Sweet N Low & Splenda vs Sugar - HELP!!

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brinmeliss
brinmeliss Posts: 17
in Food and Nutrition
Okay, every morning I have coffee and in that coffee, I put up to 3 TBSP of sugar because ever since I started drinking coffee, I have liked it very sweet - ( I know, a little coffee with my sugar!). My life is very natural and organic and I don't drink or eat anything with chemicals. My question is, how bad is sweet and low or splenda. I have researched this and cannot figure it out. I don't want cancer or chemicals, but on those days when I can't stop eating, those 98 sugar calories sure could come in handy. I don't know if I should just suck it up with the "natural" thing or go all chemically for the sake of losing weight. I struggle with this every morning and cave in to the sugar in the end.:huh: :drinker:

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  • brinmeliss
    brinmeliss Posts: 17
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    Okay, every morning I have coffee and in that coffee, I put up to 3 TBSP of sugar because ever since I started drinking coffee, I have liked it very sweet - ( I know, a little coffee with my sugar!). My life is very natural and organic and I don't drink or eat anything with chemicals. My question is, how bad is sweet and low or splenda. I have researched this and cannot figure it out. I don't want cancer or chemicals, but on those days when I can't stop eating, those 98 sugar calories sure could come in handy. I don't know if I should just suck it up with the "natural" thing or go all chemically for the sake of losing weight. I struggle with this every morning and cave in to the sugar in the end.:huh: :drinker:
  • songbyrdsweet
    songbyrdsweet Posts: 5,691 Member
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    Stevia is a natural sweetener from plants. I personally think it's icky, but I know TONS of bodybuilders who use it for the same reasons as you, they don't want to be exposed to a ton of chemicals. You should be able to find it in any local healthfood store. :)
  • lotusfromthemud
    lotusfromthemud Posts: 5,335 Member
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    I used to have my coffee this same way. I gradually cut back the amount of sugar, and now find I don't need any. Maybe you could try reducing by half a tablespoon and go from there?

    I have to second the "stevia tastes icky". I know some people use it, but I've tried. Also, for me the "fake sugar" makes me crave real sugar, so I have to stay away from it. I use brown sugar exclusively now, and it satisfies my sweet tooth, but doesn't leave me ravenous for more.

    Just my two cents.:flowerforyou:
  • zenmama
    zenmama Posts: 1,000
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    we use stevia in our house and brown sugar...we try to stay away fromt he "white" foods in general

    dd
  • rheston
    rheston Posts: 638
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    I'm very much like viviakay in how I started drinking black coffee. However, I also learned in Europe that if you add a small square of dark chocolate to the pot of coffee that you brew it not only takes a lot of the bitterness out of the taste of straight black coffee but it also gives it a pleasant taste.

    If you can afford one pot to do an experiment with I would suggest that you get a piece of dark chocolate of 65% or greater and see how it works for you.

    I personally don't use artificial sweeteners because they are chemically prepared and I have this thing about taking pills and anything that's not natural in my diet -- that's right whole milk, full fat butter, etc. but I now learn to keep it at a minimum.
  • time2wrk
    time2wrk Posts: 773 Member
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    Wow~I use stevia every morning in my coffee and find nothing "icky" about it! It is expensive - $10.00 for the box of sweetner packets. I think you need to get rid of the sugar - I don't think it is good to start the day with a sugar jolt - but I agree that the chemical aspect of the sweetners is gross. Give the stevia a try, it may be that there are different makers of it and I know it comes in different forms (packets, liquid, etc.). I love it for my coffee!
  • stizzef
    stizzef Posts: 39
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    I like Splenda the best of all of them - i think it tastes the most natural and apparently it's better for you than the other fake stuff. But every website you read tells you something different about whether its good/bad for you, so it's hard to say.
  • jcummings69
    jcummings69 Posts: 183
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    we use stevia in our house and brown sugar...we try to stay away fromt he "white" foods in general

    dd

    I thought that brown sugar is just white sugar with molasses added. How come some many people think it's better than white sugar? Am I wrong?
  • its time for change
    its time for change Posts: 166
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    Try Xylitol. It is lower in Calories than sugar and completely natural. It tastes awesome!! Just like sugar, no funny after taste.
  • phrn255
    phrn255 Posts: 39
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    I agree with you! It is white sugar with molasses added.
    I have never had the stevia, but I love the splenda 50/50 stuff, its blended and tastes really good. My mom is a diabetic and that is what we use in the house.

    Good luck.
    Nic
  • rheston
    rheston Posts: 638
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    The brown sugar sold at grocery stores is actually white granulated sugar with added molasses. Yes, brown sugar contains minute amounts of minerals. But unless you eat a gigantic portion of brown sugar every day, the mineral content difference between brown sugar and white sugar is absolutely insignificant. The idea that brown and white sugar have big differences is another common nutrition myth.

    The average calories for a level teaspoon of sugar is 15 calories while a heaping teaspoon is 25 calories.

    There are some interesting details here about the different types of sugars out there:

    http://whatscookingamerica.net/Sugar.htm

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