I have had problems with the use of artificial sweeteners. when I see splenda in a recipe, does anyone have an alternative that can be used since I cannot substitute sugar. Agave? I believe it's Truvia that is half and half and have not been able to use that either.

Agave works well in most recipes as a sugar substitute, as does stevia. Truvia is erythritol, which is another good, all natural sweetener. Alternatively, you could also try substituting mashed banana or unsweetened applesauce in some recipes.

Does the recipe call for a lot of sugar or a little? I'm going to differ with the pack here and say that when I eat something sweet, I'm usually going to go for real sugar. Keep in mind that I do not have a sweet tooth and rarely eat desserts, candy etc. anyway (my downfall is bread and rice and other carby-carbs) so this is not going to happen too often, but artificial sweeteners weird me out and I always notice a bitter aftertaste, no matter which one I use. I also don't trust that any of them really are safe (they said aspartame was perfectly safe when it was first introduced; now there are some schools of thought that say it is a neurotoxin). In any case, it's a personal decision you have to make for yourself, but you'll probably lose your sweet tooth if you just cut out sweets for Phase 1 and don't use any artificial sweeteners during that time.

I've used Xylitol, which is perfectly safe, zero carbs and all natural (NOT man made).. AND there's no dreaded after taste. Not to mention Doctor's recommend it for teeth!

Right now I'm using Raw Agave due to it being slightly cheaper and goes further in my coffee than did the Xylitol.

Let us know what you decide.