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Artificial sweeteners or plain old sugar

karlbgeiger
karlbgeiger Posts: 3 Member
edited December 2024 in Food and Nutrition
Ok. So I know artificial sweeteners could/are bad for you, but spacificly about calorie counting I had seen somewhere where artificial sweeteners in the long run end up as calories but for whatever reason they don’t have to put a calorie amount on the nutritional values. For the basis of counting calories should I just steer clear, and if I really want something sweet to just have plain sugar or does using artificial sweeteners actually cut down on calories? If someone knows a siantificly based article please post.

Replies

  • janejellyroll
    janejellyroll Posts: 25,763 Member
    If you're using artificial sweeteners in huge quantities, they will add up to an appreciable number of calories in some cases. For the average use, it isn't really a concern. I think most people who use them don't bother logging them, but if you wanted to be super-accurate, you could log about 2 calories per packet.

    No matter what you decide to do, it's going to be much less than sugar. A diet soda, for example, may have 2-5 calories (depending on serving size), while the same amount of soda is going to be at least 120. That makes a difference for most people.
  • diannethegeek
    diannethegeek Posts: 14,776 Member
    Personal preference. There are applications where I use sugar and applications where I prefer an artificial sweetener because it fits into my goals better.

    Some artificial sweeteners are migraine triggers for some people. Some artificial sweeteners cause diarrhea if eaten in large quantities for some people. Some artificial sweeteners are known to cause some people to feel hungrier. If you fit into any of those categories, then it might be wise to figure out which sweeteners are a problem for you and avoid them. But beyond those issues and a handful of very rare medical conditions, I'm not sure what you mean about them being "bad" for you? Are there conditions or sweeteners in particular that you're worried about?

    I'll add the obligatory link to the Aspartame thread since you asked for science-based articles: http://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/1308408/why-aspartame-isnt-scary/p1
  • janejellyroll
    janejellyroll Posts: 25,763 Member
    edited March 2019
    striving4moretoday wrote: »
    sugar. healthier.

    How is that?
  • lemurcat2
    lemurcat2 Posts: 7,887 Member
    edited March 2019
    Depends -- I really only use sugar if making dessert type items (which I don't do that much) and if I happen to buy a dessert type item (like ice cream or dark chocolate), I think the ones with sugar taste better, so most certainly I go with sugar. I don't consume that much of those things, so can fit the calories in, no problem, and I'm not wasting calories on something that I think tastes subpar.

    With soda, I switched to diet soda when in my late teens, and like the way it tastes and think regular soda tastes disgusting since I'm not used to it -- too thick and sticky. I'd rather have no soda than regular, but I enjoy an occasional diet, as well as some flavored waters with artificial sweeteners, so I eat them in that context. I don't log them and think the calories are close enough to zero not to worry about it.

    With coffee or tea I dislike them sweetened anyway, so not an issue.

    I've seen no evidence that artificial is bad for health, at least not in any amounts I'd consider normal or reasonable.
  • Cahgetsfit
    Cahgetsfit Posts: 1,912 Member
    I think it's really a personal thing.

    I don't like the taste of artificial - including the "natural" ones like stevia. Tastes horrid and as someone above posted - if cancer had a taste that would be it. Yep - I know scientifically not proven blah blah blah, I get all that and am not a crazy anti-vaxer type. But still. Just don't like it.

    I also get very bloated depending on the sweetener - that erythriol or whatver it's called that they put in protein bars and stuff bloats the crap out of me.

    So personally, I choose raw sugar when I do eat it, which is not that terribly often anyway. I honey a lot tho. And if I have a soda on occasion - full sugar please.
  • ahoy_m8
    ahoy_m8 Posts: 3,054 Member
    edited March 2019
    I'm totally down with artificial.

    I enjoy a diet soda here & there. Not every day but often enough.

    I also bake with artificial sweeteners & make froyo with frozen fruit and plain greek yogurt. Generally speaking, the thing that gives artificial sweeteners a weird taste is the stuff it is mixed with to dilute it. E.g. granular sucralose (splenda) is mixed with maltodextrin to make it 1:1 equivalent to granular sugar. I really, really dislike that taste. But I love the taste of sucralose, and the more concentrated, the better I like it. E.g. DaVinci flavored syrups are good if you like the syrup flavor. (I like some, dislike others.) My grocery has a house brand equivalent that is vanilla flavored on the coffee aisle that is pretty versatile. Even better is the more concentrated SucraDrops. Very potent so you have to be careful not to use too much, but no weird taste. I've also tried stevia drops & don't like that at all. Liquid products taste better to me than powdered/granular products.

    ETA: Sometimes there is no sugar alternative for the consistency. I don't drink sweet cocktails, but I know there really is no substitute for how a simple syrup floats in the glass with other ingredients. I also sprinkle granular sugar on top of muffins before they bake (even if I use sucralose in the batter) for that little crunch on top. Many recipes start with creaming butter with sugar, and there is no way to mimic that with the liquid sweeteners. Trial & error.
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