There is only one sweetener worth using!

(Dirty Lazy Keto'er, Sucralose freak ;)) #1

The thread on Erythritol (what kind of name is that anyway ? Sounds like a medication) has got me going now. I should have just posted this to begin with.

Anyway, over and over, I see all kinds of natural sweeteners pushed. (Stevia yuck!) But the problem is, none of them taste like sugar, and some still have carbs.
Then their are the really nasty artificial sweeteners like Saccharine, and Aspartame, which not only taste horrible, but have been shown to cause cancer.

Which leaves us with the only good choice for a carb free sweetener… Sucralose ! (Splenda) Which molecularly speaking, is very close to sugar. In fact, its made from real sugar. It tastes great… as sugar does, and after more than 20 years of studies, has never been shown to cause cancer.

I just don’t get why people keep over looking sucralose ?

When researching sucralose, I read one study that said eating the equivalent of 3300 packets of Splenda a day, could cause liver damage… So I figure as long as I stay below 3000 packets a day, I should be fine :slight_smile:

(Randy) #2

I’m removing as much sweeteners as I can.

(John) #3

Fixed

(Dirty Lazy Keto'er, Sucralose freak ;)) #4

Really ? There is a “place”… I’d think that would be like, “Some sweetener is laying over there”… No ?

I have to be honest, the "their / there thing used to really throw me off, but I thought I finally had it figured out…

(Dirty Lazy Keto'er, Sucralose freak ;)) #5

Me too. I’m replacing it with Splenda :slight_smile: lol

(John) #6

If we are having a grammar discussion, “their” means “belonging to them.” Those are their books. Each person is entitled to their opinion.

There are people who enjoy their sweeteners, whether or not they’re on a ketogenic diet. :slight_smile:
So there.

On the actual topic - I choose not to use any sweeteners, just to avoid triggering “mouth hunger” for sweet-tasting things which might make it harder to resist other things.

The last time I successfully lost a pretty good bit of weight, about 10 years ago, my downfall was to allow myself a “few” pieces of Halloween candy, which kind of kept slowly allowing sugar to creep back in over the holiday months ahead.

So I choose to give up the pleasure of sweet tasting foods, in exchange for improved health. Others may not need to do this, and can use non-caloric sweeteners with no repercussions. I just do what works for me.

(Dirty Lazy Keto'er, Sucralose freak ;)) #7

Wow, okay :slight_smile: English was never my strong point :slight_smile:

(PSackmann) #8

From what I’ve read, the “cancer causing” studies on saccharin were later debunked, similar reasoning as to quantity used. Saccharine has also been on the market a lot longer than any others, with no major side-effects. Downside to saccharine is you can’t bake with it, heating turns it very bitter. Sucralose and Aspartame have both been linked to various systemic issues, joint pain, fatigue, headaches, etc.
My N=1 is that both of them gave me severe issues. I finally stopped using saccharine recently, and noticed a difference in how I feel, confirming the affect on insulin issues that was reported for both saccharine and stevia. I’m opting to stay away from AS as much as possible, no matter the type or brand.

(Dirty Lazy Keto'er, Sucralose freak ;)) #9

Interesting. But I just hate the taste of saccharine. For myself, I can stick to pretty much any diet as long as I enjoy it, and having the sweet cravings I do, I won’t enjoy it without some sucralose, so for me, that issue is settled :slight_smile:

(Carl Keller) #10

I try avoid mimicking behavior that got me in trouble in the first place. Substituting alcohol for something that tastes like alcohol doesn’t help an alcoholic put his addiction behind him for good.

Plus there’s this:

the artificial sweetener saccharin could alter gut microbiota and induce glucose intolerance, raising questions about the contribution of artificial sweeteners to the global epidemic of obesity and diabetes.

It also gave reference to another study:

A previous study found that consumption of Splenda, a nonnutritive sweetener containing 1% sucralose, impaired the growth of gut bacteria in rats [18].

Aspartame and sucralose are sold under the brand name Splenda.

But I will also emphasize that they are comparing rodents to humans, for what it’s worth.

