Aa
artificial sweetener
i want to know which is the safest artificial sweetener a diabetic can have,aspartame,succrolose or something else?
Splenda is very good....its actually made from sugar but without the part that is bad for diabetics. I use it for my grand children quite often, and I am very protective, so I would have to say Splenda.....
Wow... WaveRider! I am truly impressed with your use of actual references! Nicely done!
For the record, I am very pro-Stevia, though for me that means mostly home-grown plants from which I pluck the leaves and then use in beverages and some cooking. (And Stevia is ridiculously easy to grow... if it were not for the surprisingly sweet-tasting leaves, one would readily remove it as a gangly weed... and it grows like a weed.) Because it grows [and spreads] so readily, I personally grow it in containers.
Otherwise, yeah, do a web search and you'll find all sorts of info about all of the sweeteners... sugar-alcohols amount to half-carbs (they DO break down to glucose eventually, so they are difficult to moderate... not to mention the potential, um, bathroom results), aspartame has insanely polar opinions in the diabetic as well as scientific communities, Splenda is ok for cooking and baking, but again the diabetic and scientific (and political) communities are all over the place about its safety, saccharine (pink stuff) was once banned yet now is 'ok', and likewise, Stevia, though a 'natural' product, has equally polar opinions concerning its refined powdered incarnations... even in 'organic' production as powder or alcohol-based liquids, Stevia continues its polar affections amongst consumers... some swear by it, some find it too bitter to consume... maybe there is a genetic link as with asparagus... either you like it (and can smell it) or not.
It does seem that pretty much anything processed or reduced to a powder form isn't completely good for us, or at least not without some potential detriment.
I used to run a bakery and upon 'becoming' a Type 2 Diabetic, I experimented with many, many, many, alternative sweeteners to replace pure sugar. Most of those baking experiments literally fell flat... and tasted icky.
After five years of experimentation I truly gave up. For me, at least, it turns out that... guess what!... the REAL thing still is the best... all the carb-laden, sugary blissfullness of pastries and breads and muffins and cakes... and if you are a diabetic, the real thing turns out to be the best for you, though certainly, absolutely, and truly, in moderation. It is not the actual sugar, per se, but the overall carbs, and the type of flour that have the greatest effect upon blood glucose levels... and it seems, the more processed and powdered a flour, the greater detriment to one's blood sugars... BUT, regardless of ingredients of any carb-laden sugary tasting goodness, it really does come down to one thing for us (diabetics)... moderation.
And by moderation, I really mean moderation... as in ONE bite... yeah, sorry. But, oh, HOW you will enjoy that one bite more than anyone else at the table (unless you are at a table of ten other diabetics, all enjoying one bite of one piece of dessert!)
End of story is this: if you are OK with consuming artificial sweeteners, so be it. Personally, I have found that the pink stuff, the blue stuff, and even the yellow stuff DO have an effect upon my blood sugars, both up and down, but nonetheless disruptive effects even days later, and so I have personally gone to a diet of high-fiber and moderate carbs and lots of leafy greens and now I again enjoy going out to eat at restaurants and in moderation (bite-wise) truly savoring and enjoying decadent desserts and artisan breads... and guess what... the seemingly absurdly high price or such items isn't so bad at all when you are sharing it with your dining companions... !!!
For the record, I am very pro-Stevia, though for me that means mostly home-grown plants from which I pluck the leaves and then use in beverages and some cooking. (And Stevia is ridiculously easy to grow... if it were not for the surprisingly sweet-tasting leaves, one would readily remove it as a gangly weed... and it grows like a weed.) Because it grows [and spreads] so readily, I personally grow it in containers.
Otherwise, yeah, do a web search and you'll find all sorts of info about all of the sweeteners... sugar-alcohols amount to half-carbs (they DO break down to glucose eventually, so they are difficult to moderate... not to mention the potential, um, bathroom results), aspartame has insanely polar opinions in the diabetic as well as scientific communities, Splenda is ok for cooking and baking, but again the diabetic and scientific (and political) communities are all over the place about its safety, saccharine (pink stuff) was once banned yet now is 'ok', and likewise, Stevia, though a 'natural' product, has equally polar opinions concerning its refined powdered incarnations... even in 'organic' production as powder or alcohol-based liquids, Stevia continues its polar affections amongst consumers... some swear by it, some find it too bitter to consume... maybe there is a genetic link as with asparagus... either you like it (and can smell it) or not.
It does seem that pretty much anything processed or reduced to a powder form isn't completely good for us, or at least not without some potential detriment.
I used to run a bakery and upon 'becoming' a Type 2 Diabetic, I experimented with many, many, many, alternative sweeteners to replace pure sugar. Most of those baking experiments literally fell flat... and tasted icky.
