Splenda/Truvia VS. Sugar
Options
blancoms
Posts: 165 Member
I've seen some debate on this and wanted some further insight on this subject.
About two years ago I started drinking coffee and I have to have it sweet so I've always used (4) Splenda (until I run out, then its sugar). I was having as many as 2-5 cups (usually caffeinated) a day. I decided, to stay ahead of health issues, to cut coffee back to one cup (decaf) a day in the morning and all other times drink tea in which I ALSO use 3-4 packets of Splenda/truvia. Part of this is because I cannot (or rather do not like to) drink plain water (never have liked drinking it)...so my water intake was maybe 1 cup a day and thats not healthy. Tea gives me much needed H2O and it has additional benefits that coffee doesnt. Way better choice than soda, right?
Does anyone have personal testimony on their experiences with truvia/splenda (not the kinds like aspartame that clearly have their issues)?
I have hypothyroidism treated with synthroid and I've been doing some further reading on it and have found differing opinions on sugar and sweeteners in relation to thyroid disease.
About two years ago I started drinking coffee and I have to have it sweet so I've always used (4) Splenda (until I run out, then its sugar). I was having as many as 2-5 cups (usually caffeinated) a day. I decided, to stay ahead of health issues, to cut coffee back to one cup (decaf) a day in the morning and all other times drink tea in which I ALSO use 3-4 packets of Splenda/truvia. Part of this is because I cannot (or rather do not like to) drink plain water (never have liked drinking it)...so my water intake was maybe 1 cup a day and thats not healthy. Tea gives me much needed H2O and it has additional benefits that coffee doesnt. Way better choice than soda, right?
Does anyone have personal testimony on their experiences with truvia/splenda (not the kinds like aspartame that clearly have their issues)?
I have hypothyroidism treated with synthroid and I've been doing some further reading on it and have found differing opinions on sugar and sweeteners in relation to thyroid disease.
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Replies
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I have used NuNaturals Pure Liquid Clear Stevia from the health food store for about 5 years now. Truvia is powdered stevia...which is a natural sweetener. I used to use Equal and I just didn't feel right after using it. I was bloated and sluggish. Natural works for me and cuts out the sugar calories.0
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Splenda is an artificial sweetener. Stevia is natural so you're better off going with stevia.0
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I wouldn't touch sucralose with a ten foot pole. Personal choice, I can taste the chemical/chlorine taste, plus as a chemist I have an abiding distrust of pretty much all organochlorine compounds as food.0
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Use pure Stevia, NOT Truvia (which is a mix). Liquid form is best.0
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Since splenda was introduced (when I was a kid) that's what my mom would buy. My mom bought a huge Costco box of truvia for us to try a couple weeks ago. It had a really weird taste to us, almost like no taste (sweetness) at all. I guess I'm just so used to the chemical taste of splenda, but regular sugar doesn't bother me. When i made my husband coffee he says splenda tastes like card board.
I've been mixing them half and half, I intitally was hoping to switch to truvia since i figured, yeah, natural may be better down the road as they learn more about sucralose. Maybe I can slowly switch over.
My main reason for using artificial sweetener is calories. Since i do use a lot in my drinks i was worried i may be drinking to much if i use real sugar.0 -
I use Splenda in my tea every day...probably 4-5 mugs, on average...but I only use the quivalent of 1.5 packets per mug. To me, Splenda tastes sweeter than sugar and it actually helps me control my urge to eat sweet things. I have tried Truvia in the past and found that it tasted bitter, which kind of defeats the purpose, as it is supposed to be a sugar substitute. I have never had any adverse effects from using Splenda. I started using it for the fewer calories, and now it has just become part of my life. I don't use it in cooking, though because I notice an aftertaste in that application.0
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amanda_durham35 wrote: »Splenda is an artificial sweetener. Stevia is natural so you're better off going with stevia.
Hemlock is natural too. Something being natural does not mean it's better for you.0 -
amanda_durham35 wrote: »Splenda is an artificial sweetener. Stevia is natural so you're better off going with stevia.
Be under no illusion, you have been duped by Coca Cola's marketing. Most stevia products, especially truvia ARE artificial sweeteners.
