Splenda vs Equal vs... ???

[Thumperfive]

I have to admit that I prefer Equal to most other sugar subs just because of the taste - I get a bad aftertaste from aspertame and I just dont' feel comfortable with Splenda.

what's everyone else using?

[rattitude]

I agree that I could never bear the taste of aspartame--but the more I looked into sweetners the more I realised that I didn;t really want to use them. So I gradually reduced my use of sweetner (usually Equal) until I was happy to take my beverages without it (iced tea etc). I find that as I dropped sweetner I became more sensative to the natural sweetness of some foods. I still miss it sometimes but I feel better not taking chemical sweetners (except occassionally to aviod being rude to a host who thinks they are being helpful by having this option available for me).

[kdarrell]

For the little bit of sugar that I do use, (which isn't much) I prefer equal. Again, for the taste.

[Thumperfive]

does anyone know what Splenda is actually made of? I keep seeing the commercials saying that it's made of sugar... what?

[rattitude]

Petrol is made mainly from grass-- but that doesn;t tell you much about it really ;)

I haven;t looked into is but my response to that claim is along the lines of a skepticalthought. To paraphrase Shakepeare, methinks the commercial doth protest too much.

[EasyWriter]

When it first was introduced Splenda was advertised as a protein, if I remember correctly. This thread caused me to remember that I was thinking at that time that if you reduced your corn-syrup sweetner intake, your Sweet Tooth would eventually subside in time.
Of course everybody is different and individuals experience will vary.

[jimmys devoted]

yeara go when Equal came out, it was known as Nutrasweet. A sweetner naturally found in bannans and milk. It was bogus. While Phenalalnine was and is a component n insulin. Artificial Phenylalanine isw as created abck in 1945 as Phenylalanine mustrad. It was given to over 40 moms to prevent downs syndrom. this worked because the chemical made brain cells and cells mature and grow, over riding the Downs " dna clock". It worked. It was then realized that it was useful in controlling seizures in epileptics.
The side effect was a sweet taste.
thats why so many people who imbie diet sodas with it or foods sweeteend with it get headaches. theer was a study doen that showed peopel before and after a reaction to Equal. It was nto pretty. Some eople bashed their heads against their beds and walls to stop teh pain. CAT scans shoed marketed brain anomolies after the introduction to equal.

Splenda has always been marketed and introduced as made from sugar because it comes from sugar.
After doing patent research on it,, BY golly its comes from Sugar through and through. Howevere the concentration of the residue is concentrated just a bit.
But thats why Splenda is stable.
If you look at the first post the woman who posted contradicted herself. please check your posts for continuity.

Splenda is stable, made from sugar and sugar cane.

[yankeecandle333]

i USED SUGAR UNTILL OF COARSE i COULDN'T CONSUME IT AS MUCH AND SWITCHED T O EQUAL. i LOVED IT SO MUCH MORE THAN SWEET N LOW. THEN SPLENDA CAME ALONG AND IT BLOWS THEM ALL AWAY. MAYBE THESE TYPES OF SUBSTITUES AREN'T PERFECT, BUT IF I CAN HAVE AN ALTERNATIVE THAT SATISFIES ME THAN I AM IN. MY HUSBAND LOVES IT TOO!!!!! SO FOR ALL OF YOU THAT HAVEN'T BOTHERED TO TRY IT GO OUT AND GET A SMALL SAMPLE FROM A RESTUARANT AND TRY IT I PROMISE YOU WILL LIKE IT. YOU DON'T HAVE TO USE ALOT! LET ME KNOW HOW YOU LIKE IT????

yankeecandle333

[bra]

Please read up on the cautions of SPLENDA and on ASPARTAME.

There is another alternative that I do not see mentioned here and it is STEVIA. I have not tried it but I have read many good things about it.

I use zero sugar bought in the bags at the store, I get enough sugar in my food already.

I do use the "pink stuff" as a coffee sweetener. I consume 1-2 packs per day.

[Team Diabetes]

Hi all! Aspartame is a protein, consisting of amino acids. Some people seem to react to it, others don't. The jury is out, although most recent studies have proven it safe. I personally don't use artificial sweeteners if I can avoid them.

I have heard all kinds of crazy things about it, most are probably not true, but anything is possible. Some people are just more sensitive and react more than others to certain foods. I think the claim that it was used to treat "Down's Syndrome" is false, because that is a chromosomal disorder. The person has an extra chromosome on chromosome 23. That can't be changed from ANY kind of treatment.

Splenda is simply a glucose molecule bonded to a chlorine molecule so the body cannot recognize it as sugar. Some people have gotten their panties in a knot about the chlorine, but we have to remember that table salt is sodium and chlorine. Perfectly safe in that context.

I get sick from Splenda, and my BG raises hours later, so I assume my body can somehow break the chemical bonds, releasing the glucose, and raising my BG. I don't use it.

It also has not been around long enough to properly say it is proven safe.

I use Stevia, a herbal sweetener from the health food store, and I eat regular sugar if my BG is normal, matching my insulin dose to what I use.

[Team Diabetes]

Please read up on the cautions of SPLENDA and on ASPARTAME.

There is another alternative that I do not see mentioned here and it is STEVIA. I have not tried it but I have read many good things about it.

I use zero sugar bought in the bags at the store, I get enough sugar in my food already.

I do use the "pink stuff" as a coffee sweetener. I consume 1-2 packs per day.


The "pink stuff" is saccharin. It was proven to cause cancer in large amounts, but is still sold.

My grandfather used it for years and was told it was safe (he had Type 1 for over 55 years, dx in the 1940's). He died of bladder cancer, the form of cancer linked to saccharin. Coincidence? Possibly. But what if it wasn't?

[bra]

Yes, I know what the pink stuff is. I am admitting my own guilt in using one of the baddy products. I've done a lot of reading on the different sweeteners out there and they all seem to be crap. I started using the pink stuff in my coffee when I met my diabetic partner a few years ago. I consume 1-2 packages of it a day, nothing in comparison to what they force fed the lab rats, I'm sure.

[slc1]

Thanks, Team Diabetes for straightening things out a bit.

Splenda does indeed blow all the others mentioned out of the water, but if you use very much, it causes diarrhea (that's not MY editorial - look on the package of something that contains it (like Russell Stover sugar-free candies). It does taste good though!

Tried Xylitol (it's the stuff they put into those sugarless gums that actually help prevent tooth decay). It's not easy to find (go online, of course!) and is somewhat worse than the Splenda in regards to the diarrhea, but you'd swear you were eating sugar! Take it from a real sugar junkie!

Obviously the best solution is to cut out the sweeteners altogether - and some day I might get there. But until then, I keep looking for the sweetener that is best tasting AND best for our bodies!

Good health all!!! :)

[manojjonam10]

I use to have it a little bit of sugar content. But currently i am using some artificial sweeteners and some honey for this purpose.

[Florentin]

you don't feel comfortable with Splenda?

why is that?

it is my impression that Splenda is the ONLY sugar substitute recommended by the national health department