Artificial Sweeteners?

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Replies

  • CynthiasChoice
    CynthiasChoice Posts: 1,047 Member
    I didn't read the whole thread so I don't know if someone mentioned this:
    There has been some interesting research that indicates that regular use of artificial sweeteners disrupts the microbiota and leads to glucose intolerance.

    Stevia is a good alternative. There is even flavored liquid stevia: coconut, caramel, chocolate, lemon. They're good in coffee or water.
  • AntoinetteAngus
    AntoinetteAngus Posts: 58 Member
    I used to use diet drinks many many years ago. Artificial Sweetners are not the greatest for you hence the 'artificial' in the name. I actually noticed changes in my vision after using them consistently. I would highly recommend that you stay away. Honey is a great sweetner. It's a way better alternative and because it's natural your body not only processes it better than sugar or artificial sweetners, it's also harder to convert to fat :)
  • CynthiasChoice
    CynthiasChoice Posts: 1,047 Member
    mph323 wrote: »
    I used to use diet drinks many many years ago. Artificial Sweetners are not the greatest for you hence the 'artificial' in the name. I actually noticed changes in my vision after using them consistently. I would highly recommend that you stay away. Honey is a great sweetner. It's a way better alternative and because it's natural your body not only processes it better than sugar or artificial sweetners, it's also harder to convert to fat :)

    You noticed changes in your vision after using artificial sweetness so no one should use them. OK. Do you have any scientifically valid studies to back up your contention that having "artiicial" in the name automatically renders a food "not the greatest"?

    Not everyone is interested in "scientifically valid studies to back up your contention." Opinions and personal anecdotes should be just as welcome here as scientific studies. IMO
  • mph323
    mph323 Posts: 3,565 Member
    mph323 wrote: »
    I used to use diet drinks many many years ago. Artificial Sweetners are not the greatest for you hence the 'artificial' in the name. I actually noticed changes in my vision after using them consistently. I would highly recommend that you stay away. Honey is a great sweetner. It's a way better alternative and because it's natural your body not only processes it better than sugar or artificial sweetners, it's also harder to convert to fat :)

    You noticed changes in your vision after using artificial sweetness so no one should use them. OK. Do you have any scientifically valid studies to back up your contention that having "artiicial" in the name automatically renders a food "not the greatest"?

    Not everyone is interested in "scientifically valid studies to back up your contention." Opinions and personal anecdotes should be just as welcome here as scientific studies. IMO

    Well, in that case I suppose I should advise everyone to avoid wheat, barley and rye, since they all contain gluten which makes me really sick, so they must be bad for everyone.
  • AnvilHead
    AnvilHead Posts: 18,343 Member
    Honey is a great sweetner. It's a way better alternative and because it's natural your body not only processes it better than sugar or artificial sweetners, it's also harder to convert to fat :)

    LOL. Honey is composed mostly of the sugars glucose and fructose, and sugar makes up about 95% of honey's weight.

    Source: http://www.chemistryislife.com/the-chemistry-of-honey
  • TheRambler
    TheRambler Posts: 387 Member
    I can see right through someone if they are being artificially sweet. psht
  • CynthiasChoice
    CynthiasChoice Posts: 1,047 Member
    I like sugar in my coffee. I can barely stomach it plain. But it adds more calories than I'd like to see. I'm looking into artificial sweeteners and I'm finding very conflicting information about its benefits/harmful effects.
    I'm not looking for scientific data - but, rather personal experience stories.
    Have artificial sweeteners helped you, or hurt you?

    The OP asked for personal experience stories. I actually made the mistake earlier in posting scientific data. Scientific experiments are often begun because of people's personal experiences, to either prove or disprove what individuals believe. So IMO it's a mistake to keep your personal experiences hidden away as if they are taboo.

    PaulaWalla: You make a very good point. However, it's such a natural and human response to want to warn others against something you strongly believe to be true.

