How bad for you are artificial sugars?
cguzman321
Posts: 2 Member
Hey all! Since I have started trying to significantly cut my calories I have also started to delve in to using "fake" sugars like stevia, truvia, sweet n low, splenda, etc.. However I know that there have been some studies linking these types of sweeteners and other health dangers. Can I get some of your opinions on this matter? I am concerned that I am risking my long term health to cut a few calories now. Please let me know what you think, thanks!
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I think they are horrible. AND they taste bad. The only one I mind less is xyletol, but I've stopped using that, too. I use raw sugar/organic demerara (not white, because of the bone char used to refine it) in my daily cup of tea. Otherwise, I cook/bake with honey, agave or real Maple syrup if I can. Using real sugar makes me use so much less (I measure it, and try not to use more than a combined table spoon per day in all my hot bevs). Additionally, I've realized all recipes overuse sugar (to my taste) so I always cut sugar in recipes in half. I'm also on a diet and count calories, so I'm aware I could be using zero calorie options, but they are so bad for you and taste nasty.0
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If you are referring to using "fake..." in drinks like tea and/or coffee, I use pure honey or agave.0
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People that use artificial sweeteners actually have been shown to consume more calories [and gain more weight] -partly because they dramatically increase your carbohydrate cravings. I'll set aside the laundry list of side-effects, to include some pretty scary neurological and psychological ones, and I'll just give you some first hand feedback. Keep in mind that it is truly hard to find an unbiased study -ESPECIALLY on this toxic crud that should have been banned years ago. I will tell you that my ex-husband [a diet soda addict for years] had begun to show signs of degeneration in his hips, and with his eyesight -in addition to intense lower back pain [kidneys]. A few months ago, he randomly got the wild idea [after much of my nagging] to switch to just water -ditching his then 2-4 liter a day habit. Since then his eyesight has improved dramatically. He can now walk without pain, and no longer experiences lower back issues ...which used to periodically leave him debilitated. Needless to say, he is never going back to that sweet poison.
--And not to be the bearer of bad news, but even "regular" sugar is pretty wretched stuff. Refined sugars are an incomplete compound -which means that in order for your body to process them appropriately, the cells of your body are robbed of vital nutrients ...leaving many people [even overweight ones] malnourished. Add to that, a small amount of sugar is enough to pretty much paralyze your immune system for 24 hrs --leaving icky things [like cancerous cells] free to roam, conquer, and consume.0 -
I'm one of the unlucky people who are actually ALLERGIC to artificial sweeteners. If I consume aspartame I usually go into the ER with severe neurological symptoms. While the others don't cause as bad reactions, they usually land me in bed for a week as I "detox". The only one I dare to use is Stevia and then only in small amounts.
My allergy developed over the first 25 years of my life--I was a diet coke, diet tea, diet Snapple drinker. I started having weird neurological symptoms: leg drags, coordination problems, neuropathy, inability to grab things with my hands, migraines, vision problems, swallowing problems, etc. After two years of constant pain, 9 specialists, hundreds of painful tests that revealed nothing, I finally read an article about aspartame poisoning. I talked to my PCP who said to give it a shot...I'd be dead in two years if they couldn't find a solution anyway, so she was willing to help me try anything.
Within two weeks of abstaining from all artificial sweeteners, I felt like a million bucks! All of the neurological symptoms were gone! That lasted for almost a year before I made the mistake of ordering strawberry yogurt at Bob Evans. Little did I know it has aspartame in it. That evening I was in the hospital. Blood tests showed that I was having a severe allergic reaction. The aspartame had poisoned my system so much that I actually developed a severe allergy.
Fast-forward seven years, and I've only had two other episodes where I accidentally ingested an artificial sweetener. I read labels from start to finish. I know all of the chemical names of artificial sweeteners, too. When my doctor recommended Stevia I almost said no! But I agreed to try a little bit and had no side effects.
So in short, I'd stay away from the stuff!0 -
Wow I really appreciate all of the feedback! Thank you for sharing. Will definitely try to abstain from artificial sweeteners as much as I can in the future.0
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Stevia is not a fake sugar. It's a herb. Please don't think it's in the same family as Splenda or even Truvia (which is cut with other sweeteners).
