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Artificial Sweeteners

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zand said:
30 years ago I laughed when my father told me that sweeteners could be harmful. I wish I had listened to him. My own thinking is based on my own experience which I try to share with others for their benefit. If others don't want to hear it, that's fine, I don't have a problem with that, I have shared my experience so my conscience is clear, and that's all that matters to me.
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I just PM’d you Zand.
 
Can I just ask why when the sugar tax was introduced on squash for children was there no rebellion? I notice these drinks have been put in a different section of the supermarket from the squash containing sugar, there is a big price differential and the new ones contain Aspartame. I am glad my children are grown up because I wouldn't know what to do. I used to buy High Juice squash containing some sugar and dilute it well and it was only really an issue during the school summer holidays. We always had a rule of water with food because it didnt distort the taste of their food. As always not easy being a parent!
 
PenguinMum said:
Can I just ask why when the sugar tax was introduced on squash for children was there no rebellion? I notice these drinks have been put in a different section of the supermarket from the squash containing sugar, there is a big price differential and the new ones contain Aspartame. I am glad my children are grown up because I wouldn't know what to do. I used to buy High Juice squash containing some sugar and dilute it well and it was only really an issue during the school summer holidays. We always had a rule of water with food because it didnt distort the taste of their food. As always not easy being a parent!
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And even drinks with sugar also contain aspartame now. I used to buy high juice squash and dilute it too, and I did this for myself when I was desperate for something other than water, even as a T2, in preference to having aspartame.
 
zand said:
And even drinks with sugar also contain aspartame now. I used to buy high juice squash and dilute it too, and I did this for myself when I was desperate for something other than water, even as a T2, in preference to having aspartame.
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Quite an ironic story that I have told before is that my 6 year old daughter was having tummy pains. We had no idea why. So we took her to our GP (one of them that isn’t a great advocate of high fat). Quite a likeable guy. He got on the case and tapped out her stomach with his fingers and said that the number one cause of tummy pains in kids is constipation. His solution was more fibre and sugar free sweets owing to the artificial sweetener in them. He prescribed nothing in the way of medicine.
 
Listlad said:
His solution was more fibre and sugar free sweets owing to the artificial sweetener in them. He prescribed nothing in the way of medicine.
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Well they sure do have a laxative affect! :)
 
wiflib said:
All I know about me after years of self experiment is this; it does not make me crave, it does not cause my migraines, it does not affect my blood sugars and I’d drink nothing without it. I’ve given up almost everything, I’m not giving up sweetened drinks.
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Very similar here. I consume way less than I used to, but testing reveals no BG rise and often a Diet Coke can assist adherence to a fast or head off cravings to devour unneeded food. Sometimes the sweetness is too much and I ditch it after a mouthful, other times it hits the spot. Cakes and treats with erythritol on the other hand taste delicious, don’t spike but trigger cravings in a big way. Those are the things I’m trying to wean myself off.
 
Guzzler said:
I'm no biochemist but isn't phenylalanine a constituent part of formaldahide(sp)? And how easy/difficult is it for the liver to clear it?
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No, phenylalanine is an essential amino acid which is used to make proteins in the body. Aspartame aside, it is found in protein food sources, e.g. meat, fish, eggs, dairy, nuts and legumes. If excess amino acids are consumed (i.e. more than is needed for producing proteins) they are deaminated by the liver. The amine group is metabolised to urea and excreted in urine, while the rest of the molecule is oxidised to produce energy.

However, in aspartame, the phenylalanine and aspartic acid molecules are joined together by a methyl ester which forms a small amount of methanol when aspartame is broken down. The methanol is converted to formaldehyde and then to formic acid, which is excreted in urine. Methanol found in food sources such as fruit, vegetables and alcoholic drinks is metabolised in the same way.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aspartame
 
I haven’t made out a list of course but I have noticed that there are a significant number of members that use artificial sweeteners. Perhaps they might chip in on this thread.

Here is a low carb recipe freely doing the rounds on the forum. Note the artificial sweetener content.

https://www.ditchthecarbs.com/low-carb-carrot-cake/
 
Dark Horse said:
No, phenylalanine is an essential amino acid which is used to make proteins in the body. Aspartame aside, it is found in protein food sources, e.g. meat, fish, eggs, dairy, nuts and legumes. If excess amino acids are consumed (i.e. more than is needed for producing proteins) they are deaminated by the liver. The amine group is metabolised to urea and excreted in urine, while the rest of the molecule is oxidised to produce energy.

