As I said, I have absolutely no adverse reactions. I didn't say other people didn't, or that they should consume them if they did. If something bothers you, don't eat it.
My senitments exactly.
For example - there are a lot of people who are allergic to food ingredients such as wheat and peanuts. Should we ban wheat and peanut products?
And going a step further...as I've stated previously on other threads, maybe the people who are going after artificial sweeteners would be using their time more efficiently by attacking, say, tobacco and alcohol, which are legally sold and easily obtainable in many forms, and have been OVERWHELMINGLY proven to cause cancer and other fatal diseases. Wouldn't the world be better off without cigarettes? I have no doubt that a percentage of the human population has bad reactions to artificial sweeteners, but all they need to do is JUST NOT USE PRODUCTS WITH THE INGREDIENTS in them. Just like people who are allergic to peanuts stay away from products with peanuts in them...KWIM?
Personally - I've been using artificial sweeteners ALL my life - I've had it all, saccharin, cyclamates, NutraSweet (probably way before anyone else here...Dad started bringing it home in the mid-1970's when he was working on formulas using it) and now Splenda. Hasn't affected me nor my sisters, nor my parents nor my nephews and nieces...that doesn't mean that there aren't people out there who WON'T have adverse reactions to them, but all they need to do is read labels and stay away from the stuff. IMO of course.
Oh and I also think the lawsuit is a bunch of hooey and a waste of court time!
just a question..if we should avoid Splenda cause it has bleach in it..then what IS safe to eat?? should we all just avoid sugar all together????? cause I dont know about you..but splenda got me through my first two weeks of phase one..without it I would have probably GAINED weight instead of lost it!!!
*i am confused*
Interesting thread. I like to read all points of view and just thought I'd throw in my own opinion, that, at least for me, getting off artificial sweeteners was almost as important as getting off refined sugar and other high glycemic items. I used to do a lot of Splenda, but after breaking with the refined sugar habit, I find that Splenda DOES spike my insulin, although I've had folks tell me it's scientifically impossible. But anyhow, it does.
Angelshine, personally, I think everyone has opinions and experiences that are different on this issue and who's to say that what's right or wrong for one person is right or wrong for another? IMO, it's great to have discussions online but you should just go with what's right for you, always taking into the consideration the opinions (especially) of your physician or other medical advisor. And congrats on your weight loss!!!
Re reading the labels, there's nothing (if I recall, I haven't had a box around here for awhile) on the Splenda label that says anything remotely like this may or may not adversely affect your health.
I suppose I should clarify by stating I meant that people should read the labels on *other* products to ensure that ingredients that they personally consider undesirable - which might or might not include Splenda (sucralose) - and decide for themselves whether or not they want to buy said product.
It comes back to personal responsibility IMO.
As far as the sugar industry's lawsuit is concerned, that's strictly a matter of dollars and cents to them. I doubt if it's the alleged 'insinuation' of 'naturalness' that is bugging the powers that be in the sugar industry - it's the combination of the advertising slogan "Made like sugar so it tastes like sugar" and the overwhelming popularity of Splenda, that is getting their knickers in a twist, IMO. To the best of my recollection, no other sugar subsititute has gone on record as claiming to taste like sugar, and that's really got them T.O.'d. (Sugar actually isn't the natural product that the industry implies it to be - chemicals such as lime, polyacrylamide, and phosphoric acid are used in the refining process.)
Seems to me that the sugar industry would rather take the spotlight away from the fact that the overconsumpution of sugar and HFCS have played a huge role in the health crisis facing America and the world at large today - instead they would rather cast doubt on Splenda, and I'm sure any other sugar substitute that comes down the pike (yup, I'm sure that there are more sugar substitutes being developed as we speak).
Just my two cents. Again - it comes down to - if you don't like it, you don't have to use it.
just a question..if we should avoid Splenda cause it has bleach in it..then what IS safe to eat??
Chlorine bleach is used to purify water.
Quote:
Originally Posted by angelshine90
should we all just avoid sugar all together?????
Natural sugar provides nothing but calories.
Quote:
Originally Posted by angelshine90
cause I dont know about you..but splenda got me through my first two weeks of phase one..without it I would have probably GAINED weight instead of lost it!!!
Exactly. Everything in life is a matter of weighing risks, and all reliable information seems to indicate that eating less natural sugar, even while eating more artificial sweetener, contributes positively to health.
As Karen said <<As far as the sugar industry's lawsuit is concerned, that's strictly a matter of dollars and cents to them. I doubt if it's the alleged 'insinuation' of 'naturalness' that is bugging the powers that be in the sugar industry - it's the combination of the advertising slogan "Made like sugar so it tastes like sugar" and the overwhelming popularity of Splenda, that is getting their knickers in a twist, IMO. >>
All you have to do is see whose bull is being gored to understand what is behind various lawsuits and scare tactics re certain products such as splenda. They just select the buzz words that will most effectively scare the most people in their lawsuits, so even if they dont win, the mental residue they plant will still do harm to splenda sales. I remember dabbling in low carb afew years ago just as it was getting really popular. Then I read one study about how bad eating low carb was for one and all the horrible things it causes. Curious, I looked to see who had funded this particulare study. Guess what? It was someone in the baking industry. Surprise, surprise.
Yes, there will be people who will react negatively in some way to almost anything humans put in their mouths. I had a severe dairy allergy for years but didnt expect the rest of the world to give up all milk products because they gave me a sore throat. Nor do I expect farmers to plow under their honeydew melon fields either.
As to either automatically praising or condemning something because it is either 'natural' or 'artificial', remember that there are a whole host of things in nature that are extremely poisoness - ricinus, curare, orleandar, euphorbia, and various 'natural' venoms, come quickly to mind. Just because something is found in an unadulterated form naturally does not automatically make it safe. And concurrently one cannot automatically assume that just because something is 'artificial' it is automatically bad -- toothpaste, many medicines and life-saving drugs, some food ingredients, twinkies.
Om Shanti Om, eh? 
I like to read all points of view and just thought I'd throw in my own opinion, that, at least for me, getting off artificial sweeteners was almost as important as getting off refined sugar and other high glycemic items. I used to do a lot of Splenda, but after breaking with the refined sugar habit, I find that Splenda DOES spike my insulin, although I've had folks tell me it's scientifically impossible. But anyhow, it does.
