(First, I gotta say that I love the show. It really helps to see someone succeeding so well.)
I notice that Blaine makes considerable use of a particular artificial sweetener in his recipes. If you go surfing the Net, you'll find plenty of information (at least SOME of which is reliable!) on the health problems with this (and all) artifical sweeteners.
Because of this, I either just stick with "better" sugars (at least less of a carb problem than white sugar), or if I'm after lo-cal & lo-carb, I'll use stevia. It's a natural sweetener that's many times sweeter than sugar so I only need a few drops to equal a spoonful.
You won't find stevia listed as a sweetener, or sold with them - go figure. Instead, look at a health food or vitamin store; it'll be listed as a supplement.
I'll admit, I haven't yet experimented with stevia in baking, so I'm not sure yet how to use it as a substitute without compromising the flavor/texture of the end result. That's next on my to-do list.
My daughter had gestational diabetes 7 months ago and her doctor approved of her using Splenda. He said that it would not hurt her or the baby. Our Grandbaby is 5 months old now and she is perfect.
His website uses scare tactics on everything. He is not a real doctor. Losing the weight is the primary benefit. Once it is lost then cut the splenda I say. My doctor said it is fine as a weight loss tool. Bunch of quacks.
His website uses scare tactics on everything. He is not a real doctor. Losing the weight is the primary benefit. Once it is lost then cut the splenda I say. My doctor said it is fine as a weight loss tool. Bunch of quacks.
In my opinion, I won't/don't listen to anything Mercola's site has to say.
If you don't want to use artificial sweeteners, then don't. But, for many of us, they are lifesavers. We each have to make our own choices in life and live with the consequences.
I love to bake with stevia, it works well, a little tip is to use a bulking ingredient to keep the baked goods moist & fluffy. So for everyone one cup of sugar that is replaced with stevia 1/4 a cup of any of these options will work: Applesauce, coconut milk, fruit juice, fruit puree, yogurt, rice milk, etc. For example when I make banana bread I use one whole extra banana for bulk. Here is an equivilency chart so you can sub stevia in any recipe: http://www.sweetleaf.com/category.php?subcat=recipes&subpage=eq_chart Good Luck!
I notice that Blaine makes considerable use of a particular artificial sweetener in his recipes. If you go surfing the Net, you'll find plenty of information (at least SOME of which is reliable!) on the health problems with this (and all) artifical sweeteners.
...C ya!
I did a lot of research on Splenda, especially because my research on NutraSweet proved to me that it is a horrible chemical that is suspect in brain tumors and kidney damage. When they first introduced Nutrasweet, they sent out millions of little packets that contained three little gumballs made with it (anybody else remember that?). One of those gumballs is the only NutraSweet that has ever knowingly entered my system.
I found a lot of things about Splenda, but I noticed that most of it was put out by a group headed by a Dr. MERCOLA (if you google "splenda" the first couple of PAGES seem to be related to "mercola" somehow).
Then I found an article about the sugar industry's efforts to trash Splenda through dirty tricks and discovered that Splenda was approved for use in Canada in 1990, sixteen years ago, and there has never been any health problems associated with it.
I thought the article was straightforward and honest, and it calmed my worries about Splenda. So I got the big box of it from Costco and now use it for darn near everything that calls for a little sweetener (I don't have a "sweet-tooth," though). It holds up to heat so it's useful in recipes for baked goods.
Don't bother with the Splenda brown sugar, though. It has exactly the same amount of carbs as regular brown sugar.
Unfortunately, the FDA is going to ban stevia, according to an article in Popular Science. Recent studies have shown that it is a "probable" carcinogen. Yeow! Some people believe that just because something is "natural," it's better, but that's not always the case.
A good, low-glycemic/load sweetener is agave nectar, which is also three times sweeter than sugar so you don't need as much. It's 5 net carbs per tablespoon, but remember that it's only a 1 on the glycemic load index, so it doesn't raise glycogen rapidly. I probably wouldn't use it on the induction phase, but it should be fine for OWL.
I notice that Blaine makes considerable use of a particular artificial sweetener in his recipes. If you go surfing the Net, you'll find plenty of information (at least SOME of which is reliable!) on the health problems with this (and all) artifical sweeteners.
...C ya!
I did a lot of research on Splenda, especially because my research on NutraSweet proved to me that it is a horrible chemical that is suspect in brain tumors and kidney damage. When they first introduced Nutrasweet, they sent out millions of little packets that contained three little gumballs made with it (anybody else remember that?). One of those gumballs is the only NutraSweet that has ever knowingly entered my system.
I found a lot of things about Splenda, but I noticed that most of it was put out by a group headed by a Dr. MERCOLA (if you google "splenda" the first couple of PAGES seem to be related to "mercola" somehow).
Then I found an article about the sugar industry's efforts to trash Splenda through dirty tricks and discovered that Splenda was approved for use in Canada in 1990, sixteen years ago, and there has never been any health problems associated with it.
I thought the article was straightforward and honest, and it calmed my worries about Splenda. So I got the big box of it from Costco and now use it for darn near everything that calls for a little sweetener (I don't have a "sweet-tooth," though). It holds up to heat so it's useful in recipes for baked goods.
Don't bother with the Splenda brown sugar, though. It has exactly the same amount of carbs as regular brown sugar.
