s/o splenda?

[jennsmile]

Do you avoid Splenda? Why or why not?

[Catwoman]

I avoid it, but that's only because I'm addicted to sugar and Splenda just doesn't do it for me. :D

 

But I do try to avoid artificial sweeteners, though, because I always worry about the long-term health implications. I'm not sure that there are any, but I worry that there might be. I mean, I know that sugar isn't good for me, either, but I try not to think of that. (Work with me on this, OK? ;) :rolleyes: )

 

My dh was diagnosed with diabetes several months ago, though, and Splenda has been a great thing for him.

[Cinder]

I avoid it because it tastes nasty to me. Blech!

[regentrude]

I do not use any artificial sweeteners. I do not see any reason to. Sugar tastes best anyway.

[justamouse]

because it's chlorinated sugar, and I don't want chlorine in my intestines, wiping out all of the good bacteria.

[Matryoshka]

I avoid all artificial sweeteners. The only exception is a protein bar I sometimes eat that has Splenda in it.

[Parrothead]

I try very hard to avoid ingesting chemicals.

[Myeightkiddies]

It gives me a headache. For my dh it makes his throat feel strange. I use to do artificial sweetners, but my body seemed to treat it as sugar. Once I stopped using them, I actually lost weight but only doing that. Typically I try to use nothing, maybe some honey. I'm not always successful and will reach for a teaspoon of white sugar. Once things settle here (moving) I'm going to focus on finding a good substitute for the white sugar.

[kathesan1]

It gives me horrible headaches. If I drink something that has splenda in it, I feel more thirsty than before I had the drink...strange, I know but that's what it does to me. I will not touch the stuff.

[mlbuchina]

I do not use any artificial sweeteners. I do not see any reason to. Sugar tastes best anyway.

 

:iagree: This.

[Jilly]

I try very hard to avoid ingesting chemicals.

 

:iagree:

[beaners]

It makes my husband violently ill, so we try to keep anything made with it out of the house.

[Punchie]

because it's chlorinated sugar, and I don't want chlorine in my intestines, wiping out all of the good bacteria.

 

:iagree:

[MeaganS]

I try to avoid artificial sweeteners as a general rule, but am not picky about it. Right now I'm coming out of a crazy sugar addiction thanks to Christmas and sometimes I just need something sweet that isn't going to kill me weight-wise.

[TXBeth]

I avoid it because it tastes nasty, just like all the other artificial sweeteners. :ack2:

[BlessedMom]

I completely avoid anything that contains Splenda.

It makes me very ill. It causes me to have major tummy and intestinal issues.

So not fun!

[theYoungerMrsWarde]

I tried giving up on refined sugar for 6 weeks and used Splenda instead. But I did so much more baking, trying out Splenda recipes, than I usually do, so I ended up eating more baked goods, and I lost 0 lbs. :glare:

[TammyinTN]

It sets my stomach on fire. I can't tolerate any artificial sweetener.

[Critterfixer]

I avoid it. GI issues. My mother is the same way--so neither of us use Splenda.

[JennyD]

I use Splenda because I am always counting every calorie, but I recognize that the stuff is probably poisonous and would never dream of feeding to someone else. Voted other.

[freeindeed]

I use Splenda. I eat low carb, and it's the best-tasting sugar substitute IMO. Sometimes I use Stevia or Truvia, but I don't like them as much.

[KrissiK]

I would say "mostly" I avoid it. I enjoy diet soda (I don't drink it at home, but when I'm out, which is rare, I do) so I'll drink it in there. I use Stevia to sweeten when I can.

[Jann in TX]

Your body does not 'excrete/eliminate' it -- it encapsulates it! The levels will build up over time... how much your body can handle (before symptoms begin) is an individual thing.

 

Our family (including DH who is not related to me :tongue_smilie:) has a ZERO tolerance to Splenda-- it gives us immediate TERRIBLE headaches!

 

Aspartame (Equal) gave ME $1,000,000 in medical bills...

 

We stick with the REAL thing-- sugar (limited). I use Stevia in my hot tea.

[Hannah C.]

I avoid it because I can't stand the taste of artificial sweeteners, and because I don't like the concept of "fake" foods in general. I also avoid margarine, other fake butters, American cheese, etc. I would much rather eat the real thing in small quantities or not eat it at all.