After five years of experimentation I truly gave up. For me, at least, it turns out that... guess what!... the REAL thing still is the best... all the carb-laden, sugary blissfullness of pastries and breads and muffins and cakes... and if you are a diabetic, the real thing turns out to be the best for you, though certainly, absolutely, and truly, in moderation. It is not the actual sugar, per se, but the overall carbs, and the type of flour that have the greatest effect upon blood glucose levels... and it seems, the more processed and powdered a flour, the greater detriment to one's blood sugars... BUT, regardless of ingredients of any carb-laden sugary tasting goodness, it really does come down to one thing for us (diabetics)... moderation.
And by moderation, I really mean moderation... as in ONE bite... yeah, sorry. But, oh, HOW you will enjoy that one bite more than anyone else at the table (unless you are at a table of ten other diabetics, all enjoying one bite of one piece of dessert!)
End of story is this: if you are OK with consuming artificial sweeteners, so be it. Personally, I have found that the pink stuff, the blue stuff, and even the yellow stuff DO have an effect upon my blood sugars, both up and down, but nonetheless disruptive effects even days later, and so I have personally gone to a diet of high-fiber and moderate carbs and lots of leafy greens and now I again enjoy going out to eat at restaurants and in moderation (bite-wise) truly savoring and enjoying decadent desserts and artisan breads... and guess what... the seemingly absurdly high price or such items isn't so bad at all when you are sharing it with your dining companions... !!!
The FDA requires proof of safety before recognizing a food additive as safe. A similar burden of proof is required for the FDA to ban a substance or label it unsafe. Nevertheless, stevia remained banned until after the 1994 Dietary Supplement Health and Education Act forced the FDA in 1995 to revise its stance to permit stevia to be used as a dietary supplement, although not as a food additive — a position that stevia proponents regard as contradictory because it simultaneously labels stevia as safe and unsafe, depending on how it is sold.[37]
Although unresolved questions remain concerning whether metabolic processes can produce a mutagen from stevia in animals, let alone in humans, the early studies nevertheless prompted the European Commission to ban stevia's use in food in the European Union pending further research.[14] Singapore and Hong Kong have banned it also.[15] However, more recent data compiled in the safety evaluation released by the World Health Organization in 2006[32] suggest that these policies may be obsolete.
Read all at http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stevia
Although unresolved questions remain concerning whether metabolic processes can produce a mutagen from stevia in animals, let alone in humans, the early studies nevertheless prompted the European Commission to ban stevia's use in food in the European Union pending further research.[14] Singapore and Hong Kong have banned it also.[15] However, more recent data compiled in the safety evaluation released by the World Health Organization in 2006[32] suggest that these policies may be obsolete.
Read all at http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stevia
There is nothing wrong with aspartame. Go to snopes.com, the urban legend site, and you will learn the whole story. Stevia, OTOH, is banned as a food additive in the US and Europe because it can cause cancer and genetic defects.
Aspartame is very bad for you (Equal) it is in almost everything, though. It is addictive and if you are female it is 10X worse on your body. Stay away from that one if you can. Read food labels carefully. It has been linked to MS, Lupus, Fibromyalgia.....the list is very long but no extended clinical trials.
As Wave said - Slenda is new - not alot of study done on it. I don't care for it - I might as well use plain ole sugar the way it effects my blood sugar levels.
Saccharin: (I might have misspelled this) Sweet N Low. I use this one for morning coffee. I like it. I realize that it causes cancer and has caused cancer which is why they took it out of most Diet Sodas in the late 80s (I miss the original Diet DrPepper and TAB!) not record of clinical trials showing links to MS, Lupus, Fibro and the such....just good ole cancer.
Stevia: I don't have much experience with this one - have tried it, though. I like the Orange Zevia Sodas. Different brands seem to taste different. Lots of info on CAM clinical trials showing that it can actually lower blood sugar levels and does not cause disease. No info linked with its use with children. And this is more a supplemental sweetner - it's not artifical - it does occur in nature (Stevia Plant).
Artifical Sweetners are a blessing and a curse....choose carefully.
Hope all Goes Well
As Wave said - Slenda is new - not alot of study done on it. I don't care for it - I might as well use plain ole sugar the way it effects my blood sugar levels.
Saccharin: (I might have misspelled this) Sweet N Low. I use this one for morning coffee. I like it. I realize that it causes cancer and has caused cancer which is why they took it out of most Diet Sodas in the late 80s (I miss the original Diet DrPepper and TAB!) not record of clinical trials showing links to MS, Lupus, Fibro and the such....just good ole cancer.
Stevia: I don't have much experience with this one - have tried it, though. I like the Orange Zevia Sodas. Different brands seem to taste different. Lots of info on CAM clinical trials showing that it can actually lower blood sugar levels and does not cause disease. No info linked with its use with children. And this is more a supplemental sweetner - it's not artifical - it does occur in nature (Stevia Plant).
Artifical Sweetners are a blessing and a curse....choose carefully.
Hope all Goes Well
For the past 5 years, I use and like Splenda (sucralose). Its new so the jury is still out whether potential harm will come by it. On the market in Japan since the 1970's is Stevia. I find Stevia to be extremely sweet and artificial tasting, where Splenda has more of the sugar taste. I won't touch Aspartame. Each has their own taste so its up to your taste buds to decide which one is right for you.
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