SweetLeaf and NuNaturals are good brands that don't cut their product with crap like maltodextrin or other sweeteners.0 -
This has been some good discussion as I can never find information that I feel is "just the facts" on artificial sweeteners. I have been told Stivia is natural though and doesn't cause all of the side effects I've read in this discussion. Fingers crossed this is true!0
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OMG, in reading this, Im not sure which one to buy. , I have been using Stevia in the Raw, green packet. I changed from Splenda. which I still use when there is no other option at a restaurant. I hate the pink stuff. or blue ones. bitter taste. But I have to tell you, I have so many of those symptoms that are being discussed. IN fact, they were connecting that with my fibromyalgia, which I believe I probably dont have, anyways. It's a rule out diagnoses when they cant find what the real problem is. So it comes down to all the poisonous chemicals in our food. Now, what can yu tell me about frozen dinners for lunch which I have been consuming to keep my calorie intake low. any idea which ones are better than the other. This is a temporary type of lunch until I get even more active in warm weather, Also, I find that I cant control the amount of sugar , but I eat alot of fruit. I thought this was suppose to be good for you.? so confused:(0
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Simply put the artificial sweeteners boost up your insulin levels. The insulin doesn't have a job to do. The body senses the excess insulin and triggers the hunger response. Then you eat more.0
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I use liquid stevia for my occasional glass of iced tea. It needs to be as close to 100% pure as you can find.
It is natural and does not have the side effects of artificial sweeteners, plus it tastes good!0 -
alyssadanniele wrote: »People that use artificial sweeteners actually have been shown to consume more calories [and gain more weight] -partly because they dramatically increase your carbohydrate cravings. I'll set aside the laundry list of side-effects, to include some pretty scary neurological and psychological ones, and I'll just give you some first hand feedback. Keep in mind that it is truly hard to find an unbiased study -ESPECIALLY on this toxic crud that should have been banned years ago. I will tell you that my ex-husband [a diet soda addict for years] had begun to show signs of degeneration in his hips, and with his eyesight -in addition to intense lower back pain [kidneys]. A few months ago, he randomly got the wild idea [after much of my nagging] to switch to just water -ditching his then 2-4 liter a day habit. Since then his eyesight has improved dramatically. He can now walk without pain, and no longer experiences lower back issues ...which used to periodically leave him debilitated. Needless to say, he is never going back to that sweet poison.
--And not to be the bearer of bad news, but even "regular" sugar is pretty wretched stuff. Refined sugars are an incomplete compound -which means that in order for your body to process them appropriately, the cells of your body are robbed of vital nutrients ...leaving many people [even overweight ones] malnourished. Add to that, a small amount of sugar is enough to pretty much paralyze your immune system for 24 hrs --leaving icky things [like cancerous cells] free to roam, conquer, and consume.
Alyssadanniele I have found this to be so true, I was using sweeteners all the time because I am and ice tea addict and sweet tea is way to sweet for me. I used sweeteners and heard this same thing about how it made people consume more calories. I stopped all sweeteners cold turkey and I can tell you that I have noticed the change big time. I no longer have a hard time sticking to my calorie count, I am loosing weight better and not wanting my carbs as much. It is really interesting how something that was made to replace sugar, could do this to you. Not using sweeteners was a taste I had to get use to, but I feel so much better.
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If you really want to have a sweet taste I recommend local raw honey. It does have some ccalories bbut you don't need a lot. It is a natural antibiotic, helps with allergies and tastes great0
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I'm one of the unlucky people who are actually ALLERGIC to artificial sweeteners. If I consume aspartame I usually go into the ER with severe neurological symptoms. While the others don't cause as bad reactions, they usually land me in bed for a week as I "detox". The only one I dare to use is Stevia and then only in small amounts.
My allergy developed over the first 25 years of my life--I was a diet coke, diet tea, diet Snapple drinker. I started having weird neurological symptoms: leg drags, coordination problems, neuropathy, inability to grab things with my hands, migraines, vision problems, swallowing problems, etc. After two years of constant pain, 9 specialists, hundreds of painful tests that revealed nothing, I finally read an article about aspartame poisoning. I talked to my PCP who said to give it a shot...I'd be dead in two years if they couldn't find a solution anyway, so she was willing to help me try anything.
Within two weeks of abstaining from all artificial sweeteners, I felt like a million bucks! All of the neurological symptoms were gone! That lasted for almost a year before I made the mistake of ordering strawberry yogurt at Bob Evans. Little did I know it has aspartame in it. That evening I was in the hospital. Blood tests showed that I was having a severe allergic reaction. The aspartame had poisoned my system so much that I actually developed a severe allergy.
