Artificial Sweetners
ctupdu
Posts: 28 Member
I lost my mother to cancer earlier this year. One of my issues is artificial sweetner and are there any that are not related in some way fashion or form to cancer? It is probably just a fear of mine but using the artificial stuff adds to the concern of "getting" cancer. Yes I know anything may cause cancer but artificial sweetner is at the top of my list and I try not to use it. I just don't know if there is a product that I can use in place of the artificial sweetner other than sugar. Any suggestions?
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Stevia is a plant based sweetener. So is Monk fruit. I don't use these because they are too sweet for my taste.
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I use fruit and 'sweet' vegetables to satisfy most of my cravings for sugary things. The fake aftertaste of all the artificial sweeteners (plant based or not) was a huge turnoff for me.
The hardest to give up in the beginning were the specialty drinks at the coffee shop. Once I accepted that they were simply sugar delivery systems, it became easier to stop buying them. I learned to drink my coffee black with no sweetener, and I drink a lot less than when it was a specialty coffee drink.
I look for foods that have a lot of "chew" factor to them so that I can spend a lot of time eating the reasonable portions I'm allotted. I choose the sweetest ripest fruits. I eat a lot of dried dates because they're always in season and always chock full of sweet chewy satisfaction, especially topped with a dab of cashew butter.
Red, yellow and orange bell pepper strips dipped in hummus is another one of my fave sweet/savory combos.
Green peas with a dab of butter and dash of salt is another choice. (frozen, petite green peas- not the canned things).
Sweet Potatoes, Beets and Carrots are also on my sweet fix list.
It took awhile, months of a while, to get to the point where most sugary foods have little appeal to me, but knowing how I feel after eating them makes it easier to choose a piece of fruit instead.
good luck to you and to us all!
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Thank y'all for your input. It helps a lot.2
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You have to find your balance. How much would you use - how often?
Will I ever get to a point where a piece of fruit is comparable to a piece of chocolate or a scoop of ice cream? Nope, this is not my first rodeo.
I almost never use sweetener in tea. I don't find an after taste in "all" artificial sweeteners, but then I'm old enough to remember the AWFUL aftertaste of saccharine. If you remember saccharine, the new crop of sweeteners have no aftertaste at all by comparison.
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Squeezing fruit?0
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If your concern is cancer, I would make sure you get regular check ups. Also, you would be at more of a risk of developing cancer from being overweight/obese and/or inactive than the risk associated from artificial sweeteners.
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Sorry about your mom. I will be devastated when I lose mine. (That's not imminent but she is starting to slow down.)
I find the taste of artificial sweeteners to be nasty so they are easy for me to avoid.
Recently, I participated in a challenge to limit my added sugars, and to aid in that I swapped out regular sugar in my tea for xylitol from Xyla. That was fine, but when I ran out and ordered Anthony's xylitol from Amazon first it took forever to arrive (so long that I cancelled) and then when I reordered they delivered an empty envelope >.< But then the first order finally arrived...and after a week I realized that the headaches that started late morning were due to the xylitol. Both products were derived from birch.
During this whole ordeal I also decided I didn't want to pay $9 per pound for something for which I would otherwise be spending $0.50 per pound for baking or a little more for the sugar I use in my tea.
So I'm back to regular sugar in my tea and just moderating consumption of foods with added sugar.
Oh, and I have been eating cruciferous vegetables regularly for years https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2737735/3 -
If your concern is cancer, I would make sure you get regular check ups. Also, you would be at more of a risk of developing cancer from being overweight/obese and/or inactive than the risk associated from artificial sweeteners.
Oh I forgot suggestions.
If you want to use more natural substitutes for sugar, stevia works well. If you can find one without a buffer like maltodextrine, then it may be better. Personally, I use stevia or swerve in my desert recipes and sweet n low in my tea. Obviously the later is not your preference.3 -
There are so many food/products that "may" cause cancer. Worrying about artificial sweeterners are the least of food/products to worry about. Do you like grill marks on your food like steaks, chicken, vegetables? If so, then that is more likely to give you cancer then artificial sweetners.
