If you don't use aspertame - what do you use for diet sweetener?

[Ameena]

Curious. After asking here last week about how to improve my diet, researching aspertame, and talking with my endocrinologist, I'm going to start tapering down the amount of aspertame I'm consuming with the goal of eliminating it completely eventually. Right now I'm primarily consuming it in diet soda, which I drink a lot of since I don't tolerate plain water very well with the chemicals our local water company puts into it. I'm going to start subbing 1 water based drink a day for the diet soda & slowly continue until I'm weaned off the soda completely.

 

So - I need something else to use for sweetener. Using regular sugar isn't an option as I already struggle with weight issues - I need something low cal or no cal but not aspertame.

 

Ideas? Stevia perhaps? I know I tried some liquid stevia a few years back at a health fair and it was nice, but not sure where I can buy it locally. Needs to be something I can buy locally, even if I have to make a special trip to whole foods every couple of months to stock up.

[freeindeed]

I like Nectresse. It's a natural sweetener made by the company that makes Splenda. It's made from monk fruit. Also, there's erithrytol, which is also natural.

[Lara in Colo]

I use stevia.  It is made in Peru---

[justasque]

I weaned myself from sweeteners altogether.  It sounds crazy, but my taste buds have adjusted, and now fruit satisfies my sweet tooth.  I try to choose foods without added sugar (peanut butter, spaghetti sauce, drinks, etc.).  It's not easy, but it's worked well for me.

[bolt.]

I tend to use sugar (sometimes honey or brown sugar) but I've tapered myself to moderate quantities of it, so I don't think it's a large impact on my health or weight.

 

Occasionally I blend sugar and stevia for sweetness in drinks.

 

"Herbal" tea bags -- like 'Apple Cinnamon' or 'Peach Mango' contain dry fruit (like, powdered or something) so they sweeten the water as they steep/rehydrate. These are great chilled.

 

Taste buds are very flexible and are replaced every 3 weeks. So, if you want to "re-train" your taste buds (replace them with a new batch that is pleased with less sweetener) it takes 21 days per step down in sweetness. Continuing to drink diet soda will keep your taste buds 'expecting' that amount, so you are unlikely to find them satisfied with milder levels of sweetening in other drinks. Instead, I suggest you buy canned sparkling water (unflavored) and (while cutting down on how many drinks too) also cut down on how sweet they are by diluting them incrementally with the sparkling water. 10% at a time should be barely noticeable, and your next crop of taste buds will be just as happy. They will probably be perfectly happy right down to 50/50 or even less.

[texasmama]

I use Stevia and drink Zevia sodas (on occasion) and Steaz, which are Stevia sweetened green teas in many different flavors.

[Dandelion]

I use Stevia.  I buy this brand from my local heath food store.  Love it.  :)

[Mandylubug]

I use agave when I need something with added sugar. Or I add the real deal. We don't eat many sweets but when we do we have the good stuff, in a small portion. I do better craving wise this way.

[Erin]

Stevia glycerite

[prairiewindmomma]

Stevia.

 

I bought a soda stream so I can make my own drinks. Dh likes the Diet Pete soda syrup which uses sucralose.

[Matryoshka]

Yep, stevia.

[Pawz4me]

Splenda (sucralose).  I get a horrible aftertaste with Stevia.  It's the only low/no-cal sweetener that has ever affected me that way.

[Χά�ων]

I weaned myself from sweeteners altogether.  It sounds crazy, but my taste buds have adjusted, and now fruit satisfies my sweet tooth.  I try to choose foods without added sugar (peanut butter, spaghetti sauce, drinks, etc.).  It's not easy, but it's worked well for me.

This is what I have done with myself and DS. He cannot stand soda or anything sweet, he has no sugar cravings. I still crave but am fine with fruit.

[mommaduck]

Honey or organic raw sugar.

 

You couldn't pay me to use artificial sweeteners. The trade off isn't worth it considering the damage they can do to you. I've known people that have used them for years and they don't help you lose weight. Changing how you eat can have a stronger impact.

[trulycrabby]

The healthiest option would be to switch to water or green tea, but baby steps...

 

My neurologist told me "absolutely no aspartame." So, I initially switched to Diet Coke with Splenda. Then, after a month or so, I switched to Zevia Cola. Then, after a few months, green tea with stevia if I want a sweetener, but iced green tea is great and refreshing without any sweetener.

[Guest submarines]

I weaned myself from sweeteners altogether.  It sounds crazy, but my taste buds have adjusted, and now fruit satisfies my sweet tooth.  I try to choose foods without added sugar (peanut butter, spaghetti sauce, drinks, etc.).  It's not easy, but it's worked well for me.

  Same here. My taste buds have adjusted, and I love my new taste buds!  :thumbup1:

[Luanne]

Splenda

[mommaduck]

The healthiest option would be to switch to water or green tea, but baby steps...

 

My neurologist told me "absolutely no aspartame." So, I initially switched to Diet Coke with Splenda. Then, after a month or so, I switched to Zevia Cola. Then, after a few months, green tea with stevia if I want a sweetener, but iced green tea is great and refreshing without any sweetener.

 

There are several herbal teas that are naturally sweet. They are good for you compared to black tea ;)

[trulycrabby]

Almost forgot, my yoga instructor drinks water with an infuser of fresh mint in it, no sweetener. I have no idea what it tastes like, but it smells yummy!

