You know that I’m old. I’ve been around a while. And, I recall when the FDA was going to remove saccharin from the marketplace.
And, it forced us to reformulate one of the products we had just designed. All because a few rats died from too much saccharin. Oh, I’m not making light of it- but more rats died from the same equivalent of sugar, but since sugar was “natural”, it was not about to be regulated. (The FDA eventually dropped its plans about 15 years later, in 1991. It turns out saccharin does not act the same way in humans that it does in rats- and the expected cancers aren’t found in humans with saccharin usage.)
And, this is a big market- some $1.5 billion a year in sales. And, we still are getting fatter…
We also have sucralose (Splenda), aspartame, acesulfame potassium, and stevia. The first three (and saccharin) actually work on the tongue receptors that excite neurons and the brain to think sweet- really sweet. Part of the reason why the sweeteners are considered safe is because we use less of them- way less- that we would for sugar, which is not as sweet. (Really!)
But… let’s consider… We discussed saccharin above. Now, aspartame is two amino acids connected via a methyl ester- and 0.004% of US residents can’t metabolize phenylanaline- so it will be a problem for them. And, the methyl ester can be converted into methanol (but at levels below those found in fruit juices).
Splenda (McNeil Nutritional’s version of sucralose) is based upon sugar with some of its constituents replaced by chlorine atoms, which afford sucralose the ability to traverse the body undigested. Which causes some to worry about the effect of the chlorine on the body- and the residual sucralose that ends up in our drinking waters.
Stevia is a natural product (one that grows in the same locales and similar conditions as cocaine- which means there is a political reason to push stevia production) that is barely perceptible to the body- but that perception lasts longer. And, because of that, it is harder to formulate into our soft drinks and foods.
So, which one are you- white (sugar), yellow (Splenda/sucralose), pink (saccharine), blue (Equal/Nutrasweet/aspartame), or green (stevia)? And, remember, it’s not just calories that count- but how they fit in a balanced diet!
Well, I’ll tell you Roy, with the diabetic trait running rampant in my family I have tried all the fake sweeteners and don’t like any of them. I use sugar, but sparingly. I drink tea, with no sugar in it, and don’t drink soda at all. If I am going to have simple carbs I’ll take natural sugar over any of the others. With one exception. If I am at a place where their tea isn’t that good I will put just a whisper of the pink stuff on the top to take the edge off. Because sugar doesn’t combine with cold tea as easily as the pink stuff does. I know I’m talking mostly beverages here, but it has been my observation that they are where most people get their greatest amount of all of the above sweeteners. My late husband, and father both drank diet soda like any day there may be shortage. People who are hooked on soda in general get cups and cups of sugar or sweetener everyday. I thank G-d I’m not a fan of sweet beverages LOL! Great post!
Lisa Brandel recently posted..The Painted Lady by Lisa Brandel
I used to drink LITERS of diet pop, Lisa… until one day (a dozen years ago or more), I just stopped. I stopped putting sugar in my coffee over 40 years ago (when i left New York, where coffee means light with two sugars…)
Thanks for bringing up those other points. They help round out the discussion.
Roy
I can’t do much of the artificial sweeteners and I get very, very hyper when I do. Hmm, maybe that Mocha Light Frappuccino at Starbucks I have once in a while has Splenda? It makes me killer hyper…lol. Excitotoxins? Hee!
I use stevia myself, maybe half packet in one cup of coffee. They make it into carbonated pop actually. There’s a product called Zevia at the health food store that is pretty good and mimics pop very well. In the past, I’ve used it in baking just fine. There’s newer formulations that work better than those about 12-15 years ago. The old stevia tasted like licorice and was in liquid form…yuck. Nowadays, they have fine powders that work well. I think I read that they use it in other countries for pop and baked goods successfully.
Lisa recently posted..Fabulous Females Who Rock Friday, Part 1
Stevia hasn’t changed, Lisa; our processing of it has gotten better- or at least, now that they want to be used in more items, they are catering their processing to those end uses…
We pays our money and makes our choices.
I try to simply have no sugar added to my food, but if I do I often use Stevia or when baking I’ll use a combo of brown/stevia. There are many things you can substitute for the kind of processed sugar you find in a bag when baking though.
Bonnie recently posted..Miracles and Then Some
I’m with you, Bonnie!
Thanks for the comment and addition to the discussion.
Roy
I’m yellow…in the best sense of the word.
shawn recently posted..What Makes A Healthy Marriage
Thanks for the giggle, Shawn!
What sophisticated tastes you folk have in the US. In the UK, it’s either sugar, or the other stuff in the pink sachets. But then, we were never much good at marketing.
