Sugar substitutes, any good choices out there?

shawnmstout
shawnmstout Posts: 131 Member
edited November 20 in Health and Weight Loss
the information is all over the place. some say its great, others say to stay away when dealing with weight loss. I recently bought stevia to replace sugar in my tea and i wanted to hear from everyone what they think about it and other artificial sweeteners and if there is any good out there.
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Replies

  • jaims224
    jaims224 Posts: 62 Member
    From what I understand, Stevia is the best sugar replacement. I try to steer clear of all of the other ones. I don't use Stevia much, but sometimes in my coffee.
  • DeguelloTex
    DeguelloTex Posts: 6,652 Member
    I'm all about sucralose when I'm using a substitute.
  • elphie754
    elphie754 Posts: 7,574 Member
    If you have no medical conditions, artificial sweeteners are fine. I personally hate stevia- tastes gross to me.
  • cwolfman13
    cwolfman13 Posts: 41,865 Member
    I don't like how any of them taste. If I add a sweetener to something (which is rare) I just use sugar. I've tried just about everything and none of it tastes good IMO.
  • shawnmstout
    shawnmstout Posts: 131 Member
    i agree, i am not fond of the taste either. i cant stand a bitter taste and i limit the amount i put in my tea, 2 tsp of sugar, or 1 tsp of stevia. i was hoping the taste may grow on me after some time.
  • jgnatca
    jgnatca Posts: 14,464 Member
    edited June 2015
    I evaluate the claims based on evidence. The anti-artificial sweetener arguments IMO, land in the fear-mongering category. Solid double-blind peer reviewed studies consistently show that the approved artificial sweeteners are safe.

    Artificial sweeteners have not hindered my weight loss in the least. I use aspartame, sucralose, and stevia, no matter how they are packaged or hidden in foods.

    Stevia, by the way, has not been approved by the FDA as a sugar replacement, and is instead marketed as a nutritional supplement (less stringent testing required). It's popular because it is perceived to be more "natural", being a leaf extract.

    [Edited to add a trusted opinion.]
  • shawnmstout
    shawnmstout Posts: 131 Member
    DeguelloTex wrote: »
    I'm all about sucralose when I'm using a substitute.

    what is sucralose?
  • DeguelloTex
    DeguelloTex Posts: 6,652 Member
    Tony Montaña got into a lot of trouble selling a leaf extract.
  • jaims224
    jaims224 Posts: 62 Member
    shawnmstout wrote: »
    DeguelloTex wrote: »
    I'm all about sucralose when I'm using a substitute.

    what is sucralose?

    Splenda

  • snowflakesav
    snowflakesav Posts: 649 Member
    I think it is a very individual thing. At one time I stopped using artificial sweeteners for nearly a year and that made dieting harder. I am able to stay trim much easier with them. I do like stevia. I don't think diet soft drinks are "the devil" as many would have us believe...love to get a diet fountain drink on a summer afternoon at the sip and pump.
  • shawnmstout
    shawnmstout Posts: 131 Member
    DeguelloTex wrote: »
    Tony Montaña got into a lot of trouble selling a leaf extract.

    Hah!, he got jokes :wink:
  • Laurend224
    Laurend224 Posts: 1,748 Member
    shawnmstout wrote: »
    DeguelloTex wrote: »
    I'm all about sucralose when I'm using a substitute.

    what is sucralose?


    Splenda
  • shawnmstout
    shawnmstout Posts: 131 Member
    DeguelloTex wrote: »
    Tony Montaña got into a lot of trouble selling a leaf extract.

    yeah that makes you loose weight as well, lol
  • cwolfman13
    cwolfman13 Posts: 41,865 Member
    shawnmstout wrote: »
    i agree, i am not fond of the taste either. i cant stand a bitter taste and i limit the amount i put in my tea, 2 tsp of sugar, or 1 tsp of stevia. i was hoping the taste may grow on me after some time.