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I don't know what you want to use it for but if it's for tea order some stevia seeds and plant, it's really easy to grow! I try to use stevia or monkfruit. I grew up on diet soda so sweeteners taste more familiar to me, especially in drinks. My favorite is Splenda but I'm trying to stick with stevia.1
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I don't know what you want to use it for but if it's for tea order some stevia seeds and plant, it's really easy to grow! I try to use stevia or monkfruit. I grew up on diet soda so sweeteners taste more familiar to me, especially in drinks. My favorite is Splenda but I'm trying to stick with stevia.
Ya, my mom gave me a stevia plant last year and it was no fuss. Unfortunately, I never got around to doing anything with it before the frost. May try again next year.
I don't like regular highly processed stevia in most other things. (Oddly, I'm fine with it in Whole Foods chocolate whey protein powder but not in their vanilla PP.)0 -
@nytrifisoul I rarely grill but that is good to know. Thank you.0
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@Katmary71 and @kshama2001 are they easy to grow as an indoor plant or is it better to grow the stevia outdoor? I only ask because at the moment where I live I only have indoor access. Thanks!!0
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@Katmary71 and @kshama2001 are they easy to grow as an indoor plant or is it better to grow the stevia outdoor? I only ask because at the moment where I live I only have indoor access. Thanks!!
If you haven't had stevia before, I would test it before jumping into growing it. Some people don't find it sweet. Some people find it too sweet. Some people notice an unpleasant aftertaste. Some people are allergic to it. Some people have digestive issues with it.1 -
@Katmary71 and @kshama2001 are they easy to grow as an indoor plant or is it better to grow the stevia outdoor? I only ask because at the moment where I live I only have indoor access. Thanks!!
I've only grown it outdoors.bold_rabbit wrote: »@Katmary71 and @kshama2001 are they easy to grow as an indoor plant or is it better to grow the stevia outdoor? I only ask because at the moment where I live I only have indoor access. Thanks!!
If you haven't had stevia before, I would test it before jumping into growing it. Some people don't find it sweet. Some people find it too sweet. Some people notice an unpleasant aftertaste. Some people are allergic to it. Some people have digestive issues with it.
Yes, you could find a plant, pinch off a leaf, and taste test.0 -
bold_rabbit wrote: »@Katmary71 and @kshama2001 are they easy to grow as an indoor plant or is it better to grow the stevia outdoor? I only ask because at the moment where I live I only have indoor access. Thanks!!
If you haven't had stevia before, I would test it before jumping into growing it. Some people don't find it sweet. Some people find it too sweet. Some people notice an unpleasant aftertaste. Some people are allergic to it. Some people have digestive issues with it.
Too sweet and unpleasant aftertaste for me!0 -
I lost my mother to cancer earlier this year. One of my issues is artificial sweetner and are there any that are not related in some way fashion or form to cancer? It is probably just a fear of mine but using the artificial stuff adds to the concern of "getting" cancer. Yes I know anything may cause cancer but artificial sweetner is at the top of my list and I try not to use it. I just don't know if there is a product that I can use in place of the artificial sweetner other than sugar. Any suggestions?
@ctupdu - very sorry to hear about your Mum’s passing so sorry.
Re sweeteners- I use monkfruit or bit of fruit when called for on desserts, sometimes a bit of pure maple. I tend not to use sweeteners just because I don’t like the taste. I use a ton of herbs though. Cinnamon, sweet basil, apple mint, lavender, pineapple sage, cardamon. Try experimenting - your palate might enjoy!2 -
Thank you @Safari_Gal. I am going to try that. Didn't think about using different herbs. Thanks.2
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@nytrifisoul I rarely grill but that is good to know. Thank you.
@ctupdu
Well, any type of char (burnt parts) contains carcinogens that are known to cause cancer. Not just from grilling.2 -
Avoiding sugar -- and all substitutes -- can be hard, right? You're preaching to the choir.
I have found alot of recipes that utilize other things, like applesauce or fruit juice, or even stevia. I search for these. Stevia is said to be safe...I guess it's safe enough. But so was every alternative sugar option at first. So, I use caution. Caution should be used with all sugar and alternatives.
Then again, it is hard to avoid, as I wrote above. In that case, moderation seems really important. Small portions. That may take practice and some mental and emotional awareness! It has for me!2
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