PSA: Artificial Sweeteners

[hippywife]

I've been recently diagnosed as diabetic. I've been doing a lot of research and reading.

The most egregious thing I've come across so far:

Unless you are using stevia, all of the other sweeteners in powder form in the pink, blue and yellow packages contain hidden sugars that comprise 90% or more of the package. You might as well use refined sugar in moderation and be done with it.

Some are fine in pill or liquid form but read the labels. If anything on there ends in -ose or -ol you are being fed manufactured sugars. There could be others so look up the ingredients if you have to.

What a fucking sham! And it got me to wondering how many people in the world really know this. I knew the endings for the ingredients, just never thought to look or even find out how much of each package these sugars made up of the total.

I turned my computer back on especially to tell you all this and to pass it along to everyone you know. Put these assholes outta business.


This ends this PSA and I am now going to bed. Sleep well, y'all. :hi:

[Kali]

1. oh shit

you are really getting hammered this fall - I'm so sorry.

related to your info - that there is some work indicating the fake sugars precipitate the exact same digestive responses at the real stuff anyway - and there your system sits waiting for the hit that doesn't come

rest - you will handle this, and I bet you can even get it reversed - I know how informed you are about nutrition and your skills in the food prep arena will help too.

[hippywife]

10. Thanx, kali.

If I can just summon the will and energy again to get back to the way I was eating before my diverticulitis derailed me and then I got carried away, I'll be fine. For now it's Metformin until I can do that.

Your confidence helps, hon. :hug:

P.S. I thought of you the other day. There has been the biggest black bull back of our property for a couple of days. Not sure if it's still there tonight. Maybe tomorrow if I still can see it during daylight hours, I'll make a couple of calls. Figure I'll start with both sheriff's offices. :rofl:

[Kali]

15. its not mine I swear!

god I hate getting those calls
for a couple years there we had stuff getting out somewhere CONSTANTLY, I just dreaded the calls. Now often enough it belongs to somebody else and I get all WOOHOO about it,:rofl:

be careful with those guys they may lumber around and seem slow but they can move REALLY fast and do a LOT of damage (even when they aren't frightened or in fight mode)

take a pic and put it up in the local feed store or post office, whatever you do DON'T feed it!

[hippywife]

21. The owners finally showed up just now.

I'd called OHP twice and they hadn't shown up. Just called back to cancel the call.

I wasn't getting anywhere near it. It was soooo huge, even from a distance, I couldn't tell if was a cow or a bull. Turns out it was a cow. We have cattle in the pasture next door all the time but that was the first time I'd seen one that big.

[Suich]

2. I'm so sorry, hippywife.

I don't have any sage advice, just some hugs:

:hug: :hug: :hug:

[hippywife]

11. Thank you, suich.

We all have things we have to deal with in our lives. I hope yours are few. :hug:

[abq e streeter]

3. Good morning , my fellow diabetic

This disease is controllable.I was diagnosed this summer and with exercise and a careful low carb diet, I'm doing extremely well and have been told by the nurse practitioner that if I keep up with the diet and exercise, I have every chance of never needing medication nor a need to fear any complications. I don't know the particulars of your situation but I am viewing my diagnosis as a blessing in disguise. I lost 30 pounds in 4 months and feel great. And I have stayed the hell away from these artificial sweetener/poisons for years. Best wishes to you on controlling your diabetes and living a healthy,and maybe even healthier than before, life.

[hippywife]

6. Hey, R...

I'm at work right now but I will be in touch with you later, hopefully this evening. :hug:

[hippywife]

14. I am so very pleased that you are doing so well.

It's very encouraging. And I'm glad you are viewing so positively. The attitude is what helps, no doubt. It's a real testament to your strength.

This is diabetes awareness month so hopefully folks will find the information they need to know about it and have themselves checked before complications begin to take hold.

:hug: to you, my friend. We can keep this thing at bay! :hi:

[TZ]

4. Umm artificial sugar and cane sugar

Are structurally and chemically about 99% the same anyway... So what you are saying and claiming is a little disingenuous. In fact Splenda is sucrose modified- which is the same molecule as refined sugar. It's not a "scam"- it has to do with the biology.the idea behind them is to make something taste as sweet as regular sugar just with less of it. You also understand that Stevia is chemically fructose , which using your logic makes it similar to HFCS. More so than the other sugars. I don't know anybody who would tell you that artificial sugar is good for diabetics. Diabetics are supposed to modify all sugar intake- artificial sugars are really meant for people looking to lower calorie intake. Nothing at all deceptive except for the fact that 99.9 of people don't understand basic biochemistry and nutrition.