[SweetMissMagnolia]

have used it in the past without problems....I'm diabetic...recently switched to stevia....in a pinch I'll use equal..... necessary evil..

[jennsmile]

 

Aspartame (Equal) gave ME $1,000,000 in medical bills...

 

 

 

 

Story if you don't mind sharing?

[LaxMom]

because it's chlorinated sugar, and I don't want chlorine in my intestines, wiping out all of the good bacteria.

 

Yeah, that. And the first time I had it, someone used it to make cookies and it left a weird, sweet taste in my mouth for a really long time, which kept causing me to go back for another cookie... Not so great in the "diet" department, eh?

[Dandelion]

I avoid it (for many of the previous health concerns mentioned). I use Stevia and Agave nectar as sweeteners.

[StephanieZ]

I never eat (or allow my kids) to eat any fake sweeteners.

 

The *only* exception is sugarless gum in moderation (a few sticks each week for the kids, maybe half of a 15 stick pack a week for me) and the sweeteners that are in our (typical Colgate or Crest) toothpaste and mouthwashes.

 

I never, ever buy any food that has artificial sweeteners.

 

I think that stuff is really evil. Bad for your body, bad for your tastebuds. So, I avoid it. I eat real sugar, or I skip it.

[MyLittleBears]

Yup. There was an article given to me by my nutritionists. Apparently it interferes with normal G.I. function.

 

Xylitol and Stevia are good natural alternatives or just sugar in moderation.

[Unicorn.]

It foams when you put it in coffee or tea. That did it for me. IcK!

[Veritaserum]

I avoid all artificial sweeteners. They make me feel sick and give me a headache.

[justamouse]

Your body does not 'excrete/eliminate' it -- it encapsulates it! The levels will build up over time... how much your body can handle (before symptoms begin) is an individual thing.

 

Our family (including DH who is not related to me :tongue_smilie:) has a ZERO tolerance to Splenda-- it gives us immediate TERRIBLE headaches!

 

Aspartame (Equal) gave ME $1,000,000 in medical bills...

 

We stick with the REAL thing-- sugar (limited). I use Stevia in my hot tea.

 

Tell! Please? Because my diabetic father uses it like crack and nothing my mom or I say will make him listen.

[kalanamak]

It gives me a roaring headache. Few things do, but this one does.

[GailV]

Makes me sick in the GI tract. Not a pretty picture. A few times I've forgotten that my SIL is absolutely ADDICTED to the stuff :001_rolleyes:, and I've deeply regretted eating her homemade "treats" or salad dressings. Dh has also regretted it, since I spend the night writhing in pain. (Caprylic acid seems to help, followed by an acidophilus chaser.)

 

I've heard that you DO excrete it, and it's the stable in the environment, which means it's starting to appear in the water supply. Or something like that. No clue where I read that, though, or whether there's even a smidgen of truth to it.

[KungFuPanda]

I've never developed a fear of real sugar, so I avoid the fake stuff. I think I tasted a diet soda in the 80s and that was the end of the experiment for me. I've tried stevia, but it tastes very bitter to me. My taste buds must be off or something, because I seem to be the only one who thinks it's too bitter.

 

(Though I love most foods, I can't handle brussel sprouts, coffee or beer because they taste intensely bitter to me, so it must just be me :glare:)

[dirty ethel rackham]

I try to avoid artificial sweeteners (except for an occasional Diet Pepsi pick-me-up in the afternoons.) Splenda makes my teeth buzz and I feel sort of off-balance when I have it. I discovered it after eating a "protein bar" that my trainer recommended. I didn't feel safe to drive. I could see the headlines "Suburban mom pulled over for Driving While Under the Influence of Splenda."

 

Also, I crave more carbs after having it.

[LaxMom]

I've never developed a fear of real sugar, so I avoid the fake stuff. I think I tasted a diet soda in the 80s and that was the end of the experiment for me. I've tried stevia, but it tastes very bitter to me. My taste buds must be off or something, because I seem to be the only one who thinks it's too bitter.

 

(Though I love most foods, I can't handle brussel sprouts, coffee or beer because they taste intensely bitter to me, so it must just be me :glare:)

 

No, you're not. My (obviously informal, uncontrolled, small group) data seems to indicate that people who do not care for licorice detect bitterness in stevia. People who like (or don't dislike) licorice do not. I think it's a specific compound that turns people off to licorice if they can detect it, also found in stevia. But that is just conjecture on my part.