Should I use sugar or sweetner on my morning cereal?

thayerhut
thayerhut Posts: 4
edited September 23 in Food and Nutrition
I'm just getting started on my weight loss and would like some advice on whether to use sugar or sweetners on my oatmeal, shredded wheat, etc. A little does go a long way with me. Are all sweetners bad for you? Is it best to eat real sugar and just go lightly?

Replies

  • SweetPandora
    SweetPandora Posts: 660 Member
    I use maple syrup on my oatmeal. It's natural. I try to avoid putting chems into my body!

    Karen
  • BlueEyedMomma88
    BlueEyedMomma88 Posts: 558 Member
    Id say use a lil bit of real sugar in moderation.. I dont think sweetners are too good for u..
  • misty589
    misty589 Posts: 319 Member
    I Use a tsp of brown sugar on my oats, I don't use any artificial sweeteners for myself or my family.
  • heathersmilez
    heathersmilez Posts: 2,579 Member
    I would do sweetener if absolutely necessary but you'll find A LOT of ant-sweetener people on MFP who would tell you regular sugar is better b/c sweetener is basically a chemical not a food. Just be sure to count the calories if you use sugar. Don’t believe the stuff about sweetener spiking your insulin levels though etc etc. that is incorrect and unfounded unless you are eating massive amounts then it is possible.

    There is NO need to add sugar to cereal, they already are full of it other than Fiber 1 Original which I just noticed yesterday actually has 0g of sugar! I noticed they said no added sugar but there is no natural stuff either. Sweet! Convenient pun huh? ;)
  • Aimee_PD
    Aimee_PD Posts: 177 Member
    sweeteners aren't good for you. doesn't stop me from using splenda when necessary though. i dont add sugar to my cereals at all. my mom added sugar to honey bunches of oats one time and i didnt understand why. its got honey in it. it was sweet already! ...
  • fitnesspirateninja
    fitnesspirateninja Posts: 667 Member
    I started using 1 or .5 tsp of organic brown sugar on my shredded wheat or steel cut oatmeal. I don't use a lot of sweeteners because from what I've read, your body treats it like regular sugar anyway.

    Honey or agave might be a good option if you want a more natural sweetener. But in my opinion, 7.5 or 15 calories worth of brown sugar isn't terrible.
  • wyze
    wyze Posts: 248
    i will go more with sugar than sweetener. But like someone rightly said, cereals already have sugar, so i dont add anything except milk when i eat them
  • Summerscoming
    Summerscoming Posts: 35
    funny this should come up we had a lecture on nutrition today (im a biomed student) and i asked this question after the lecture. and the consultant said "always use sweetner, because although sweetner is a chemical and does pose the risk of some cancers, the risk is so minute in comparison to the risk of diabetes if you were to use real sugar that you might as well take the tiny risk with the sweetner than the more considerably large risk of sugar" basically diabetes is much easier to get than a brain tumour. So his advice was alwasy sweetner.
  • emaxtastic
    emaxtastic Posts: 41 Member
    Just wean yourself off sugar. People who go on about not wanting to put unnatural things in their bodies neglect the fact that adding sugar to food at all is unnatural. The amount of what is bad for you in sweetener, however, is so phenomenally trivial compared to how bad sugar is for your body that the two can barely even be compared on the same scale. If you must, go with sweetener. Best bet though, try and appreciate foods for the tastes they already have. Work towards that. This information comes from what my nutritionist told me when I asked her the same question.
  • Trishkit
    Trishkit Posts: 290 Member
    I make oatmeal using these recipes: http://blog.fatfreevegan.com/2008/02/oatmeal-its-whats-for-breakfast.html

    She says to add a sweetener of your choice, but I've never needed to add anything. The natural sugars from the fruit do enough for me. I'd definitely give these recipes a shot -- they're my favorite thing to make for breakfast! And if you're short on time, you can whip up a batch the night before, and reheat it in the morning.

    That's my two cents. :-)
  • Mindful_Trent
    Mindful_Trent Posts: 3,954 Member
    I would try to wean yourself off of sweetners on cereal all together! It may be tough at first, but taste buds/preferences CAN change. My tolerance and cravings for sweet things has decreased significantly since I started cutting out added sugars.

    For all those saying that regular sugar (white or brown) is "better" - think again. It's just as processed as artificial sweeteners. It may start with something natural (sugar cane) but the process is full of chemicals and the final product in no way resembles the original plant. http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/119250-how-sugar-is-made

