Forums: April 2011 Kickstart Forum: Splenda/Sugar?
Created on: 04/04/11 10:25 AM Views: 5593 Replies: 23
terry Joined: 03/31/11 Location: Saskatchewan, Canada Posts: 9	Splenda/Sugar? Posted Monday, April 4, 2011 at 10:25 AM What are the thought about using splenda when eating vegan? I want to cut out the sugar; however, I still have the 'taste' craving. Is splenda ok occasionally? I'm not giving up coffee today yet and need a bit in there. I'm only a 2-3 cup a day coffee drinker. Thoughts? Terry R.
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Bugsmom Joined: 09/13/10 Posts: 2069	RE: Splenda/Sugar? Posted Monday, April 4, 2011 at 10:37 AM Personally, I don't react well to any artificial sweeteners (ranging from mild discomfort to near-migraine depending on the product). If I want a little sweet (like in tea), I'll use agave instead (I used to keep a little squeeze bottle of agave in my desk drawer here at work). Also, just a note for anyone reading: caffeine (like in coffee) can cause random blood glucose spikes and drops so it's a good idea to move away from coffee, caffeinated teas, etc if you're diabetic. I noticed it and did some checking (joslin.org and such) and sure enough, there is apparently some correlation there. Drat! Just when I was getting to actually LIKE coffee --Deb R
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mollyhorn Joined: 03/03/10 Location: Fort Worth, TX Posts: 582	RE: Splenda/Sugar? Posted Monday, April 4, 2011 at 10:37 AM I still use Splenda, and consider myself vegan. I figure it is a lot better than using a ton of sugar and being overweight and unhealthy from that. I know artificial sweeteners aren't the best, but it's the lesser of two evils for me. Molly Horn
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gryphonpro Joined: 01/30/11 Location: Cape Breton, NS, Canada Posts: 239	RE: Splenda/Sugar? Posted Monday, April 4, 2011 at 10:41 AM I worry about splenda, but I notice that a lot of health conscious people in my area use stevia. Perhaps someone in the know could tell us a bit about stevia. madeline yakimchuk Director: MEET IRENE - An Unlikely Vegan GRYPHON media productions www
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Bugsmom Joined: 09/13/10 Posts: 2069	RE: Splenda/Sugar? Posted Monday, April 4, 2011 at 10:44 AM Stevia is made from the leaves of the 'sweetleaf' plant. It's "all natural" but as with anything, "all natural" doesn't necessarily mean "better" (after all, toadstools are "all natural" and deadly!) Some folks find that it is great - it's apparently really sweet so they only need a small amount to replace a few teaspoons' worth of sugar. Some folks find that the aftertaste is unpleasant. Etc. As with anything, your result may vary. --Deb R
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catbear Joined: 01/04/11 Posts: 76	RE: Splenda/Sugar? Posted Monday, April 4, 2011 at 2:08 PM Blackstrap molasses is a delicious way to sweeten coffee, and it has many minerals like calcium, iron and copper. I drink mine now with just hot water and plant milk and skip the coffee altogether.
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Lauren1213 Joined: 09/06/10 Location: Florida Posts: 57	RE: Splenda/Sugar? Posted Wednesday, April 6, 2011 at 11:45 AM I have tried Stevia and find it very bitter, with a doozy of an aftertaste. I decided to stay with Splenda, because even though I love the agave it isn't sweet enough for my ravenous sweet tooth.
	Edited 04/06/11 11:46 AM Quote | Send PM | Link | Top | Bottom
cecet Joined: 04/05/11 Posts: 15	RE: Splenda/Sugar? Posted Wednesday, April 6, 2011 at 11:58 AM I use "Sweetleaf" brand Stevia sweetner packs and don't find any after taste. I usually only need 1/2 packet at a time to sweeten cereals or fruit.
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LisaPunk Joined: 01/06/11 Posts: 42	RE: Splenda/Sugar? Posted Wednesday, April 6, 2011 at 1:25 PM im totally convinced splenda is bad for you. it weirds me out. i think it is definitely vegan as i dont think there are any animal products in it. i just wouldnt consider it "healthy" try stevia and see if that works for you. if not if you are comfortable with teh splenda then i say keep using it
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Bugsmom Joined: 09/13/10 Posts: 2069	RE: Splenda/Sugar? Posted Wednesday, April 6, 2011 at 1:34 PM LisaPunk wrote: im totally convinced splenda is bad for you. it weirds me out. i think it is definitely vegan as i dont think there are any animal products in it. i just wouldnt consider it "healthy" try stevia and see if that works for you. if not if you are comfortable with teh splenda then i say keep using it I'm not sure about Splenda vis a vis vegan since it's "made from sugar" and most processed sugar uses bone char in the processing. But then that goes to the area of "how vegan" one chooses to be. --Deb R
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LisaPunk Joined: 01/06/11 Posts: 42	RE: Splenda/Sugar? Posted Wednesday, April 6, 2011 at 1:39 PM good point. i have been reading a book called Being Vegan and i cant spell the authors last name but i think its Joanne or Joana Stephaniak she goes alot into sort of keeping your eyes on the prize and not getting bogged down with all the little tiny details because otherwise you will go nuts. no one can live 100% vegan lifestyle. its nearly impossible (perhaps totally impossible?) she talks about how movies (the actual film) is printed on film that has gelatin on it so technically going to the movies is not vegan (do they still use film, this book might be from the 90s) so you are right about the bone char thing. for me personally i would still consider it vegan but it's up to everyone to determine what they consider important
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Carla Joined: 04/08/11 Location: Vancouver, BC Posts: 2	RE: Splenda/Sugar? Posted Friday, April 8, 2011 at 2:30 PM I eat so much sugar - I try to use Stevia or even Splenda whenever possible. I know Splenda is suspect for many issues but I need all the help I can get. The idea of living without sweet things is too gloomy. My body would likely go into shock if I up and stopped.
