Stevia or Splenda

[MsDesi]

I opt for the most sugar-free diet I can find- besides apples and such. I usually add Splenda to things and liked that it's cal free... Soooo I've research Splenda and haven't found any real evidence that it's harmful (people are already leery of artificial sweetners) just that it's a derivative of sugar. Any study has been controversial...

Now Stevia is an herb? I don't know all THAT much about it. Except:
"For this reason, we recommend the herb stevia (Stevia rebaudiana) over sorbitol as a natural sweetener to our patients. Known in South America as the “sweet herb,” stevia has been used for over 400 years without ill effect. Stevia has been enormously popular in Japan, where it has been in use for more than 20 years, now rivaling Equal and Sweet’N Low. It’s 200–300 times sweeter than sugar, so just a small portion of stevia will sweeten even a strong cup of tea." from the Womentowomen website in addressing Splenda.

I'm thinking Stevia is the better option but I'd love to hear different opinions. And while yes I know, sugar is good so long as in a balanced diet, I refuse to put pure sugar in my coffee and on cereal...

[kaundra]

HI,I will use stevia before splenda only because of what I've read. I know they say the splenda is ok but it's so processed being that it is a chemical substance and not a sugar and that is why I don't see how it can be good. I guess anything in moderation would be ok. I've taken alot of things out of my diet..high frutose syrup, partially hydrogenated oil, sucralose, and others. If I can't make it I usually 80% of the time won't eat it..the other 20 I have fun. I tend to be anal about that stuff but also believe you have to enjoy life. Now watch a few years from now they will tell us stevia is bad..ha ha. If I want some sugar I'm gonna eat it..I don't want to be 80 years old and look back to see how hard I was on myself.

[nunu713]

Pick a copy of the book "Skinny Bitch" to read up on all the joys of Splenda. The authors did some pretty decent research...

[kaundra]

Pick a copy of the book "Skinny Bitch" to read up on all the joys of Splenda. The authors did some pretty decent research...

From what little I've read about this book, it pushes soy, so if you have Thyroid problems I would stay away. Soy is really bad for the thyroid I found this out the hard way. Still sounds like a fun book to read.

[ObscureDreamer]

I
I'm thinking Stevia is the better option but I'd love to hear different opinions. And while yes I know, sugar is good so long as in a balanced diet, I refuse to put pure sugar in my coffee and on cereal...

Yeah I agree with you on the white sugar - I saw how they make sugar on the show "How It's Made" and YUCK!

Stevia is great - but it's an acquired taste. ALSO - if you're not use to it and you use to much you might be in the bathroom alot (it can work like a laxitive). ALSO - if you have low blood pressure be careful with how much you consume - it can lower your blood pressure too. (an older woman I work with has been using it for years and she has low blood pressure and if she consumes to much stevia she knows because she gets light headed).

[irish0418]

Pick a copy of the book "Skinny Bitch" to read up on all the joys of Splenda. The authors did some pretty decent research...

what do they say about splenda?

[Amanda76]

I opt for the most sugar-free diet I can find- besides apples and such. I usually add Splenda to things and liked that it's cal free... Soooo I've research Splenda and haven't found any real evidence that it's harmful (people are already leery of artificial sweetners) just that it's a derivative of sugar. Any study has been controversial...

Now Stevia is an herb? I don't know all THAT much about it. Except:
"For this reason, we recommend the herb stevia (Stevia rebaudiana) over sorbitol as a natural sweetener to our patients. Known in South America as the “sweet herb,” stevia has been used for over 400 years without ill effect. Stevia has been enormously popular in Japan, where it has been in use for more than 20 years, now rivaling Equal and Sweet’N Low. It’s 200–300 times sweeter than sugar, so just a small portion of stevia will sweeten even a strong cup of tea." from the Womentowomen website in addressing Splenda.

I'm thinking Stevia is the better option but I'd love to hear different opinions. And while yes I know, sugar is good so long as in a balanced diet, I refuse to put pure sugar in my coffee and on cereal...

Splenda has 4 calories per packet. FDA regs say that if you can make a "serving size" less than 5 cals you can say it has 0 on the label. A cup of splenda has 96 calories. Way better than sugar, but not calorie free. Just something to be aware of.

All these no calorie sweeteners make me feel ill, including stevia...so I stay away from them. I can have a little bit here and there (in a few supplements, for example) but it's not unusual for me to have a treat, wonder why I just started feeling so barfy and realize the reason it tasted so good is because it was sweetened with splenda/sucralose (haven't come across stevia being snuck in yet, but ONE packet in oatmeal will ruin my morning). I figure with such adverse reaction, there's gotta be something wrong with the stuff. At least for me.