    Nutrition/health science is ever-evolving and, IMO, it's short-sighted to think there are any ultimate truths to be settled upon. If we stop questioning and challenging then we'll get stuck in today's dark ages of food science. We all need to take a breath and stop taking "scientific facts" so seriously! Seriously!
  • ninerbuff
    ninerbuff Posts: 48,953 Member
    edited April 2017
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  • CynthiasChoice
    CynthiasChoice Posts: 1,047 Member
    What I mean to say is that we have to be careful not to get so puffed-up and proud of what we know that science tells us today. It will tell us something different 5 or 10 years from now. The infinitely small and the infinitely big are yet to be discovered. As they are discovered, they may change all we "know."
  • CynthiasChoice
    CynthiasChoice Posts: 1,047 Member
    I think it's best not to discuss further on this thread.
    nicoleburgess91: I hope you find something helpful as you make your artificial sweetener decision. Best of luck.
  • crb426
    crb426 Posts: 661 Member
    I don't know about the science of it all and whether they are good for you or not, but I'm all about getting the specific comfort foods I'm used to. If it was created in a lab I just don't do it, but more than that, if it's not what I really want then I'm not happy. I make sure to leave room for the cream in my coffee, brown sugar in my oatmeal, and butter with my dinner everyday. I'm not going to switch out the happiness that is the cream in my coffee for skim milk... that would make me sad.
  • GottaBurnEmAll
    GottaBurnEmAll Posts: 7,722 Member
    mph323 wrote: »
    I used to use diet drinks many many years ago. Artificial Sweetners are not the greatest for you hence the 'artificial' in the name. I actually noticed changes in my vision after using them consistently. I would highly recommend that you stay away. Honey is a great sweetner. It's a way better alternative and because it's natural your body not only processes it better than sugar or artificial sweetners, it's also harder to convert to fat :)

    You noticed changes in your vision after using artificial sweetness so no one should use them. OK. Do you have any scientifically valid studies to back up your contention that having "artiicial" in the name automatically renders a food "not the greatest"?

    Not everyone is interested in "scientifically valid studies to back up your contention." Opinions and personal anecdotes should be just as welcome here as scientific studies. IMO

    Science is objective, anecdotes aren't.

    Example: so called "gluten-free" Cheerios and Lucky Charms make me head for the smallest room in the house like they aren't gluten free.

    Take-away from this? Don't eat Cheerios and Lucky Charms.

    Say what? How is that helpful to anyone?
  • GottaBurnEmAll
    GottaBurnEmAll Posts: 7,722 Member
    mph323 wrote: »
    mph323 wrote: »
    I used to use diet drinks many many years ago. Artificial Sweetners are not the greatest for you hence the 'artificial' in the name. I actually noticed changes in my vision after using them consistently. I would highly recommend that you stay away. Honey is a great sweetner. It's a way better alternative and because it's natural your body not only processes it better than sugar or artificial sweetners, it's also harder to convert to fat :)

    You noticed changes in your vision after using artificial sweetness so no one should use them. OK. Do you have any scientifically valid studies to back up your contention that having "artiicial" in the name automatically renders a food "not the greatest"?

    Not everyone is interested in "scientifically valid studies to back up your contention." Opinions and personal anecdotes should be just as welcome here as scientific studies. IMO

    Well, in that case I suppose I should advise everyone to avoid wheat, barley and rye, since they all contain gluten which makes me really sick, so they must be bad for everyone.

    Head's up fam (fellow celiac here)! I'm not so sure Cheerios are gluten free.

    Everyone should avoid them.
  • HeliumIsNoble
    HeliumIsNoble Posts: 1,213 Member
    Don't eat cherries. I'm allergic to them, therefore everyone else is too, and they just don't realise it yet.
  • cnurenasue
    cnurenasue Posts: 22 Member
    You might try cutting your sugar in half, or mixing your sugar and artificial sweetener.
  • Sunna_W
    Sunna_W Posts: 744 Member
    I avoid artificial sweeteners because they taste horrible to me. Also, I generally don't use sugar in my coffee and I reduce the amount of sugar in the recipes I prepare that call for it without really noticing the overall effect in the recipe. That said, I do love strong dark coffee brewed in a Moka Pot, and was using a lot of half and half in it so that it didn’t hurt my stomach. But each ounce of half and half is 38 calories and I was using at least 4 ounces a day (maybe more). What I did to compensate was to a use a lesser amount but higher quality coffee beans that were darker and lower in acid. (Check out Leelanu Coffee Roasters in Michigan for lighter / sweeter roasts (like Yrgacheffe, from Ethiopia; or, coffee from Costa Rica or Guatemala) and maybe consider brewing your coffee differently (or use less beans) to get a milder flavor). Also, agave nectar is 21 calories, is lower on the glycemic index and tastes sweeter to me, so maybe try getting some of that and taper down from there.
  • Joanna2012B
    Joanna2012B Posts: 1,448 Member
    I use Stevia, have for the past 15 years.
  • trigden1991
    trigden1991 Posts: 4,658 Member
    Hornsby wrote: »
    I used to use diet drinks many many years ago. Artificial Sweetners are not the greatest for you hence the 'artificial' in the name. I actually noticed changes in my vision after using them consistently. I would highly recommend that you stay away. Honey is a great sweetner. It's a way better alternative and because it's natural your body not only processes it better than sugar or artificial sweetners, it's also harder to convert to fat :)

    What are your thoughts on artificial limbs? Or organs?

    Terrible for you. Everyone should avoid them.