Sugar vs Substitutes

kristinwalker
kristinwalker Posts: 100 Member
edited September 27 in Food and Nutrition
Ok, so here is my delimma. I have been tracking my sugar and I have noticed that I am bad, I mean BAD with sugar. I used to use Splenda instead but really out of a desire to get rid of artificals (and some nudging on my husbands part) I returned to sugar. The only problem I have is that I am eating so much sugar it is terrible, and most all of it comes in my morning coffee. I have tried coffee black but lets face it, I like my coffee blond and sweet. I am looking for some insight and opinions. I feel torn. I know that artificial 0 calorie sweeteners are bad for me, but I consume way lower amounts of it than I do sugar. I usually use organic cane sugar to avoid the over processing of white sugar, but even then I tend to use more for the same amount of sweet. So the excess sugar is terrible for my body as well. My question, I guess is: Is it better to use artificial sweeteners like Splenda in a smaller amount, or is it better to stick with regular sugar. Ihave tried stevia style sweeteners but I found it not so sweet. I don't do equal or sweet n' low either, don't like the flavor. I have tried agave nectar and honey instead, but these in coffee can be a bit odd...So what do you think, any suggestions?

Of course there are those of you who will tell me to avoid sugar or cut back on what I am eating...noted. And those of you that will say that both sugar and artificial sweeteners are bad...noted.

But this question is more about Sugar vs Substitutes... What do you think?

Thanks all!

Replies

  • mapinkerton
    mapinkerton Posts: 147
    I use Splenda Blend. It is 1/2 sugar and half Splenda.
  • WifeMomDVM
    WifeMomDVM Posts: 1,025 Member
    I think sugar is the lesser of the two evils.

    And although you noted it - I would say try to train your taste buds to get used to the "odd" honey or stevia. Maybe mix sugar with one of those and gradually add more stevia and less sugar instead of going it cold turkey. Just an idea.

    Or... you could give up coffee :bigsmile:
  • HadraPriestess
    HadraPriestess Posts: 58 Member
    Hey there. I'll "weigh" in on this subject. (Ha!)
    I know you have tried stevia products. But, have you tried "Truvia"?
    I find it to be the best sweetner out there MOST like sugar w/o the calories. And, I find it pretty sweet.
    And, let me just say...sugar and I go a long way back...BFF's!
    If you try it on strawberries or cereal first...you may discover just the thing for which you are searching!
  • emmacomeau
    emmacomeau Posts: 11
    Try Agave Nectar! I copied this directly from this article. It's worth a read if you are looking for a natural sugar replacement: http://shine.yahoo.com/channel/health/natural-sweeteners-that-can-replace-sugar-302605


    It has a low glycemic level and is a safe alternative to table sugar. Unlike the crystalline form of fructose, which is refined primarily from corn, agave syrup is fructose in its natural form. This nectar does not contain processing chemicals. Even better, because fructose is sweeter than table sugar, less is needed in your recipes. It can be most useful for people who are diabetic, have insulin resistance (Syndrome X), or are simply watching their carbohydrate intake.
  • Sunny_Lexie
    Sunny_Lexie Posts: 114
    I am very bad with sugar too!

    I use 2% milk in my coffee. It already contains a little sugar and it makes coffee more drinkable without adding sugar!

    Other that that...I try not to have any cookie at home and I barely have any sugar. I hate the substitutes, they make me sick. But if I really want to eat something sweet without th guilt, i like to have half of an Atkins bar!
  • HadraPriestess
    HadraPriestess Posts: 58 Member
    WifeMomDVM
    LOVE, LOVE, LOVE your goals!
  • imallyson
    imallyson Posts: 5 Member
    I think you should go with sugar. Sugar is not great for you, but as long as you try to limit in other areas, it just doesn't have the same amount of associated risks and potential serious side effects that artificial sweeteners do. That stuff hasn't even been tested long-term. Scary! I think natural is just a better decision.
  • HadraPriestess
    HadraPriestess Posts: 58 Member
    WifeMomDVM
    LOVE, LOVE, LOVE your rewards for reaching your goals!!!
  • Gettinfit2
    Gettinfit2 Posts: 254 Member
    Sugar

    Really, why bother with fake foods :huh:
  • Suzannejl
    Suzannejl Posts: 212
    great question! I'm where you are. I gave up sugary drinks for lent( around 100g per day!) And now everyone is telling me to get off the splenda?! I have replaced Mt. Dew with Diet Lipton Citrus Green Tea. I used to also drink two cups of tea a morning each with 2 tsp of sugar. Now I just drink green tea plain, or just skip it. sniff, I miss my sugar...
  • TropicalKitty
    TropicalKitty Posts: 2,298 Member
    I, too, have gone for a more natural approach to my diet and understand the frustration with the sugar counts. I'll tell you this, one thing I had done at one point to help me wean me down was increase the cream in my coffee for a little while until I got used to less sugar. It takes time to not want lots of sugar, to drink or to eat. But you noted that those things aren't what you are interested in...so...

