Chlorinated Sucralose, aka Splenda and other Fake Foods! Do you or don't you & Y?

Ok, have been reading a book that strongly recommends staying away from *fake* foods ~ anything created in the last 100 years using additives, derivatives, man-made chemicals, etc...

And for me, i was always a 3 fisted diet soda drinker which of course is artificially sweetened ~ in addition to using packets of sweetener on cereal, in coffee, etc...

and, face it, changing eating patterns is hard, especially if you indulged in a lifetime of eating fatty sugary foods (aka junk food & goodies).  so, I would save my calories for crapola by drinking diet soda and using the artificial sweeteners...

that's where I was.... and mmmm, have not really ever seriously considered eliminating some of these fake foods, artificial sweeteners and preservatives and um even fake fats from the way i eat =====> b/c they make things more palatable....

didn't even give this much thought or regret... but i spend 1/2 hour a day or so exploring health issues, food and nutrition, and for the year or so, that has meant more about figuring out which foods I could add to my meal plans....  I have not previously really begun to look seriously at potentially harmful foods except those with saturated and trans fats or a predominance of simple carbs, aka sugar ;)

but, found this link today

http://www.holisticmed.com/splenda/

not so happy reading this!!!! 

so.... what do you think?  what do you do and why?  was there a compelling moment or link or information that changed your mind about eating these kinds of foods????

I avoid fake foods ever since I read (somewhere a long time ago, so no reference) that morticians don't need to embalm bodies anymore as the preservatives we eat do the job for us while we're living.

No, thanks.

So I try not to eat too many processed foods in general, and definitely no "substitute" sweeteners, fats, diet foods, etc.

I don't eat artificial sweeteners because they give me migraines. It's hard to chew gum now, but otherwise I don't mind. I try to avoid chemicals and artificial ingredients most of time, choosing real whipped cream over light Cool Whip and just trying to eat it less frequently and really enjoy it when I have it.

I quite drinking diet cokes, or diet food with "aspartimine", and even emailed Jello Corp asking why they can't use splenda?  It's harder to find diet drinks with splenda, and now with all the talk about avoiding benzines (i think thats the word), the preservative in colas, I am glad i was never a big drinker of them.

Try ""Stevia"" a natural sweetner, in a green box (available at Walmart)  It cost more, but worth it.  I don't worry about 'saving' when it comes to health.

Coming from a farming family I am used to eating mostly fresh prepared foods.  Less processed.  I have gotten and still buy diet frozen meals for the variety they offer, but don't over do it.  Smart Ones, Healthy Choice, Lean Cousine.  My own food gets boring.

we all have issues with where our boundaries lie but... many of the websites that disparage articficial sweetners are, for lack of a better word, unreliable.  they are unvetted and base claims on either anecdotal evidence or no evidence at all.

it is a personal choice, like i said.  but as far as any mainstream publication or institution, artifical sweetners are safe.  the Mayo Clinic for example.

I use sweetners everyday.  It works with my lifestyle. 

(and there are complaints on about stevia causing serious health concerns too-- its everywhere.)

Here is an article on some natural alternatives to artifical sweetners and stevia.  It focused on sweet natural less caloric alternatives to sugar, such as black strap molassess and maple syrup.

i don't eat stuff with artificial sweetners for several reasons. 

a) who know what it is that i'm putting in my body or what it will do to me

b) honestly, it doesn't tast as good to me.  i would rather eat a scoop of stonyfield's all natural organic ice cream once a month than a scoop of a low-carb ice cream every week.

c) too much sugar or artificial sweetner gives me migraines.

d) i don't really like sweet foods.  sure, i have a sweet tooth.  but i don't like my coffee or my grapefruit sweetened.

all that said, i've recently begun to try to order whiskey and diet cokes instead of whiskey and cokes.  for nights of drinking, it's just too many calories for me.

I don't like stuff with artificial sweeteners because my teacher (an RN) told me (after I asked if artificial sweeteners were bad) that , "The jury's still out on it. However, it has been shown to cause brain tumors in mice."

Yeah, I'm gonna wait for the jury before using artificial (or drinking/eating artifically sweetened stuff) sweeteners.

:)

I used to eat and drink processed, sugar substitute laden foods and beverages daily.  I went to work for a pharmacist and started eating healthy and have found that I feel better, have less health issues and now when I eat the "junk" it makes me sick.  This is not very convenient because most of the foods in restaurants and family and friends are all processed but I find that cooking is not all that bad and sometimes even enjoyable LOL.  Anyhow the only thing I still do is chew gum that is sweetened with xylitol, according to my naturopath it is a man made natural sweetner.  Sounds wrong but it is close to what our body makes on its own from my research.

Drink water.  It's cheaper, too.  :o)

i really try to avoid synthetic foods.  i am a sucker for cheez whiz, though.

I can't believe nobody's called out the weirdness in the first reply. Morticians absolutely do embalm people still, my goodness the things we read and believe.

As for me I've cut back hugely on the fake stuff, and will probably continue to do so. I feel great. :)

i am a sucker for cheez whiz, though.

dude, i think my stomach just turned when i read that...i never understood the cheez whiz love.

oh, no.  aasil, we diverge?  on cheez whiz?

i relinquish cheez whiz.

oh gee whiz!!!

:::giggles::: ;)

OMG, I would so not be embalmed then for all the Diet Coke and Splenda/Nutrasweet I consume. Sure it ain't optimal but I am trying to lose weight damnit! :)

No, seriously I agree, it's best not to eat that stuff but it just isn't possible for me (possible yes, easy no) to eat 1200 with at least a little substitution here and there (sugar-free yogurts are a perfect example). In any case, I also agree with the others that if you start to drink water your need to consume diet and caffeinated drinks just goes down. I used to drink 1-3 DCs a day plus multiple cups of tea, now I maybe have 1 DC and mostly none (3-5L water instead!!)

I use artificial sweeteners, but much less than I used to. I don't eat sweets, so it's not too hard to cut down on them; fruit is sweet enough as-is, and for yogurt, I can budget in a teaspoon of organic sugar. 15 calories. But I like a little bit of Splenda or stevia in my coffee and iced tea.