia the Stevia NuNaturals is my 2nd go to :)
  • 59gi
    59gi Posts: 307 Member
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    In my quest to get my weight under control, one obvious target to be cut is the empty calories in sugar. While reducing sugar intake is desirable, and while I have already cut back significantly on the sugar I'm adding, I'm not ready to give up on sweetener of some type in my coffee or tea, for example. Any thoughts on which is the lesser evil? Sucralose (e.g., Splenda), Aspartame (e.g., Equal, NutraSweet) or Stevia (e.g., PureVia, TruVia)?


    Stevia in moderation! I use 1/2 to 1 a day on average.
  • MysteriousMerlin
    MysteriousMerlin Posts: 2,270 Member
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    I use 2 packets of splenda in 16oz of coffee.
    I've gotten used to drinking iced tea without sweetener, but it has to be strongly brewed.
  • ccrdragon
    ccrdragon Posts: 3,370 Member
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    I use truvia in my coffee in the morning. other than that I don't really use sweeteners in anything.

    I recommend that you experiment and see which one you like the best and stick with it.
  • kikityme
    kikityme Posts: 472 Member
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    Even as a diabetic-I can't give up real sugar in my tea. I've tried all the sweeteners, and let's just say...intestinal distress.

    So, I compromised and went from two sugars to one. And I've dropped to one cup a day. The whole idea of fake sugar...it's no better or worse than real sugar in your body. And that's my meter speaking not the internet.
  • SLegere76
    SLegere76 Posts: 2 Member
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    I used to think artificial sweeteners were good because of the reduced calories. After years of sweet cravings, pain, and overall not doing well I decided to get off them all together. I use Stevia in my coffee and have to say the after taste does subside once you use it a few times. My pain level has almost completely gone away, my sugar cravings are almost non-existent and I have lost 25 pounds because I am now eating healthier and able to participate in various exercises because of the lower pain levels.
    Not sure why it impacted my body in this way, but I can say that I feel a whole lot healthier when I stay with the natural stuff.
  • _John_
    _John_ Posts: 8,641 Member
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    I don't find artificial sweeteners impact me at all, one way or another. I use sucralose when I want to add some sweetness to something.

    Most of the time I use them, I'm using them on something like a can of pumpkin mixed with pie spice, so the food I'm eating with them is otherwise very healthy. Or I may add some splenda to some cut strawberries just so they taste more like dessert (once in awhile thing).

    I like the "idea" of a "natural" sweetner, but stevia (formulations) tastes horrible to me. As a toxicologist the scaremongering doesn't phase me about artificial sweetners. I'm in total agreement with niner, just go by taste.
  • Holly_Roman_Empire
    Holly_Roman_Empire Posts: 4,440 Member
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    Nobody linked this yet? Hmm, well, here you go:

    http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/1308408-why-aspartame-isn-t-scary
  • bltrexler
    bltrexler Posts: 180 Member
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    Food for thought, I loved Splenda but in OCT 2013 I made the switch back to real sugar and the weight started to come off. I had done nothing different before but once I stopped using fake sugar suddenly the weight came off. Since then I have surpassed my goal weight. I find since I stopped using splenda I don't need as much of the real thing in my coffee either. Not for everyone, just my personal experience.

    I hated stevia, its tasted like licorice....yuck
  • RINat612
    RINat612 Posts: 251 Member
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    1. Whichever taste you like the most
    2. Whichever doesn't give you an odd reaction like a headache, etc.

    Personally I like Aspartame. I use Equal or Sugar in my coffee.

    EDT: Oh my how could I forget Aaron's thread:

    http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/1308408-why-aspartame-isn-t-scary

    Just in case you missed it the first time...

    http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/1308408-why-aspartame-isn-t-scary
  • biscuit71
    biscuit71 Posts: 43 Member
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    MONK FRUIT IN THE RAW IS SAFE
  • RachyLovesRattys
    RachyLovesRattys Posts: 143 Member
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    They came out with a substitute (I read it as an advertisement in Oxygen magazine- a fitness read) that is genuinely supposed to taste like sugar without being artificial (as in, chemical that is). I wish I could remember the name offhand! But I'm sure if you look around you can find it.

    Also, being a scientist, of all the sweeteners out there- I use Splenda. It's just real sugar with a chlorine molecule passed through it. Legit, it's probably in less of an amount than our tap water nowadays. People using Splenda for EVERYTHING, such as those who drink a 12 pack of diet sodas a day and then have little Weight Watcher muffins or something, CAN risk having too much chlorine in their bodies, which will make you feel super icky.

    That being said, if it's just for coffee (which is exactly what I use it for myself) you're safe! Plus, it just tastes better than the others!
  • Wenchilada
    Wenchilada Posts: 472 Member
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    I found monk fruit sweetener packets at Aldi, and I really, really like them. They do have a little bit of sugar (from the label: erythritol, sugar, monk fruit extract, molasses) so it would not be ideal if you absolutely cannot have sugar - but the taste is fantastic and the price was right. Normally I go for Sweet & Low, though. I just prefer the taste (or lack thereof), and Splenda tends to make my throat burn and leave me with an aftertaste of whatever I ate for hours afterward, so I have to brush my teeth right away if I don't want to deal with that.
  • wannabehealthyagain
    wannabehealthyagain Posts: 33
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    I use Stevia for my iced tea sometimes. Most of the time, I don't sweeten it but every now and then I want a little sweetness. I use flavored creamer in my coffee and the sugar in that is plenty for me so I don't add anything else.

    I personally stay away from aspartame, my son and I both seem to have reactions to it.

    Good luck :)
  • riderguydave
    riderguydave Posts: 11 Member
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    Thanks for the input, guys and gals! I'll take your advice do a bit of experimenting to find something that works for me.

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