splenda (diet, Gob, health, coffee)

[RHB]

What do you all think about splenda, and other fake sugars?

I have a lot of diabetics in my family, but if we are having a sweet, and they are going to cheat, we are going with the real thing.

With my children, I stayed away from the fake stuff...I figured they got enough of it in school lunches, and other stuff...a treat is a treat, so let's go with sugar...

What do you all think...

[Nomadicus]

I used a lot of Splenda with no noticeable effects. Now I use only sugar or HFCS as sweeteners. Both are more natural and closer to the source. I say HFCS because I make no efforts to dodge it. Sugar is used in tea and baking. Sugar was bashed years ago like the HFCS is now. Time will tell. I was told back in the 70's that sugar was as bad as eating cyanide. That has certainly been proven false. I don't cater to any alarmist publications. I always look to see where the money trail leads to. My 2¢.

[skbs]

My dad is a diabetic and uses Stevia when at home but Splenda when it is available out and about... Stevia is closer to sugar but if you are going artificial than Splenda is the way to go.... I use them both and really don't mind either....

My kids.... well, too much sugar make my odest a wild child and she is already a tough cookie to deal with without the sugar... so I limit that.... I try and get the low sugar stuff if I can and stay as far away from the HFCS because that stuff is like someone came running after her with an needle in the veins of Speed! NOT GOOD but my other daughter could eat candy and sugar all day w/o any side effects.... each kid is different! You are the parent, you are the best judge.... I don't see anything wrong with it to be honest.... I have used the stevia with the oldest and there are really now side effects.... BUT it is costly......

[perfectcolor]

I have been using Splenda for a long time now and didn't noticed side effects.. but your suggestion is good.. we just can stir away from these fake sugars and go with the sugar itself..

[cb at sea]

There's really nothing wrong with real sugar--yes, it has a few calories, but in the scheme of things, and used normally, not that much!
I don't think "fake" sugars/sweeteners are good for you. How many grossly overweight folks drink diet sodas? Your body simply doesn't know what to do with that fake sweetness! With real sugar, it will process and use it!
Splenda may be made from sugar, but it's NOT sugar!

[Ira500]

Can't comment on it's health, but Splenda tastes a lot better than aspartame or saccharine.

[fjtee]

My FIL, a PhD in biochemistry, scared me off of Splenda. I can't give details, because his explanation was all gobbeldy goop to me. But, if he's uneasy about it, then so am I. I was heartbroken, too, as I thought it was the perfect solution to my sugar problem. Then I found Stevia and it's love all over again. I will use Splenda if I'm getting something from a coffee shop. If there is no Splenda, then it's just sugar. I figure a little bit of Splenda can't do that much harm.

[RHB]

I had some Stevia leaves...I could make a liquid sugar tea that hubby would use in his coffee...I just couldn't figure out how to make it work for baking...how do you all do it?

[spiderbear]

I tried stevia the other day, and it has sort of a chalky metallic-y taste about it. Is that just the kind I tried or is it all that way?

[kgordeeva]

I have been using Splenda for years, but I'm thinking about stopping after hearing so many bad things about it. Is it really so bad? Do you really think it causes cancer? I remember trying regular sugar a while ago with my tea, but it tasted kind of funny. Maybe it's because I'm so used to the Splenda. What is the best regular sugar to use in your tea?