Zero calorie sweeteners

melbell213
melbell213 Posts: 8
edited October 2 in Health and Weight Loss
I rarely have regular sugar…only if I eat a brownie or sweet like that occasionally. In my coffee every morning, this is ½ caf… I use low fat cream and a few packs of sweet n low in my very large cup.

I am hearing that regular sugar is better for you than sweeteners and someone said this could be one of the issues with my weight.

I will absolutely never be able to give up coffee in the morning, nor will I be able to use regular sugar because it makes me nauseated...

What are you expertise on this?

Replies

  • hlavers
    hlavers Posts: 32
    I actually weaned myself off sugar in my coffee altogether. I would say start week my week decreasing your sweetener until you have it all out. All I have in my coffee now is milk, although I do have a soft spot for half sweet lattes and americanos from time to time ;)

    You can also try other more natural sugars like honey, cane sugar, etc. which may not affect your tummy :)
  • hchandler0823
    hchandler0823 Posts: 46 Member
    Artificial sweeteners aren't good for you, that much is true. My ex-husband was allergic to ANY form of artificial sweetener (made it INCREDIBLY hard to find cough medicine for him), and many people are finding that their body reacts negatively to them.

    Try Agave, it's what my cousin (who is a health nut and a fitness guru) uses.
  • bikerb422
    bikerb422 Posts: 64 Member
    I have been using pure Stevia powder in all my sweetened drinks. Coffee and Iced tea mostly. I use the KAL brand from our health food store. I don't use Truvia as it has other products in it. Pure Stevia is only the plant base and water. Side benifit is my blood sugar has improved since I have been using it.
  • Shweedog
    Shweedog Posts: 883 Member
    I just recently gave up artificial sweeteners. I have been battling chronic fatigue/fibromyalgia symptoms for years. Someone informed me of all the studies that have shown these symptoms in people who consume artificial sweeteners. I gave them up and within 48 hours every single symptom went away. It's been three weeks and not a single headache, muscle ache, joint pain, IBS symptom (bloating, cramping, etc), fatigue, blury vision, and so on and so forth. I now drink my coffee with vanilla almond milk. :)
  • Jenny56dreams
    Jenny56dreams Posts: 147 Member
    Stevia is really great :)
  • Pseudocyber
    Pseudocyber Posts: 312 Member
    When I was diagnosed with diabetes, my nutritionist told me that artificial sweetners are invisible to the body, nutrition wise. She said that if you're a sweet/sugar addict, that the sweet taste prolongs your addiction - does not help to wean your brain off the sweet taste. Other than that, she said they're fine.

    I'm a "sweet&low" man myself. I put it on grapefruit, and in coffee. Occasionally in meals as a sugar substitute. I figure the good it's doing me in avoiding the calories and blood sugar spikes, outweigh whatever negatives there are in FUD (fear, uncertainty, doubt).
  • ldc1123
    ldc1123 Posts: 2
    Artificial sweeteners have proven to be unhealthy and actually cause weight gain! I stay away from real sugar as well but have found Stevia as a "natural" "unprocessed" sweetener. It's hard to find in the regular stores, you can find it in the whole food/health stores. I buy the tabs in the small tin and leave some at work for my coffee and keep a tin of them in my purse. One tab is sweet enough. I also buy it in liquid form and keep that at home due to breakage potential and use a drop or two in coffee at home.
  • Pinky67
    Pinky67 Posts: 108 Member
    I believe they are not good for you at all, they are not a food :( I like stevia, honey or nothing at all...:drinker:
  • lauristewart
    lauristewart Posts: 379 Member
    I have lost over 100 lbs and have kept it off for over 3 yrs. I use splenda as my "artificfial" sweetener of choice, except where Nutrasweet is already in the product, like diet soda, sugar free syrup, light yogurt, and sugar free icecream, I love it. I have a huge sweet tooth and it helps me eat the products and foods I enjoy w/o the extra calories. Like I just had sugar free jelly on my low carb, whole wheat tortilla with my eggs. There have been study after study proving they are safe. I work with registered dietians with my job and I have asked them over and over again about this topic. They tell me the risks and diseases you get from being over weight are way worse than the long tern effects of artificial sweeteners. You can use it as a tool to enjoy the foods you love and to help lose weight.

    You will hear other people talk very negatively about artificifal sweeteners and that is their opinion. This is mine.
  • 12skipafew99100
    12skipafew99100 Posts: 1,669 Member
    This is such a great topic. I have gone back and forth on the whole sugar vs sweetner debate. I'll be watching closely. As of this minute I think I'll head out to the health food store in search of the stevia. I have used many types of artificial sweetner s for years but my son said he saw a report stating even sugar free gum was causing people to gain weight. I have the typical "apple" body with a lot of stomach fat. I wonder now if my use of artificial sweetners has anything to do with this(besides too many calories)?

    I'm also concerned with my children. We don't buy a lot of soda but do buy some on occassion. I tend to by diet as I don't want the surge of sugar in my kids's blood steam. I know no soda would be better. Wondering now if the diet sweetners have harmed them and thinking seriously about not buying any soda.
  • MissMaryMac33
    MissMaryMac33 Posts: 1,433 Member
    This is a hotly debated one....

    I personally use a variety of stevia, truvia, agave, splenda and sweet-n-low ---- I don't thinkI even have real sugar in the house anymore though to be honest.

    I use different ones for different things.... its all a matter of taste and how crazy all the articles about artificial sweeteners make you.
    Personally I think you could google just about anything food wise and find 100 articles articles saying its safe, and 100 saying you'll die from it in a month.

    Everything in moderation --- I would not sit and eat a box of sweet-n-low by the spoonful anymore than I would a bag of real sugar.
  • Scarlettdawn764
    Scarlettdawn764 Posts: 856 Member
    I buy a brand of Stevia called "Stevia in the Raw". It can be purchased at Wal-mart, and unlike Splenda, Stevia is a natural sweetener.
  • NiciS72
    NiciS72 Posts: 1,043 Member
    Look artificial sweeteners up on Google. The stuff out there will scare the pants off you. I just recently purged my diet of all artificial sweeteners and I'm feeling much better. The side effects are atrocious. My girlfriend had numbness and tingling in her hand/arm and once she got rid of the artificial sweetener it all went away. If you don't want to do sugar try Stevia. It takes a little getting used to, but it's actually not too bad. I prefer the Truvia brand as it's got way less aftertaste.

    Good Luck!
  • rbloedow
    rbloedow Posts: 47 Member
    Artificial sweeteners can have their drawback....but there is really no comparison to the effect they have on weight verses actual sugar.

    With most of the studies I have seen....the link between the artificial sweetener and weight gain is usually really weak, or not concrete enough to draw a direct correlation.
  • lauristewart
    lauristewart Posts: 379 Member
    Artificial sweeteners can have their drawback....but there is really no comparison to the effect they have on weight verses actual sugar.

    With most of the studies I have seen....the link between the artificial sweetener and weight gain is usually really weak, or not concrete enough to draw a direct correlation.

    HERE HERE!! I agree!! The long term effects of diabetes, high cholesteral and high blood pressure are far worse than artificial sweeteners could ever do to you!!
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