Artificial sweeteners
glfernandes828
Posts: 101 Member
I love coffee so much and have been drinking it almost everyday. I'm trying really hard to drink it without sweetening it because I don't like using sugar. I use 1-2 Splendas but I've read way too much abou the dangers of artificial sweeteners IN THE LONG RUN if you use it extremely regularly. What are your thoughts?
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Replies
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I started using Splenda years ago because I use a lot less of it than plain sugar. There are so many opposing opinions out there that it's hard to know what's right. The bottom line is that there have never been any long term human studies done with artificial sweeteners. The studies are done by overdosing lab rats. Other studies are singular, meaning that there are no mirror studies to back up the claims. Essentially, your brain is going to respond to anything sweet the same way. Personally, I doubt there will ever be any stunning findings in humans who use these sweeteners within reasonable limits.0
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I started using Splenda years ago because I use a lot less of it than plain sugar. There are so many opposing opinions out there that it's hard to know what's right. The bottom line is that there have never been any long term human studies done with artificial sweeteners. The studies are done by overdosing lab rats. Other studies are singular, meaning that there are no mirror studies to back up the claims. Essentially, your brain is going to respond to anything sweet the same way. Personally, I doubt there will ever be any stunning findings in humans who use these sweeteners within reasonable limits.
I couldn't have said it better myself! Just building off of this and adding my own two cents, I personally don't avoid them 100%, but due to how controversial they are and how little long-term studies have been done, I try to avoid them when possible. How I see it is that it's better to be safe than sorry when dealing with these, so if I can buy aspartame free products and so forth I will do so. On the other hand, I'll occasionally go against my beliefs and grab something with artificial sugars when a strong craving hits and it's either that or something with a lot more calories that I can't fit into my food diary. While the whole artificial sugars area is still a little gray, it's pretty black and white that consuming too many calories on a daily basis will lead to weight gain which will lead to further health problems such as diabetes, and so if I had to choose between the two, I would favor a possible link to cancer instead of a guaranteed for something like diabetes.
Unless consuming artificial sweeteners gives you absolutely horrible GI issues (as it does with some sensitive people), I would say it's okay every here and there, just don't go overboard because as we all know, moderation is always important!0 -
I've been using between two and six packets of saccharine a day since the 1970s. So far my liver hasn't failed and my skin hasn't fallen off or developed other than a couple of wrinkles that come with age. I admit I'm n = 1, but I'd say that decades of use is long-term use.0
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I find that about 1/4 spoon of sugar is enough to nutralize the acid in coffee.0
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beemerphile1 wrote: »I find that about 1/4 spoon of sugar is enough to nutralize the acid in coffee.
Same here0 -
Interesting, I had to go out with friends this past Friday and I drank to glasses of diet coke. I did not consume any alcohol. Now let me put this in perspective, it took me a long time to break my sugar addiction. It would take 8 to 10 teaspoons of coffee to sweeten my 16 oz coffee. Anyway, after consuming the 2 diet cokes, I was fine. But the next day....but the next day...was...hell! I was craving sweets. I couldn't get satisfied. I struggled all day. I stayed on point, but it was touch n go at times. For me, artificial sweeteners are a gateway to failure.0
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I have to be honest that artificial sweeteners are a godsend. But I do not and I repeat do not consume large quanties in any given day.
Morning 1 cup of coffee is with Sugar Free Creamer and 2 Truvias.
For dinner I have 1 8 oz diet soda (My new is Dr Pepper Cherry - Diet) or Unsweetened tea with trivia.
If I make a dessert (which is every so often) that calls for regular sugar, I substitute it with Truvia Baking Blend which is half and half. Basically 1/2 cup sugar is 1/4 cup of this Truvia..
Sweeteners in candy, mints and gum give me terrible bloating (this is from sugar alcohols).. So I moderate this just so I can enjoy my coffee and one diet soda each day... the rest is on occasion..0 -
I don't use artificial sweeteners because they seem to cause my arthritis to flare up. I want to be clear and say that I have no scientific evidence of this it's just something I have noticed pertaining to myself only. In general most people I know use them and have no side effects.
Anyhow I cut them out and you get used to drinking things without them. I drink tea hot and iced completely unsweetened. Sometimes with a splash of lemon or lime juice. Coffee I drink with whole milk or cream. I don't care for the taste of coffee plain or with lower fat milks but I find whole milk gives it a really nice flavor and I don't need any sugar or sweetener.0 -
For me it took some time but I taught myself to drink it black. Now I just enjoy the flavor.0
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Interesting, I had to go out with friends this past Friday and I drank to glasses of diet coke. I did not consume any alcohol. Now let me put this in perspective, it took me a long time to break my sugar addiction. It would take 8 to 10 teaspoons of coffee to sweeten my 16 oz coffee. Anyway, after consuming the 2 diet cokes, I was fine. But the next day....but the next day...was...hell! I was craving sweets. I couldn't get satisfied. I struggled all day. I stayed on point, but it was touch n go at times. For me, artificial sweeteners are a gateway to failure.