    Probably will...I never really gave any of them much of a chance. My biggest issues were sodas...other than that, I've never really been a sugar guy...when I couldn't find a decent replacement for my regular sodas, I just pretty much gave them up...I used to drink 3-5 per day...now I might have 3-5 sodas per year.

    I do add a little sugar to my cucumber salad and I tried stevia on that once...no thanks...it's only a tsp in the whole entire salad anyway, so not a big deal I guess.
  • shawnmstout
    shawnmstout Posts: 131 Member
    snowflakesav wrote: »
    I think it is a very individual thing. At one time I stopped using artificial sweeteners for nearly a year and that made dieting harder. I am able to stay trim much easier with them. I do like stevia. I don't think diet soft drinks are "the devil" as many would have us believe...love to get a diet fountain drink on a summer afternoon at the sip and pump.

    Agreed, i mean how many obese people do you see drinking diet soda year after year with no change? there is something to that
  • DeguelloTex
    DeguelloTex Posts: 6,652 Member
    shawnmstout wrote: »
    snowflakesav wrote: »
    I think it is a very individual thing. At one time I stopped using artificial sweeteners for nearly a year and that made dieting harder. I am able to stay trim much easier with them. I do like stevia. I don't think diet soft drinks are "the devil" as many would have us believe...love to get a diet fountain drink on a summer afternoon at the sip and pump.

    Agreed, i mean how many obese people do you see drinking diet soda year after year with no change? there is something to that
    Not always the same obese people, though. It's possible people laughed at me for being the obese guy drinking a diet drink. Chances are, I'm in better shape than those people now and artificial sweeteners definitely helped with that.

  • Sued0nim
    Sued0nim Posts: 17,456 Member
    Log 2 tsp sugar in your diary

    See how many calories it is?

    Surprised?

    I know it fits in your target calories

    There's your answer
  • shawnmstout
    shawnmstout Posts: 131 Member
    rabbitjb wrote: »
    Log 2 tsp sugar in your diary

    See how many calories it is?

    Surprised?

    I know it fits in your target calories

    There's your answer

    yeah only 15 calories per packet, i also heard that the body treats artificial sweeteners like sugar anyways. have you heard of that as well? anyone heard that?
  • marthawilson04276
    marthawilson04276 Posts: 1 Member
    I use Ideal Sugar substitute. No calories and NO aftertaste! I first got it at Wal-mart but here in Mexico, Maine, they no longer carry it. I order it from Netrition.com and have always recieved my order the next business day (without paying extra). They sell a box of 100 packets and by the 10.5 oz. bag. Hope this helps :)

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  • sheltrk
    sheltrk Posts: 111 Member
    Yellow, blue, green or pink? ;)

    I like sucralose (yellow/Splenda) and aspartame (blue/Equal). Sucralose is a bit more expensive, so I typically buy the aspartame packets for my coffee or tea-sweetening purposes at home. Sucralose can be used in baked goods without losing sweetness, so it's handy for that. Note however, it is *not* an all-purpose sugar-replacement in things like cookies or cakes. I do not like the taste of stevia (green packets typically), or saccharin (Sweet 'n Low--pink).
  • BWBTrish
    BWBTrish Posts: 2,817 Member
    I think its very personal
    I love Truvia but hate the after taste of the liquid Truvia

    but according to your other thread you have a problem to hit the calories you need
    So why replace? Like i said before eat the more dense foods so also sugar instead of a substitute.

    But my humble opinion.
  • jkwolly
    jkwolly Posts: 3,049 Member
    elphie754 wrote: »
    If you have no medical conditions, artificial sweeteners are fine. I personally hate stevia- tastes gross to me.

    Ditto, seeew gross!
  • kshama2001
    kshama2001 Posts: 28,052 Member
    jgnatca wrote: »
    I evaluate the claims based on evidence. The anti-artificial sweetener arguments IMO, land in the fear-mongering category. Solid double-blind peer reviewed studies consistently show that the approved artificial sweeteners are safe.