If I want to sweeten up something like oats, I squish banana or fruit and add cinnamon into it to get some added nutrition in with my sweetness. I normally drink black coffee and unsweetened tea, but if I want to sweeten it I'll use honey. Because it's rare for me to sweeten those drinks, it really doesn't matter how many calories are in it and it does have health benefits...so bonus. :)

[Amanda76]

Yeah I agree with you on the white sugar - I saw how they make sugar on the show "How It's Made" and YUCK!

Stevia is great - but it's an acquired taste. ALSO - if you're not use to it and you use to much you might be in the bathroom alot (it can work like a laxitive). ALSO - if you have low blood pressure be careful with how much you consume - it can lower your blood pressure too. (an older woman I work with has been using it for years and she has low blood pressure and if she consumes to much stevia she knows because she gets light headed).

Holy crap! My blood pressure is within normal range, but at the lower end. You may have answered the mystery of why stevia makes me feel bad! I get barfy and dizzy with just a small amount...

[PattyU]

it can lower your blood pressure too. (an older woman I work with has been using it for years and she has low blood pressure and if she consumes to much stevia she knows because she gets light headed).

Really? I didn't know that. Thanks. I have low blood pressure. I hate the taste of Stevia anyways.

[MsDesi]

Splenda has 4 calories per packet. FDA regs say that if you can make a "serving size" less than 5 cals you can say it has 0 on the label. A cup of splenda has 96 calories. Way better than sugar, but not calorie free. Just something to be aware of.

All these no calorie sweeteners make me feel ill, including stevia...so I stay away from them. I can have a little bit here and there (in a few supplements, for example) but it's not unusual for me to have a treat, wonder why I just started feeling so barfy and realize the reason it tasted so good is because it was sweetened with splenda/sucralose (haven't come across stevia being snuck in yet, but ONE packet in oatmeal will ruin my morning). I figure with such adverse reaction, there's gotta be something wrong with the stuff. At least for me.

If I want to sweeten up something like oats, I squish banana or fruit and add cinnamon into it to get some added nutrition in with my sweetness. I normally drink black coffee and unsweetened tea, but if I want to sweeten it I'll use honey. Because it's rare for me to sweeten those drinks, it really doesn't matter how many calories are in it and it does have health benefits...so bonus. :)

I had no idea about splenda having calories! Thanks for that. Like you say, better than sugar tho. LOL I HATE bananas- since I was a baby! Can't really add that to coffee tho- which helps me use the bathroom (sorry for TMI). I guess I can give honey a try. I've heard of sugar free honey, have yet to see it. Then it makes me wonder if they used an artificial sweetner?

[Rowyn]

I don't like the taste of Stevia in my coffee, I use Splenda for that. But I LOVE the Stevia flavored liquids for oatmeal, smoothies and shakes, tea...there is vanilla creme and lemon honey for tea. It can give one digestive upset if you eat too much though. I am a big coffee drinker, and I can't drink that much Stevia in a day or my stomach will hurt. Stevia can taste a little bit like Sweet N Low, INCREDIBLY sweet if you aren't careful.

[Amanda76]

I had no idea about splenda having calories! Thanks for that. Like you say, better than sugar tho. LOL I HATE bananas- since I was a baby! Can't really add that to coffee tho- which helps me use the bathroom (sorry for TMI). I guess I can give honey a try. I've heard of sugar free honey, have yet to see it. Then it makes me wonder if they used an artificial sweetner?


Instead of bananas you could use apples (or applesauce), berries, mangos...really any other kind of fruit to flavor your oats. The cinnamon really does wonders for making you think you're getting something sweet. I grew up eating dipping pretty much all chicken in BBQ sauce or honey and cinnamon really helped me break that "need" for thinking it should be eaten with a sweet sauce.

REAL honey doesn't have "added" sugar. The naturally occuring sugars in it are primarily fructose, just like fruit. If you're finding sugar free honey it's probably some kinda "frankenfood" product that won't have the benefits of consuming real honey.

[LPBahamas]

I opt for the most sugar-free diet I can find- besides apples and such. I usually add Splenda to things and liked that it's cal free... Soooo I've research Splenda and haven't found any real evidence that it's harmful (people are already leery of artificial sweetners) just that it's a derivative of sugar. Any study has been controversial...