I'm going to propose that it isn't so much the artificial sweeteners as it is anything that tastes sufficiently sweet. And artificial sweeteners do tend to taste much sweeter than sugar. No question they should be avoided if they negatively impact your self-control.0 -
I started using Splenda years ago because I use a lot less of it than plain sugar. There are so many opposing opinions out there that it's hard to know what's right. The bottom line is that there have never been any long term human studies done with artificial sweeteners. The studies are done by overdosing lab rats. Other studies are singular, meaning that there are no mirror studies to back up the claims. Essentially, your brain is going to respond to anything sweet the same way. Personally, I doubt there will ever be any stunning findings in humans who use these sweeteners within reasonable limits.
I couldn't have said it better myself! Just building off of this and adding my own two cents, I personally don't avoid them 100%, but due to how controversial they are and how little long-term studies have been done, I try to avoid them when possible. How I see it is that it's better to be safe than sorry when dealing with these, so if I can buy aspartame free products and so forth I will do so. On the other hand, I'll occasionally go against my beliefs and grab something with artificial sugars when a strong craving hits and it's either that or something with a lot more calories that I can't fit into my food diary. While the whole artificial sugars area is still a little gray, it's pretty black and white that consuming too many calories on a daily basis will lead to weight gain which will lead to further health problems such as diabetes, and so if I had to choose between the two, I would favor a possible link to cancer instead of a guaranteed for something like diabetes.
Unless consuming artificial sweeteners gives you absolutely horrible GI issues (as it does with some sensitive people), I would say it's okay every here and there, just don't go overboard because as we all know, moderation is always important!
Wait I've never heard of sweeteners impacting your GI... But I think this may be happening with me! I'm going to look into it more0 -
Stevia.. it is a natural sweetener.. check it out. I drink a lot of coffee daily and use that.0
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I went from sugar, to raw sugar to splenda. When the splenda ran out I didn't buy more.
If the acid in coffee bothers you, switch to an espresso or dark roast, they're not as acidic. I have some Panamanian coffee that's really low in acid too. My go to now is either a Costa Rican or a Panamanian with heavy cream.0 -
I drink 3 or 4 16oz cups of coffee daily. I use one packet of Truvia in each one of them.0
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Drink it black... I personally like black coffee with nothing in it. I feel like it wakes me up a little more since it is bitter.0
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glfernandes828 wrote: »I started using Splenda years ago because I use a lot less of it than plain sugar. There are so many opposing opinions out there that it's hard to know what's right. The bottom line is that there have never been any long term human studies done with artificial sweeteners. The studies are done by overdosing lab rats. Other studies are singular, meaning that there are no mirror studies to back up the claims. Essentially, your brain is going to respond to anything sweet the same way. Personally, I doubt there will ever be any stunning findings in humans who use these sweeteners within reasonable limits.
I couldn't have said it better myself! Just building off of this and adding my own two cents, I personally don't avoid them 100%, but due to how controversial they are and how little long-term studies have been done, I try to avoid them when possible. How I see it is that it's better to be safe than sorry when dealing with these, so if I can buy aspartame free products and so forth I will do so. On the other hand, I'll occasionally go against my beliefs and grab something with artificial sugars when a strong craving hits and it's either that or something with a lot more calories that I can't fit into my food diary. While the whole artificial sugars area is still a little gray, it's pretty black and white that consuming too many calories on a daily basis will lead to weight gain which will lead to further health problems such as diabetes, and so if I had to choose between the two, I would favor a possible link to cancer instead of a guaranteed for something like diabetes.
Unless consuming artificial sweeteners gives you absolutely horrible GI issues (as it does with some sensitive people), I would say it's okay every here and there, just don't go overboard because as we all know, moderation is always important!
Wait I've never heard of sweeteners impacting your GI... But I think this may be happening with me! I'm going to look into it more
Sugar alcohols frequently cause GI issues (bloating, cramps, diarrhea) when too much is consumed. They occur naturally in food but nowadays they are mostly synthesized from regular table sugar. Whether that makes them an artificial sweetener or not is up to you to decide. Unlike other sweeteners, sugar alcohols are not calorio free and they are actually less sweet than regular sugar. Look for names like xylitol, sorbitol, mannitol, maltitol and the like in the ingredient list.0 -
If you have pets, try to avoid xylitol. It's poisonous to dog and cats.0
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I used to avoid artificial sweeteners, but recently I started adding Truvia to my tea.0
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glfernandes828 wrote: »I love coffee so much and have been drinking it almost everyday. I'm trying really hard to drink it without sweetening it because I don't like using sugar. I use 1-2 Splendas but I've read way too much abou the dangers of artificial sweeteners IN THE LONG RUN if you use it extremely regularly. What are your thoughts?
With all the other dangers in the world, I seriously doubt 1-2 Splendas a day will be the thing that kills you. But, I could be wrong.0
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