Artificial Sweetener, Helpful or Harmful Alternative?

[Benjamin]

I believe this unnatural alternative, which is geared for pacifying our sweet cravings, is just asking for trouble. It does little more than train people to make sweets part of their diet, among other concerns, this habit of “sweet taste preference” is a major contributor to the rise of obesity.

Some points from the article: Are Artificial Sweeteners a Healthier Option? :

http://herbalwater.typepad.com/ayal...artificial-sweeteners-a-healthier-option.html

Sweet tasting foods are rare in nature. Fruits and vegetables have some sweetness to them, but they’re also packed with lots of fiber, water, micronutrients and phytochemicals, and are nutritious and quite filling. Honey was hard to find for most of human history and even harder to harvest—it’s protected by an army of stinging warriors.

It’s only in our modern times that concentrated sweetness—in the form of table sugar—grew abundant, and with the invention of high-fructose corn syrup (made from subsidized corn) it became dirt cheap.

Our preference for sweetness is most likely innate. Food marketers understood its seductive lure, so they started adding sugars to many foods and replaced plain water and milk with sweet drinks. And the consumption of refined sugar skyrocketed. Sweet foods sell!

Alas, too much sugar is a major factor underlying our obesity crisis. It can undermine normal satiety levels, motivating us to eat more than we need while stimulating food cravings. Too much sugar may also raise blood pressure and can elevate blood triglycerides levels (a risk factor for heart disease).

• Artificially sweetened beverages habituate (or essentially train) our taste receptors to prefer intense sweetness, leading us to reject less-sweet foods (such as veggies and fruit) and “infantilizing” our taste buds to seek sweetness rather than to “grow up” and seek more complex flavors.

• Diet drinks dissociate between the signal and the outcome: Sweetness signifies to our body that energy and nutritious food are on the way, enacting hormonal and neurobehavioral pathways, yet with diet drinks no calories are actually consumed. The outcome of this disconnect isn’t yet clear, but it’s a concern.

• The popularity of artificially sweetened beverages is rising rapidly, and we’re ingesting very large amounts of these synthetic chemicals that are a relatively new addition to the human diet in what Dr. Ludwig calls “a massive, uncontrolled, and inadvertent public health experiment.”

 

[Johnv]

Of course the person in the link is going to claim that artificial sweetners are evil. She's trying to sell her "alternative product".

The issue of artificial sweeteners really comes down to moderation of usage. Having one sweetened drink a day isn't going to make a significant difference healthwise. Having ten, however, will.

There are numerous sweetener options for the consumer, and all of them have benefits and side-effects. IMO, the best sweetener is sugar. 1 tsp of sugar only contains about 16 calories. But too much sugar has health risks, so the best option is to use sugar (or any sweetner) in moderation.

 

[Jon-Marc]

I have no idea if The Splenda I use instead of suger is healthier or not, but it's either that or nothing. Being diabetic I have to keep my blood sugar down, and I LOVE my brownies. They are low fat and sugar free and very good. Not as good as they could be but diabetics can't be choosy.

 

[Johnv]

Aside from refraining in entirety, your use of Splenda instead of sugar, in the manner you're referring to, is a wise decision.

 

[donnA]

I'm diabetic also, and a few other reason i can not use sugar, I've been using splenda for 8 years and it hasn't hurt me yet.
jon-marc, do you make homemade brownies with splenda? I've been looking for the best possible brownie recipe with splenda, care to share yours? I have a few good recipes I could share with you.

 

[Benjamin]

I have much more respect of the ethical business practices regarding the person in the article than those who would promote sugar, corn syrup, or artificial sweetener for consumption by the public. She makes a valid point that these taste preferences lead/have lead to obesity and poor dietary habits, and that people should “grow up” or IOW’s not cater to these addictive and habit forming properties. She doesn’t go into a lot of detail about the effects of sweets on the body concerning appetite and cravings, but this is widely known to be a major contributor which leads to overeating.

Using artificial sweeteners has the same effect on the body as refined sugars concerning forming dietary habits and cravings, just without the immediate calories. I do not use, nor allow my children to use, chemical artificial sweeteners; refined sugars are kept to a minimum being used only in moderation as special treats (not daily).

 

[Johnv]

I have much more respect of the ethical business practices regarding the person in the article than those who would promote sugar, corn syrup, or artificial sweetener for consumption by the public.

I wonder if you will still have that same respect for her when you discover that she disagrees with your view on the fast food. Regarding the movie "Supersize Me", she says, as I have, that it makes for good entertainment, but isn't scientific proof. She also states that the movie can lead to the wrong conclusion. She's a proponent of my view of "eat less, eat right, move more, and move often", and she's also an advocate of being responsible for your own dietary health, rather than blaming the food industries for your health.

