How bad for you are artificial sugars?
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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 -
I have a confession...I'm an artificial sweetener addict. I know the dangers, I want to lose the weight, but I just cant find a reasonably priced substitute. I do not like honey in my coffee. If anyone knows of something like a stevia (I heard that was bad too), or anything similar, I'm all ears. Once I kick this stupid habit, I'm sure I will lose my last 30lbs " easily."0
