Sugar or Sweetner???
 

I think the answer is pretty much a personal decision you have to make for yourself. Some folks are more into whole foods than others, and avoid anything processed, which would include artificial sweeteners. Others are okay with it. If you're leery of them, you could try honey or stevia. I do know that once I weened myself off processed sugar, my taste buds woke up. It was amazing how much they could taste natural sweetness again.

~JoAnne

I'm one of those who isn't much of a fan of artificial sweeteners - even splenda is a little too processed for my taste. IMHO, I think if you're only using it in your morning coffee (and you are only using a teaspoon) the sugar is a better option (still processed but not completely altered on a molecular level). I haven't tried it myself, but I understand agave nectar is an excellent sweetener. I think you have to use teeny amounts or it will be too strong. Maybe someone who has used it can pipe in here :D

I stay away from artificial sweeteners in any form. I won't even use Fiber 1 cereal because it has AS in it. After doing some reading and research on artifical sweeteners I decided I'd stick with the real thing. For me sugar tastes good and no after taste like the AS. If you're not diabetic and only using it in your morning coffee, 1 teaspoon is 16 calories-a fairly innocent treat if you can keep it under control. But as JoAnne said after you cut out (or cut down on sugar) you really do taste the natural sweetness in foods and don't miss the sugar.

I personally believe in real food. Not only do I like sugar better, but because it's empty and not low calorie, I cut way back on my sugar intake, which I think is so good for me. I have less than 1 tsp of added sugar a day, except for occasional desserts (once a week at most), not counting 1/2 oz of dark chocolate 1-3 times a week. I can sweeten a drink or yogurt with 1/4 to 1/2 tsp because your taste buds adjust. I've just changed my palate not to expect sweets daily, and when I do have a dessert I enjoy it more, and I'm a lot more selective about it - I expect *quality* ;).

It's really up to you. Some people are fine with them, some aren't.

I personally don't care for the taste of artificial sweeteners, so I just use honey or agave for sweetener. I don't drink sweet drinks, so that really helps a lot in that department.

You could try Stevia if you want to switch from the Splenda.

Thanks!
 

I used Splenda for a long time and discovered that I was having headaches and getting nauseated daily. After some trial and error I pinned it down to the Splenda, so I switched to Stevia. No problems with it.