Her line of bottled waters isn't anything particularly new. It's simply bottled water lightly flavored with herbs. In and of itself, that's all well and good. The OP link is simply a marketing tool to sell her bottled waters. It's not intended to be an informational source for health of nutrition. She's not being dishonest in any way, but to cite the OP blog as a source for nutritional information or advice would be unadviseable, and disingenuous.

 

[Benjamin]

Dear Johnv,

*I spoke to her making a valid point about the effects of sweeteners. As per her view about Supersize Me being dogmatic and exaggerated, that’s nothing I did not acknowledge and to say otherwise is a disingenuous strawman. Other than that please quote where her view resembles this statement made by you:

Originally posted by Johnv: She's a proponent of my view of "eat less, eat right, move more, and move often", and she's also an advocate of being responsible for your own dietary health, rather than blaming the food industries for your health.

From what I see she speaks out against fast food with conviction, which more resembles my view:

The case against fast-food
From a nutritional point of view, if we were to invent the worst diet ever—with an ingredient list designed solely for unhealthy weight gain and cardiovascular and metabolic morbidity—we’d be hard pressed to imagine one worse than the typical fast-food regimen: Highly processed, lots of saturated fats, hydrogenated fats and refined sugar, salt by the teaspoons, very little fiber, very few vegetables and fruit, and many additives driving the “great taste” that keeps us coming back for more.

But the proof of un-health is not just in the ingredient list.

There’s a growing body of evidence pointing at fast-food as a major contributor to obesity and disease. I’ll mention just a few studies.

Maybe you should have read a little further to get her opinion, Mr. Triple F [sic], because this here trolling rhetorical device you strive to build on, (although, you did good there, Johnboy, that is...in your elementary point of correctly stating the issue that as an interested party she can logically be viewed as suspicious) greatly falls short in proving any truth value in your attempt to lead to a conclusion of false on the main premise*, or which would in any way logically support the “type of argument” you were hoping to engage in.

 

[Jon-Marc]

Aside from refraining in entirety, your use of Splenda instead of sugar, in the manner you're referring to, is a wise decision.

Even diabetics have to have SOME sugar to keep our blood sugar from getting dangerously low. When I start getting lightheaded and dizzy, I pop a piece of hard butterscotch candy in my mouth. It always takes care of the problem. That's why on TV when you see a person suffering from low blood sugar, someone puts a piece of candy in their mouth. The sugar revives them--like applying an electrical shock to an unconscious person whose heart has stopped.

 

[Johnv]

As per her view about Supersize Me being dogmatic and exaggerated, that’s nothing I did not acknowledge...

Where did you acknowlege that? You cited it as supporting the claim that the fast food industry is responsible for obesity. It is not. A person choosing to overeat, and eat irresponsibly, is responsible for obesity. It is not the fast food industry's fault that people evereat, or eat badly.

From what I see she speaks out against fast food with conviction

So do I. The difference is I come from a position of you being responsible for what you eat. You come from a position of the fast food industry being responsible for what you eat. Dr Ayala's position is that you are responsible for what you eat.

Even diabetics have to have SOME sugar to keep our blood sugar from getting dangerously low.

That's true. Thanks for noting that. It's not wise for a diabetic to completely refrain from sugar intake.

 

[menageriekeeper]

Well, ya gotta die of something!

Artificial sweetners are my biggest risk factor! My only "vice".

I can't eat much real sugar (especially carbonated drinks) because I will get an AWFUL insulin rush (being hypoglycemic) that makes me sicker than sick (where's the barfing smily?).

I have sensory issues which cause most plain waters to make me want to (insert smily here) so I can't drink nearly enough plain water to keep me hydrated (I'm 45, ridding myself of the sensory issue ain't gonna happen). Tea gives me awful reflux, coffee has too much caffiene and decaf ain't worth buying, so diet soda is my friend.

If I die from drinking to much artificial sweetner ya'll are welcome to use me in the next campaign to stamp them out. More likely I'll die of old age.

Hey Donna, I have found that you can replace half the sugar in ANY recipe with Splenda and it will turn out just fine. Works great for my dh who is diabetic and me too (though I still have to watch sometimes). Something about just reducing the sugar that much keeps his levels much more even.

 

[Benjamin]

...so diet soda is my friend.

If I die from drinking to much artificial sweetner ya'll are welcome to use me in the next campaign to stamp them out. More likely I'll die of old age.