Now Stevia is an herb? I don't know all THAT much about it. Except:
"For this reason, we recommend the herb stevia (Stevia rebaudiana) over sorbitol as a natural sweetener to our patients. Known in South America as the “sweet herb,” stevia has been used for over 400 years without ill effect. Stevia has been enormously popular in Japan, where it has been in use for more than 20 years, now rivaling Equal and Sweet’N Low. It’s 200–300 times sweeter than sugar, so just a small portion of stevia will sweeten even a strong cup of tea." from the Womentowomen website in addressing Splenda.

I'm thinking Stevia is the better option but I'd love to hear different opinions. And while yes I know, sugar is good so long as in a balanced diet, I refuse to put pure sugar in my coffee and on cereal...

STEVIA doesn't make me chase sugar all day... I find that SPLENDA gives me the sweet taste but without the sugar my body craves it becasue I am tricking it with the fake stuff... STEVIA doesn't do that for some reason - maybe becasue it is natural..... and it could just be me but that is my experience. I too try to stay away from using artificial sweetners but use STEVIA over SPLENDA when I can. STEVIA is very strong so be careful when you use it... overdue it and you get a woody taste. They make them in small packets now like Splenda so they are easy to travel with. :)

[MsDesi]

Instead of bananas you could use apples (or applesauce), berries, mangos...really any other kind of fruit to flavor your oats. The cinnamon really does wonders for making you think you're getting something sweet. I grew up eating dipping pretty much all chicken in BBQ sauce or honey and cinnamon really helped me break that "need" for thinking it should be eaten with a sweet sauce.

REAL honey doesn't have "added" sugar. The naturally occuring sugars in it are primarily fructose, just like fruit. If you're finding sugar free honey it's probably some kinda "frankenfood" product that won't have the benefits of consuming real honey.

I <3 cinammon! I am SO going to try applesauce in my oatmeal now! So curious! Wish I can stomach plain Jane but I just can't. What's really strange is not too long ago I didn't care for anything sweet. I didn't want candy or cake. I was fine eating egg whites and veggies. It wasn't until this past summer (and mb it's bc I amp-ed up my workouts?) that I have such the craving for sweet stuff!

I don't like Sweet n Low. I prefer Equal over that if Splenda wasn't/isn't available. But I'm extremely glad ya'll warned me about Stevia's potency! My goodness I would have added a teaspoon and gotten a shock! And probably raced to the toilet.

I'm for sure going the honey route, but I want to try Stevia too. I don't like artificial stuff so being that Splenda is a man-made chemical biproduct of sugar, sort of has me alarmed. They will probably find out it causes cancer :(

I love all of ya'lls input! So helpful!

[KRaye]

I choose Stevia over Splenda. It is very sweet. I have found it doesn't mix very well in tea or coffee though. Maybe its the brand I use? When I first read about it, they said it had been used in China (I think) for many many years. It said that it has caused no issues in all the years of use in the other countries it has been used in. Then, it noted that we are Americans and use more than is needed. So, using it too many times could cause problems, but there is not much research on it.

[Adelaide.]

I don't like the taste of Stevia, and it also makes me nauseous. I'm another one that usually has low BP, so that may be why, but I don't remember being light headed.

[drumchick34]

Thats interesting that stevia lowers blood pressure because my pressure seems to be going up since using it.

[gobbles23]

I tried liquid stevia, and I just don't like it. I use splenda everyday, so I tried to ween myself off of it and make the transition to using stevia all of the time. I used a little splenda, and a little stevia, but it didn't work to well, because I just ended up predominantly using splenda, and I just don't like stevia on its own. In the end, the stevia got forgotten about....And stevia is expensive where I live....I'm going to try growing my own stevia during the spring, because I don't like how much splenda I use. I read so much conflicting research on Splenda, I really wish I knew if it was harmful or not for sure.

[MsDesi]

I tried liquid stevia, and I just don't like it. I use splenda everyday, so I tried to ween myself off of it and make the transition to using stevia all of the time. I used a little splenda, and a little stevia, but it didn't work to well, because I just ended up predominantly using splenda, and I just don't like stevia on its own. In the end, the stevia got forgotten about....And stevia is expensive where I live....I'm going to try growing my own stevia during the spring, because I don't like how much splenda I use. I read so much conflicting research on Splenda, I really wish I knew if it was harmful or not for sure.


So is Stevia like sweet n low or something? Not a fan of stevia costs either. Go figure... the more natural it is, the more expensive.

