Cathe, do you do the "real stuff" or the artificial?

1fitgrl

1fitgrl

Cathlete
Hi Cathe,

I used to use Splenda a lot. Now I'm not so sure about it or any artificial sweetner. What is your opinion about it? Do you use Splenda at all, or just use a little real sugar for a sweetner?

Happy Holidays!

Amanda
 
Stevia

I am not Cathe but I have been using Stevia for the past several years. It is an all natural extract from a plant and the great thing about it is it does not raise your blood sugar levels. You can find it at most grocery stores now in the health food section. It comes in liquid or powder form and is VERY concentrated so you do not need much at all.
 
It's about to be approved by the FDA. If you read about it, it says that in the past someone requested the FDA not to approve it. And it was held secret who that was. So now it is believed that the requester was the artificial sweetener companies. They've been using it in Japan and other countries for years. There used to be a bitter after taste to it but that's all gone now. It comes in liquid so it's easy to carry around. There's a mouthful.

Hi Terri, nice to see you.:D
 
mpocon96 said:
They've been using it in Japan and other countries for years.
Click to expand...

And before Japan used it, natives in South America used the plant.

Some other non-white-sugar natural sweeteners:

molasses (this contains all the minerals and nutrients that are removed from the sugar can during processing. Blackstrap molasses is a good source of iron.

Rice syrup and barley malt syrup.

Agave nectar (my prefered liquid sweetener).

There are also various fruit-based sweeteners under different names. Check out your local health-food store to check them out.

Raw sugar (unprocessed sugar, containing more nutrients than the white stuff).
 
Great info thanks for sharing. I saw a program talking about fruit cake during the holidays. An interesting fact is that it came about because back in the 1700's fruit was used for sweetening foods because 'sugar' was not readily available or affordable. Just an interesting fact that probably suggests we stay away from these sweeteners in lieu of fruit, when possible.

All the best for a happy and prosperous new year.

;)
 
Stevia Approved by the FDA

Stevia, a natural plant based sweetener, was approved by the FDA on December 18th of this year. In 1991 the FDA banned Stevia and labeled it as unsafe. FDA's approval probably comes from corporate interest to use Stevia in soft drinks because of the all the complaints about aspartame. One can't always rely on FDA approval for safety. Look what has happened with some drugs that were approved. They were later pulled off the shelf for irreversible adverse reactions.
Having said all that, I have been a dedicated Stevia user for the past 4 years. There have been conflicting reports on it's safety, but most recently, the articles appear positive. Do your own research and decide for yourself.
 
lina9496 said:
There have been conflicting reports on it's safety, but most recently, the articles appear positive. Do your own research and decide for yourself.
Click to expand...
IIRC, one negative study was based on isolated steviosides (sp?).

To me, that's like the studies on soy that use soy isolate. Or studies of beta carotene supplements that show increased cancer risks rather than the decreased cancer risk that is noted when eating carotenoids in their natural state.
 
Stevia Studies

A recent review of literature showed 14 of 16 studies revealed no toxic activity for steviol (a breakdown product of stevioside). 11 out of 15 studies showed toxic activity for steviol.
 
kathryn said:
And before Japan used it, natives in South America used the plant.

Some other non-white-sugar natural sweeteners:

molasses (this contains all the minerals and nutrients that are removed from the sugar can during processing. Blackstrap molasses is a good source of iron.

Rice syrup and barley malt syrup.

Agave nectar (my prefered liquid sweetener).

There are also various fruit-based sweeteners under different names. Check out your local health-food store to check them out.

Raw sugar (unprocessed sugar, containing more nutrients than the white stuff).
Click to expand...


You are such a wealth of info Kathryn! On another point of this thread, I don't have a lot of respect for the FDA to begin with. The drug industry owns them.
 
Last edited:
mpocon96 said:
I agree with you there, DirtDiva, the FDA cannot be trusted, they definitely can be bought.
Click to expand...
ITA
Unfortunately, quite a few organizations that are supposed to protect the consumer (the FDA and the USDA and even the EPA) are more beholding to special interests than to those they are supposed to be helping.

I have more confidence in independant agencies like CSPI (the Center for Science in the Public Interest) or agencies like WHO (the World Health Organization).

(I'm wondering if this will change at all after January 11---or whatever the big day is?)
 
Hi Amanda!

About three years ago I was using Splenda too but started to get headaches and stopped. I have found Organic Raw Blue Agave Nectar to be a nice substitute.







1fitgrl said:
Hi Cathe,

I used to use Splenda a lot. Now I'm not so sure about it or any artificial sweetner. What is your opinion about it? Do you use Splenda at all, or just use a little real sugar for a sweetner?

Happy Holidays!

Amanda
Click to expand...
 
Hmm, that sounds like something to try, Cathe. I'm always open to new suggestions. I did a little research it has a low glycemic index too.

Pauline
 
Thanks, lina9496! I work for FDA and I can't tell you how many people believe because something is approved that it's safe. This just isn't the case - everything has risks. And there are some situations that are completely unforeseeable 'til the product is used more widely than clinical trials/studies. Sadly, kids were (and still are) overdosing on OTC products that contain DMX thinking nothing could happen because these are approved, OTC products. FDA approved doesn't equate to complete safety with no risks.


These statements are my own and not official statements on behalf of FDA.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Our Newsletter

Get awesome content delivered straight to your inbox.

Top