[Mnemosyne]

Double post.

[Mnemosyne]

I don't use any. Occasionally honey, but usually fruit when it is needed.

[Halftime Hope]

agave and honey have the same problem as HFCS, they have fructose in them, which is really a no-no for diabetics.  I don't use Splenda b/c it can have same of the same ill effects that aspartame can have.  Dh has joint pain with Splenda (aka sucralose).

 

Stevia and xylitol are our two "go to" sweeteners.  Sometimes mixed.   Xylitol and other sugar alcohols can sometimes cause intestinal side effects, so YMMV.  Dd says xylitol gave her a headache, but i'd like to try it some time (with her permission) when she doesn't know she's getting it, and see if it is a consistent reaction.

[Parrothead]

I use stevia. I can't stand stuff pre sweetened with stevia though. It is just too sweet. Sickeningly sweet. Even when I buy the bag that says cup for cup just like sugar I find I have to use much less. When I used sugar I put 2 teaspoons of sugar per 20 ounce cup. Now using the stevia I get the same sweetness with 7/8 of a teaspoon.

[Ravin]

I completely eliminated sweeteners and most sugar from my diet, as several others have mentioned. I'm on day 26 of Whole30. The most clearly noticeable benefit has been my blood sugar levels--I've been hypoglycemic most of my life (diagnosed at age 11) and it's been rock steady. I won't keep eating like this forever, but I'm definitely changing my relationship with the sweets.

[GailV]

Splenda makes me sick. Plus it lingers in the environment, and effects ecosystems.  Yikes!

 

Lately I've been trying Xylitol.  I found out about it while researching oral health, oddly enough -- people swish it in their mouth or use it in chewing gum in order to kill bacteria.  Consuming too much, though, can give you intestinal problems.  Also, it's highly toxic to dogs.

[Chocolate Rose]

I use erythritol and stevia glycerite. There is a lot of great sweetener info on http://mariamindbodyhealth.com/

[Laura Corin]

I drink fizzy/sparkling water with a splash of pure orange juice. I can't tolerate aspartame.

 

L

[maize]

I bought a water distiller to get rid of the added chemicals. I like water with a splash of fruit juice added.

[KungFuPanda]

I use real sugar. One teaspoon is 16 calories. I don't have it in me to taste bitter chemicals or jump through hoops to avoid 16 calories, and one teaspoon is all I need in my morning tea. I have 1-2 cups of tea a day. The rest of the day I drink plain water or green tea with nothing added. Surprisingly, Baltimore city has some fine-tasting tap water. If I couldn't get good water for free, I'd get it by the jug and use the dispenser thingy. It has to be cheaper than all of that soda and drinking more plain water would be much more beneficial than fussing with sugar substitutes.

[Matryoshka]

Same here.  I've tried them all.  They all taste horribly bitter except for Splenda. 

 

See, and I'm the opposite - to me, stevia tastes great and Splenda has a horrible chemical aftertaste (as do aspartame and saccharine - just slightly different horrible aftertastes).  :ack2:  I've had to throw coffee out that I've tried to sweeten with Splenda when I've forgotten my stevia... 

 

I think tastebuds really vary a lot from person to person - ever tried that fun bio experiment with the strips of paper that for some people taste like nothing at all, but for other people are completely gag-worthy?

[gardenmom5]

I prefer to not use any kind of artificial sweetener.  especially not HFCS.

the best I ever felt was when I ingested no sugar (or sweetener) of any kind- and a graham cracker was incredibly sweet.

 

[Dahliarw]

I would try using lemon or lime slilces to flavor your water and avoid sweeteners all together.  You can also infuse water with herbs, like mint.

[Faline]

I use stevia (Kal and Nunaturals are 2 brands that have little to no aftertaste), erythritol, or xylitol.

[JFSinIL]

Splenda (sucralose).  I get a horrible aftertaste with Stevia.  It's the only low/no-cal sweetener that has ever affected me that way.

 

Me, too.  I only need it for my morning cappuccino.  My now adult son with autism drinks one Splenda=sweetened soda a day - now I am trying to wean him onto Splenda-sweetened ice cream, too.  Stevia just tastes nasty to me. Sigh.  The sweetneners ending in -itol just make me poop too much ;-)

[EKS]

I drink seltzer water now instead of diet soda.  I avoid artificial sweeteners altogether and instead just eat sugar on special occasions.

[happypamama]

I use stevia, liquid or powder.  I get it from amazon, but our local grocery stores (even the regular one, not just the health food stores) carry it as well, although it's more expensive there than from amazon.  I don't mind the licorice-y aftertaste, especially in coffee (although I prefer the powder form for making lemonade, less licorice-y aftertaste there, IMO), but DH detests anything licorice and even after giving stevia a good long trial, he still cannot stand it.  (So he uses splenda, which I don't like, but there's only so much I can make him do.)

[Spryte]

No help for you on sweeteners, but we are bubbly water people here.  If your local water tasted of chemicals, give it a try.  Different brands taste different, and different size bubbles give a different feel, so try a few different options.  Might be a good way to wean off the soda.

[nmoira]

I don't tolerate plain water very well with the chemicals our local water company puts into it.

 

Investing in a good water filtration system will probably be more cost effective than purchasing bottled beverages.

 

I like water with a squeeze of lemon or lime.