Splenda makes me sick almost immediately - bloating, headache, nauseated, not pretty all around. Other artificial sweeteners don't have the same effect. Now, Splenda never impacted my weight loss or caused a stall, just made me feel terrible. I switched back to Raw Sugar and have found that now I can use less than I used to for the same effect. Sometimes I use Stevia.

DH eats Splenda all the time - doesn't make him sick, hasn't stalled his weight loss, no ill effects at all.

It can't be that bad when it's allowed to be manufactured and all that, now can it? I don't think it would hurt to remove it from your diet for a bit though. I just happen to really dislike the taste of sweeteners, I'd rather just use a little bit of sugar (or none at all, which is not a problem either). And I know I don't react very well to soft drinks with artificial sweeteners... I always keep drinking and drinking them untill uncomfortably full and feel really bloated and sick afterwards. I don't think they even sell a sweetener with the same molecules as Splenda around here.

Yup, I"m going to have to chime in on this one. Any aspartame/splenda product gives me the WORST gas. I mean, it's horrible. Once I cut it out I realized what it was, and have never ever had it since.

But also, I have just discovered a food sensitivity to dairy (mainly cow's milk). Now that I have cut that out, my stomach is WAY less bloated and my migraines have gone away, it's great!

~ CGH~

Ahem...
 

*Puts on her DR. Oz fan tee* :soap:

Dr Oz says all of the no-calorie sugar substitutes can actually *cause* weight gain because they have 0 nutritional value, however they still cause your blood sugar to spike when you consume it. It essentially messes up the way your body produces and uses insulin. Artificial sugar substitutes are also known to cause cancer.

I'm done now. Thank you for your time. :p

Me too me too. Figured it out after a night of Splenda-sweetened sorbet and Splenda-sweetened diet lemonade. Diet lemonade? I knew I was trying too hard to be good. Anyways, Splenda beat up my digestive system--BAD. I thought I was going to die!

OMGoodness thanks for posting this! ive been trying to find something to blame my stomach pains on!

It gives me INTENSE 3 day migraines! It is the chemical aspartame in it...go do some research, there has been a ton of studies about how it has negative health effects on some people

Splenda may cause issues for people, but is different from aspartame and doesn't contain it.

I know this because aspartame makes me CRAZY sick, and Splenda does not.

One comment - Splenda is sucralose, not aspartame (which ALSO has potential for serious side effects).

I know my artificial sweeteners way too well! It was a lot easier when splenda was new and everything that had it had the big "SPLENDA!!!" label across the front (easier to avoid). But now it's a matter of a lot of label-reading.

The usual artificial sweeteners in the US:

sucralose = Splenda

aspartame = Nutrasweet or Equal

saccharin = Sweet N Low

Acesulfame potassium, aka Ace-K (not a brand name, just a frequent abbreviation)

Other sugar substitutes are things like sugar alcohols (maltitol, xylitol, etc) in sugar-free gums and candies, etc.

Various concerns surround all of these, but they've all been deemed officially "safe" under normal usage. My personal experience is that aspartame (in a lot of diet soda) triggers migraines, and sucralose causes the aforementioned GI distress. I still have the occasional Coke Zero, which uses part aspartame and part ace-k, but I still have to watch the amount.

Just wanted to clear the air about the different sweeteners - they all have their own issues, but splenda tends to be mostly GI and aspartame is more associated with migraines and neuro symptoms (though there are a lot of others).

oh sorry guys! I thought splenda had aspartame, I guess only the other ones do. That's good to know

Oh boy, and margarine (transfats) used to be health food for a long time :o

wow, already after 1 1/2 days of no sucralose, i feel so much better. already!!! what a relief

I'm so glad you feel better. These things are so interesting.

I hadn't really had a true vision either way, but in my opinion, it's always been "natural is best." I've always tried to avoid the artificial stuff- sweeteners, margarine, etc. Chemicals CANNOT be good for you! I'd rather eat the good stuff in moderation then depend on the bad fake stuff..now after reading this thread, it had really opened my eyes! I hate that fake-sweet taste anyways, and I certainly don't need to introduce any other roadblocks!

See, I love Splenda, it is awesome for me. I can drink "sweet" tea and eat sugar-free chocolates without worrying about causing a massive breakdown with me pigging out. I don't know if it's because the slightly chemical aftertaste helps to quell my cravings or what. I have never had any GI issues with Splenda, and we use it all the time. Now, anything with aspartame is off limits for me. Awful awful migraines and the taste is horrible. To each his own though! I just don't trust myself to have actual sugar and chocolate in the house!