Yes, Splenda is essentially sugar which has had one hydroxyl group replaced with a chlorine atom. The big issue is that Bordon discovered it accidentally but immeadiately patented it and has retained control of it. Obviously other sugar producers are jealous and so are producers of artificial sweetners. They did extensive research and so have others and no bad side effects have been found. While Stevia is natural; so is poison ivy. As a natural nutritional supplement it has not undergone anywhere near the amount of testing which Splenda has. Remember, Bordon accidentally discovered it , and had to verify that it did not pose a health risk since potentially the plant in which it was accidentally created was contaminated. If they had resumed production and the sugar was contaminated with a potential health risk they would eventually face litigation.
I just saw on a Halloween Treats segment on the news that Xylitol , the "natural "calorie free sweetner is TOXIC TO DOGS; far more dangerous than chocolate. This being so , I would be hesitant to consider it safe.
This message has been edited. Last edited by: oshwyn5,
As a diabetic, I have been using sweeteners for years, but the only one I actually like is Splenda. Perhaps that's because it doesn't change it's taste when cooked. Equal not only doesn't cook well, it has a short shelf life . . . did you ever get an old can of diet soda? Anyway, I worry less about using sweeteners than I do about elevated blood sugar. If they were truly a threat, I'd have died years ago.
I notice that Blaine makes considerable use of a particular artificial sweetener in his recipes. If you go surfing the Net, you'll find plenty of information (at least SOME of which is reliable!) on the health problems with this (and all) artifical sweeteners.
...C ya!
I did a lot of research on Splenda, especially because my research on NutraSweet proved to me that it is a horrible chemical that is suspect in brain tumors and kidney damage. When they first introduced Nutrasweet, they sent out millions of little packets that contained three little gumballs made with it (anybody else remember that?). One of those gumballs is the only NutraSweet that has ever knowingly entered my system.
I found a lot of things about Splenda, but I noticed that most of it was put out by a group headed by a Dr. MERCOLA (if you google "splenda" the first couple of PAGES seem to be related to "mercola" somehow).
Then I found an article about the sugar industry's efforts to trash Splenda through dirty tricks and discovered that Splenda was approved for use in Canada in 1990, sixteen years ago, and there has never been any health problems associated with it.
I thought the article was straightforward and honest, and it calmed my worries about Splenda. So I got the big box of it from Costco and now use it for darn near everything that calls for a little sweetener (I don't have a "sweet-tooth," though). It holds up to heat so it's useful in recipes for baked goods.
Don't bother with the Splenda brown sugar, though. It has exactly the same amount of carbs as regular brown sugar.
Yes, Splenda is essentially sugar which has had one hydroxyl group replaced with a chlorine atom. The big issue is that Bordon discovered it accidentally but immeadiately patented it and has retained control of it. Obviously other sugar producers are jealous and so are producers of artificial sweetners. They did extensive research and so have others and no bad side effects have been found. While Stevia is natural; so is poison ivy. As a natural nutritional supplement it has not undergone anywhere near the amount of testing which Splenda has. Remember, Bordon accidentally discovered it , and had to verify that it did not pose a health risk since potentially the plant in which it was accidentally created was contaminated. If they had resumed production and the sugar was contaminated with a potential health risk they would eventually face litigation.
I just saw on a Halloween Treats segment on the news that Xylitol , the "natural "calorie free sweetner is TOXIC TO DOGS; far more dangerous than chocolate. This being so , I would be hesitant to consider it safe.
I like to go by the facts and I usually think that the people who have something to gain rarely will give you the truth. Those with a strong reputation and nothing to gain by denouncing or supporting a health issue dserve the highest consideration. I went to PubMed and found journals (peer-reviewed articles) like JAMA (Journal of the American Medical Association), the Nw England Journal of Medicine, and The American Dietetic Association.
See the articles that follow to get an honest evaluation:
This just a start but articles reviewing all the studies that were done well on saccharin and bladder cancer have absolutely no connection, i.e. there is no increased risk of bladder cancer if you use saccharin.
I also agree--everything that is natural is absolutely not safe--I won't be taking belladona anytime soon. I would be more likely to trust websites from the NIH or CDC or with ".edu" than I would ".com". Of note here are two studies on Stevia which help to support that it is okay to eat. It is important to remember that whether it is natural of artificial is of no importance in the body; it is ONLY the action IN the body that counts. Case in point medications such as atorvastatin or pravastatin (the statins) have been proven to decrease heart attacks and to add years of life--adding life is the golden grail of medicine.
Apparent lack of pharmacological effect of steviol glycosides used as sweeteners in humans. A pilot study of repeated exposures in some normotensive and hypotensive individuals and in Type 1 and Type 2 diabetics. Regul Toxicol Pharmacol. 2008 Jun;51(1):37-41. Epub 2008 Mar 5. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/18397817?ordinalpos=...anel.Pubmed_RVDocSum
IF THESE TWO ARTICLES ARE CORRECT THEN THE NATURAL STEVIA IS ALSO NOT HARMFUL. KEEP READING AND MAKE UP YOUR OWN MIND--DON'T LET ANY MANIPULATIVE WEBSITES MAKE YOUR DECISIONS FOR YOU.
This is a really interesting thread. I've turned my back on anything containing aspartame years ago, before all this conclusive research surfaced. I also use Stevia. I was a little skeptical at first, because I didn't hear much about this all-natural supplement. But now, it's all I use. My nutritionist friend swears by it. Say no to artificial sweeteners and yes to stevia. They sell a great brand called Sweetleaf at Whole Foods.
