Swapping out sweeteners

patheticshark
patheticshark Posts: 15 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
Hi all,
I've had a look at a few of the threads about cutting out sugar but can't quite find the advice I'm after, so hoping a new thread might help.

I don't eat many 'sugary' foods but what I do have a habit of is eating or drinking sweetened alternatives. It mainly seems to be a problem with drinks - I am totally happy snacking on vegetables but if I want a drink I find water so boring!

My main problems are:
No added sugar squash - I'm not sure if this is called squash in the US - possibly cordial? A concentrated fruit drink you dilute with water anyway! It only has a few calories but I'm sure it's stuffed with sweeteners.

Low calorie hot chocolate (comes pre-made with sweeteners) - I love this stuff but it can't be good for me.

Diet Coke - a terrible habit I know. I usually have one a day.

Pickled ginger - I was excited to discover how low calorie this is but I've since realised it's stuffed with sweeteners.

I guess what I probably need to do is just learn to drink water without sweet stuff added, but thought I'd ask in case anyone has tips for sweetening stuff without resorting to chemicals or massively upping the calories? I am happy with my daily allowance but always eat up to the limit so don't have much to play with.

Replies

  • feranza6565
    feranza6565 Posts: 1 Member
    U must exercise in a high pace for at least an hour, rest for other hour and then drink 20oz of cold water. You will see how refreshing is and you will learn to apreciate it. Then your cravings for sugary drinks will vanish. I lost 10 pounds just by quiting those drinks!
  • patheticshark
    patheticshark Posts: 15 Member
    That's good advice, I do run regularly and always want water after my run. It's just the other times I crave more interesting liquids. Maybe I need to run more! Thanks.
  • RuNaRoUnDaFiEld
    RuNaRoUnDaFiEld Posts: 5,864 Member
    Sweeteners are one of the most tested foods on the planet and have been shown every time to be safe. Don't listen to the scaremongering and enjoy your hot chocolate.
  • miryamch420
    miryamch420 Posts: 19 Member
    Personally I love herb infusions. It's more interesting than water, it has no caffeine as opposed to tea, and it's zero calories! Peppermint and fennel are my favorites plus they help with digestion, apparently. Some people also like fruit or lemon infusions. It works with both hot and cold water. Give it a try!
  • Br3ntG
    Br3ntG Posts: 29 Member
    I reduced my sugar intake and whilst it was a struggle at first, most sugary things now taste too sweet to me and I naturally eat less of it. I figured by swapping sugar with artificial sweetners I wasn't going to break my 'taste for sweet things' so I didn't do that. I'd suggest you try the same.
  • stevencloser
    stevencloser Posts: 8,911 Member
    Sweeteners are not bad for you.
  • queenliz99
    queenliz99 Posts: 15,317 Member
    Splenda FTW!!
  • Dreysander
    Dreysander Posts: 294 Member
    Sweeteners are safe for consumption.

    That said: For lent I'm giving up any food with additional sugar and sweeteners (I wanted a challenge). Try crushing fruit into your water if you find water boring. Add lemon or lime to it, frozen berries work well too because the freezing breaks them down and the leach out into the water.

    I just love a nice tall glass of ice cold water myself though.

    If you want a hot drink, experiment with different types of tea and see if there's one you like without the sweetness.
  • patheticshark
    patheticshark Posts: 15 Member
    Thanks everybody. It actually hadn't occurred to me that there's no issue with eating sweeteners - I just assumed they were probably bad for me! But trying to shake off the need for sweet things sounds sensible. I'll try different teas and adding fruit to water, that sounds like a good plan.
  • meganmoore112
    meganmoore112 Posts: 174 Member
    I like iced herbal teas. There is a cinnamon apple one made by Celestial Seasonings that is my favorite. It tastes sweet without any added sweeteners. However, I do have drinks with sweeteners nearly every day as well.
  • mkakids
    mkakids Posts: 1,913 Member
    Nothing wrong with artificial sugars. I eat ALOT of them daily to no ill effect. At least 6-10 packets a day...not counting whatever is in the foods i eat.

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