artificial sweetners

iVillage Member
Registered: 04-12-2003
artificial sweetners
23
Sun, 01-11-2004 - 11:49pm
Does anyone else have a real problem with sweetners? All of them make me sick. I thought I would get used to it but it got worse by the day. I think I have tried them all. I finally decided to to allow myself 1 or 2 cups of tea with sugar per day. I am still losing slowly but really wish I could do it like everyone else. I gave up coffee and swithched to tea because I knew I would need real sugar and milk in my coffee. Since I am not used to the tea sticking to my limit isn't difficult. I just don't want to give up all caffine.

How bad will this effect my efforts? Does anyone else have this problem with sweetners?

Please advise

Kaykatie
iVillage Member
Registered: 10-01-2003
Tue, 01-13-2004 - 5:31pm

Raw sugar


Raw sugar is produced in the initial stages of white sugar’s manufacturing process. Raw sugar is coarser than white sugar, and is brownish in color. Although true raw sugar is banned in the United States because it may contain bacteria, molds, or insect parts, manufacturers partially refine raw sugar to remove the impurities and sell the product as “demerera,” ”turbinado,” or “muscavado” sugar.


  • Cut down on sugar consumption and that includes honey, maple syrup, amazake, fructose, raw sugar, dried fruit, and fruit juice. Limit whole fresh (or frozen) fruit to 10% of your diet. Americans hog down over 160 pounds of various unnecessary sweeteners a year. Sugar is sugar is sugar. All sugar is "natural" and honey is just as harmful as white sugar. That's right, it's all just simple sugars and they're all basically the same. "Raw sugar" is the biggest hoax going.

  • Taken from:


    http://www.getyoungagain.com/yaproducts/html/articles/LowerBloodPressureWithoutDrugs.html


           

    iVillage Member
    Registered: 03-19-2003
    Tue, 01-13-2004 - 6:12pm
    Thanks Maggie & Cathy!

    Susan :)

     

    iVillage Member
    Registered: 04-16-2003
    Wed, 01-14-2004 - 10:15am
    hmmm, didn't know that. thanks for the info. will there be a period on SBD where i can enjoy a cup of tea with raw sugar or should i just stop thinking of it?

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    iVillage Member
    Registered: 10-01-2003
    Wed, 01-14-2004 - 10:23am
    Raw sugar has the same effects on your body as plain old white sugar.

           

    iVillage Member
    Registered: 01-06-2004
    Wed, 01-14-2004 - 10:32am
    Kaykatie,

    Try tea without sugar. It may take a few times, but you'll get used to it. I love all things sweet (or used to LOL) but I taught myself to drink tea without sugar many years ago and I wouldn't want it in there now. Tea tastes great all by itself, I promise. Dharjeling (which I can't spell) is my fave right now. :) Just try it for a little while. It's much easier to get used to than coffee without sugar.

    Anna

    iVillage Member
    Registered: 09-15-2003
    Wed, 01-14-2004 - 10:38am
    I'm sorry, but I disagree that sugar is sugar. Some sugars are processed more slowly in your body than others. Just like sweet potatoes are processed slower than white potatoes, fructose (which you can buy in bulk in health food stores) is processed slower than table sugar. If you must have some kind of sugar on this diet, fructose is your best bet, as it is lowest on the GI list.


    Michelle

    iVillage Member
    Registered: 08-08-2003
    Wed, 01-14-2004 - 11:00am

    I'm sorry, but I disagree that sugar is sugar. Some sugars are processed more slowly in your body than others.


    According to all of the legitimate sources we've checked for South Beach advice on this issue, all sugars are absorbed exactly the same by our systems, and do affect our insulin levels in the same way.

    Maggie  

    "Success is a journey, not a destination"

    iVillage Member
    Registered: 10-01-2003
    Wed, 01-14-2004 - 11:03am

    I agree that fructose is

           

    iVillage Member
    Registered: 09-15-2003
    Wed, 01-14-2004 - 11:23am


    I didn't say that people should use fructose on the south Beach diet. I said that if you HAD to use sugar instead of an artificial sweetener that I thought fructose was your best bet. And let me make sure that people understand that I mean PURE FRUCTOSE, from a health food store. This is simply sugar extracted from fruit. Unprocessed in any way. Just dried and therefore more concentrated. If all sugars are the same then we shouldn't be able to eat fruit either, because fructose is what sweetens fruit. I have had severe hypoglycemia since I was 8 years old and can immediately tell when I've eaten something that affects me in a negative way and regular sugar (be it white or raw) seriously affects my blood sugar, but fructose I can get away with.

    Michelle

    Avatar for drummers_chick
    iVillage Member
    Registered: 03-25-2003
    Wed, 01-14-2004 - 11:41am
    Hi, I don't get sick from artificial sweeteners but have noticed that my overall health is MUCH better when I stay away from ALL sweets, raw, real, or artificial. I also find that I am craving sweets less when I do this. Your body just knows sweet, sour, hot, etc. and can't distinguish between real sugar or articial sweetener. Some researchers claim that you still get too big of a spike in your insulin even on Splenda (not sure how accurate this is). Therefore you end up craving sweets and might be hungry faster just like if you had eaten some chocolate, and you might hit a weight loss plateau. AGain, this is not true for everybody and disputed by some.

    In addition, artificial sweeteners are really not good for you. Check out this article on Splenda http://www.mercola.com/2004/jan/10/splenda_questions.htm

    As hard as it was for me to give up ALL sweets, the benefits are pretty amazing. No cravings, better health overall, and feeling good about how I am treating my body. If you absolutely have to have something sweet in your tea you might want to check into mannitol - a natural sweetener derived from plants I believe. I haven't researched it enough to give any substantial info, I just know that some health experts recommend it over the artificial stuff. Splenda, while taken from sugar, has been modified by man so there is nothing natural about it.

    Hope this helps.

    K