[hippywife]

5. Your reply perfectly makes my point. Thank you.

It is, however, still a scam. The average person doesn't have to understand basic chemistry and nutrition just because you as a chemist can.

The manufacturers know of the ignorance among consumers because they created it. They do not advertise their product in such a manner as they should, leading people, many of whom are doctors, to believe they are safe sugar substitutes for all.

HFCS is a manufactured sugar as well, stevia is an all natural sweetener bound with fiber instead of sugars that can be used in much lower amounts than sugar.

[Crystal Clarity]

20. I agree hippywife

The info is out there (ie in books and on some trustworthy internet sites) but consumers really have to look for it and educate themselves. It shouldn't be this difficult. Most people, even if they truly want to find healthy sugar substitutes don't have the time or resources. Consequently, when their health mandates a change, they often find themselves fully unprepared.

There should be much better product explanations available and if the companies that supply these products are unwilling, (or worse hide info) then the FDA should step in.

[hippywife]

22. Heck, I'm assuming

that the FDA has to be fully aware of the issue. Remember the big debate decades ago over cyclamates and they ended up being banned here?

[hippywife]

9. I went into our dining room and picked up a package of each.

Of course, the offending ingredients are all there as the number one ingredient. Maltodextrin, dextrose, sucralose.

And imagine this...both the Splenda and the Equal say "Suitable for individuals (or people depending on which packet) for people with diabetes.

[DebJ]

7. At least one study has shown that using artificial sweetners

increases hunger. I also know that they do that for me (and one of them paralyzes my stomach...had to go to ER....it's whatever one is in Diet 7 UP). On the rare occasions when the only thing I can find to drink is a diet soda, I am absolutely ravenous very soon thereafter.

Hubby has diabetes and heart disease.......try to live without sugar AND fat in this country...it is very tough...he hates
veggies so I have to be creative.......Like, he loves beef stew, so I turn it into a combo beef stew/veggie soup...dump every veggie in the house in it, and he EATS them...a small but welcome miracle here.

When for about 6 months he gave up diet sodas, and drank water all day, he lost 20 lbs and was able to reduce his diabetes meds. Unfortunately, he went back to the diet sodas, pushed his doc to up his meds......I think he thinks he can safely double his carb intake if he ups his meds..........sigh. He'll order french fries and mashed potatoes with a burger on a very large bun.

[hippywife]

12. You definitely have

a really tough situation going there, Deb. Come hang in the C&B group and do a little searching/asking about preparing foods that he might eat and are good for him, too. The topic comes up often enough.

I wish you a way through this and the strength to overcome. :hug:

[TreasonousBastard]

8. Well, I've been Type 2 diabetic for 15 years, and...

been down that road.

Polysaccharides like dextrose, maltodextrin, and sugar alcohols like sorbitol maltitol are are added to lots of things to reduce carb and caloric intake while maintaining sweetness. The polysaccharides are in powder form, and "fill out" the little pink bags because stuff like saccharine is so sweet you only need a pinhead or two worth of it in a cup of tea. If it's in stevia, sucralose and other such stuff, it's there for the same reason.

Polysaccharides normally don't have an adverse effect on blood sugar, most likely because you don't use that much of them unless you really pig out. But, while you're working out your new diet your meter is your best friend and you might even find that a little sugar in your coffee doesn't raise your glucose levels all that much. You'll learn a lot about substitutions in your journey.

Splenda and aspartame have a lot of questions being asked and, although a lot of it is junk science and tinfoil, might best be avoided to the extent possible until it's all worked out.

As you might have heard by now, your real problem is the kind of carbs we all love-- pasta, rice, bread (even whole grain-- look at the carbs per slice in some of that stuff), all the good desserts... A teaspoon of sugar here and there just isn't that important if you completely cut out rice, baked potatoes, and the other really bad stuff.

Having said that, I use little sugar in things I cook for myself, and have developed a taste for saccharine in my coffee and tea. The little pink envelopes (or tiny pills) are dirt cheap and by now proven safe. They were once suspected of being a carcinogen, but that was one study where they shoved massive amounts of the stuff into rats and they died from all sorts of things.

