Someone please help me understand why aspartame or Splenda is somehow bad for me?

dudebro200
dudebro200 Posts: 97 Member
edited March 2017 in Health and Weight Loss
For almost 16 years, I have been drinking diet soda (prefer water however), and putting Splenda in my oatmeal, my coffee and anything that uses sugar in cooking.

I get a lot frowns from my whole-foods elitists friends who proceed to dump many grams of sugar into their lattes and teas.

If I drink regular Coke or coffee with sugar syrup, it tastes super sweet to me and I almost can't handle it.

How can someone judge me when they are consuming 200 units of empty calories and I consume 0? I am in better shape and look younger, but I am the unhealthy one because I consume aspartame?
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Replies

  • dudebro200
    dudebro200 Posts: 97 Member
    malibu927 wrote: »
    Because fearmongering. http://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/1308408/why-aspartame-isnt-scary

    Very helpful. Thank you
  • ThatUserNameIsAllReadyTaken
    ThatUserNameIsAllReadyTaken Posts: 1,530 Member
    edited March 2017
    Artificial sweeteners taste horrid to me. I have yet to come across one that didn't leave a bad taste in my mouth. Sucralose is the worst, the flavor sticks around for hours. Some people do have reactions to artificial sweeteners. For Some It triggers migraines and others have digestive issues. Which is another reason (aside from the foul taste) that I don't want to eat artificial sweeteners, they give me terrible cramps along with diarrhea. My kids also have the same issue with the stuff. If you enjoy the taste and it has not caused you any digestive drama then go ahead and eat it. But sugar isn't necessarily bad for your "Whole-food elitist " friends unless they are eating massive quantities of the stuff. Even vitamins can be harmful in excess.
  • FreyasRebirth
    FreyasRebirth Posts: 514 Member
    edited March 2017
    There is a table in my Nutrition book with the "Acceptable Daily Intakes" for some artificial sweeteners. The equivalent of "18 to 19" diet colas per day is the aspartame "limit".

    ("Limit" is in quotes because it doesn't mean higher is dangerous, just that up to that amount is accepted as safe. I'm not sure they'd get many volunteers able and willing to drink 24 cans of diet soda a day to study higher levels!)
  • dudebro200
    dudebro200 Posts: 97 Member
    FreyasRebirth wrote: »
    There is a table in my Nutrition book with the "Acceptable Daily Intakes" for some artificial sweeteners. The equivalent of "18 to 19" diet colas per day is the aspartame "limit".

    ("Limit" is in quotes because it doesn't mean higher is dangerous, just that up to that amount is accepted as safe. I'm not sure they'd get many volunteers able and willing to drink 24 cans of diet soda a day to study higher levels!)

    I read some information that suggested 1000 diet sodas is still within a safe range in terms of aspartame consumption.
  • melaniedscott
    melaniedscott Posts: 1,409 Member
    dudebro200 wrote: »
    ...I get a lot frowns from my whole-foods elitist friends...

    You answèred your own question.

    Some people have problems with aspartame. It gave my sister terrible migraines and stomach aches and generally made her feel horrible. If that happens, don't eat it. Some people have trouble with Splenda (me)...causes severe kidney pain and other issues....but if it doesn't bother you and you aren't bothered by drinking sweet chlorine, by all means, have some. (This is NOT meant as sarcasm)...

    Some research (I don't have access to it at the moment or even remember where I read it) has suggested artificial sweeteners may reduce healthy flora in the gut. If that doesn't concern you, feel free. It could be incorrect...they said saccarine caused cancer in mice but we learned a decade ago that the amount necessay to acheive the same results would equate to eating a train box car full every day.

    It is a personal choice. If you're happy with it, you shouldn't worry about what others say. If they don't have anything better to do with their time than judge people who aren't just like them, they must have pretty sad lives.
  • dudebro200
    dudebro200 Posts: 97 Member
    4legsRbetterthan2 wrote: »
    Because anyone who doesn't eat clean is evil. Just kidding....but sometimes it does seem thats the mentality....

    Anyways, eat your splenda if you want. Lifes to short to worry about people who stick their noses where they don't belong.

    I feel like using Splenda is the "clean" alternative
  • jenilla1
    jenilla1 Posts: 11,118 Member
    FreyasRebirth wrote: »
    There is a table in my Nutrition book with the "Acceptable Daily Intakes" for some artificial sweeteners. The equivalent of "18 to 19" diet colas per day is the aspartame "limit".

    ("Limit" is in quotes because it doesn't mean higher is dangerous, just that up to that amount is accepted as safe. I'm not sure they'd get many volunteers able and willing to drink 24 cans of diet soda a day to study higher levels!)

