haha hmmm...splenda situation

ok so sometimes when i get a sweet tooth i've found that a few spoonfuls of splenda really cures it (sounds weird because its a strange texture and stuff, but it works for me). well...i have a big old bag of it to put in coffee and on oatmeal.  i was watching a movie last night and had a sweet tooth so i went to have a couple spoonfuls and this is so weird but i ended up legitimately eating like half the bag of splenda! now i know its not actually calorie free so i mean, whatever, i had like 100 calories of splenda. but is that...bad (for lack of a better term)?

Serious Sweet Tooth, lol!!!

lol yeah you're tellin me! i didn't think it was that big of a deal...definitely cured the sweet tooth. i know it really does have calories but a lot less than 6 pieces of cake like i probably would have had otherwise...

Where are you getting the calorie content from? Are you using splenda mix? The only splenda that I use has zero calories by the cupful when baking.

As for bad/good, if you can handle the taste and have no after-effect from eating it, then it's your call.

I really wouldnt advice this to much sweetner is not good for your body im not quite sure of the exact dangers but you could google it. it can also confuse your body and make you hungrier . and as for your bwels it may give you a laxative affect . have you thought you could be lacking some essential food in your diet that may be giving you the urge to do this

mischief, splenda does have calories, but it's less than 5 per serving so it can legally say it has zero calories. But with the amount i consumed it added up to more than negligible haha.

tessa, that's what i'm worried about is it confusing my body. so far, i'm still very aware of hunger vs nonhunger. so as for today i'm not worried about it. i'm obviously not going to make this a habit haha. i've not yet had a laxative affect from it, but i honestly wouldn't mind that! (prepare for too much information) it seems the only time i really can have a BM is when running. (prepare for more too much information) i am in that time of the month so maybe its cravings from that? i really eat pretty soundly except for the occasional binge problem i have, but thats another issue for another day.

perhaps so i hope you sort it out h xx

To me, yeah, that seems bad.  Not so much about the calories, but about the artificial chemical intake.  It's something that's intended to be consumed in what, a teaspoon at a time, and you're eating "half a bag"? 

Also, do a google search for "splenda increasing sugar craving".  This is one of the articles that comes up: http://www.womentowomen.com/healthyweight/spl enda.aspx

Besdies the health concerns (lack of quality tests, etc), they also talk about how for some people, the splenda can increase your sugar cravings because your body is expecting sugar, but not getting it. 

Anyway, from a dietary perspective,  I imagine you could do much worse than binging on splenda.  But I imagine you could also do much better without too much effort.

Clint

thanks pbear, yeah that's what i was worried about. it was so bizarre most people sit and munch on a bag of potatoe chips when they watch a movie and i munch on...splenda? the only argument i have is that okay, splenda has chemicals in it but so does um...every other processed food there is? i think it's more weird than dangerous.

I use alot of Splenda too - in my coffee every morning, in my greek yogurt, I bake with it etc... But - I can't say I've ever eaten it out of the bag! I see your point about the food additives and chemicals and such though, they are in just about everything not just Splenda. Maybe next time put the spenda on an apple or even lower calorie -  a peach or grapefruit, give yourself some fiber and vitamins too.

You're free to do whatever you like, but think about this... When I'm eating healthy, I usually stick to the "suggested serving" sizes on the foods I eat if it has one.  I don't eat potato chips anymore but for tortilla chips, it works out to what, about 1 ounce of chips as the suggested serving?  Don't have a bag handy with me.  And I would think that the suggested serving for the splenda is about 1 teaspoon.  So lets say, for giggles, that you ate 50 teaspoons worth (or 50x the suggested serving).  That's equivalent to eating 50 ounces or 3.125 pounds.  Not exactly a balanced/healthy diet.

The other thing to consider is that the chemical used in splenda (according to the article I posted earlier) was discovered as scientists were looking for pesticides.  And the longest independant study that was ever done on it in the last 11 years lasted only 6 months.  And the largest number of test subjects was 128, and that study only lasted 3 months.  There was also no mention of a study covering excessive consumption of the sweetner, as opposed to "normal" consumption.  Again, all information from the article, and I didn't research it any further.

Basically, I don't think splenda (or artificial sweetners in general) are necessarily evil.  I eat them when they're part of a snack or whatever.  But I do think that they're something for eating in moderation.  Not half a bag all by itself.  I'd rather eat half a bag of sugar by itself, and deal with the calories some other way.  But that's just my personal opinion.

Clint

I use it as a sweetener in my tea, but try to avoid it in pretty much everything else, so I don't think it's necessarily bad. That being said, half a bag? That is way too much.

UD

Original Post by pbear999:

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The other thing to consider is that the chemical used in splenda (according to the article I posted earlier) was discovered as scientists were looking for pesticides.

{snip}

That can be compared to when scientists were trying to enhance a fruit sweetener compound and ended up with a pesticide. They don't always know what they are going to get when organic compounds are modified but they do know how to test the results for properties and safety. The chlorine attached to sucralose, splenda, is the same chlorine in table salt, FWIW.

Sugar is only 15 calories a teaspoon and will probably do a much better job of satisfying your cravings.  You many end up eating fewer total calories too.  I'd rather eat sugar than artificial sweetener but I don't recommend making a snack of either. I doubt if you did any harm but too much of anything is bad for you.

I can't imagine eating it straight.  In something like tea or coffee, but not straight.  Also if you put it in tea, then you'll have the volume from the tea and the sweet flavor.

Of course, I used to roll cheddar cheese slices in sugar when I was a kid so my taste is somewhat questionable from time to time.

I have nothing against artificial sweeteners, and I'm going to die clutching a 20-oz bottle of Diet Coke in my withered claws, but I do think eating Splenda out of the bag sounds sketchy.

haha i didn't mean to get condemned for accidentally eating a ton of splenda. forget it. someone just delete this.

Really?  What did you expect was going to come out of the thread when you ask if it's bad?  Did you expect everyone to just say "Oh, that's ok.  I do that every night before I got to bed, and mix it up with my baby's milk so he'll drink more of it..."

Clint

If you said you'd had a bowl of sugar or flour I would be equally concerned...well, maybe a shade less as sugar is somewhat less processed and a shade more if you'd eaten flour, all have the same ick factor for me...however, as my choices have sometimes been laughable I'm not pointing fingers or laughing at you.

i'm terribly sorry pbear for getting you so worked up over my splenda fiasco. some people like the taste of sauerkraut and i like the taste of splenda. very weird, but just my taste. all i was wondering was if anyone knew about any adverse side effects i might experience, is that better wording for you? i didn't say "hey guys can someone come in here and tell me what a **** i am? thanks" so if you'll please take your vast knowledge of everything and dump it on someone else that'd be great. my question has been answered by much more pleasant people and i appreciate their input. i don't know what set you off but you can get off your high horse now.

is it me or do somethings on here get blown up out of proportion , its worth noting we are all here for help and support not to bicker , all the best alyssa hopefully this wont become a habit for you try looking where the craving could be coming from , if you can deal with this it might be easily avoided, perhaps just sprinkle splenda on cereal but avoid eating it in addition