    If you HAVE to add some sweetener, I stick with pure (raw, unprocessed) maple syrup, raw/unfiltered honey or stevia (the type extracted using water, with no fillers/additives).
  • thayerhut
    thayerhut Posts: 4
    Thanks for your helpful responses. I'll try the link for the oatmeal Trishkit (named after my favorite cracker I see) and the suggestions about pure maple syrup and raw honey were a good idea Trenton and thanks for the link. Congratulations on your weight loss to all of you. What a great job you are doing and it certainly lends credibility to your answers in my book. The consensus from a lot of you was to wean yourself off sugar completely. Not a bad goal, I'll work in that direction.
  • sbwood888
    sbwood888 Posts: 953 Member
    Sure, it is a chemical....but I use sweetener every day in my coffee. I don't sweeten my cold cereal, but I do put sweetener in oatmeal.
  • dave4d
    dave4d Posts: 1,155 Member
    Try fruit. Berries go good in cereal, or oatmeal. I love to add peaches and cinamon to my oatmeal.
  • soysos
    soysos Posts: 187 Member
    Define sugar? I personally have an entire shelf in my pantry dedicated to sugar. I generally prefer maple syrup on my otmeal with a little dried fruit.
    Sugar is not inherently bad for you, just like salt and fat are not bad for you. Excess is the problum.
  • Twinsytoo
    Twinsytoo Posts: 77 Member
    I use a bit of honey in my oatmeal, but I like the idea of cinnamon too! Thanks Dave
  • taletreader
    taletreader Posts: 377 Member
    I would do sweetener if absolutely necessary but you'll find A LOT of ant-sweetener people on MFP who would tell you regular sugar is better b/c sweetener is basically a chemical not a food. Just be sure to count the calories if you use sugar. Don’t believe the stuff about sweetener spiking your insulin levels though etc etc. that is incorrect and unfounded unless you are eating massive amounts then it is possible.

    Well, the best studies I've seen seem to indicate that it's an individual variation -- some people (about 1/3 if I recall correctly) do seem to show signs of reacting to sweeteners as if anticipating sugar, others don't.

    I'm not anti-sweetener per se and would never tell anyone not to use sweetener on principle. Just personally, if I want extra sweetness, I use a teaspoon or two of brown sugar. 26 calories. Logged and noted. It's just the way I make my choices -- this is a lifestyle for me, and my lifestyle includes fat, sugar and oil. I also eat real butter and the same semi-skimmed milk I've used all my life and just don't like the idea of substitute foods all that much.
  • dandynick
    dandynick Posts: 25
    On something like the original shredded wheat, I use honey, but in oatmeal brown sugar still does it for me! I think it was on the Dr. Oz show where an expert talked about using honey or maple syrup as a sweetener for just about anything.
  • MassiveDelta
    MassiveDelta Posts: 3,271 Member
    I use various forms of refined sugar. White granulated sugar, Brown sugar, Raw sugar, powdered sugar. Limited quantities are not bad for you.

    Look Ive lost 90 pounds and feel amazing. I eat sugar everyday and amazingly I'm not dead nor am I unable to lose weight. I'm the healthiest Ive ever been and sugar on my oatmeal and unsweetened cereals Helped me get there!
  • emaxtastic
    emaxtastic Posts: 41 Member
    Try fruit. Berries go good in cereal, or oatmeal. I love to add peaches and cinamon to my oatmeal.

    One of the best ideas yet! FRUIT. Makes me feel slow for not thinking about it :P
  • GremlinJenny
    GremlinJenny Posts: 151
    lol... when we were younger, my brother used to add NUMEROUS tablespoons of sugar into Frosted Flakes, like 10 spoonfuls. ?!?!??! lol... he was a kid afterall.

    i actually don't generally eat cereal so i can't be of much help. the only thing close to cereal that i occasionally consume is a flax oat mix that is more, raw grain & oats than cereal. lol...

    i do agree with most here that if i were to choose btwn the two, i'd go with sugar. absolutely. i dont think ive ever voluntarily had sweeteners in my life.

    good job keeping aware and conscientious in your decisions!
  • deandp371
    deandp371 Posts: 63
    Adding a little sugar for taste to something like oatmeal can't be all that bad! You can get unrefined cane sugar and there are alternatives as mentioned.
  • salmonpi
    salmonpi Posts: 16
    I like molasses in oatmeal. Flavor and sweetness, plus a little iron and B vitamins.
  • dandynick
    dandynick Posts: 25
    I like molasses in oatmeal. Flavor and sweetness, plus a little iron and B vitamins.

    That sounds quite good! Can it be just regular cooking molasses?
  • wolfchild59
    wolfchild59 Posts: 2,608 Member
    I don't add either. I usually add a bit of cinnamon to the water for I add the oats so the flavor of the cinnamon cooks into the oats themselves and I just eat it like that. I've considered throwing in some fresh blackberries, but always just end up eating it straight and having the berries separate.

    Oh, there was once that I reconstituted a pack of Brothers Strawberry and Banana Fruit Crisps in the water that I made instant oatmeal with and that was really tasty and had a great sweetness which came solely from the freeze-dried fruit.
  • soysos
    soysos Posts: 187 Member
    the real problem with artificial sweeteners is that they tend to numb the pallet. so you end up using more and more and more. then when you get real sweets real sugar they don't taste as sweet, down right bland really.

    for example, my father has suffered from diabetes since he was seven years old, first his mother then his wife insisted that there never be refined sugar in the house, just a steady supply of bananas "in case" and artificial sweeteners, first aspartame then nutrasweet, and eventually sucralose. needless to say I never really experienced sugar except on special occasions, so I never really developed a sweet tooth, and I'm certain the same is true of my father. that is until about 6-7 years ago when his doctor told him that he needed to get his iron up, they where so low it was nearly critical so he started replacing his splenda with black strap molasses, as a result the switch made it easier for him to control his blood sugar. so when his iron got back up he started cutting back on the splenda and eating more sugar. today he does about a 50/50 mix and the same is true not is his sugar easier to control by adding in the sugar he uses a lot less of both.
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