Giving up artificial sweeteners...
 

I am on a mission to not use artificial sweeteners. I've always felt kind of weird about using it, but to me it was the lesser evil of using any "real" sweetener because of the calories. Now, things have changed...I think the artificial stuff has been making me feel the way I feel lately...just kind of generally tired and yucky and always craving sweets. I'm never satisfied with sweets now, real or not. I just can't get enough and I wasn't always like this. I'm going to sweeten with honey or agave nectar now and learn to appreciate the natural tastes of things. I think in the long run it will help me and I'll feel healthier. I have the drive now and I want to make the most of it! Wish me luck 'cuz here I go! :carrot:

Good for you! I've stopped drinking my Crystal Light Tea, the last 2 weeks. I was drinking way too much of it. Not sure if I feel any different though???
I still use 2 Splendas in my coffee.

Good luck!

Thanks, DDC. It just kind of dawned on me how much I've been using and it surely could not have been good for me. I'd have 2 cups of coffee in the morning, each with 5 packs of nutrasweet. Then oatmeal or cereal with another 3 packs. I'd also drink a whole pitcher (64 oz) of crystal light throughout the day along with a couple of diet sodas. Not to mention other stuff I'd eat like sugar free jello, sugar free ice cream... all junk junk JUNK! Today was a tough one. I don't think because of the lack of sweeteners in my life, but because of the lack of caffeine laiden drinks. I have a horrible headache, but I'm hoping it will get better in the next couple of days...

I am also going all natural - I am also trying to stay away from natural sugar as well - except in fruits...my parents were both diabetic so I want to watch my sugars since i am young...I have gotten used to tea or coffee without sugar - I have gotten to LOVE plain water - I can't even stand the taste of the diet soda I used to love and drink everyday...The other day by BF got flavored water -- It was awful I couldn't drink it - is was just too sweet! I think after you cut out the fake stuff you will start to feel much better -- Good luck! Thanks for sharing!

hey good for you! I would love to give up sweeteners altogether. I've given up diet coke, and I can honestly say the thought of it now grosses me out. My mum did the thing with the penny: if you put a dirty penny in diet coke it strips the grime away and comes out shiny. Just imagine that process at work on your oesophagus, and you'll be off coke for life!

Hello,
I gave up Splenda (& every other fake artificial sweetener) 5 months ago already and I'm so glad! I just quit them cold turkey, and now I read labels on EVERYTHING to avoid them like the plaque! After 1 week off of the artificial sweeteners my mysterious stomach aches have magically disappeared! Yup, I was probably od-ing on the stuff, because artificial sweeteners were in nearly everything I used to eat.. Fiber 1 cereal, lowfat yogurt, granola bars, etc., I even used to bake with it, put it in my tea daily too and in my oatmeal. Surprisingly it has been pretty easy to quit it cold turkey, and I have had no withdrawls whatsoever. Did you know there is even artificial sweeteners in toothpaste, cold medicines, and now all of the older chewing gums are even switching over to the artificial sweeteners! If I need to sweeten something now I use agave or regular brown sugar instead.

Hey one of my friends JUST informed about artificial sweetners. I had no idea that they were actually worse for you than regular SUGAR! I've totally given them also and am not allowing them in the house!

I too gave up artificail sweetners. There have been studies showing they make you crave sweets. They think it is because you get the sweet taste, but not the associated calories. Making you eat more later. I used to kid myself into thinking I was getting enough water because I dumped crystal light into every drop I drank. Now it is just plain water 60 to 80 ounces a day. I think food tastes better. I actually think skim milk tastes sweet. I do use regular sugar (brown) in moderation and it is measured and accounted for in my daily calorie count. IMHO I think artificial sweeteners were sabotaging (at least in part) previous weight loss attempts!!

I gave up diet sodas a little while ago...not even sure when since it wasn't a totally conscious decision....but I do feel better!! Healthier, too!

The ONLY time I use sweetener is in coffee, and I only have one cup per day. And I DO find I'm craving sweets less! It's great :)!!

Best of luck...it was a little rough saying no to diet coke for a few days....

I never used artificial sweeteners, I always thought that they can't be good for you and possibly are worse than actual sugar. I used to sweeten my coffee (long time ago) but I stopped doing that and now I put only milk into my coffee (I buy 1% milk). Tea - I drink only herbal teas, again, with no sugar or anything. The only exception that I make sometimes is the Sleepy Time tea (from Celestial Seasonings), sometimes I add honey and lime juice.
I am originally from Europe and I find most of everything over-sweetened (in North America). Whenever I bake (from American or Canadian recipes) I usually cut the sugar by some 40% and it is still sweet enough. I do this even when trying the recipe for the first time, I simply know that by default it calls for too much sugar.

On the odd occasion when I have pop I would drink regular coke (but those are really rare occasions). Sometimes, in summer, I buy cranberry flavoured pop (regular) but I drink mixed with water (typically, 1 part pop, 2 parts water). There is still plenty of flavour and sugar even in the 1 part. I simply hate the taste of artificial sweeteners in anything.

