Keto Newbie

Just starting Keto, and was wondering what everyone's preferred sweetener is? Unfortunately mine was Splenda, so I need to find a new one. I refuse to drink coffee without some kind of sweetener ๐Ÿ˜‚๐Ÿ˜‚ Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated! ๐Ÿ˜๐Ÿ˜
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  • sollyn23l2
    sollyn23l2 Posts: 1,755 Member
    What's wrong with Splenda?
  • ninerbuff
    ninerbuff Posts: 48,985 Member
    Yeah, what's wrong with Splenda?

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  • tomcustombuilder
    tomcustombuilder Posts: 2,224 Member
    Splenda is splendid....
  • BlondieJenn75
    BlondieJenn75 Posts: 12 Member
    I read that sucralose and aspartame should be avoided in Keto ๐Ÿค”
  • ninerbuff
    ninerbuff Posts: 48,985 Member
    I read that sucralose and aspartame should be avoided in Keto ๐Ÿค”
    Post the article.

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  • tomcustombuilder
    tomcustombuilder Posts: 2,224 Member
    I read that sucralose and aspartame should be avoided in Keto ๐Ÿค”

    Probably the same person that says it's carbs that make you fat.
  • sollyn23l2
    sollyn23l2 Posts: 1,755 Member
    I read that sucralose and aspartame should be avoided in Keto ๐Ÿค”

    Probably the same person that says it's carbs that make you fat.

    Bet
  • AnnPT77
    AnnPT77 Posts: 34,222 Member
    I read that sucralose and aspartame should be avoided in Keto ๐Ÿค”

    Why not try it? There aren't keto police coming after you if you do it wrong.

    I doubt it'll throw you out of ketosis, and ketosis isn't essential for weight loss anyway, if weight loss is your key goal.

    Try it. If you're not losing weight after a few weeks, then drink your coffee black for a few weeks (or phase out coffee altogether for a few weeks) without changing anything else, and see if that makes a difference. I know how I'd bet on that question.

    Best wishes!
  • Jays_fit_quest
    Jays_fit_quest Posts: 1 Member
    usrtk.org (US Right to Know) recently released an article. Stating sucralose (Splenda) is linked to possible health issues leukemia, weight gain, obesity, diabetes, liver inflammation, and other illnesses.

    So other than those things, I just don't like the aftertaste
  • ninerbuff
    ninerbuff Posts: 48,985 Member
    usrtk.org (US Right to Know) recently released an article. Stating sucralose (Splenda) is linked to possible health issues leukemia, weight gain, obesity, diabetes, liver inflammation, and other illnesses.

    So other than those things, I just don't like the aftertaste

    Correlation isn't causation. Also if you look at studies like that, most refer to rats or mice as test subjects and the dosage they give them can be 10X or more in concentration for them compared to what a human may consume in a day.
    Now if it's the aftertaste you don't like, then that's a different story.

    A.C.E. Certified Personal and Group Fitness Trainer
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  • neanderthin
    neanderthin Posts: 10,220 Member
    edited August 2023
    usrtk.org (US Right to Know) recently released an article. Stating sucralose (Splenda) is linked to possible health issues leukemia, weight gain, obesity, diabetes, liver inflammation, and other illnesses.

    So other than those things, I just don't like the aftertaste

    Correlation isn't causation. Also if you look at studies like that, most refer to rats or mice as test subjects and the dosage they give them can be 10X or more in concentration for them compared to what a human may consume in a day.
    Now if it's the aftertaste you don't like, then that's a different story.

    A.C.E. Certified Personal and Group Fitness Trainer
    IDEA Fitness member
    Kickboxing Certified Instructor
    Been in fitness for 35+ years and have studied kinesiology and nutrition

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    Shoe size perfectly correlates with reading comprehension and I mean perfectly. Does anyone actually believe that someone with bigger feet have better reading comprehension, no, of course not and most would probably dismiss it outright as idiotic?

    In epidemiology where these observations are made have these pesky little things called confounders, and the confounder of shoe size is age and shoe size is an amazing proxy for age and age is certainly correlated with reading comprehension. But age tells us nothing about reading comprehension in and of itself so there's another confounder that determines this and it's education. As we age the more education we accumulate and education is a proxy for reading comprehension. Basically the bigger ones shoe size the older you are and the older you are the more you've been to school and the more you've been to school the more educated you are and the more educated you are the better reading comprehension one has. And that's why epidemiology is seen as the weapon of mass confusion.