(PSackmann) #11

Yeah, I don’t like the taste of stevia. For me, I have found it’s much better to cut the sweet cravings off rather than feed them with AS. Did you know that apple cider vinegar has a sweet undertaste? I didn’t know that until I gave up my AS in coffee each morning. Understand, I have been drinking coffee with saccharin for years (decades), so this is a major shift for me. I agree with Carl, for me it’s easier to just eschew the sweet taste rather than substitute with something else.
One other point, for me this isn’t a diet. This is a normal way of eating, with occasional forays if I really feel I must. Getting out of the diet mentality has been very helpful for me, as it allows me to choose each day what I will eat, based upon my own health and results rather than some arbitrary rules. That helps me say no to sweets unless they’re really worth it, like my stepson’s wedding this weekend. I won’t have “blown” a diet, so no reason to chuck the rest. Again, just my own N=1, we each have to find our own.

#12

I used Splenda early on when I was on Atkins. Started drinking a flavored water sweetened with Splenda, and in a week’s time, completely lost my voice. Some of the artificial sweeteners can trigger acid reflux, and create problems for vocal cords. I wondered if, in the case of Splenda, because some the groups of atoms (hydrogen-oxygen) are traded for chlorine ones, (and chlorine irritated me as swimmer), if I might have become super-sensitive to it. I quit the stuff for 10 days, and my voice came back. Love how Splenda works so well in terms of flavor and its stability in baking, but, can’t handle the reaction.

I’ve turned to Xylitol. I know, I know…the cooling effect, etc. But the fact is, I just don’t use very much anyhow, and I don’t mind it at all.

I’m trying hard to lose the taste for sweets, so I hope to not have to use any sweeteners someday.

(Michael - When reality fails to meet expectations, the problem is not reality.) #13

@FishChris Someday you will reread this topic and get a really good laugh out of it. You may not believe it now but eventually you will. Trust me. :crazy_face:

(Dirty Lazy Keto'er, Sucralose freak ;)) #14

Wow, ok. Never heard of anybody having problems like that from Splenda. Thank God I don’t, as eat a ton of the stuff. I’ve loved sweets and salt my entire life. And it’s just not a concern.

But come on Xylitol ? Who names this stuff ? Sounds like a medication. Apparently they know nothing about marketing :slightly_smiling_face: They could change the name, and probably sell 5 X’s as much of stuff.

(Empress of the Unexpected) #15

I’ve never (consciously) used a sweetener, but am shocked by how they get snuck into foods. (sausage, bacon, even seaweed.). Why would one want to sweeten seaweed? Oh yeah, and no more store bought rotesserie chicken.

(Annette ) #16

What I’ve heard is that Splenda can cause a rise in insulin regardless of not having calories. George Stella used it exclusively when he was losing all his weight and it didn’t apparently affect him.

(Annette ) #17

What’s in rotisserie chicken?. I love it.

(Dirty Lazy Keto'er, Sucralose freak ;)) #18

Yep. I lost 120lbs (5months) and put on 45 lbs of lean muscle (5years), eating a bunch of Splenda every day. If I ever have had problems from it, I wouldn’t know what those problems were.
Still use 5 packets in my double sized, double strength mug of coffee every morning :slightly_smiling_face:

#19

Apparently, the name is derived from the ancient Greek language. Basically, the stuff is derived from wood (birch)- hence the xy, and the itol indicates that it’s in the sugar alcohol family. The name doesn’t bother me.

I married into a Finnish family, and this is what I’ve learned over the years: It has been used medicinally for decades to deal with ear infections in kids (which is how I learned about it). In Finland, gum is sweetened with xylitol, and the incidence of ear infections (otitis media) is incredibly low. Xylitol is effective in debilitating the bacteria that causes ear infections and dental plaque. Finland’s national tree is the golden birch, from which much of their Xylitol is derived.

Every sweetener has its place. Whatever we choose to use (or not use), should fit with our own personal lifestyle. In my own life, I am trying to overcome a sugar addiction. So, primarily, my goal is concerning sugar and sweets, is eating to meet my long term goals rather as opposed to short term satisfaction. Xylitol serves my purposes, and isn’t at all addicting.

(Carl Keller) #20

Well said. The term diet implies a temporary way of eating and for that you can expect temporary results. I started LCHF with that mentality but the thought of giving up complete control of what I eat and feeling physically and mentally healthy makes it a no-brainer to not look back.