I’ll tell you what: You could donate that old winkled, shriveled up, H2O deficient, and shrunken down artificial sweetener laced cadaver of yours to science for the purposes of studying these effects by young giggling pre-med students if you would like to help the campaign.





:laugh::laugh:

 

[Johnv]

Benjamin, is there's a reason you're acting like a pompous jerk to menageriekeeper, or does that sort of thing just come naturally to you?

 

[Jon-Marc]

Hey Donna, I have found that you can replace half the sugar in ANY recipe with Splenda and it will turn out just fine.

I use only Splenda in my baking, and it turns out just fine. As I said, not as good as with sugar, but your tastebuds adjust after a while. I drink sugar free Sprite and sugar free Cherry 7 Up.

I do use Splenda/brown sugar blend in my sweet potato pie though. That way I'm getting a little brown sugar in my pie but only half of what I would normally use. The pie turns out very well in my opinion. Of course, my baking is not with mixes because of the high sugar, fat and salt content in them. I learned to bake from scratch from my mother. She was one terrific baker.

As for Benjamin's reply, I think he was just being facetious--as I often am. Facetious humor is often misunderstood and taken as criticism and offends those who don't understand facetious humor. Years ago before I looked that word up in a dictionary, people would ask, "Are you being facetious?" Not wanting to show my ignorance in not knowing what that meant I would just say, "Probably." One day I looked it up and thought, "Why, yes, I've been facetious all these years and didn't know it."

 

[webdog]

I have no problem with artificial sweeteners, and using them does not make me crave sweets...that's a non sequitur. I use it because it makes some food (protein shakes, coffee) taste better, and the benefits well outweigh the risks, IMO. I would rather drink a diet pop with no carbs than a regular with 40 carbs, as I tend to limit my carb intake.

 

[Benjamin]

Benjamin, is there's a reason you're acting like a pompous jerk to menageriekeeper, or does that sort of thing just come naturally to you?

Give your judgments a rest... I have known Manageriekeeper for a long time and she me...I like her and expect she knows that and that I'm just teasing her about not drinking water and doing it in love...I added that "" just incase. Quit being a troll, she certainly doesn't need protection from me from the likes of your drama, and even if she if she did misunderstand my jesting she is a big girl and could, and hopefully would say something, get my appologies and we would quickly end it on rational and friendly terms.

 

[Benjamin]

I do use Splenda/brown sugar blend in my sweet potato pie though. That way I'm getting a little brown sugar in my pie but only half of what I would normally use. The pie turns out very well in my opinion. Of course, my baking is not with mixes because of the high sugar, fat and salt content in them. I learned to bake from scratch from my mother. She was one terrific baker.

I keep experimentally making batches of protein oatmeal muffins without sugar, although they are healthy I haven't found a way to make them un-bland enough, at least enough that my teenagers will eat them (which is not exactly an all bad thing because at least I get some). Although rather bland, I have started acquiring a taste for them and they "do" seem to hit the spot.

Anyway, I wanted to ask if you could eat an apple or something instead of sugar candies to passify your blood sugar?

 

[menageriekeeper]

Oh wow! Are ya'll fighting over me? Ya'll have made my day! :laugh:

I expect my body to be plenty shriveled before it can be used for science. I tell my kids I plan to live until I'm 103, just so I can bother them!

Jon-Marc, I love the Splenda-Brown sugar mix. I make a baked bean and smoke sausage pot with it that is absolutely wonderful! My folks like it when I use the smoke sausage that are the size of a hot dog so they can eat them on a bun with the beans on the side. Either way it is a good summer dish and my husband can eat it with no ill effects.

Benjamin, try Stevia in your muffins or honey along with applesauce. I personally don't like stevia but know folks who love it.

Why is there a dating site ad at the bottom of the page? Google think we have relationship problems here on the BB? :laugh:

 

[Johnv]

Give your judgments a rest... I have known Manageriekeeper for a long time and she me...I like her and expect she knows that and that I'm just teasing her about not drinking water and doing it in love...I added that "" just incase.

Sheesh! You guys gotta signal these things.

Please retract my comment. I had no idea. You guys shouldn't play unless you let everyone else on the field know the rules . Again, so sorry. I would have said what I did had I known that. One of the problems with bbs communication is that words don't adequately convey content, and in this case, I goofed!!!

 

[menageriekeeper]

Sorry Johnv. I've sorta been on a hiatus from the BB due to IRL stuff. I remember you from early on when I joined, but I'm thinking you must have come back while I was gone. I've only done a little hit and run posting for the last 6 or 8 months. Maybe longer even.