    The WHO is where this study originated and the WHO almost use epidemiology exclusively and why conclusions of causality are suspect by most nutritional scientists, and I wouldn't worry about spenda but that's just my opinion. cheers
  • csplatt
    csplatt Posts: 1,205 Member
    edited August 2023
    If you study the full research on artificial sweeteners, you will realize you have to have like 25 servings per day (or something to that effect) to reach the potential risk. And the research never confirmed a link to humans. I will try to find the details. But I understand that we will hear about hundreds / thousands of possible carcinogens in our lifetime and which ones we decide to avoid will be personal to each of us so no judgement.
  • csplatt
    csplatt Posts: 1,205 Member
    hereโ€™s a piece of what i read, but i would love more details from other sources that provide math like this, even if itโ€™s contradictory:

    According to the study, the lowest observed S6A concentration for genotoxicityโ€”a type of genetic damage that is linked to cancerโ€”was 707 micrograms per milliliter (ยตg/mL).2

    Based on a 2016 study, the concentration of sucralose in the blood can reach about 200 to 400 nanograms per milliliter (ng/mL) after drinking 250 milligrams (mg) of sucraloseโ€”the amount in four cans of diet soda. But for two participants, the concentration spiked even more, exceeding 1,500 ng/mL.3

    Even if your plasma sucralose concentration were to reach 1,500 ng/mL after drinking four cans of diet soda, youโ€™d have to drink around 1,800 cans of diet soda to reach the lowest observed concentration for genotoxicity of S6A.

    An older study from 2000 also looked at blood concentrations after a dose of sucralose. One hour after administering 10 milligrams per kilogram (mg/kg) of sucralose, the participantsโ€™ sucralose blood levels peaked and reached almost 600 ยตg/mL.4 The participants weighed between 126 to 176 pounds, and the dose of sucralose they received was the equivalent of about 47 to 66 packets of Splenda. The peak of 600 ยตg/mL still doesnโ€™t reach S6Aโ€™s lowest observed concentration for genotoxicity.
  • rileysowner
    rileysowner Posts: 8,328 Member
    I read that sucralose and aspartame should be avoided in Keto ๐Ÿค”

    They are just fine. There is a strain/brand/whatever of clean keto that says don't use artificial sweeteners, but other than certain sugar alcohols, they will not raise your blood sugar or kick you out of ketosis. The only caveat with Splenda is the, I think, maltodextrin in the powder used as a bulking agent which is a carb and at higher levels (using large amounts in say cooking) might be an issue.
  • ChickieBoom22
    ChickieBoom22 Posts: 80 Member
    I've recently started using Truvia...I don't like it as much as Splenda but it's fine in coffee and tea. I still use Splenda in my Greek yogurt.

    Trader Joe's also has pure stevia but it takes some getting used to as there's almost a bitter after taste.
  • raenright
    raenright Posts: 54 Member
    I use granulated xylitol or erythritol as a sweetener while on keto, nice in coffee.
  • azkunk
    azkunk Posts: 956 Member
    I just started a medically supervised ketogenic diet to reverse prediabetes. Their recommended sweeteners are:
    Stevia
    Sucralose (Splenda)
    Monk fruit
    Allulose
    Sugar, alcohols- xylitol, and erythritol
  • SafariGalNYC
    SafariGalNYC Posts: 1,477 Member
    I like Monkfruit/ Luo Han Guo extract. I buy it dried or fresh in Chinatown by me. :)
  • NettieK630
    NettieK630 Posts: 1 Member
    I'm not a sweet eater but I've seen a lot of good reviews for Swerve. Supposedly no aftertaste and it's calorie-free and doesn't raise blood sugar or insulin levels.
  • aprilgall
    aprilgall Posts: 2 Member
    My favorite sweetener is monk fruit and also allulose. Stevia does the trick as well for some things. Keto was difficult for me when I started back in February, but within 3 months my diabetes was well-controlled and I felt 100% better. I didn't lose tons of weight but I was healthier, and with that I was able to move better and THEN the weight started falling. I stay under 50g of carbs per day and it's worked very well for me and the diabetes.
  • cam94z28
    cam94z28 Posts: 2 Member
    Just starting Keto, and was wondering what everyone's preferred sweetener is? Unfortunately mine was Splenda, so I need to find a new one. I refuse to drink coffee without some kind of sweetener ๐Ÿ˜‚๐Ÿ˜‚ Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated! ๐Ÿ˜๐Ÿ˜