    They don't really have a bunch of people in a lab drinking 19 sodas to find out if it hurts them. Most of this stuff is tested on animals to find the level at which things start to look questionable, and then the amounts are extrapolated out to humans.
  • cmtigger
    cmtigger Posts: 1,450 Member
    Unless you have had a reaction to them, they are fine.

    My grandma put aspartame in her coffee every day as long as I can remember. She died a week short of her 94th birthday.
  • dudebro200
    dudebro200 Posts: 97 Member
    ThatUserNameIsAllReadyTaken wrote: »
    Artificial sweeteners taste horrid to me. I have yet to come across one that didn't leave a bad taste in my mouth. Sucralose is the worst, the flavor sticks around for hours. Some people do have reactions to artificial sweeteners. For Some It triggers migraines and others have digestive issues. Which is another reason (aside from the foul taste) that I don't want to eat artificial sweeteners, they give me terrible cramps along with diarrhea. My kids also have the same issue with the stuff. If you enjoy the taste and it has not caused you any digestive drama then go ahead and eat it. But sugar isn't necessarily bad for your "Whole-food elitist " friends unless they are eating massive quantities of the stuff. Even vitamins can be harmful in excess.

    I think it tastes just fine, but I am sensitive to substances that other people can tolerate just fine, so I definitely understand that.

    However, people tell me "how can you eat that stuff?", while providing absolutely no reason why I shouldn't other than "Google it". That's what upsets me. Someone's Migraines and digestive issues could be a valid reason to me.
  • dudebro200
    dudebro200 Posts: 97 Member
    melaniedscott wrote: »
    dudebro200 wrote: »
    ...I get a lot frowns from my whole-foods elitist friends...

    You answèred your own question.

    Some people have problems with aspartame. It gave my sister terrible migraines and stomach aches and generally made her feel horrible. If that happens, don't eat it. Some people have trouble with Splenda (me)...causes severe kidney pain and other issues....but if it doesn't bother you and you aren't bothered by drinking sweet chlorine, by all means, have some. (This is NOT meant as sarcasm)...

    Some research (I don't have access to it at the moment or even remember where I read it) has suggested artificial sweeteners may reduce healthy flora in the gut. If that doesn't concern you, feel free. It could be incorrect...they said saccarine caused cancer in mice but we learned a decade ago that the amount necessay to acheive the same results would equate to eating a train box car full every day.

    It is a personal choice. If you're happy with it, you shouldn't worry about what others say. If they don't have anything better to do with their time than judge people who aren't just like them, they must have pretty sad lives.

    I have consumed salty chlorine since I was born. I havent had any issues with that.

  • 4legsRbetterthan2
    4legsRbetterthan2 Posts: 19,590 MFP Moderator
    dudebro200 wrote: »
    4legsRbetterthan2 wrote: »
    Because anyone who doesn't eat clean is evil. Just kidding....but sometimes it does seem thats the mentality....

    Anyways, eat your splenda if you want. Lifes to short to worry about people who stick their noses where they don't belong.

    I feel like using Splenda is the "clean" alternative

    Thats kinda what I though too, but I dont really follow the clean eating crowd enough to be that up to date on the rules. What I have seen though it seems like they vary greatly, and sounds like this particular crowd is anti splenda?
  • Christine_72
    Christine_72 Posts: 16,049 Member
    They probably think they're "better" because they consume natural sugar V your artificial sugar. Personally i just use real sugar, everything in moderation, right? I've also recently started using xylitol every now and then, that is the extent of my AS usage thus far.

    I have never had aspartame, and probably never will.
  • Windrunner666
    Windrunner666 Posts: 91 Member
    dudebro200 wrote: »
    ThatUserNameIsAllReadyTaken wrote: »
    Artificial sweeteners taste horrid to me. I have yet to come across one that didn't leave a bad taste in my mouth. Sucralose is the worst, the flavor sticks around for hours. Some people do have reactions to artificial sweeteners. For Some It triggers migraines and others have digestive issues. Which is another reason (aside from the foul taste) that I don't want to eat artificial sweeteners, they give me terrible cramps along with diarrhea. My kids also have the same issue with the stuff. If you enjoy the taste and it has not caused you any digestive drama then go ahead and eat it. But sugar isn't necessarily bad for your "Whole-food elitist " friends unless they are eating massive quantities of the stuff. Even vitamins can be harmful in excess.

    I think it tastes just fine, but I am sensitive to substances that other people can tolerate just fine, so I definitely understand that.

    However, people tell me "how can you eat that stuff?", while providing absolutely no reason why I shouldn't other than "Google it". That's what upsets me. Someone's Migraines and digestive issues could be a valid reason to me.

    I never had issue with drinking the stuff but I hate the taste of it as well. Just plain don't like it. My only source of pure sugar in my diet is 3in 1 coffee from the coffee machine and that's just once per day. I've tried going for 2 in 1 coffee with splenda added, tastes weird to me, so I dumped that stuff.

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