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Artificial Sweeteners

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Replies

  • Tacklewasher
    Tacklewasher Posts: 7,122 Member
    Carlos_421 wrote: »
    It has been my experience, after cutting out 3 to 4 bottles of diet pepsi a day, that after a week or so I noticed that I dont crave sweets as much as before.

    Conversely, I find that if I'm craving sweets, a bottle of Diet A&W Root Beer satisfies the craving quite nicely.

    I bought some of this as a low caffeine alternative to coke zero, and was real surprised how much I like it. Tried to buy more and the store was sold out.
  • Carlos_421
    Carlos_421 Posts: 5,132 Member
    Carlos_421 wrote: »
    It has been my experience, after cutting out 3 to 4 bottles of diet pepsi a day, that after a week or so I noticed that I dont crave sweets as much as before.

    Conversely, I find that if I'm craving sweets, a bottle of Diet A&W Root Beer satisfies the craving quite nicely.

    I bought some of this as a low caffeine alternative to coke zero, and was real surprised how much I like it. Tried to buy more and the store was sold out.

    That's what I got it for too. I drink Coke Zero if it's before 5pm, Diet A&W after.
    I stock up whenever our grocery has it on sale.
  • DamieBird
    DamieBird Posts: 651 Member
    Carlos_421 wrote: »
    Carlos_421 wrote: »
    It has been my experience, after cutting out 3 to 4 bottles of diet pepsi a day, that after a week or so I noticed that I dont crave sweets as much as before.

    Conversely, I find that if I'm craving sweets, a bottle of Diet A&W Root Beer satisfies the craving quite nicely.

    I bought some of this as a low caffeine alternative to coke zero, and was real surprised how much I like it. Tried to buy more and the store was sold out.

    That's what I got it for too. I drink Coke Zero if it's before 5pm, Diet A&W after.
    I stock up whenever our grocery has it on sale.

    If you like Coke Zero, I can't tell any difference between it and Caffeine Free Coke Zero. I sometimes add sugar free vanilla or cherry syrup, too :)
  • shunggie
    shunggie Posts: 1,036 Member
    I use Splenda for tea and that's about it. I hate diet soda, and at this point I hate non-diet soda. It's too sweet. I had a Dr. Pepper addiction, drinking at least 64oz a day. I think the little bit of Splenda I have a day will be ok. I truly feel these things are fine in moderation. If you drink multiple 2 liters of anything a day it's going to be bad for you.
  • KrazyKrissyy
    KrazyKrissyy Posts: 322 Member
    Carlos_421 wrote: »
    I used to until I got horrible stomach pains, gas, cramps, bloat, etc. Now I either consume pure stevia or regular sugar. Artificial sweeteners wreak havoc on my intestines.

    It would be helpful to note for proper context that you have an unhealthy digestive tract.

    Correct, I do. I'm sure I'm not the only one here who does though (i.e. some of the other commenters who are mentioning their IBS). But really, I've tried everything. Monk fruit extract, sucralose, xylitol, erythritol, aspartame, maltitol, and more that i can't think of at the moment. Only stevia and sugar get along with me. 🤷‍♂️
  • KrazyKrissyy
    KrazyKrissyy Posts: 322 Member
    edited January 2019
    Aaron_K123 wrote: »
    I used to until I got horrible stomach pains, gas, cramps, bloat, etc. Now I either consume pure stevia or regular sugar. Artificial sweeteners wreak havoc on my intestines.

    All artificial sweeteners? Just asking because the only thing that the artificial sweeteners currently on the market have in common is that they are sweet. Hard to picture the mechanism by which all of them would have the same effect despite their chemical disparity.

    Either all or almost all. It was a long list. Many of the suggestions actually came from low carb groups and bowel disorder groups on facebook. Also links, research, diabetic books, IBS books, etc. Lots of reading and experimenting.
  • atheistred89
    atheistred89 Posts: 28 Member
    I use saccharine in my coffee and tea most of the time. I bought some stevia to try but didn't realize it was mixed with erythritol. Might have to look around for a different brand. Can't do very much sucralose as I end up with stomach cramping, nausea, and lots of gas. Otherwise aspartame and what not in diet soda seems fine. I know it can cause headaches in some individuals but I've not found it to be the case for me. Switching to artificial sweeteners helped me lose extra weight initially.
  • JeromeBarry1
    JeromeBarry1 Posts: 10,182 Member
    I bought a big bag of sucralose when I started this process 3 years ago. I still have most of it. I use it in my cornbread, but not in my yeast bread and certainly not in my mother's banana pudding. I also use the sucralose for random other sweetening needs, but even so I still have my first bag.
  • RAinWA
    RAinWA Posts: 1,980 Member
    I have had no problems with any artificial sweeteners and I have some digestive issues. Funny how people react differently.

    I take that back, I cannot use xylitol unless I really want to spend a lot of time on the toilet. That stuff really cleans me out!
  • estherdragonbat
    estherdragonbat Posts: 5,285 Member
    edited January 2019
    RAinWA wrote: »
    I have had no problems with any artificial sweeteners and I have some digestive issues. Funny how people react differently.

