I have noticed that I used a lot of these... usually 4-5 a day. I use Sweet'n'Low. I know this can't be good for me, as I usually have an additional diet soda every day and I know this has a sugar substitute as well. I don't want to use real sugar. I love honey as a sweetener in tea, but it is kind of high in calories and it tends to be a trigger food for me as well.

I have heard that stevia (sp?) is good, but how much does it cost? Any other alternatives?

Hi there! I switched over to stevia about 3 mos. ago and I love it. It's very sweet (no weird after taste), completely natural, and easy to cook with. I buy it in individual packets for about $6 for 100 packets at Trader Joe's but I only need to use 1/2 packet for a 16 oz. cup of coffee. I know you will like it. The stuff in sweet n low and diet sodas are suppose to stall weight loss. I guess because its chemical and our bodies don't know what to do with chemicals. Another thing that interested me is diet soda promotes cellulite and I don't need anymore of that. LOL

I feel your pain. I love sweets, but I'm trying not to use much sugar, so I've resorted to some artificial sweeteners. However, one of my resolutions is to minimize or even eliminate the artificial sweeteners.

I am in my second day of giving up Splenda in my coffee. I had been using probably about 4-5 teaspoons daily in my coffee, but I agree that it's probably not great for me. Yesterday and today I had my coffee with a little soy creamer, and it wasn't as bad as I thought.

I may give stevia a try. I've had it but it was years ago, and I never really incorporated it as an alternative.

Yikes, I always had a suspicion that artificial sweeteners were somehow slowing or stalling my weight loss. I am so addicted to my daily soda though, I have it as a treat in the mid-afternoon with a snack.

We don't have Trader Joe's around where I live. I heard that you can buy stevia in a GNC-type store, I don't know if that's true, but the next time I go to town I will check it out. I am definitely going to switch over to stevia as soon as I get a chance!

Thanks DeeDee (we were posting at same time). I'm going to get some next time I'm at TJs!

You're so welcome! If you don't have Trader Joe's in your state any health store should carry it or try this website, www.herbspro.com. They carry all natural products and their shipping is cheap. Good luck ladies!

I use stevia too. A large dropper bottle costs about $20 but has something like 300 servings. I've had the same bottle for months - supposedly it keeps better in the fridge. I wouldn't say it tastes like sugar, but it doesn't have a weird chemically taste or anything like some of the other stuff. One brand (Sweetleaf) also has flavored stevia drops. I love the vanilla in some 0% greek yogurt.

I just bought something else I never tried before called Zsweet. There's a new type of 0 cal sweeteners on the market with something called erythritol that's apparently fruit based, according to the various companies' websites. I don't know what to think just yet. It's more expensive than Stevia, too. I'll let you know how the taste tests go!

Stevia's great.... not so good for baking, but definitely really good for using it as a coffee supplement and such.

Hey misschris,

Try doing your own research on this topic on the interent... you'll find that there are lots of different and opposite opinions about artificial sweeteners. You have to decide whether you want to use them or not, and how much.

I generally don't like to use them, but given a choice of a "regular" cola and a diet cola, I'll take the diet cola just to avoid the sugar hit. So, for me it's a matter of trade-offs. Some people react badly to the artificial stuff, but it doesn't seem to affect me one way or the other. As it is, I dilute sodas when I'm at home with plain sparkling water about half and half.

The less sugar and refined starches you eat, though, the less taste you'll have for them. I can add a teaspoon of maple syrup to some strawberries with plain yogurt and find it tastes sweet enough! And a tsp of maple syrup is 17 calories--which isn't going to make or break my program.

Jay

I've never heard of stevia, thanks for letting me know! I'll have to look for that. I don't actually use sugar substitutes b/c I don't like them..not even Splenda. So if stevia is good, I'll try that.

Zsweet and Sun Crystals are GREAT!!! They are made from erythritol, a natural sweetener that is good for diabetics and insulin resistant types as well as calorie counters.

FYI: Stevia is sold in the vitamins and supplements section. It's not approved by the FDA for sale as a sweetener.

Zsweet and that type of thing is sold alongside the regular sugar.

Oh, thanks for that info.

I was a sweetener JUNKIE. I have 4-5 pink packs in 1 small coffee. I counted once and I ended up using 22 packets of sweetener (pink, blue or yellow) in 1 day! It's horrible really. I have stopped that because of stevia. I got mine at Trader Joes (it is in powder form in a shaker) too and I'm sure you can find it at health food stores. It's definitely not as sweet, but it is sweet enough. And unlike the nutrasweet, equal and splenda it doesn't increase my need for sweets. Actually since using stevia even my cravings for carbs has decreased. That is some gooooood stuff =) I hope you like it too.

In my Kroger, it is sold in the health food section with all of their baking supplies, etc. (Sweetleaf brand, etc.) but also in the regular sugar/sweetener section as well...just a different brand. So, in some stores, it can be found with the sweeteners.


I think I pay $5-$6 for a package of 50 Sweetleaf packets.

However, I prefer the taste of SunCrystals, one of the brands that are the blend of sugar and erythritol. They are not 0 calorie...4 calories per packet.


I am with Jayell though...some people are sensitive to artificial sweeteners, and it doesn't bother others at ALL. They have never causes stalls, headaches, or anything else with me, or anyone in my family.