Okay, so I went through all my pantry and kitchen and I found LOADS like 2 big shopping bags full of sugar free items. Many are new in box... What should I do with these? Seems like a waste to throw them out and I'm not sure donation centers want low calorie/no calorie items?!? I hate wasting stuff.

You could still donate them because there are plenty of diabetics out there :) Rarely do we ever see diabetic/sugar free items come in our donation center, but I am sure there are people out there who could use it.

That is an AWESOME reason, Daizylin. Now I won't feel dumb bringing these in. I had other things I wanted to donate too, so YAY for no waste!

Glad I could help :)

artificial sweeteners do use sugar. but not the natural sugar. they use snythesized sugar which is actually carcinogenic (cncer causing agent). Consuming such sugar is worse than consuming the natural sugar. Keep to natural sugar because its easier for your body to burn them too.

I stopped using them 2 years ago when I got pregnant. A few weeks ago I picked up some Coke Zero. OMG, I got the worst migraines everytime I drank some!! No more for me either. I've just cut my sugar intake wayy down. I saw on TV that you should slowly decrease the amount of sugar in your foods and you won't even miss it.

I have never had a problem with sucralose, but aspartame makes me feel so ill. It's awful. I have tried to cut down on all my sugar intake in general.

I'm glad to see so many of you giving up the artificial sweeteners! I tried aspartame in college right after it came out, but then had a professor who had worked on the 'Nutrasweet project' and tried to stop it from being approved. Seems that it has a very short shelf life, especially when heated (think about putting it in your coffee) and follows the same breakdown pathway in the body that wood alcohol does (which we all remember is poison), finally turning into formaldehyde. Yuck! As far as the new sucralose, chemically speaking, after they are done substituting new atoms on the sugar molecule it starts as, it more resembles a pesticide than sugar. We don't use any artificial sweeteners anymore-too many health risks, including carb cravings, headaches, stomach upset, and who knows what long-term use will do. I have heard of a recent study that states autopsies on long-term users of aspartame have elevated levels of formaldehyde in their brains at death, though no deaths have actually been attributed to the stuff.

Keep up the good work, everyone!:D

very interesting post Ronni. That is both scary and disgusting! I am so glad someone told me WHY artificial sweetners are bad. I've got alot of years to undo!!!

Yikes, thanks for all the scientific backing! It gives me more incentive to keep doing what I'm doing. I'm definitely noticing a difference in my cravings...I don't crave sweets as much now but when I do eat sweets I actually feel satisfied after just one or two.

I drink a ton of stuff with artificial sweeteners in it. I've always been someone who is always thirsty, I am like constantly drinking something and do drink a good amount of water, but sometimes I just don't want just water, so I reach for the soda, iced tea, juice. Because I drink so much a few years ago I made the switch to diet drinks (I drink a ton of diet coke, diet iced tea, crystal light), and haven't noticed any side effects as far as cravings, illnesses, but I do worry about all the alleged future side effects.

Hey! Just thought I'd put in my 2 cents.;)

I started using artificial sweetners about 11 years ago just after my first child was born and I was trying to lose the baby weight. I started using Nutrasweet. I lost the weight and that was good. Then, after baby number 2 I tried once again to lose the weight but started using Splenda. I loved the stuff. I really mean LOVED the stuff. I lost the weight again. Several years after that I used sweetners off and on to control the weight. But, soon I noticed that my knees started hurting really bad. Walking up the steps hurt. I really thought I was going to have to see a doctor when for some reason I stopped using the sweetners and noticed that the pain went away. That was the only thing that I could think of that was different in my diet. After about 6 months I wanted to lose a few pounds again and decided to give Splenda another try. Maybe, it was just a coincidence? So, once again I started using it in my tea, cereal, coffee, etc. Two weeks later the pain was back again. It took at least two more weeks after stopping using Splenda for the pain to go away again!

Now, I stay away from all the stuff. I just use sugar in my coffee in the morning and that's my one indulgence for the day. And guess what? I can still lose the weight. Granted it's a little slower now but some of it could be b/c I'm a little older.:D

My knees feel great. No more pain. It's been a least two years since the last time I've used Splenda.

Wow and I thought Splenda was safe ... I've stopped with the aspartame a few years ago when I noticed that mega doses of it would give me headaches. But Splenda I've been using regularly, some days even up to 10 packets (~10grams). I've had trouble concentrating for a while, now this makes me think maybe the splenda could be to blame. I'm going to try to cut it out for a few weeks and see.

Yes aspartame digestion produces minute quantities of methanol and formaldeyde - so do bananas and many foods. This is like saying that plants produce poisonous gas (carbon dioxide). It's technically true, but very misleading.

I was talking to a medical student who said that the truth is we don't know what artificial sweeteners do in the long term. In effect, using them is a gamble. I don't like gambles with something like cancer. However, the main reason I want to quit them altogether though (currently cutting down) is I think they condition your tastebuds into wanting things artificially sweet, hence you use more, and get into a vicious circle. This medical is all for 'retraining' your tastebuds to appreciate the taste of say, tea, rather than just the sweetness (I mean tea the drink not the meal). I think this would be best. But sweetened coffee is my crutch right now (during final exam period). When I get my degree (touch wood :^:) I'm going to try and stop them altogether.