    Look into allulose. It's supposed to taste just like sugar but with 0 net carbs and can even be baked with successfully.
  • Pastafan
    Pastafan Posts: 3 Member
    Just drink the coffee black. Weight loss takes sacrifice I realized. I used to drink it with light cream and sugar, but I wanted to lose weight more than I wanted to be fat. You get used to it in a few days especially ifs all you can have other than water on a 3 day fast.. I now drink it with a splash of half/half and it is very good.
  • sollyn23l2
    sollyn23l2 Posts: 1,755 Member
    edited September 2023
    Just drink the coffee black. Weight loss takes sacrifice I realized. I used to drink it with light cream and sugar, but I wanted to lose weight more than I wanted to be fat. You get used to it in a few days especially ifs all you can have other than water on a 3 day fast.. I now drink it with a splash of half/half and it is very good.

    No. This is the mindset that will cause you to fail long term. Over and over again. If she wants sweetener in her coffee, she should find one that works for her. Also, you tell her to just "take her coffee black" and then go on to say you add half and half to yours? What in the world? I'm sorry, but this makes no sense. I wouldn't have bothered responding, but this is problematic advice for anyone to read.
  • MacLowCarbing
    MacLowCarbing Posts: 350 Member
    edited September 2023
    Just starting Keto, and was wondering what everyone's preferred sweetener is? Unfortunately mine was Splenda, so I need to find a new one. I refuse to drink coffee without some kind of sweetener ๐Ÿ˜‚๐Ÿ˜‚ Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated! ๐Ÿ˜๐Ÿ˜

    Splenda spikes my blood sugar, and because I have type 2 diabetes and insulin resistance, it is not the best sweetener for me. I've heard a bunch of people on low-carb diets say the same. Another complaint is (that I can agree with to some extent) is that artificial sweeteners can still trigger sugar/carb cravings and still activate that brain chemistry. It can knock some people out of ketosis, too.

    I'm not specifically on Keto, never read like a Keto book or anything, but how I eat is closest to Keto than any other... specifically "dirty/lazy/cheap" Keto :p .

    But it came down to it where I realized after giving up all added sugars, all grains, any high-starch veggies and fruits, etc.-- my artificial sweeteners in coffee & snacks were still tripping me up.

    I thought I could give them up in everything but my daily coffee. Now, COFFEE is the sweet elixir of life for me. When I wake up and smell it brewing I practically hear choirs of angels singing. I couldn't even think about food or going anywhere until I had at least 2 cups.

    I've been addicted to it since I was 14, so 40 years, long before the first modern coffee shop ever sprang up in Seattle. I thought it unfathomable to drink coffee without sweetener. It had been hard enough switching from sugar to sweetener and then lowering the amount of sweetener!!!

    But give it up? NEVER!!!!! or so I thought.

    So I gave up sweeteners except for coffee-- even cut down to 2 cups per day, one sweetener pack per cup.

    It still tripped me up-- blood sugar spikes, sugar cravings, ketosis negative, etc.

    Then I finally sucked it up, went high fat and gave up the daily sweeteners too... At first I'd sporadically down an oz or two of black coffee like a shot, just to avoid the caffeine headaches. Gross, but a valiant attempt to make do.

    Then, I started putting 2 tbsp of heavy cream in my coffee. And hey, we had something there...

    Within 2 weeks, I preferred it that way. Turned out the creaminess factor was more delicious than the sweetness factor.

    Then I started experimenting with fats in coffee-- whipping in a tbsp of butter or tbsp of coconut oil using my stick blender. At first it sounded cray cray, but it's da bomb.

    My fave breakfast coffee now is taking a raw egg and tbsp of butter, then using my stick blender on high speed to whisk them as I pour in boiling-hot coffee (to cook the egg). It gets so creamy and frothy, I find it delicious and satiating. REALLY keeps any sweet cravings at bay, I almost never get sweet cravings anymore. Everything naturally tastes sweeter to me, even vegetables.

    I haven't completely given up sweeteners altogether-- I'll use some every now and then for a little treat, like making low-carb cookies or something. And I don't worry as much about which one I do use, as I don't think using them sparingly is gonna hurt. Though I personally found things like allulose & stevia the least blood sugar affecting, I'll still grab Splenda on occasion simply because I still have a big box of it in the closet.