Fast-forward seven years, and I've only had two other episodes where I accidentally ingested an artificial sweetener. I read labels from start to finish. I know all of the chemical names of artificial sweeteners, too. When my doctor recommended Stevia I almost said no! But I agreed to try a little bit and had no side effects.
So in short, I'd stay away from the stuff!
Many years ago nearly the exact same thing happened to me with the same symptoms. I was a Diet Coke addict. I ended up being part of a study at Duke University that had to do with neurological effects of aspartame. The result was that they thought it was related to something derived from a certain tree (can't remember the name) that I tested positive for during an allergy scratch test. That tree-derived chemical is in aspartame. I will not go near the stuff now - or ever.0 -
Wow, all this information leads to the same thing, stay away from artificial sweetners. Thank you all for your great feed back. I have not lost any weight yet, but my weight has remained the same , usually at this time of year I tend to put some on. As far as frozen lunches go, they also have alot of gunk in them and taste nasty. I've been eating these for lunch and my stomach is starting to reject them . Enjoy the SuperBowl everyone.0
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I'm one of the unlucky people who are actually ALLERGIC to artificial sweeteners. If I consume aspartame I usually go into the ER with severe neurological symptoms. While the others don't cause as bad reactions, they usually land me in bed for a week as I "detox". The only one I dare to use is Stevia and then only in small amounts.
My allergy developed over the first 25 years of my life--I was a diet coke, diet tea, diet Snapple drinker. I started having weird neurological symptoms: leg drags, coordination problems, neuropathy, inability to grab things with my hands, migraines, vision problems, swallowing problems, etc. After two years of constant pain, 9 specialists, hundreds of painful tests that revealed nothing, I finally read an article about aspartame poisoning. I talked to my PCP who said to give it a shot...I'd be dead in two years if they couldn't find a solution anyway, so she was willing to help me try anything.
Within two weeks of abstaining from all artificial sweeteners, I felt like a million bucks! All of the neurological symptoms were gone! That lasted for almost a year before I made the mistake of ordering strawberry yogurt at Bob Evans. Little did I know it has aspartame in it. That evening I was in the hospital. Blood tests showed that I was having a severe allergic reaction. The aspartame had poisoned my system so much that I actually developed a severe allergy.
Fast-forward seven years, and I've only had two other episodes where I accidentally ingested an artificial sweetener. I read labels from start to finish. I know all of the chemical names of artificial sweeteners, too. When my doctor recommended Stevia I almost said no! But I agreed to try a little bit and had no side effects.
So in short, I'd stay away from the stuff!
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hang on..im 99.9% sure pure stevia is natural and NOT artificial. .thats why many carbonated spring water with zero cals, carbs, artificial sweeteners or colors..same thing happening with yogourt..u gotta read labels as a stevia blend can have artificial sweetenersn it..#1 reason for weight gain when ppl switch to diet pop is cuz artificial sweeteners completely change your gut flora..stevia doesnt. Reg sugar and processed food are REALLY bad for ur gut too..personally, I drink plain hot water with lemon to get digestive enzymes goinand cuz lemon very aalkaline so great time to take a probiotics. .I drink plain water mostly but enjoy rasberry mist..lots of flavors..so fyi stevia is not am artificial sweetener. As for reg sugar 6 tsp is the max per day-hidden sugar and sugar from fruit..I would say artificial sweeteners and too much sugar are both toxic.0
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I like to eat things that are naturally sweet instead. Fruit, some vegetables like the winter squashes, parsnips, sweet potatoes, beets and even members of the onion family, if cooked until they caramelize (Maillard reaction, they turn a bit brown), etc., are mostly all naturally sweet. They're also nice to use in baked goods. Tea/Coffee can be consumed black just as well.0
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I use sweet leaf stevia only in liquid or raw, its natural plant and best on market. I don't use honey or molasses it elevates my blood sugar My neibor is a local bee keeper and his honey is so good, great price too but unfortunately I don't dare use it. never cared for splenda etc but the asperatame in those would kill me. I thank God I found stevia!0
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I have occasionally been using Stevia as well in my coffee or tea. I can drink iced tea unsweetened but although I've given up lightening my hot coffee and tea, sometimes I use the Stevia as my understanding was that it was a natural herb.0
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I'm one of the unlucky people who are actually ALLERGIC to artificial sweeteners. If I consume aspartame I usually go into the ER with severe neurological symptoms. While the others don't cause as bad reactions, they usually land me in bed for a week as I "detox". The only one I dare to use is Stevia and then only in small amounts.