The main ingredient and bulk of truvia products is a sugar alcohol called erithrytol. This is the base of the granules and they soak it with a solution of "natural" flavoring and stevia extract which sweetens the granules.
Ask yourself this, how did they make granulated sweetener from a plant? Like the above. Just like any other artificial sweetener.
I personally prefer the taste of sweet n low, but i don't mind splenda. In my opinion, stevia (in drop form) tastes awful and should be avoided. The granulated stevia like Truvia tastes okay, but it's far too expensive considering it's just another artificial sweetener and there is nothing more "natural" about it other than Coca Cola's marketing.
In any case, OP, I personally wouldn't worry about these sweeteners as we've studied them for many years and they seem to be safe.
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rainbowbow wrote: »amanda_durham35 wrote: »Splenda is an artificial sweetener. Stevia is natural so you're better off going with stevia.
Be under no illusion, you have been duped by marketing. Most stevia products, especially truvia ARE artificial sweeteners.
Ask yourself this, how did they make granulated sweetener from a plant?
In any case, OP, I personally wouldn't worry about these sweeteners as we've studied them for many years and they seem to be safe.
I personally prefer the taste of sweet n low, but i don't mind splenda. In my opinion, stevia (in drop form) tastes awful and should be avoided. The granulated stevia like Truvia tastes okay, but it's far too expensive considering it's just another artificial sweetener and there is nothing more "natural" about it other than Coca Cola's marketing.
Rebaudioside A has the least bitterness of all the steviol glycosides in the Stevia rebaudiana plant. To produce rebaudioside A commercially, stevia plants are dried and subjected to a water extraction process. This crude extract contains about 50% rebaudioside A. The various glycosides are separated and purified via crystallization techniques, typically using ethanol or methanol as solvent.
Water and alcohol. Then drying them.0 -
stevencloser wrote: »rainbowbow wrote: »amanda_durham35 wrote: »Splenda is an artificial sweetener. Stevia is natural so you're better off going with stevia.
Be under no illusion, you have been duped by marketing. Most stevia products, especially truvia ARE artificial sweeteners.
Ask yourself this, how did they make granulated sweetener from a plant?
In any case, OP, I personally wouldn't worry about these sweeteners as we've studied them for many years and they seem to be safe.
I personally prefer the taste of sweet n low, but i don't mind splenda. In my opinion, stevia (in drop form) tastes awful and should be avoided. The granulated stevia like Truvia tastes okay, but it's far too expensive considering it's just another artificial sweetener and there is nothing more "natural" about it other than Coca Cola's marketing.
Rebaudioside A has the least bitterness of all the steviol glycosides in the Stevia rebaudiana plant. To produce rebaudioside A commercially, stevia plants are dried and subjected to a water extraction process. This crude extract contains about 50% rebaudioside A. The various glycosides are separated and purified via crystallization techniques, typically using ethanol or methanol as solvent.
Water and alcohol. Then drying them.
edited my post. The real answer in the case of these products is, they mixed it with an already existing sugar alcohol. According to the FDA-
In December 2008, the FDA gave a "no objection" approval for GRAS status to Truvia (developed by Cargill and The Coca-Cola Company) and PureVia (developed by PepsiCo and the Whole Earth Sweetener Company, a subsidiary of Merisant), both of which use rebaudioside A derived from the Stevia plant.[63] However, FDA said that these products are not Stevia, but a highly purified product.[64] In 2012, FDA posted a note on its website regarding crude Stevia plant: "FDA has not permitted the use of whole-leaf Stevia or crude Stevia extracts because these substances have not been approved for use as a food additive. FDA does not consider their use in food to be GRAS in light of reports in the literature that raise concerns about the use of these substances. Among these concerns are control of blood sugar and effects on the reproductive, cardiovascular, and renal systems."[65]
My point is simply that this is not a "natural" "better" "more wholesome" sweetener but infact an artificial sweetener with great marketing.
It is not worth more money, and doesn't taste as good.0 -
rainbowbow wrote: »stevencloser wrote: »rainbowbow wrote: »amanda_durham35 wrote: »Splenda is an artificial sweetener. Stevia is natural so you're better off going with stevia.
