No Sugar, No Sweetener!

[c_nicki]

I have been pretty sugar-free for a couple years now, but not sweetener-free.

I have come to depend on Splenda almost as a staple and have just cut it out completely, as well as caffeine altogether. The biggest impact has been the caffeine, which was to be expected.

The reason for this cut is because I have IBS and realized that my on-going struggles might decrease or [hopefully] disappear if I cut out the last two elements of my diet that are not "safe" on your system.

However, with Splenda being the one ingredient that made eating clean easier, I am looking for advice and suggestions to eating/cooking sugar- and sweetener-free. The biggest one for me is my oatmeal. My favorite was oatmeal with splenda, cinnamon and vanilla extract.

Any help with the transition?? Thank You!

[BlueFenix13S]

A lot of people use Stevia, which I believe is a more natural sweetener. You might look into that. If you wanted to add a little regular sugar to your oats in the morning, it won't hurt you, just don't go crazy. I like to add REAL maple syrup to my oats sometimes.

[justanothagirl]

yup get stevia, it may also have good effect on health

[grapemaster]

put some fruit in your oatmeal.

[LayzieBone085]

Originally Posted by justanothagirl

yup get stevia, it may also have good effect on health

it does it has a little bit of fiber in it.. that will be beneifical in ur diet if u need a lil extra kick of fiber

[justanothagirl]

Originally Posted by LayzieBone085

it does it has a little bit of fiber in it.. that will be beneifical in ur diet if u need a lil extra kick of fiber

yeah fiber, and i remember reading it it may stabilize blood sugar and has anti-bacterial properties.

[k9nacl]

splenda isn't even processed by the body, you just eat it and then secrete it. where could it do harm?

[Oddball8945]

Originally Posted by justanothagirl

yeah fiber, and i remember reading it it may stabilize blood sugar and has anti-bacterial properties.

Originally Posted by LayzieBone085

it does it has a little bit of fiber in it.. that will be beneifical in ur diet if u need a lil extra kick of fiber

mine doesnt have fiber, its the pure powder. I think the one you are refering to with added fiber also has added maltodextrin fillers.

But yes stevia is great, way better and stronger then the packet splenda

[Sixpack]

I also love liquid stevia

[WannaBbig!]

Originally Posted by grapemaster

put some fruit in your oatmeal.

Definitely give this a go ^^^. Try soaking a few raisins/sultanas in your oats overnight, the water will plump up the fruit and release the sugar into the oats giving the whole meal a sweeter taste.

Add fresh bananas, berries, mangos, apples, pears etc.

Try adding cocoa powder, cinnamon, vanilla extract as well.

Whey protein? (although this will probably have a sweetner in it).

[justanothagirl]

Originally Posted by Oddball8945

mine doesnt have fiber, its the pure powder. I think the one you are refering to with added fiber also has added maltodextrin fillers.

But yes stevia is great, way better and stronger then the packet splenda

where do you get yours from? which brand?

[Oddball8945]

Originally Posted by justanothagirl

where do you get yours from? which brand?

health food section of Wegmans is were i get it every week, trader joes also has it & so does whole foods & some supplement stores.

SweetLeaf Stevia

[c_nicki]

Thank you for all of your suggestions and inputs regarding adding fruit, stevia, etc.

My problem is that with certain fruits are too hard on my system. I have I.B.S. which makes me very sensitive to dairy, high insoluble fiber including raw veggies and fruits with tough skin (apples, berries, etc.). I have to make sure I either peel fruits and cook the veggies I can eat very thoroughly, which unfortunately removes much of their V's, Minerals and antioxidants.

Also, the acidity of some fruits are heavy on me as well.

One of the postings was confused at how Splenda can be harmful. Well for one, the idea that it is not absorbed can cause problems to someone who has issues digesting foods in general (such as myself). In addition, sweeteners such as aspartame AND sucrose (Splenda) can leave the body's pH out of balance. They both are acidic and for "normal" people it is not a problem, but for myself, it is.

It is difficult to combine eating that will help with training and staying lean as well as my I.B.S. So, for now my diet consists of lean protein (as it always did), oatmeal, sweet potatoes, maaaybe whole wheat bread (multi-grain is too much on me), banana's and peeled pears. I can only have veggies such as green beans and zucchini if I boil them (not steamed or grilled) and remove any seeds. Cannot have anything but pure water and chamomile tea, no caffeine whatsoever not even in tea.

Needless to say, I am taking plently of multi-vitamins and nutritional supplements to get in all of my essentials because my diet is so limited.

I have read up on Stevia before, but I am just going to try and tough it out to see if my IBS symptoms ease up. I've actually read of some side effects of using Stevia regarding digestive disorders such as mine. When my tummy is constantly hurting and other issues with it, it's hard to work out anyway.

The bad thing is that my system is just fine with regular sugar. So, my IBS is okay with it, but my waistline isn't! So, it's all natural I suppose.

Thank you for the soaking raisins idea, I'll have to try that! Thank you all again*

[Alphy]

How about Xylitol?

[justanothagirl]

Originally Posted by Alphy

How about Xylitol?

lol sugar alcohols are known to be tough on your digestive system.

[Shaggytph]

Originally Posted by justanothagirl

lol sugar alcohols are known to be tough on your digestive system.

in what sense? i think my sugar free choco syrup has xylitol

[justanothagirl]

Originally Posted by Shaggytph

in what sense? i think my sugar free choco syrup has xylitol

just that they are tough to digest (may cause bloating+gas) and can irritate your digestive system especially if you're sensitive to it such as the OP who has IBS. but everybody will experience bloating etc. from it if they have a high enough quantity of it.

[Shaggytph]

Originally Posted by justanothagirl

just that they are tough to digest (may cause bloating+gas) and can irritate your digestive system especially if you're sensitive to it such as the OP who has IBS. but everybody will experience bloating etc. from it if they have a high enough quantity of it.

that makes sense.

thanks yet again

[justanothagirl]

Originally Posted by Shaggytph

that makes sense.

thanks yet again

lol np

[HALON]

Try fructose, sugar from fruit.