Aspartame

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amymeenieminymo
amymeenieminymo Posts: 2,394 Member
in Food and Nutrition
What are people's thoughts on this? I find contradictory stuff on it, whether or not it is safe. I realize it is a chemical, and therefore not natural for the body, but in small doses is it ok?

We just bought a bunch of crystal light packets and I love them. I absolutely loathe drinking water just to drink it (ie, rather than I'm thirsty, I think I'll drink some water) and when I use a crystal light packet I gulp the water down with no problem.

Or can someone recommend something to add to my water to make it yummy that doesn't have it in it (besides lemon) ? For the most part I am not a tea drinker, never have been....but I love the crystal light peach tea. So maybe if there is some kind of tea that you can mix with cold water that isn't real tea-like I would like it (if that made sense).

Replies

  • truedecember
    truedecember Posts: 151 Member
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    Aspartame is not dangerous as long as you aren't going overboard. And when I say overboard, I mean eating tons and tons of it every day. I've learned about aspartame in my food science/nutrition classes, and although I don't remember the exact amount, you would have to drink impossible amounts of soda every day to even get close to the levels of aspartame that caused negative effects in lab rats. Unless you have PKU, consuming moderate amounts of aspartame won't harm you, and I think that if it helps you drink water you should go for it! (Although there will be people that argue that adding a mix-in disqualifies it as "water" - I personally still count it!) Hope that helps!
  • CinthyNair
    CinthyNair Posts: 261
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    you can try any non-caffeinated tea such as peppermint or green tea. I actually mix my drinking water with lemon and hibiscus tea powder (from Herbalife). Helps me to gulp down at least 80oz (10 glasses a day) with ease.
  • 1Sweets
    1Sweets Posts: 395
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    Walgreens is haveing a clearance on their Singles To Go! water flavoring....25 cents a box of 8 (16 servings).

    I bought a whole bunch of them today....grape & punch are our favorites here at my home. :heart:

    They use to sell them at the dollar store but looks like they're clearancing them out there too.

    Get them while there cheap.:drinker:
  • 1Sweets
    1Sweets Posts: 395
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    They are sweetened with Aspartame. Made by Hawaiian Punch. Fruit Juicy Red or Wild Purple Smash...has 5 calories per serving. I like to make them icing slushy so I sip on that instead of eating food in the evening. Kinda like a slurpee.:heart:
  • linzismith
    linzismith Posts: 139 Member
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    I usually eat splenda in my coffee and oatmeal (like 2 tablespoons of it). But a few years ago I bought a bunch of crystal light so I could sip it at night instead of snack.

    After a week of intense stomach cramps in the evening, i realized it was the crystal light, and I had to stop drinking it.

    I don't know if it was the asparthame or what, but my tummy couldn't handle that stuff. (and I'm not the kind of person who is sensitive to weird food. Fried? covered in grease? strange food from another country? I can usually stomach it no problem).

    So if you do start getting stomach cramps, see if they're correlating to when you're drinking crystal light.
  • July
    July Posts: 239
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    I've been making hibiscus tea (it's supposed to reduce your appetite), sometimes with lemon juice or without, with a packet of splenda. It's so pink and just a little sweet that I can trick myself into thinking it's a fruit punch or something.

    Splenda hasn't been proven to be bad for you - but it hasn't proven to be good either.

    I also crunch on a lot of ice.
  • SelkieGhost
    SelkieGhost Posts: 115 Member
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    A tea bag or two of the fruit herbal teas in a 24 oz water container is awesome.. I only use 1 tea bag (I vary between peach, wildberry and raspberry from Celestial Seasonings), for a very lightly flavored water - but I imagine two would up the flavor rather nicely... bonus, since it's a fruit tea, it's already naturally sweet - no need for anything else added...
  • silvertears
    silvertears Posts: 106 Member
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    You could try Truvia... it's all natural and 0 calories. I can't stand the taste of Sweet N Low, but I like Truvia. Right now I use Sun Crystals, which is a combo of stevia (what is in Truvia) and sugar and has 5 calories a packet.
  • amymeenieminymo
    amymeenieminymo Posts: 2,394 Member
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    A tea bag or two of the fruit herbal teas in a 24 oz water container is awesome.. I only use 1 tea bag (I vary between peach, wildberry and raspberry from Celestial Seasonings), for a very lightly flavored water - but I imagine two would up the flavor rather nicely... bonus, since it's a fruit tea, it's already naturally sweet - no need for anything else added...

    Yum, sounds perfect, thanks!
  • mrd232
    mrd232 Posts: 331
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    Aspartame has always been a major migraine trigger for me, so I avoid it whenever I can. I like Truvia and Sweetleaf stevia packets for coffee or tea.
  • jessmomof3
    jessmomof3 Posts: 4,590 Member
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    Aspartame has always been a major migraine trigger for me, so I avoid it whenever I can. I like Truvia and Sweetleaf stevia packets for coffee or tea.

    Me too. Exactly. Aspartame is a migraine trigger, so I avoid it at all costs!! I also use Truvia or Stevia in the Raw packets for tea (I like my coffee black!). I love my plain water, but do like a squeeze of lime or lemon.

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