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Thread: Splenda

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    Default Splenda

    Since we didnt have a thread on this I'd thought I'd make one.

    I eat splenda at about 2-4 packets a day with my coffee or non-fat yogurt. Some say its really bad for you while others say its better for you than readl sugar. Whats the deal here?
    http://www.mercola.com/2003/aug/23/splenda.htm One of the many splenda articles online just to get ya started.

    Share your opinions with me.
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    Featured Member Lola Lee's Avatar
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    Default Re: Splenda

    I think Splenda is one of the "better" artificial sweetners on the market. If I could only choose from the three big ones, I would rather put it in my coffee vs Sweet-n-Low (Sacchrin) or Equal (Asparteme). Yes, there is growing concern about the side effects of Splenda but the research is still very limited. It would be nice if it were easy to be 100% holistic, organic, vegan , etc but for me and most of society it is just not practical. I think about all the chemicals, growth hormones, and other crap that is put in our water, injected into animals and sprayed onto our agricultural fields ... a packet of Splenda doesn't fret me too much.

    Here's a snipit from an article I read online:

    "Aspartame – aka Equal, Nutrasweet

    Discovered in 1965, aspartame is one of the more common tabletop artificial sweeteners in the US today.

    Aspartame is 160-220 times sweeter than sucrose. The FDA has set the accepted daily intake (ADI) at 50 mg/kg of body weight. One packet of the sweetener contains 37 mg of aspartame and 12 ounces of diet soda contains about 200 mg of aspartame. By this standard, a person who weighs 60 kg (~132 pounds) could consume 3000 mg of aspartame or 3 grams (a total of 12 calories) daily. This is the equivalent of 81 packets of Equal or 15 cans of diet soda (180 fluid ounces). Aspartame is found in products like Diet Coke, Dannon Light Yogurt, Swiss Miss Fat Free Hot Cocoa Mix, and BreathSavers.

    Foods that contain aspartame must carry a label warning consumers that the product contains phenylalanine for people who have phenylketonuria (PKU). If you have this disorder, you know it, since all infants in the US are screened for it at birth.

    Since its initial approval by the FDA in 1981, the FDA has evaluated aspartame 26 times. Aspartame is approved for use in more than 100 nations including Canada, Japan, and the United Kingdom. Despite many studies, there is no evidence to link aspartame with seizures, brain disorders, headaches, cancer, diabetes, Parkinson's disease, birth defects, multiple sclerosis, “Desert Storm Syndrome” or any other disorder.

    Saccharin – AKA Sweet’N Low, Sugar Twin

    Saccharin was discovered at Johns Hopkins in 1879 and is estimated to be 200-700 times sweeter than sugar. It is calorie free because the body cannot break it down.

    In 1977, after a study found it caused bladder cancer in rats all products that contained saccharin were required to be labeled with the following statement: “Use of this product may be hazardous to your health. This product contains saccharin which has been determined to cause cancer in laboratory animals.” Studies have followed diabetics who have used saccharin for years and have yet to show an increase in the incidence of bladder cancer. On May 15, 2000 the U.S. government released a report on things known to cause cancer. When the list came out, it “de-listed” saccharin from the list of suspected carcinogens.

    Even if you don't use the “pink packets,” you likely are still getting saccharin. It is found in non-food products such as Listerine, Crest Toothpaste, Robitussin cough syrup, and Carefree chewing gum. It is also in salad dressing, jam, jelly, preserves and baked goods.

    Sucralose – a.k.a. Splenda

    Discovered in 1976, sucralose is 600 times sweeter than sugar and does not contain calories. It is the only low calorie sweetener that is made from sugar. It is heat stable and can be used in cooking and baking or anywhere one would use sugar without losing its sweetness. Even though sucralose is a sugar molecule, it has been changed so that the body does not recognize it as a sugar or carbohydrate and passes through the body unchanged and unmetabolized. Substituting the hydrogen-oxygen groups on the sugar molecule with 3 chlorine atoms creates sucralose. Chlorine is something we consume every day in our water and other foods we eat.
    Sucralose is currently used in more than 30 countries and the FDA approved it in 1998 as a tabletop sweetener. It has been studied for more than 20 years, and 110 published animal and human safety studies have concluded that sucralose is safe for everyone to consume. As a result, sucralose does not require any warning labels. Agencies in Canada, Australia, Argentina, Brazil, China, and Mexico have also approved its use and safety. The ADI is 15 mg/kg body weight per day. "

    --Written by: Shelley Rael, MS, RD, LD 505-272-3989

    Honestly though, a packet of sugar doesn't contain that many calories (I think it may be about 20), Unfortunately to get the same effect of sweetness, it takes several packets or teaspoons of sugar to one packet of the artificial stuff. That's when your calories add up by using regular sugar.

    There a natural product called "Stevia" which is available in health food stores. It is actually a herb so it is not sold as a dietary food (yet). It is extremely sweet and claimed to be non-toxic.
    Last edited by Lola Lee; 09-03-2006 at 10:16 AM.




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    Default Re: Splenda

    i love splenda...my fav artificial sweetener. like you, TM, i use a couple of packets a day in my tea or coffee. however, for some reason, too much of it gives me a headache, so i don't think i could use it for baking or anything. i think it's pretty safe, and, in my opinion, the best tasting of all the artificial sweeteners. however, if you have any reservations, i agree with Lola that a couple packets of sugar don't have many calories. but from your other posts it seems like you really want to exclude most of the bad stuff from your diet, so the sugar might trigger cravings, and we all know where those can lead. i've never had splenda do that to me.
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    Default Re: Splenda

    I heard the same thing, but i'm not really concerned bc I use one packette a day. Now imo if I were to use more than one, then Stevia would be the way to go. You might want to get that instead.