Be under no illusion, you have been duped by marketing. Most stevia products, especially truvia ARE artificial sweeteners.
Ask yourself this, how did they make granulated sweetener from a plant?
In any case, OP, I personally wouldn't worry about these sweeteners as we've studied them for many years and they seem to be safe.
I personally prefer the taste of sweet n low, but i don't mind splenda. In my opinion, stevia (in drop form) tastes awful and should be avoided. The granulated stevia like Truvia tastes okay, but it's far too expensive considering it's just another artificial sweetener and there is nothing more "natural" about it other than Coca Cola's marketing.
Rebaudioside A has the least bitterness of all the steviol glycosides in the Stevia rebaudiana plant. To produce rebaudioside A commercially, stevia plants are dried and subjected to a water extraction process. This crude extract contains about 50% rebaudioside A. The various glycosides are separated and purified via crystallization techniques, typically using ethanol or methanol as solvent.
Water and alcohol. Then drying them.
edited my post. The real answer in the case of these products is, they mixed it with an already existing sugar alcohol. According to the FDA-
In December 2008, the FDA gave a "no objection" approval for GRAS status to Truvia (developed by Cargill and The Coca-Cola Company) and PureVia (developed by PepsiCo and the Whole Earth Sweetener Company, a subsidiary of Merisant), both of which use rebaudioside A derived from the Stevia plant.[63] However, FDA said that these products are not Stevia, but a highly purified product.[64] In 2012, FDA posted a note on its website regarding crude Stevia plant: "FDA has not permitted the use of whole-leaf Stevia or crude Stevia extracts because these substances have not been approved for use as a food additive. FDA does not consider their use in food to be GRAS in light of reports in the literature that raise concerns about the use of these substances. Among these concerns are control of blood sugar and effects on the reproductive, cardiovascular, and renal systems."[65]
My point is simply that this is not a "natural" "better" "more wholesome" sweetener but infact an artificial sweetener with great marketing.
It is not worth more money, and doesn't taste as good.
Even if it was just natural stevia it wouldn't be automatically better. A lot of natural things are poisonous to us.0 -
Supposedly Stevia is culturally used by the Japanese without ill-effects?0
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stevencloser wrote: »rainbowbow wrote: »stevencloser wrote: »rainbowbow wrote: »amanda_durham35 wrote: »Splenda is an artificial sweetener. Stevia is natural so you're better off going with stevia.
Be under no illusion, you have been duped by marketing. Most stevia products, especially truvia ARE artificial sweeteners.
Ask yourself this, how did they make granulated sweetener from a plant?
In any case, OP, I personally wouldn't worry about these sweeteners as we've studied them for many years and they seem to be safe.
I personally prefer the taste of sweet n low, but i don't mind splenda. In my opinion, stevia (in drop form) tastes awful and should be avoided. The granulated stevia like Truvia tastes okay, but it's far too expensive considering it's just another artificial sweetener and there is nothing more "natural" about it other than Coca Cola's marketing.
Rebaudioside A has the least bitterness of all the steviol glycosides in the Stevia rebaudiana plant. To produce rebaudioside A commercially, stevia plants are dried and subjected to a water extraction process. This crude extract contains about 50% rebaudioside A. The various glycosides are separated and purified via crystallization techniques, typically using ethanol or methanol as solvent.
Water and alcohol. Then drying them.
edited my post. The real answer in the case of these products is, they mixed it with an already existing sugar alcohol. According to the FDA-
In December 2008, the FDA gave a "no objection" approval for GRAS status to Truvia (developed by Cargill and The Coca-Cola Company) and PureVia (developed by PepsiCo and the Whole Earth Sweetener Company, a subsidiary of Merisant), both of which use rebaudioside A derived from the Stevia plant.[63] However, FDA said that these products are not Stevia, but a highly purified product.[64] In 2012, FDA posted a note on its website regarding crude Stevia plant: "FDA has not permitted the use of whole-leaf Stevia or crude Stevia extracts because these substances have not been approved for use as a food additive. FDA does not consider their use in food to be GRAS in light of reports in the literature that raise concerns about the use of these substances. Among these concerns are control of blood sugar and effects on the reproductive, cardiovascular, and renal systems."[65]
My point is simply that this is not a "natural" "better" "more wholesome" sweetener but infact an artificial sweetener with great marketing.