My allergy developed over the first 25 years of my life--I was a diet coke, diet tea, diet Snapple drinker. I started having weird neurological symptoms: leg drags, coordination problems, neuropathy, inability to grab things with my hands, migraines, vision problems, swallowing problems, etc. After two years of constant pain, 9 specialists, hundreds of painful tests that revealed nothing, I finally read an article about aspartame poisoning. I talked to my PCP who said to give it a shot...I'd be dead in two years if they couldn't find a solution anyway, so she was willing to help me try anything.
Within two weeks of abstaining from all artificial sweeteners, I felt like a million bucks! All of the neurological symptoms were gone! That lasted for almost a year before I made the mistake of ordering strawberry yogurt at Bob Evans. Little did I know it has aspartame in it. That evening I was in the hospital. Blood tests showed that I was having a severe allergic reaction. The aspartame had poisoned my system so much that I actually developed a severe allergy.
Fast-forward seven years, and I've only had two other episodes where I accidentally ingested an artificial sweetener. I read labels from start to finish. I know all of the chemical names of artificial sweeteners, too. When my doctor recommended Stevia I almost said no! But I agreed to try a little bit and had no side effects.
So in short, I'd stay away from the stuff!
Many years ago nearly the exact same thing happened to me with the same symptoms. I was a Diet Coke addict. I ended up being part of a study at Duke University that had to do with neurological effects of aspartame. The result was that they thought it was related to something derived from a certain tree (can't remember the name) that I tested positive for during an allergy scratch test. That tree-derived chemical is in aspartame. I will not go near the stuff now - or ever.
Wow, thanks for the info. Now I'm going to try to find that study. ☺️0 -
What are your thoughts on Xyletol? I just bought some. My husband actually likes it in some beverages. (When I use sugar, I use Sugar in the Raw. I use 3-4 teaspoons/day in my tea and coffee. I don't use enough to feel it's problematic.)0
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I use Truvia everyday (three packs.) Please someone tell me this is fine.0
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@newmeadow Thanks!0
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I'm one of the unlucky people who are actually ALLERGIC to artificial sweeteners. If I consume aspartame I usually go into the ER with severe neurological symptoms. While the others don't cause as bad reactions, they usually land me in bed for a week as I "detox". The only one I dare to use is Stevia and then only in small amounts.
My allergy developed over the first 25 years of my life--I was a diet coke, diet tea, diet Snapple drinker. I started having weird neurological symptoms: leg drags, coordination problems, neuropathy, inability to grab things with my hands, migraines, vision problems, swallowing problems, etc. After two years of constant pain, 9 specialists, hundreds of painful tests that revealed nothing, I finally read an article about aspartame poisoning. I talked to my PCP who said to give it a shot...I'd be dead in two years if they couldn't find a solution anyway, so she was willing to help me try anything.
Within two weeks of abstaining from all artificial sweeteners, I felt like a million bucks! All of the neurological symptoms were gone! That lasted for almost a year before I made the mistake of ordering strawberry yogurt at Bob Evans. Little did I know it has aspartame in it. That evening I was in the hospital. Blood tests showed that I was having a severe allergic reaction. The aspartame had poisoned my system so much that I actually developed a severe allergy.
Fast-forward seven years, and I've only had two other episodes where I accidentally ingested an artificial sweetener. I read labels from start to finish. I know all of the chemical names of artificial sweeteners, too. When my doctor recommended Stevia I almost said no! But I agreed to try a little bit and had no side effects.
So in short, I'd stay away from the stuff!
Wow. I'm not one to dismiss anecdotal testimonies. This reads like a text book warning that aspartame use does have the real potential for neurological side effects, despite the main stream skepticism.
I am also severely allergic to aspartame. I consider that kind of lucky though, because I hear it's terrible for you anyway!
I actually use raw organic turbinado cane sugar in my coffee in the morning (it's delicious, it's brown and tastes amazing, maybe a little molasses-ey), or organic wildflower honey in my tea. Those are the only additional sweeteners I add to anything, most of the rest of my sugar intake comes from fruits or my protein bars (no artificial sweeteners used in them either).0 -
Hi gang,
I was glad to see this group. While I've been eating a healthful diet for the past 10+ years, it's been a gradual progression to the way I'm eating today. My final (at this point) eliminations from my diet are alcohol and artificial sweeteners. I'm hypoglycemic (not diabetic) and react to carb-laden foods and beverages. Hence, my issues with sweetening foods. I use Splenda for sweetening coffee, tea and a small handful of foods. On occasion, I use agave (lower glycemic index than other natural sweeteners) but read on several clean-eating sites agave is on the "not clean." I would love to eliminate Splenda from my diet and home in my continuing healthy lifestyle. Thoughts, input, suggestions?