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    Default Re: Splenda

    I refuse to use it. I don't trust anything "man-made" that is put on the market with no real clue on its positive/negative effects on the body.

    I use Stevia. Yes, it's pricey...but its good, you don't use much, and there are no side-effects (like with artificial sweetners) nor like sugar (the insulin spike).

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    Veteran Member obscurity's Avatar
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    Default Re: Splenda

    as an insulin dependant diabetic, i cannot use splenda. it spikes my bloodsugar too high since it is part natural cane. i use to use equal like it was going outta style. it was the only art. sweetener i could stand, but eventually weened myself off. like venus said, stevia is awesome and worth it! my nutritionist said that basically the amount of art. sweetener that would need to be ingested to cause damage could'nt be done in one life time. plus you can't cut out sugar all together, everything in moderation. but stevia is what i would try before splenda.

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    Default Re: Splenda

    where's tina (the mod) at, she is really smart with this stuff. splenda is very bad.very bad. TINA WHERE ARE YOU?

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    Default Re: Splenda


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    Default Re: Splenda

    After reading the posts you guys are scaring me with this splenda thing. I have been getting headaches but I think its mostly alcohol detoxification. Does Stevia tastes sweeter than splenda or does it taste like sugar?
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    Default Re: Splenda

    I, like Venus, use stevia. I used Splenda, & still do, ocasionally. When I buy diet soda, I try to get it w/the Splenda. I saw an article saying stevia is much better for you, & I also think some of my headaches might have come from using Splenda.


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    Default Re: Splenda

    Splenda is BAD! It's a sugar molecule spliced with chlorine, which is HIGHLY POISONOUS- thats why your body doesn't absorb the calories.

    THat's also why so many people (myself included) have severe intestinal cramps/diarrhea/gas when they use splenda.

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    Default Re: Splenda

    ^ Indeed, many people are allergic to Splenda.
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    Default Re: Splenda

    Yeah, artificial sweetners set my guts on fire. Which says something, I would imagine.

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    Default Re: Splenda

    I don't think *anything* artificial is good for you. (Except maybe a new hip. XD)
    But artificial sweeteners are especially bad for me. They give me heart palpitations.
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    Lola Rose
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    Default Re: Splenda

    There hasn't been enough long term research done, so who knows yet, but it could have serious long term side effects. Short term side effects (already mentioned, are more common then people relize).

    Stevia is the way to go.

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    Default Re: Splenda

    Where can I get Stevia in the Chicago area? I tried to look for it a while ago at local health food stores, and I couldn't find any. I've been interested in using it for some time now....but forgot about it until now.

    As for the original question, I don't use a lot of artificial sweeteners. Sugar doesn't have all that many calories...people just end up over-doing it or can't really use it (like diabetics). I do sometimes use Sweet-n-low and splenda, but not on a regular basis by any means at all. There is TONS of controversy about splenda though but I don't know if you could really escape it. Many diet sodas now use splenda and a variety of other artificial sweeteners....but Splenda seems to be "THE" thing right now...it's even used in Starbucks canned light iced coffee.






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    Default Re: Splenda

    Could you order stevia online from an online health food store perhaps?

    I don't like the taste of regular soda so I drink diet (when I do drink soda, which isn't much nowadays) but other than that I put real sugar in my tea and coffee.

    I've heard mixed things about stevia but never tried it myself.
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    Default Re: Splenda

    HelloKitty, you can get Stevia at Whole Foods!! You have to look in their supplements section, I believe.

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    Default Re: Splenda

    Quote Originally Posted by TigersMilk
    After reading the posts you guys are scaring me with this splenda thing. I have been getting headaches but I think its mostly alcohol detoxification. Does Stevia tastes sweeter than splenda or does it taste like sugar?
    Stevia is very sweet. I've never tasted Splenda so I couldn't say...but I love my Stevia.

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    Default Re: Splenda

    With Stevia all you need is two or three little drops. The bottle will last long enough.

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    Default Re: Splenda

    there is a new liquid sweetener out from the plant agave..haven't tried it yet.

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    Default Re: Splenda

    ^ It's called Agave Nectar. It's good in tea.

    As for Stevia, you can get it powdered (in a bottled) powdered in travel packets or in a liquid form (the drops). Any is good.

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    Default Re: Splenda

    I adore my Agave! It's completely replaced honey in my diet.
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    Default Re: Splenda

    I use Splenda and Equal occasionally in a pinch but really the best thing is Evaporated Cane Juice sugar, which is readily available in every health and natural foods store and is sold in 1 and 2 lb bags. Most health gurus praise it. 2 pounds is about $4-$5. I have tried Stevia, but for me it has a bitter aftertaste, and a box of 50 individual packs runs around $6.

    When I buy bakery products I find that most in traditional grocery stores have high fructose corn syrup in them, but those pastries I get at Co-Op, Whole Foods and Wild Oats tend to mostly use evaporated cane juice sugar instead of white sugar.

    I recently bought some little dope baggies to fill with Evaporated Cane Juice sugar so that when I'm on the road I can use them for coffee instead of the artificial sweeteners.

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    Default Re: Splenda

    The agave is DELICIOUS!!! Mmmm

    Stevia is great but you have to be careful to use only a very small amount or there is an unpleasant aftertaste; also it can have a laxative effect so don't want to overuse it. Other than the agave, it beats all the other sweeteners hands down!

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