Alan Miles recently posted..Comment Chaos, WordPress Woe
It’s not “sophisticated” tastes, Alan… After all, we are the ones who gave the world HFCS (High Fructose Corn Syrup)!
Roy
I know I’m old. I stopped adding salt and sugar to my diet more than 25 years ago, and don’t have much of a “sweet tooth”. Occasionally I’ll use honey or agave. I hope they’re OK.
I cook with honey all the time (never sugar), but it’s about the same “nutritionally” as sugar. I just like the consistency.
Since my food already comes presalted (of sorts), I NEVER cook with salt. Nor do I add it to my foodstuffs.
Thanks for the comment and visit, Mark
I’m a pink girl 80% of the time and green the rest. I fully admit to my out-of-control sweet tooth! I use the Stevia in my coffee in the morning because it seems to add just the right amount of sweetness. I use Sweet & Low the rest of the time, mostly for iced tea, which I drink gallons of daily. I would use Stevia in lieu of the pink stuff more often if it were more readily available at restaurants and coffee shops.
Thanks for the great post, Roy!
Miss Riki recently posted..An Introduction to the First Friday Freewrite!
Pink and Green… I’ll remember that, Riki! (I use Sweet and Low in my iced tea, too- but limit myself to a gallon a day 🙂 )
I am proud to say I am pure (watch it!) white 😉 Real sugar, real butter, save the synthetic man-made “nutrients” for someone else.
Really, PeggyLee?… Could you tell me where you obtain “real butter”. Only Breakstone’s sells it- the rest are fake butters!
have always told my girls that if you’re going to have a soft drink have the real stuff….no diet ones…..slightly paranoid when it comes to it….my cousin’s young child was having major health problems that all stopped when they stopped having diet soft drinks….this after several months of testing by doctors until it was worked out (don’t ask me why she was letting a 2 yr old drink soft drink….that’s a whole other story)
There really shouldn’t be a problem with diet drinks (i.e., synthetic sweeteners), unless there is a health situation. You may not like the taste, but that’s a different issue. But, I’m not so sure that HFCS should be considered the “real stuff”, either! In spite of their ad campaign, Katrina
Roy
Roy,
I love the way you broke it down. It really helps to make a choice when you can weigh ALL the options factually. I have always been an Equal (blue) fan but after hiring a personal trainer I have given up artificial sweeteners and gone back to sugar but in limited quantities.
Patty Farmer
Patty Farmer recently posted..Hot Spot Event – The Strategy of Using Klout
I think almost choosing to eat almost anything in moderation is a good choice, Patty. Thanks for the visit and the comment!
I have diabetics in the family and I am “blessed” with a sweet tooth. But because of the strong hereditary factor, I keep sugar use (white) to a minimum. But when I use, I use white sugar. Even tea is without sugar; if I have green tea I pour in a little honey.
I have never indulged in artificial sweeteners. I don’t know why.
I just make sure that the day I indulge in sweet is followed by a day I workout a little extra. That is my only escape… or at least I am hoping!
Hajra recently posted..Rising Above Hate
I’m not sure that is quite the right choice, Hajra… I’d ask your physician…
This is one time when you can call me yellow. It’s a little more complicated than that, though because I am a caffeine free diet coke drinker and that means I use blue. If I drink diet coke with splenda than I have my preferred sweetener but I have the caffeine, which I try to reserve for my coffee drinking, which brings me back to being yellow.
Bonnie Anderson recently posted..Confessions of a Movie Snob
What a colorful response, Bonnie. Where do you get Diet Coke with splenda? I know I consider Florida a foreign country, but it’s not among those that use Splenda…
I don’t use artificial sweeteners and I have significantly reduced my consumption of sweeteners in general. I sometimes use honey, sometimes agave nectar and the odd bit of white or brown sugar (but very little).
Leanne Chesser recently posted..Smart (or Smarter) Goal Setting
Leanne… I’m big on artificial sweeteners for my iced tea [a gallon a day keeps my prostate at bay :-)], stevia for some applications (where the “special taste” won’t interfere”, and honey for the rest.
I finally retired the 5 pound bag of sugar I bought when I got divorced in 2000… (which speaks volumes about the sugar needs I have).
I’m reading this with my one can of Diet Coke in my hand. 🙂 I limit myself to no more than one a day. That’s all the artificial sweeteners I use. I’m an avid baker, so white sugar for me, except for the organic cane sugar I use for my hot tea (with cream) each morning.
Thanks for the Sweet information, Roy.
Debi Walter recently posted..Make Your Own Rad-Libs
Ah, the sweetest sound to one’s ears is reading (and translating the comments to sound) another’s comments on their blog. Thanks for filling my caloric requirements for the day, Debi.
Roy