It is not worth more money, and doesn't taste as good.
Even if it was just natural stevia it wouldn't be better. A lot of natural things are poisonous to us.
Only because you've already broken that mentality. Look at the above posts...
"Splenda is an artificial sweetener. Stevia is natural so you're better off going with stevia."
"It had a really weird taste to us, almost like no taste (sweetness) at all. I guess I'm just so used to the chemical taste of splenda, but regular sugar doesn't bother me. When i made my husband coffee he says splenda tastes like card board. I've been mixing them half and half, I intitally was hoping to switch to truvia since i figured, yeah, natural may be better down the road as they learn more about sucralose."
"I have used NuNaturals Pure Liquid Clear Stevia from the health food store for about 5 years now. Truvia is powdered stevia...which is a natural sweetener. I used to use Equal and I just didn't feel right after using it. I was bloated and sluggish. Natural works for me and cuts out the sugar calories."
"I wouldn't touch sucralose with a ten foot pole. Personal choice, I can taste the chemical/chlorine taste"
"Does anyone have personal testimony on their experiences with truvia/splenda (not the kinds like aspartame that clearly have their issues)?"
Almost every single post is running on the idea that chemicals = bad and "natural" = good0 -
I use Splenda in my tea every day...probably 4-5 mugs, on average...but I only use the quivalent of 1.5 packets per mug. To me, Splenda tastes sweeter than sugar and it actually helps me control my urge to eat sweet things. I have tried Truvia in the past and found that it tasted bitter, which kind of defeats the purpose, as it is supposed to be a sugar substitute. I have never had any adverse effects from using Splenda. I started using it for the fewer calories, and now it has just become part of my life. I don't use it in cooking, though because I notice an aftertaste in that application.
I agree with this experience - I find that Splenda is sweeter than sugar, and prefer the Splenda. I have hypothyroidism too and have found no ill effects from using Splenda for decades. In the Great Debate about the pros and cons of artificial sweetners, my feeling is that it has been researched just about as much as a major disease, and there are no compelling results that would lead me to give it up. If you dont like it, dont use it, but dont worry about side effects.0 -
I do not and will not use any form of artificial sweeteners. Including no to Stevia. And I do not trust the United States FDA who are controlled by the giant food corporations.0
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bellabonbons wrote: »I do not and will not use any form of artificial sweeteners. Including no to Stevia. And I do not trust the United States FDA who are controlled by the giant food corporations.
Do you avoid all products regulated by the FDA or just artificial sweeteners?0 -
bellabonbons wrote: »And I do not trust the United States FDA who are controlled by the giant food corporations.
I like giant food. Especially those 15 pound chocolate bars.0 -
cross2bear wrote: »I agree with this experience - I find that Splenda is sweeter than sugar, and prefer the Splenda. I have hypothyroidism too and have found no ill effects from using Splenda for decades. In the Great Debate about the pros and cons of artificial sweetners, my feeling is that it has been researched just about as much as a major disease, and there are no compelling results that would lead me to give it up. If you dont like it, dont use it, but dont worry about side effects.
This. I'm more of a fan of aspartame, myself, from a flavor perspective (though I do like those little Splenda tabs in the plastic container), but I also don't see anything compelling me to give up artificial sweeteners. (I have a PhD in biochemistry and can understand study results and methodologies but don't trust random blogs.)0 -
I use liquid stevia. It as no effect on my blood glucose unlike powdered sweeteners which have added sugar or starch (which is basically glucose).0
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Straying a bit from the original post, but I used to put a lot of sugar/splenda in my coffee (liked it extra sweet too). I realized all that extra sugar definitely wasn't good for me, and probably neither was the splenda, so I forced myself to drink black coffee for a week. I'm 100% caffeine addicted and would be a monster with a migraine without it. After the week, I switched back to adding milk and 1 packet of splenda or a little sugar, and now I'm happy with the sweetness. Something to consider if you're looking to decrease the sugar/sweetener intake in general.0
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