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3LittleMonkeys Joined: 04/12/11 Location: St. Louis Posts: 26	RE: Splenda/Sugar? Posted Tuesday, April 12, 2011 at 12:57 PM I am a brand new Vegan. Well in the process that is. I love ice tea and hot tea. I use Splenda for my ice tea, which is something I have been trying to get away from. I have tried Stevia in the past and didn't like it. Hmmm maybe I will give it a shot again.
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Bugsmom Joined: 09/13/10 Posts: 2069	RE: Splenda/Sugar? Posted Tuesday, April 12, 2011 at 1:07 PM 3LittleMonkeys wrote: I am a brand new Vegan. Well in the process that is. I love ice tea and hot tea. I use Splenda for my ice tea, which is something I have been trying to get away from. I have tried Stevia in the past and didn't like it. Hmmm maybe I will give it a shot again. One of our favorite things about agave is that it dissolves well even in cold liquids (like iced tea). That way, we can brew it strong and straight and then allow each person to sweeten to taste rather than make a pitcher of tea that might be too sweet or not sweet enough. Also, we make sugar syrups with mint or berry juice (sub the juice for the water in the simple syrup recipe; we have wild blackberries in the back yard that we run through the food mill for this) and it seems that less gets used when there's flavoring included (even when we have guests who are not dieting, not vegan, not diabetic). FWIW --Deb R
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3LittleMonkeys Joined: 04/12/11 Location: St. Louis Posts: 26	RE: Splenda/Sugar? Posted Tuesday, April 12, 2011 at 1:30 PM Bugsmom wrote: 3LittleMonkeys wrote: I am a brand new Vegan. Well in the process that is. I love ice tea and hot tea. I use Splenda for my ice tea, which is something I have been trying to get away from. I have tried Stevia in the past and didn't like it. Hmmm maybe I will give it a shot again. One of our favorite things about agave is that it dissolves well even in cold liquids (like iced tea). That way, we can brew it strong and straight and then allow each person to sweeten to taste rather than make a pitcher of tea that might be too sweet or not sweet enough. Also, we make sugar syrups with mint or berry juice (sub the juice for the water in the simple syrup recipe; we have wild blackberries in the back yard that we run through the food mill for this) and it seems that less gets used when there's flavoring included (even when we have guests who are not dieting, not vegan, not diabetic). FWIW --Deb R Doh! I have Agave in my pantry (I make pumpkin pie with it). I didn't even think of that instead. LOL
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DianeJ Joined: 01/01/10 Posts: 134	RE: Splenda/Sugar? Posted Tuesday, April 12, 2011 at 4:59 PM I make a huge pitcher of green tea/ fruity herbal tea mix every day or two. I use two large greentea bags, 4 raspberry zingers ( or whatever flavor you like, cherry-berry is good too), 1 full tablespoon of raw honey or agave and 2 pkgs, 2 only,of Truvia. healthy and delicious- no aftertaste. My hubbie loves crystal lite, but I think all that artificial stuff has to be bad. But I do agree- do not sweat the small stuff. If some splenda in your coffee keeps you happy, it is not going to make a big difference, short term, just keep an open mind, and keep tasting. Sometimes, its easy for our tastes to change. You never could have persuaded me to believe that oneday I would drink coffee with no sugar or sweetener at all, now I cannot drink it if it is sweet!
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SpongeBobFishpants Joined: 04/03/11 Posts: 86	RE: Splenda/Sugar? Posted Tuesday, April 12, 2011 at 6:37 PM We pretty much stick to what I think of as old-fashioned sweeteners now, or as non-processed as we can get. Black strap molasses, local honey (I realize many vegans disagree with the use of honey but as an ecologist I just don't find the reasoning to be sound), brown rice syrup, or raw cane sugar (for occasional cookie baking). The biggest change I've noticed since we made the change from using white sugar and artificial or highly processed sweeteners is that over time we've lost our intense cravings for sweets. We now find that fruit or goodies baked with less sweetener are more than sufficient to satisfy our cravings and even better, we just don't get the cravings very often. There is a theory that the intense sweetness of artificial sweeteners and the American habit of layering fat and sugar have led to hyper-stimulation in our brains... the more you have, the more you want. Given our experience I would tend to say there some validity in that argument.
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charmcitygirl Joined: 04/04/11 Posts: 5	RE: Splenda/Sugar? Posted Wednesday, April 13, 2011 at 11:16 AM My problem with Splenda is it makes me really hungry. I'd rather use a little bit of sugar and be satisfied than feel ravenous.
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reciperenovator Joined: 04/05/11 Location: San Diego Posts: 17	RE: Splenda/Sugar? Posted Wednesday, April 13, 2011 at 11:28 AM I can totally testify to having been a HUGE sugar/sweetener addict, and now I don't have cravings. Give yourself time (at least a month) to make the change. Personally, I have found that Splenda caused yucky symptoms and, now that I've been off it for several years, it tastes terrible to me. I use agave mostly and maple syrup, honey, brown rice syrup, and molasses in very small amounts. I finally found a stevia packet that doesn't taste bad to me... I think you have to try a number of them. I have that with me for traveling. Hope this helps! Stephanie, The Recipe Renovator www
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montanawidow Joined: 04/13/11 Posts: 1	RE: Splenda/Sugar? Posted Wednesday, April 13, 2011 at 12:43 PM I switched to agave several years ago at the recommendation of my naturopath. Anything other than what your tastebuds are used to will require a little adjustment period. Looks like you have some options which is always a good thing! Carrie
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