Be wary of anything that sounds too good to be true.

I'm with you. My new life plan has lots of LIFE in it, therefore fake foods created in a chemical laboratory, especially artificial sweeteners have no place in that life. Real, life-sustaining food created in nature is where health can be found. It took me a long to to see this clearly, but I see it now.

I totally agree. I mean what is the purpose of eating it if its not going to sustain you. Real food has real calories, fat, carbs etc for a reason: our body cant survive without it.

I agree, I don't want any thing with "added flavor" or dye's or anything I don't know where it came from, we just weren't meant to eat artificial products.

not to mention this stuff tastes disgusting. i bought a bottle of the balsamic vinegarette to try it and i can't even stomach the taste. i'll take my light italian with 35 calories anyday over this crap!

OK. In theory I agree with you all. In reality I eat quite a bit of processed foods. (Way less than I used to but still to much) My goal from the beginning of this journey has been just that...a journey, making changes along the way. I have made quite a few...adding lots of fruits and veggies whereas I used to eat very very few. My next challenge is to get rid of or at least knock way down my use of splenda. Unfortunately I like some things really sweet...like my morning coffee. Any suggestions? What do you use to sweeten? It seems to take quite a bit of sugar to get it like I like and of course that means calories. But like I said that is my goal..to continually eat cleaner. I just in the beginning felt I could not do all the changes at once. I think a lot of people feel that way. And for me that was ok because I am eating healthier even with the splenda and other preservatives than I ever did in my life. Thanks for any help.

I switched to Stevia in the Raw (must be careful and read the ingredients because Truvia and others are processed) it has one ingred-stevia which is derived from a leaf.

I use 1/2 tsp sugar or less to offset the aftertaste, but now a year later I really dont need that either. I LOVE sweet.......so this helps me tremendously on the calorie and sugar front.

Like, like, like, like, LIKE!!!! (When are they going to add a "Like" button to this site??

Hey I'm trying to use up my Splenda before I switch to another sweetner. I only use it in my 0% greek yogurt & on my sweet potatoes (splenda/brown sugar mixture).

What do you suggest? Greek yogurt has an after taste so adding something else is going to cut it. Honey maybe?

Hey I'm trying to use up my Splenda before I switch to another sweetner. I only use it in my 0% greek yogurt & on my sweet potatoes (splenda/brown sugar mixture).

What do you suggest? Greek yogurt has an after taste so adding something else is going to cut it. Honey maybe?

Honey would be perfect. Make sure it is raw and unfiltered. It goes deliciously with Greek yogurt.

Making a note of it. Thanks Jessie.

Great post. I wanted to share something I learned as well. Not only are these diet foods doing nothing for our bodies in terms of vital nutrients, but they have been shown to harm us. There's a documentary called "Sweet Misery" on youtube, it's about Aspartame. I only watched the first 20 minutes, and I haven't touched the stuff since--I used to drink diet soda daily.

In the documentary, many patients suffering from these symptoms tried every drug and herbal relief plan known to man, before finally cutting out artificial sweeteners, which immediately did the trick to heal them. I myself noticed that my mid-afternoon bloat and mild headache went away as soon as I made the switch to other drinks with my lunch.

Adverse reactions and side effects of aspartame include:

Eye
blindness in one or both eyes
decreased vision and/or other eye problems such as: blurring, bright flashes, squiggly lines, tunnel vision, decreased night vision
pain in one or both eyes
decreased tears
trouble with contact lenses
bulging eyes

Ear
tinnitus - ringing or buzzing sound
severe intolerance of noise
marked hearing impairment

Neurologic
epileptic seizures
headaches, migraines and (some severe)
dizziness, unsteadiness, both
confusion, memory loss, both
severe drowsiness and sleepiness
paresthesia or numbness of the limbs
severe slurring of speech
severe hyperactivity and restless legs
atypical facial pain
severe tremors

Psychological/Psychiatric
severe depression
irritability
aggression
anxiety
personality changes
insomnia
phobias

Chest
palpitations, tachycardia
shortness of breath
recent high blood pressure

Gastrointestinal
nausea
diarrhea, sometimes with blood in stools
abdominal pain
pain when swallowing

Skin and Allergies
itching without a rash
lip and mouth reactions
hives
aggravated respiratory allergies such as asthma

Endocrine and Metabolic
loss of control of diabetes
menstrual changes
marked thinning or loss of hair
marked weight loss
gradual weight gain
aggravated low blood sugar (hypoglycemia)
severe PMS

Other
frequency of voiding and burning during urination
excessive thirst, fluid retention, leg swelling, and bloating
increased susceptibility to infection

Additional Symptoms of Aspartame Toxicity include the most critical symptoms of all
death
irreversible brain damage
birth defects, including mental retardation
peptic ulcers
aspartame addiction and increased craving for sweets
hyperactivity in children
severe depression
aggressive behavior
suicidal tendencies

Excuse me while I RUN to the store for some green tea.......!!!!

^I was thinking of going with a little sugar (of some sort) in my coffee instead of a packet of Equal - I don't think the calorie or carb increase will be dramatic.

My issue is that I have it ingrained in me - from being diabetic, mostly, but again, the reality of the carbs isn't so bad (especially lately that I have become a little more lax with them...maybe 100-150 net per day versus the ~75 I was aiming for before). It's a hard habit to change, but one small step at a time!

I recently started adding a little organic sugar here and there (mostly to my Irish oatmeal). I think a teaspoon of sugar a day isn't too bad. I'm not perfect - I could cut back more on high fructose corn syrup (I've cut a lot of it out, but I still eat it occasionally).

Where do you find yourself getting most of your HFCS? For the longest time the only places I got it were bread and soda. I ONLY drink soda when I drink liquors—I would just switch it up entirely to juices and stuff, but my preferred liquor is whiskey—but bread was a lot harder for me. I thought that I would have to spend $5 a loaf to get bread without it. Lately I've been finding a LOT of whole grain breads that don't use it, typically for only $2 or $3. I thought it would suck and cause me to be spending a LOT of money on bread, but I actually eat a lot less of it now—which kind of makes sense that it would be more filling—and, thus, I spend the same amount on bread that I did before.

So now the only place I get HFCS is soda when I'm drinking alcohol. I wish that sodas sweetened with cane sugar were both more accessible and more affordable.

Thanks for the answers. I have tried Stevia way back and didn't care for it but will try it again...maybe it is an "acquired" taste. And I also used to not drink coffee at all so may try that eventually...but for not that's my morning thing.

Also, jessieinblue I didn't think you were judging...my view on all (or at least most) of the topics is that it is someone trying to help us all. Sometimes the truth may sting a little...but we're all here to learn, lose and improve I think. For me I will take any advice that helps me lose the weight or get/stay healthy. This is definitely NOT a diet or a quick fix in my life...I have every intention of doing this for my lifetime. I'm just irritated with myself that it took me so long to get smart!

Dont use to much. Stevia is really sweet. It just takes a verry little to go from the perfict cup of coffee to somthing I cant drink.

Thank you for posting this! I knew it had to be terrible for you! My mom is obsessive with this stuff and somehow thinks it tastes good. She also doesn't seem to care about chemicals being in food, so I'm not too sure how to make her listen to reason.