    But I never need it in my coffee anymore, and I don't even miss it!!! If I could time-travel back and tell that to myself a few months ago, my past self would have laughed her *kitten* off at that insinuation and protested with all her might :D:D:D

  • neanderthin
    neanderthin Posts: 10,220 Member
    edited September 2023
    Just starting Keto, and was wondering what everyone's preferred sweetener is? Unfortunately mine was Splenda, so I need to find a new one. I refuse to drink coffee without some kind of sweetener ๐Ÿ˜‚๐Ÿ˜‚ Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated! ๐Ÿ˜๐Ÿ˜

    Splenda spikes my blood sugar, and because I have type 2 diabetes and insulin resistance, it is not the best sweetener for me. I've heard a bunch of people on low-carb diets say the same. Another complaint is (that I can agree with to some extent) is that artificial sweeteners can still trigger sugar/carb cravings and still activate that brain chemistry. It can knock some people out of ketosis, too.


    This isn't backed by science. Sugars along with calories cause blood sugar increases, period. Keep in mind that blood glucose and insulin are two completely different things. Sweeteners on their own also don't kick someone out of ketosis.
  • MacLowCarbing
    MacLowCarbing Posts: 350 Member
    edited September 2023
    Just starting Keto, and :D:D was wondering what everyone's preferred sweetener is? Unfortunately mine was Splenda, so I need to find a new one. I refuse to drink coffee without some kind of sweetener ๐Ÿ˜‚๐Ÿ˜‚ Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated! ๐Ÿ˜๐Ÿ˜

    Splenda spikes my blood sugar, and because I have type 2 diabetes and insulin resistance, it is not the best sweetener for me. I've heard a bunch of people on low-carb diets say the same. Another complaint is (that I can agree with to some extent) is that artificial sweeteners can still trigger sugar/carb cravings and still activate that brain chemistry. It can knock some people out of ketosis, too.


    This isn't backed by science. Sugars along with calories cause blood sugar increases, period. Keep in mind that blood glucose and insulin are two completely different things. Sweeteners on their own also don't kick someone out of ketosis.

    LOL yeah, because science has never been wrong in the history of the world, especially when it comes to diet.

    There have never been conflicting studies, reports, or scientific opinions.

    Individual metabolisms are all absolutely identical and there are never any variations between two different human beings.

    And anyone and everyone who has results that go against that perfect, heavenly scientific claim is 100% lying or stupid, even when they are using a continuous glucose monitor and doing controlled experiments to see what different things do to their body.

    Okay... you keep believing that. You do you. :D

    BTW there are studies out there backing up that artificial sweeteners can affect blood sugar, if you wanna do research it is there you just have to google it.
  • neanderthin
    neanderthin Posts: 10,220 Member
    edited September 2023
    Just starting Keto, and :D:D was wondering what everyone's preferred sweetener is? Unfortunately mine was Splenda, so I need to find a new one. I refuse to drink coffee without some kind of sweetener ๐Ÿ˜‚๐Ÿ˜‚ Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated! ๐Ÿ˜๐Ÿ˜

    Splenda spikes my blood sugar, and because I have type 2 diabetes and insulin resistance, it is not the best sweetener for me. I've heard a bunch of people on low-carb diets say the same. Another complaint is (that I can agree with to some extent) is that artificial sweeteners can still trigger sugar/carb cravings and still activate that brain chemistry. It can knock some people out of ketosis, too.


    This isn't backed by science. Sugars along with calories cause blood sugar increases, period. Keep in mind that blood glucose and insulin are two completely different things. Sweeteners on their own also don't kick someone out of ketosis.

    LOL yeah, because science has never been wrong in the history of the world, especially when it comes to diet.

    There have never been conflicting studies, reports, or scientific opinions.

    Individual metabolisms are all absolutely identical and there are never any variations between two different human beings.

    And anyone and everyone who has results that go against that perfect, heavenly scientific claim is 100% lying or stupid, even when they are using a continuous glucose monitor and doing controlled experiments to see what different things do to their body.

    Okay... you keep believing that. You do you. :D

    BTW there are studies out there backing up that artificial sweeteners can affect blood sugar, if you wanna do research it is there you just have to google it.

    If artificial sweeteners raised blood sugar then people consuming them would become more insulin resistant and artificial sweeteners would contribute to diabetes, which I've never seen any literature that supports that. Maybe you could link those studies where AS raise blood sugar where an insulin response is required to remove those sugars.
  • jjroxi7
    jjroxi7 Posts: 2 Member
    I like Stevia and Monk fruit the best
  • MachOne4
    MachOne4 Posts: 16 Member
    I use xylitol. You can get it in health food stores. It looks and tastes pretty much the same as regular granulated sugar.