    Artificial sweeteners have not hindered my weight loss in the least. I use aspartame, sucralose, and stevia, no matter how they are packaged or hidden in foods.

    Stevia, by the way, has not been approved by the FDA as a sugar replacement, and is instead marketed as a nutritional supplement (less stringent testing required). It's popular because it is perceived to be more "natural", being a leaf extract.

    [Edited to add a trusted opinion.]

    Seems like refined stevia has moved from nutritional supplement to sweetener:

    Has Stevia been approved by FDA to be used as a sweetener?

    Based on its review of information and data submitted by industry, FDA has concluded there is no basis to object to the use of certain refined Stevia preparations in food. These refined Stevia preparations may be lawfully marketed and added to food products sold in the United States.
  • I_Will_End_You
    I_Will_End_You Posts: 4,397 Member
    shawnmstout wrote: »
    rabbitjb wrote: »
    Log 2 tsp sugar in your diary

    See how many calories it is?

    Surprised?

    I know it fits in your target calories

    There's your answer

    yeah only 15 calories per packet, i also heard that the body treats artificial sweeteners like sugar anyways. have you heard of that as well? anyone heard that?

    No, it doesn't.

    I like whatever is in the pink packet, personally. Artificial sweeteners and diet soda are, for me, and easy wa to cut calories.
  • kshama2001
    kshama2001 Posts: 28,052 Member
    shawnmstout wrote: »
    snowflakesav wrote: »
    I think it is a very individual thing. At one time I stopped using artificial sweeteners for nearly a year and that made dieting harder. I am able to stay trim much easier with them. I do like stevia. I don't think diet soft drinks are "the devil" as many would have us believe...love to get a diet fountain drink on a summer afternoon at the sip and pump.

    Agreed, i mean how many obese people do you see drinking diet soda year after year with no change? there is something to that

    Yes, studies have shown that artificial sweeteners can cause you to crave more sugar: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2892765/
  • jgnatca
    jgnatca Posts: 14,464 Member
    @shawnmstout I hear all sorts of things. I dislike rumors. Really, really dislike them. If you are going to make your diet choices based on the loudest rumor, you are in for a rollicking ride.
  • jgnatca
    jgnatca Posts: 14,464 Member
    @kshama2001 , I see the unrefined leaf is still not approved.

    http://www.fda.gov/AboutFDA/Transparency/Basics/ucm214864.htm

    http://www.fda.gov/AboutFDA/Transparency/Basics/ucm214865.htm
  • shawnmstout
    shawnmstout Posts: 131 Member
    jgnatca wrote: »
    @shawnmstout I hear all sorts of things. I dislike rumors. Really, really dislike them. If you are going to make your diet choices based on the loudest rumor, you are in for a rollicking ride.

    i base my opinion on these discussions, the intelligent people that i interact with here that has already been dieting and reading many many many articles online. it is not based on 1 thing and i can easily change my mind as well to something new. I just like discussing and pointing out things i have heard to see if there is any truth to it, as far as the loudest voice, it is more like the more evidence.

    on this subject, however, it is very mixed up and i havent found very much research one way or the other.
  • shawnmstout
    shawnmstout Posts: 131 Member
    kshama2001 wrote: »
    shawnmstout wrote: »
    snowflakesav wrote: »
    I think it is a very individual thing. At one time I stopped using artificial sweeteners for nearly a year and that made dieting harder. I am able to stay trim much easier with them. I do like stevia. I don't think diet soft drinks are "the devil" as many would have us believe...love to get a diet fountain drink on a summer afternoon at the sip and pump.

    Agreed, i mean how many obese people do you see drinking diet soda year after year with no change? there is something to that

    Yes, studies have shown that artificial sweeteners can cause you to crave more sugar: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2892765/

    That may of been what i was reading about. that is the problem when you read so much, the data starts getting mixed in all together and you know you read it but forget where and in what context.
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