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Help. I get really bad headaches and I've decided to stop using artificial sweeteners. I started this about 2 weeks ago and I've only had 1 bad headache so far which is good for me. Anyway I miss something sweet in my tea.
Are there any safe alternatives to sugar with zero calories? What about the natural zero calorie sweeteners?
The only natural one I know of is Stevia leaves, they work very well with no calories...though the leaves are very strong so you don't have to use much.
Safe is relative, many are safe on average but sometimes people are more sensitive then others. Like Aspartame contains Phenylalanine, which causes headaches in people who are sensitive to it. Saccharin supposedly causes cancer, which did happen in a study when people fed rats their equivalent body weight in it every day...more often people don't like the taste. A number of people like Splenda I know, though I am allergic to it...it makes me very thirsty and I cannot drink enough water to stop it. I have yet to find something really bad about equal, besides it tasting like dirty dish soap to me.
If you drink more then a dozen 12-16 oz. drinks sweetened with any of these things a day, it will cause a problem in the long term...but used in moderation it's a good way to cut liquid calories.
Lisa,
I use to drink soda and went to diet soda until i realized aspartame causes some really bad effects. I like sweet tea but have gotten weaned from it and now drink my tea with nothing. now the slightest bit of sugar in it makes me wretch. Really you can get use to no sugar. the artificials are so bad for you. the best sweetners would be honey and Agave nectar. it doesnt take much. Bith are far better than the fake stuff.
oh and caffine withdrawlls will cause severe headaches. so if your tea is without that maybe the reason.
I drink my tea and coffee without any sweeteners at all. You DO get use to it and you will be surprised how quick you get use to it. I just do not use artificial sweeteners PERIOD and have found that with sugar, the more I use, the more I crave. If I can make it through one day with no sugar, the cravings the next day or so much lighter, the second day without sugar, day three I have forgotten all about sweets.
Just remember artificial sweetners ARE man made and are artificial.... meaning not good for you! Try this.. put some sugar out somewhere and watch the ants.. put some of the artificial sweetners out and watch them.
Thanks everyone. I drink my coffee black and have been doing that for years. It's just the hot tea. I can't get used to without something sweet. I can do iced tea with nothing added so I'm sure I will get used to the plain hot tea.
I was just hoping for an alternative that was safe.
If you consume massive quantities of everything you'll be in trouble, but responsible consumption you will be fine. Stevia is about the "safest" I can think of, being a ground and dried plant extract that has no studies punishing it yet. There are all sorts of studies on all of the others that claim some sort of damage, though none of the studies have survived a peer review and has been published in the American Medical Journal (mostly due to amounts, and sample sizes). If there was any proof to it then they would have gone the way of Teflon and BPA, big outcry and removal.
I drink my tea and coffee without any sweeteners at all. You DO get use to it and you will be surprised how quick you get use to it. I just do not use artificial sweeteners PERIOD and have found that with sugar, the more I use, the more I crave. If I can make it through one day with no sugar, the cravings the next day or so much lighter, the second day without sugar, day three I have forgotten all about sweets.
Just remember artificial sweetners ARE man made and are artificial.... meaning not good for you! Try this.. put some sugar out somewhere and watch the ants.. put some of the artificial sweetners out and watch them.
Natural herb tea (pepermint or orange spice, etc), with a squeeze of lemon, is sweet to me. Sometimes I'll add just a tiny bit of honey if I crave something very sweet.
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agreeing with Laura !