    I take that back, I cannot use xylitol unless I really want to spend a lot of time on the toilet. That stuff really cleans me out!

    The only time I had a problem was when I chain-chewed a double pack of Sorbitol-sweetened sugarless chewing gum. An hour to finish the pack. And an hour in the ladies' room afterwards discovering that, in my case, too much Sorbitol... is a bit more effective than prunes. A bit TOO effective. :blush:
  • singingflutelady
    singingflutelady Posts: 8,736 Member
    RAinWA wrote: »
    I have had no problems with any artificial sweeteners and I have some digestive issues. Funny how people react differently.

    I take that back, I cannot use xylitol unless I really want to spend a lot of time on the toilet. That stuff really cleans me out!

    The only ones I have problems with are sugar alcohols and my GI tract is an *kitten*
  • CSARdiver
    CSARdiver Posts: 6,257 Member
    It has been my experience, after cutting out 3 to 4 bottles of diet pepsi a day, that after a week or so I noticed that I dont crave sweets as much as before.

    I noticed that many sound weight management programs have a session/module of "reseting your sweet", which entails minimizing sugar for a few weeks to reset your taste buds so you don't crave the alternating salty/sweet response. This is also common when US citizens travel outside the US. They don't notice until they come back how salty and sweet everything is. Not that this is harmful - sugar and salt are incredibly effective preservatives.
  • reversemigration
    reversemigration Posts: 168 Member
    Interestingly, a study in the BMJ was just published that showed "most health outcomes did not seem to have differences between the [non-sugar sweetener] exposed and unexposed groups": https://www.bmj.com/content/364/bmj.k4718.

    They were careful to point out that they couldn't rule out potential harms, but at least at this point there appears to be nothing significant.
  • paperpudding
    paperpudding Posts: 8,926 Member
    The only artificial sweeteners I use are the ones in diet sodas - which I drink a few of per week.

    I have nothing against other artificial sweeteners but I drink coffee unsweetened , I put half tsp of sugar on my cereal and don't add any sweetener, sugar or artificial, to anything else.

    I did have a problem once with sugar free candies, I suck a few on take off , landings of plane trips, helps my ears not to pop ( don't ask me how but does work)
    One day I did 3 plane trips in a day - suffice to say was very glad to get back to my own bathroom at end of the day :o

    But diet sodas do not cause me any issues.
  • Carlos_421
    Carlos_421 Posts: 5,132 Member
    The only artificial sweeteners I use are the ones in diet sodas - which I drink a few of per week.

    I have nothing against other artificial sweeteners but I drink coffee unsweetened , I put half tsp of sugar on my cereal and don't add any sweetener, sugar or artificial, to anything else.

    I did have a problem once with sugar free candies, I suck a few on take off , landings of plane trips, helps my ears not to pop ( don't ask me how but does work)
    One day I did 3 plane trips in a day - suffice to say was very glad to get back to my own bathroom at end of the day :o

    But diet sodas do not cause me any issues.

    Sugar free candies (gum, suckers, etc.) tend to use sugar alcohols for sweetener. Sugar alcohols are known to cause some intestinal distress in some people (not all).
    Diet sodas, on the other hand, typically use aspartame or sucralose.
  • Great_Mazinga
    Great_Mazinga Posts: 214 Member
    I personally chose to abandon them. However, this was part of an overall decision to avoid "artificial" foods and most other processed offerings, not just sweeteners. Like another user posted above, I also noticed this helped curb my sweet tooth overall. Even though calorie free, it seemed the large amounts of Diet Mt. Dew I was drinking for the caffeine was also helping drive my carb cravings and subsequent weight gain. I have since lost over 125lbs eating this way and find I greatly prefer savory foods now over sweets. I really have reset my taste buds.
  • tbright1965
    tbright1965 Posts: 852 Member
    CSARdiver wrote: »
    It has been my experience, after cutting out 3 to 4 bottles of diet pepsi a day, that after a week or so I noticed that I dont crave sweets as much as before.

    I noticed that many sound weight management programs have a session/module of "reseting your sweet", which entails minimizing sugar for a few weeks to reset your taste buds so you don't crave the alternating salty/sweet response. This is also common when US citizens travel outside the US. They don't notice until they come back how salty and sweet everything is. Not that this is harmful - sugar and salt are incredibly effective preservatives.

    My n=1 anecdote will confirm this.

    I lived in Germany for three years courtesy of Uncle Sam and recall this.

    I went through it again in 2012 when I took a three week vacation in Italy. Two things struck me while there:

    1. Many Europeans loved the North American breakfast cereals in our first hotel's breakfast buffet. While my wife and I were eating the fresh fruits, cheeses and breads, I saw people, obviously not North Americans, enjoying the rare treat. I guess novelty on both sides of the equation.

    2. I couldn't eat US pizza for about year after coming home from that trip. The ingredients tasted so much more fresh in Italy compared to what I was accustomed to in the US.

    Of course, YMMV.