However, in aspartame, the phenylalanine and aspartic acid molecules are joined together by a methyl ester which forms a small amount of methanol when aspartame is broken down. The methanol is converted to formaldehyde and then to formic acid, which is excreted in urine. Methanol found in food sources such as fruit, vegetables and alcoholic drinks is metabolised in the same way.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aspartame
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Thank you, most informative.
 
Listlad said:
I haven’t made out a list of course but I have noticed that there are a significant number of members that use artificial sweeteners. Perhaps they might chip in on this thread.

Here is a low carb recipe freely doing the rounds on the forum. Note the artificial sweetener content.

https://www.ditchthecarbs.com/low-carb-carrot-cake/
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Hi Listlad, that's the one posted by Rachox, I made it and sent a virtual slice to you :)
 
Listlad said:
I haven’t made out a list of course but I have noticed that there are a significant number of members that use artificial sweeteners. Perhaps they might chip in on this thread.

Here is a low carb recipe freely doing the rounds on the forum. Note the artificial sweetener content.

https://www.ditchthecarbs.com/low-carb-carrot-cake/
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This is not about numbers, it is about making an informed choice even if that choice is, like mine, a 'wait and see but choose to avoid in the mean time' choice. Group mentality shouldn't be a thing here - that kind of thing can be very divisive.
 
Listlad said:
I haven’t made out a list of course but I have noticed that there are a significant number of members that use artificial sweeteners. Perhaps they might chip in on this thread.

Here is a low carb recipe freely doing the rounds on the forum. Note the artificial sweetener content.

https://www.ditchthecarbs.com/low-carb-carrot-cake/
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Robinredbreast said:
I'm sure @Robbity and @HSSS had made the carrot cake or versions of it ?
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Yes I have made it and love it.

@Listlad there aren’t any artificial sweeteners listed in the ingredients. It actually says “granulated sweetener of your choice to taste”. Which is the way I choose to interpret any recipe with sugar/sweetener listed and adapt them to my preferences and tastes.
 
HSSS said:
Yes I have made it and love it.

@Listlad there aren’t any artificial sweeteners listed in the ingredients. It actually says “granulated sweetener of your choice to taste”. Which is the way I choose to interpret any recipe with sugar/sweetener listed and adapt them to my preferences and tastes.
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Yes. LOL but presumably you used a sweetener? Or did you use sugar?
 
Robinredbreast said:
I'm sure @Robbity and @HSSS had made the carrot cake or versions of it ?
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I have passed the recipe on to the NHS lady organising Self Care events and she is going to make it. I will try a piece of hers if I can make it to the event. (We are trying to set up a Diabetes table in amongst all the others. Hopefully with a Low Carb friendly GP and the Type 1 chap that I mentioned a day or so ago.)

Did you guys use artificial sweeteners?
 
Listlad said:
I have passed the recipe on to the NHS lady organising Self Care events and she is going to make it. I will try a piece of hers if I can make it to the event. (We are trying to set up a Diabetes table in amongst all the others. Hopefully with a Low Carb friendly GP and the Type 1 chap that I mentioned a day or so ago.)

Did you guys use artificial sweeteners?
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Yes I did
 
I am weird (as if my profile picture isnt enough weirdness) Artificial sweeteners give me headaches, I have tried most of them. And they raise my blood sugars. Maybe its just a trigger of insulin due to the way sweetness, from any source, is interpreted by my body, I dont know. But it raises my blood sugar levels and give me carb cravings even after just one bit. So I dont use them.
 
lucylocket61 said:
I am weird (as if my profile picture isnt enough weirdness) Artificial sweeteners give me headaches, I have tried most of them. And they raise my blood sugars. Maybe its just a trigger of insulin due to the way sweetness, from any source, is interpreted by my body, I dont know. But it raises my blood sugar levels and give me carb cravings even after just one bit. So I dont use them.
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I get tremendous headaches getting involved in threads on sweeteners like this. :D
 
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