Anyway, good luck on you journey, and I hope it's not a difficult one. Diabetes is extremely variable between victims and no two are really alike-- Your diet, exercise, and medications (if any) won't be like mine or anyone else's, but there are some be basics to deal with-- mainly reduce carb intake and work out. You'll have long talks with your nutritionist and she'll become one of your best friends, even if you hate what she says.

(And you'll learn about the glycemic index.)

[hippywife]

13. Already I'm finding that

the experts don't agree on many things, including use of the GI. There is just so much stuff to sort through and try.

And of course, I'm Italian so the pasta thing is really difficult. There is Dreamfield's. I've tried it and can't detect any major difference in taste and texture when it has tomato sauce on it. But there is also controversy over it, too. It's just so difficult to tell sometimes how much of what you read is true or just a smoke screen thrown up by competitors.

I'm sorry you are dealing with it, too. So far I'm not contacting a nutritionist. When I was eating according to the philosophy behind Michael Pollan's book In Defense of Food I did so well drastically decreasing my A1c and cholesterol even my doc was shocked. I took myself out of the of even the borderline pre-diabetes range. It works well and I just need to stop being so lazy and get back to that again.

The best advice I think is to monitor up to four times per day and experiment to find what works best for each individual. The additional monitoring to see if you can keep your blood sugar from taking spikes through the day seems to me a pretty logical approach, so that is the way I'm going to go forward. I need to keep reminding myself, too, that food is fuel and medicine, not something to use for comfort or merely to please my taste buds.

You sound like you have your knowledge base and your act together for yourself. I wish you success in controlling this hideous disease. :hug:



To anyone else reading these messages in this thread, there are reportedly 5.7 million people walking around unaware they have it. If you have a family history, or even have any other reason to suspect that you might have it, please have yourself checked. You can ruin your heart, lose your eyesight, lose extremities to amputation, shut down your kidneys and more. It's a very scary thing that can invade your body without your knowledge.

[TreasonousBastard]

16. No, the experts don't agree. They don't even agree on what...

a good a1c should be.

But, if you found a way to get yours down that's great. Whatever works.

Next time you're in a soopermarket, look over next to the veggie counters where the salad stuff is and you might find tofu noodles. (YUCK! you say...) They are ridiculously expensive compared to the stuff I would normally get, but I made a stroganoff with them and it was pretty good. I eat egg noodles in moderation but these are good for when seriously jonesing for a plate of noodles. Dreamfields isn't cheap either, and I suspect not nearly as good for you as tofu.

(FWIW, I just bought Pollan's book and it's sitting happily in my Nook waiting for me to see if there's anything I missed in there.)

[hippywife]

19. As he says

the whole idea is right there on the front cover: Eat Food. Not too much. Mostly plants. The inside really just fills out the details. I'm glad you have it. Eating that way really did wonders for me. In only three months, my A1c went down from 7.1 to 5.1 and cholesterol down from 234 to 189.

Thanks for the tip on the noodles. I had heard of them and seen them in the store. I don't mind tofu. It's even good when properly prepared. That is the thing many people miss. They are so used to ready to eat, prepared foods that are nothing but boxes of chemicals made to taste like food they've forgotten how to prepare food.

I'm not a conspiracy type either but seeing how our way of eating has changed so drastically and the decline of the real American farm, it's not a stretch to see that one day people will have no control over what they eat because the corporations will have that control. They are doing it to some extent now in such a sneaky and subtle way. That is why I am so thankful for the local food movements and farmers markets. They are reminding people how to eat and getting them back into their kitchens.

:hi:

[meow2u3]

17. If you read the ingredients carefully, you'll find this

The first ingredient in artificial sweetener packets is dextrose; in other words, it's glucose, the sugar that absorbs straight into your bloodstream without any real digestion necessary.

I've known that for years.

[hippywife]

18. The only reason I've never looked at it

is because I had no reason to until now. I am an avid label reader, otherwise. I just think this is one of the greatest scams. People who don't know what these ingredient names mean are and just hang their hopes on the advertising, labeling and what their misinformed doctors tell them are being duped big time. There is no other reason than greed that these companies perpetrate this scam, injuring and killing people to line their pockets. And apparently that's fine with the FDA.

Diabetes can be so difficult and defeating to live with. Because it works so invisibly and insidiously people just don't know the danger involved. It's hard enough without being duped into a false sense of security. I would love to see more people spread this word loudly, far and wide, to the unsuspecting public. Lives will be altered and saved.

I'm glad you are on to them, too. :hi: