Artificial sweeteners ?

NancyNGA said:
I've consumed tons of artificial sweeteners since the day they came out with Tab soda back in the 70's (?). I recently did an experiment with them when I switched from coffee to tea. I always liked tea with LOTS of sugar, so I had to switch to artificial sweeteners because of the calories.

I first tried Sweet & Low (pink, saccharin). It took 3 packets to come even close to the sweetness I liked in tea, and it never was quite the same. It had a salty aftertaste to me. Beyond 3 didn't seem to make any difference.

Then I tried Nutrasweet (blue, aspartame). It took 7 packets to equal the sweetness I liked, but the taste was very close to sugar, imo.

Then I tried mixing the two.
Turned out 2 packages of blue with 1 package of pink were near perfect.

This amazed me so I looked it up, and sure enough, mixing sweeteners can do that, because each can target different taste senses.
Click to expand...

I use a mixture of stevia and sugar in my coffee but until I read your post I had no idea why I needed less volume of the combination than of either alone. Stevia has a slightly bitter aftertaste which is why I soften it with real sugar.
 

There is no data showing weight loss comparisons between sugar users and artificial sweeteners users. My doctor and what I read state sweeteners increase the appetite.
 
I think the main reason for members wanting to use artificial sweeteners has to do with diabetes more than weight loss but I could be wrong.
 

There have been several studies which show that artificial sweeteners....especially in "diet" soda's....triggers the brain into wanting More. This is Great for the soda makers, but probably not so great for those who drink that stuff.
 
I've also read those studies, Don. It's also shocking how much

Keesha may be on to something that's true for many of us. Even though tests show that I'm neither diabetic nor pre-diabetic (fasting glucose runs 92-95, A1C is 5.3) my family is loaded with diabetics and I personally find sweets, breads. and other simple carbs can make me feel a little wonky. Stevia and artificial sweeteners don't taste as good as sugar but at least my body doesn't make me regret them a while later. Half stevia, half sugar is a good mix for my tastebuds and body response. I drink 3 cups of coffee each morning... one half-caff, two decaf. Back in the day I used to drink coffee from morning till night so 3 cups is a serious curtailment.

Now if only I could lay off the GS cookies and the Aldi's clones. :eek:
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Back
Top