[ms_proteinshake]

I use Truvia (stevia). It comes in packets like splenda. I find side by side it tastes identical and I don't think it has the aftertaste as some stevia does. I actually think Truvia is more like regular sugar as its more granular and not powdery like splenda.

[chapper26]

Truvia is very good...have you tried AGAVE as a sweetener? It is a natural sweetener, like honey, but tastes better! VERY delicious. I have seen it at most stores.

[littlemama0922]

Stevia is an all natural alternative to sugar. It's sweetness is far greater than sugar so you don't need alot. It is perfect for diabetics due to the fact that it won't raise blood sugar and it's calorie free. I stay away from all artificial sugars because the body doesn't know how to process them or what to do with them so anything artificial gets stored in fat cells. You can use stevia in baking, cooking, in coffee, cereal or any other place that you would normally use sugar. Another option is Xylitol. It's another natural sweetener that is calorie free and won't raise blood sugar so again, perfect for people that need to watch their sugar intake. Xylitol, and stevia, don't interact with the bacteria in your mouth so its a better choice to promote dental health. Normal sugar & artificial sweeteners promote an acidic state in your system and can create cavities. They make gum made with xylitol and you can find foods made with xylitol...but stay clear of Stevia.




I opt for the most sugar-free diet I can find- besides apples and such. I usually add Splenda to things and liked that it's cal free... Soooo I've research Splenda and haven't found any real evidence that it's harmful (people are already leery of artificial sweetners) just that it's a derivative of sugar. Any study has been controversial...

Now Stevia is an herb? I don't know all THAT much about it. Except:
"For this reason, we recommend the herb stevia (Stevia rebaudiana) over sorbitol as a natural sweetener to our patients. Known in South America as the “sweet herb,” stevia has been used for over 400 years without ill effect. Stevia has been enormously popular in Japan, where it has been in use for more than 20 years, now rivaling Equal and Sweet’N Low. It’s 200–300 times sweeter than sugar, so just a small portion of stevia will sweeten even a strong cup of tea." from the Womentowomen website in addressing Splenda.

I'm thinking Stevia is the better option but I'd love to hear different opinions. And while yes I know, sugar is good so long as in a balanced diet, I refuse to put pure sugar in my coffee and on cereal...

[SteelersRock09]

I love Stevia, it works GREAT for me! The only drawback that I've found at all is that if you don't mix it up well in whatever you're adding it to, it can taste bitter. Otehr than that, Stevia = Win.

[recovering]

In my opinion, NuNaturals brand is the best brand of stevia. I prefer the powder, though I make sure to get the Pure Extract Powder (not individual packets), as that doesn't have any fillers. I also sometimes use EZ-Sweetz, which is liquid sucralose. Mainly, I try to stay away from the fillers, as I think that is the source of stomach discomfort for me. A little goes a long way for both of these products, so they really aren't very expensive.

[studentnurse]

I have stevia, splenda and agave nectar in my cupboard!! I also use maple syrup. Be a lot cheaper to just use sugar! haha. I try to use stevia over splenda (feels more natural?) but in some things the stevia taste is too overpowering. I once tried dipping a strawberry in a super tiny bit of it, YUCK! it almost felt like it was burning my tongue, all acidic and disgusting.

The research seems to be kind of all over the map? I was on this big agave nectar kick and then I read something about it having a higher fructose content than high fructose corn syrup? Now I know you can't believe everything you read but.... I guess the simpler you can keep it. All in moderation right! haha

[eawowale]

As for me, all the sugar alternatives are just not my thing. I have a packet of stevia that I only used once before the taste was just too weird, splenda was worse. Luckily I don't have a sweet tooth, and I love my coffee black ;-)

[dani5162]

i just try to switch it up-- use a little of each, different ones for different situations (like, I don't like stevia in coffee, so I use splenda. I use stevia on other things, like cottage cheese, and try to just eat unsweetened things much of the time).
That way, I feel like I'm not using too much of any one thing, but things still taste good :)

Honestly though, none of these taste as good as the caloric ones, but I suppose that just makes it easier to eat less of it.

I guess just go easy on anything you use, and you should be fine.

[FemmeFatale28]

Stevia in the Raw :)

[punxnotdead309]

I'm thinking of switching to stevia since I consume such ample amounts of sucralose as it is. Ugh! I'm a sweet-a-holic :P

[admilan89]

definitely stevia.
I am trying to avoid artificial sweeteners and it's so hard because theyre everywhere! watch out for sucralose in the ingredients list!