    I don't like fake sugars, not just for the artificiality, but because there is also information out there that the fake ones can lead to greater sugar cravings (some thoughts are because they make your body expect sweet - eg calories - and you don't get it so you crave more foods. another thought is that some of them affect blood sugar)

    I use rapadura - it's unprocessed sugar, just the cane juice directly crystalized and chipped into flakes. Has a nice caramelish flavor that I love in my coffee.
  • Fortitude73
    Fortitude73 Posts: 1
    Try truvia, it's a great alternative. It comes in packets, as well as, bulk. it's available at most grocery stores and is not bitter like stevia.
  • milaxx
    milaxx Posts: 1,122 Member
    I use stevia, it's a plant based sugar substitute, but not artificial. Just make sure you actually get stevia and not the stevia blends like truvia and purvia.

    Or you could try sweeten almond milk which would add the blonde and the sweet all in one.
  • Sunny_Lexie
    Sunny_Lexie Posts: 114
    Try Agave Nectar! I copied this directly from this article. It's worth a read if you are looking for a natural sugar replacement: http://shine.yahoo.com/channel/health/natural-sweeteners-that-can-replace-sugar-302605


    It has a low glycemic level and is a safe alternative to table sugar. Unlike the crystalline form of fructose, which is refined primarily from corn, agave syrup is fructose in its natural form. This nectar does not contain processing chemicals. Even better, because fructose is sweeter than table sugar, less is needed in your recipes. It can be most useful for people who are diabetic, have insulin resistance (Syndrome X), or are simply watching their carbohydrate intake.

    Be careful though, fructose elevates the levels of ghrelin, a hormone that stimulates the appetite, while not stimulating insulin production which is supposed to tell you when to stop eating.
    I think that quantity control IS everything!
  • TropicalKitty
    TropicalKitty Posts: 2,298 Member
    I know you have tried stevia products. But, have you tried "Truvia"?

    Truvia has added stuff to it, so it's not pure stevia. FYI.

    http://www.truvia.com/about/ingredients/
  • WifeMomDVM
    WifeMomDVM Posts: 1,025 Member
    WifeMomDVM
    LOVE, LOVE, LOVE your goals!

    Well, thank you! :blushing:
  • MelanieP_TX
    MelanieP_TX Posts: 159 Member
    Have you tried agave nectar? I went from light and sweet to 2 tablespoons of plain half and half and cinnamon- It was an adjustment but well worth the benefits!
  • TropicalKitty
    TropicalKitty Posts: 2,298 Member
    Have you tried agave nectar? I went from light and sweet to 2 tablespoons of plain half and half and cinnamon- It was an adjustment but well worth the benefits!

    That gives me another idea, I think some of the flavored coffees affect the amount of sugar I use - like a vanilla coffee I don't really need much sugar, but a dark roast (like French) I need more sugar.

    OP, have you tried different flavors or roasts along with your sweetner testing to see if that helps at all? You might find a nice brew that tastes great with your natural alternatives.
  • pedalpusher5
    pedalpusher5 Posts: 39
    I choose Splenda, hands down.

    If you can ween yourself from the desire for sweets, then that's great and the occassional sweet treat isn't going to do you that much harm. But if you have a sweet tooth, and it takes large amounts of sugar to satisfy it, you are going to have a very difficult time taking off the weight.

    I have seen a lot of opinions and theories about artificial sweeteners, and although the FDA has made claims that saccharin and aspartame are in fact dangerous, I have not found any evidence of that regarding Splenda or Stevia. I agree that Stevia tastes funky, so Splenda has been my sweetener of choice for years now. I use it in everything.

    My feeling is, I don't know if Splenda is harmful, and maybe they will prove that it is sometime in the future. But here's what I DO know, I know that by continuing to eat a high sugar diet, I was grossly overweight. I DO know that as a result of that overweight I was on blood pressure medication and that I was at risk for developing diabetes, as I am currently the only living member of my family who does not have it. I know that my hips and knees hurt and I could barely get up a flight of stairs, and I know that I was miserable and depressed.

    So when I compare what I don't know, but someone speculates might be true (that Splenda may be harmful?) against what I definitely DO know, (that being overweight due to a high sugar high fat diet was probably going to kill me at the rate I was going), I am going to take the risk, enjoy the incredible good health and vitality I have now, as a result of losing 76 pounds, largely due to either doing away with or using substitutes for fat and sugar and I am going to dance, and ride my bike, and go for long walks on the beach and play hard with my grandchildren, and enjoy my family and whatever other opportunities come my way.

    I remember in the movie Steel Magnolias, Julia Roberts said "I would rather have 15 minutes of wonderful that a lifetime of nothing special." Being thin and having my health back is giving me my wonderful, being overweight and in ill health was definitly nothing special.

    Only you can decide what you are willing to trade to achieve your goals, what you think the quality of your life is now, what health risks you are currently taking by being overweight, whether they are in fact worse than the risks you MIGHT be taking with the little yellow packets and then you'll know what you can live with, happily or unhappily.

    Whatever you decide, I wish you the best in achieving your goals,
    Becky
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