STYLETHREAD -- LET'S TALK SHOP!

sheisfabulous · Nine West

Is it just me, or does this Splenda make me look fat?

Hermes

I have been trying to avoid sugar, but have given up artificial sweeteners with the exception of sugarless gum.

they say that the sweet taste gears your body up for burning sugar, but then it doesn't receive the calories and the metabolism doesn't kick in - or something like that. I would think that it would burn more since it's gearing up for sugar...

Alikat · Kate Spade

Splenda makes me very bloated - I avoid it and most sweeteners. I can handle a can of diet coke, but that's about it.

It might just be water weight, try and drop the Splenda and see how you feel.

Suasoria · Chanel

You couldn't pay me to consume artificial sweeteners. No way, no how, would I intentionally put that junk in my body. It took a few decades to prove the health risks of cyclamates and saccharin, so I'm not going to be a lab rat for the newer ones like aspartame and whatever's in Splenda.

And this is quite possibly the best thread title EVER.

gingembre1 · Kate Spade

I'm extremely against aritificial sweeteners, including Splenda. It has been shown that it revs up your "sweet sensors," and kicks your sugar highs and lows into gear, so actually encourages you to eat more. There have also been studies, although there is a lot of debate on the validity, that aritifical sweeteners (including Splenda) cause Leukemia. Whether this is true or not, I just tend to think that artifical sweeteners have to be bad for you in some way. Just my two cents, but I try to avoid the stuff whenever possible.

sheisfabulous · Nine West

I don't know what came over me, I started with the Splenda when I was diagnosed with diabetes during my pregnancy. My insulin issues were pretty severe and I had to be really careful with anything sweet - fruit or other "invisible sugars". How did I allow the medical community to tell me it's not only OK to pickle myself but my unborn child? As soon as I put this diet coke down I'm going to send some hate mail to someone over this...

Suasoria · Chanel

Sheisfabulous, was it gestational diabetes, or are you a type 1 or 2?

Agave syrup is a natural sweetener with a very low glycemic index, so it is tolerable to many diabetics. Could be worth looking into.

I wouldn't be so quick to jump on the medical community. Most doctors are horrifically underinformed about nutrition and diet. They know about disease but not about wellness. They know lots about drugs, but very little about food. It's ironic, given Hippocrates' advice to "let food be your medicine."

I would not take dietary advice from a doctor, myself, but I've talked to some who are very aware of the limits of their education when it comes to food, which is why they speak in very general terms like "there are some good books out there on nutrition" or "you could lose five pounds" (without telling you how).

(Once upon a time I was a fiend for diet Coke. Then a woman I knew who drank a six-pack of DC a day had about 20 feet of her intestines surgically removed, and she begged me to stop. I did.)

Hermes

what about stevia? I've heard about it, but haven't sought it out. I believe it's not fda approved (however, the could be a conspiracy *gasp* to support the sugar industry.)

for those that don't know what stevia is, it's a non-caloric, natural sweetener.

greendiamond · Marc Jacobs

I just saw a new sweetener that was Stevia based, but somehow different. It is supposed to eliminate the aftertaste some report with Stevia.

As for artificial sweeteners, I agree that they do all kinds of horrible things to you, and I am sure in 20 years we'll all be swearing off Splenda like people have swarn off aspertame.

Because artificial sweeteners are sweeter than sugar, a lot of studies find that they make you crave more sweets. So, if Splenda isn't doing it to you, it could be making you crave other sweet things.

Personally, I feel raw sugar is the way to go, or stevia. I haven't tried the Agave syrup, but have been wanting to try that too.

BellinaJessica · Kenneth Cole

Agave syrup is great. I used to put it in my coffee and I loved the taste. I use raw honey now.

calico · Kenneth Cole

Suasoria wrote:

You couldn't pay me to consume artificial sweeteners. No way, no how, would I intentionally put that junk in my body. It took a few decades to prove the health risks of cyclamates and saccharin, so I'm not going to be a lab rat for the newer ones like aspartame and whatever's in Splenda.

And this is quite possibly the best thread title EVER.

I completely agree. I try to avoid chemicals in my food at all costs-- even if they are supposed to be safe. Plus, I really hate the taste of aspartame.