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DizzyMissIzzy wrote: »I'm one of the unlucky people who are actually ALLERGIC to artificial sweeteners. If I consume aspartame I usually go into the ER with severe neurological symptoms. While the others don't cause as bad reactions, they usually land me in bed for a week as I "detox". The only one I dare to use is Stevia and then only in small amounts.
My allergy developed over the first 25 years of my life--I was a diet coke, diet tea, diet Snapple drinker. I started having weird neurological symptoms: leg drags, coordination problems, neuropathy, inability to grab things with my hands, migraines, vision problems, swallowing problems, etc. After two years of constant pain, 9 specialists, hundreds of painful tests that revealed nothing, I finally read an article about aspartame poisoning. I talked to my PCP who said to give it a shot...I'd be dead in two years if they couldn't find a solution anyway, so she was willing to help me try anything.
Within two weeks of abstaining from all artificial sweeteners, I felt like a million bucks! All of the neurological symptoms were gone! That lasted for almost a year before I made the mistake of ordering strawberry yogurt at Bob Evans. Little did I know it has aspartame in it. That evening I was in the hospital. Blood tests showed that I was having a severe allergic reaction. The aspartame had poisoned my system so much that I actually developed a severe allergy.
Fast-forward seven years, and I've only had two other episodes where I accidentally ingested an artificial sweetener. I read labels from start to finish. I know all of the chemical names of artificial sweeteners, too. When my doctor recommended Stevia I almost said no! But I agreed to try a little bit and had no side effects.
So in short, I'd stay away from the stuff!
Wow. I'm not one to dismiss anecdotal testimonies. This reads like a text book warning that aspartame use does have the real potential for neurological side effects, despite the main stream skepticism.
I am also severely allergic to aspartame. I consider that kind of lucky though, because I hear it's terrible for you anyway!
I actually use raw organic turbinado cane sugar in my coffee in the morning (it's delicious, it's brown and tastes amazing, maybe a little molasses-ey), or organic wildflower honey in my tea. Those are the only additional sweeteners I add to anything, most of the rest of my sugar intake comes from fruits or my protein bars (no artificial sweeteners used in them either).
What protein bars are you eating?0 -
I like foods that are naturally sweet. No need for sugar when that Maillard reaction makes my roasted/sauteed veg. so good! And fruit!
Do you know of the deliciousness of parsnips? I just love them!0 -
Me too! YummyLHWhite903 wrote: »I like foods that are naturally sweet. No need for sugar when that Maillard reaction makes my roasted/sauteed veg. so good! And fruit!
Do you know of the deliciousness of parsnips? I just love them!
For my coffee I use almond milk or honey. You will never EVER find me using any kind of artificial sweeteners.
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I don't see what's wrong with stevia. It comes naturally from a plant, unlike chemicals such as aspartame.0
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ClubSilencio wrote: »Stevia is not a fake sugar. It's a herb. Please don't think it's in the same family as Splenda or even Truvia (which is cut with other sweeteners).
SweetLeaf and NuNaturals are good brands that don't cut their product with crap like maltodextrin or other sweeteners.
Yes. This. Stevia is not the same. It saddens me that it gets lumped in with artificial sweeteners. Of course, the food industry is invested in keeping you confused and making you think it's all the same, that one product is as good as another. You're so much better off with stevia than artificial sweeteners. My problem with things like honey and agave is that they add a lot of calories. That's why stevia is a good option to have. In fact, some research suggests that as an herb, it actually has health benefits, such as lowering blood pressure. It also contains antioxidants that can reduce the risk of cancer. It exhibits bactericidal activity that can help protect against bacterial infections. But more research is needed. In terms of whether or not it causes weight gain, the data is mixed. But I think it really depends on what works for you. If drinking tea sweetened with stevia all day is keeping you away from sugary drinks and snacking on junk food, then I don't see how it could do anything except help you lose weight, seeing as it has zero calories. I linked some articles below, if anyone is interested.
Oh yeah, and another brand that doesn't cut it is Stevia In The Raw, which is easy to find in stores.
http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/287251.php
http://www.livescience.com/39601-stevia-facts-safety.html0
