I was just sent this from a friend. The Guardian is reporting about the ADA and how it takes so much money from “Splenda” it is willing to promote splenda’s overuse to us. I understand there are new studies showing these fake sugars are not good for diabetics nor non-diabetics. Thoughts?
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I’ve noticed mild BG spikes post-Splenda
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No, Splenda is probably not “good” for anyone. But then again, sugar isn’t especially good for people either.
Maybe you don’t need to put either sugar or Splenda in your coffee. You can manage without either.
But there are some things that need some type of a sweetener. I think unsweetened ice cream would suck.
So I think this is a matter of “choose your poison”. When do you need it, and when can you do without it.
I think the ADA is thinking that many/most people are not going to do completely without some type of sweetener. So given that people will use something, they think Spenda is better for diabetics than sugar.
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The cucumber and onion salad recipe with splenda that the Guardian referenced does sound really gross. Not sure why you need splenda with a recipe that is pretty much just cucumber, onion, and vinegar.
But it is also possible that the Guardian is just cherry-picking the worst-cast examples for their article.
People in the UK tend to be put off by how much sugar is added to foods in the US. I just read 3 recipes for onion, cucumber & vinegar salad. Everyone of them had a considerable amount of sugar.
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Maybe. But there has been other articles I’ve come across shedding the light on the damage sucralose and other fake sugars do to the gut biome overtime. (Maybe those studies are done by the cane sugar industry? 
)
With so many risks hanging around my neck already, I certainly would not want to add yet another. No I can’t handle sugar like a normal person, but do I really want to substitute it with something that does damage in another way? It’s creeping into every “light” or “Keto” or “low glycemic” food out there, so it’s getting hard to avoid.
I’ve decided to stear clear of fake sugars for now. I had a dark mint chocolate last night after dinner and it didn’t kill me. Probably had about 5 grams of sugar in all. So I figure a sweet now and again is entirely manageable without the added risk.
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I agree with you completely. If you can live without artificial sweeteners and sugar, that is definitely the healthier way to go.
But I was speaking about the general population, and how the ADA is trying to move them away from sugar.
Ideally, yes, they would get people to avoid both sugar AND artificial sweeteners. But perhaps they don’t think they can do that, and feel that splenda is a reasonable alternative.
But yes, I am 100% with you on this. Avoiding it is better, if you can.
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That sounds really gross to me.
I don’t ever put anything sweet in any salad dishes.
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It has ALWAYS spiked me. I was using it after diagnosis, trying to figure out my ratios, rates, etc. Then one day, I used stevia instead of Splenda/sucralose, and BAM I went low. Mad low.
Several studies have come out showing that sucralose, consumed in the presence of any carbs, is converted into carbs itself.
The original studies, by industry, showing it was GRAS (generally recognized as safe) were not robust enough…It changes the gut biome.
Oddly enough, one of my kids, since toddler hood, is sucralose intolerant. Vomits shortly after ingestion. We BOTH have to read labels: sucralose is pervasive in the U.S.!
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Splenda gives me hives. Used to like Cheesecake Factory low carb cheesecake. Made with Splenda. I would take a Benadryl first. But that was a long time ago. I read Splenda is chemically altered sugar.
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It is!
It’s really interesting. Splenda is basically sugar that has been altered in such a way that the body does not recognize it as sugar, so it does not metabolize it.
There are a lot of things that are created with adjustments like that.
Like maltodextrin is a commonly used sweetener. It is derived from corn starch, and is technically a complex carbohydrate. But because the bonds are so weak, it breaks apart quickly. So it’s actually a complex carbohydrate that acts like a simple sugar, like glucose or fructose.
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Glad I don’t really like sweet things. Stick with dark chocolate. But kind of scary how they alter our food for profit.
Jane
Jane Cerullo
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I don’t really like them too much either. Except when I actually need them!
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I would like to chime in with an unpopular option, i belive. I have a sweet tooth and enjoy sweets, in moderation. I do not like altered foods, tend to stick with fresh as much as possible, and if possible only use sugar. I do not really add sweeteners to much ( except to baked goods, i love to bake) drink mostly only black coffee and water. I belive in an old attage diabetes is not a disease of sugar, so yes when i do use an added sweetener i use sugar. I would like to belive i have the tools in both hardware and software to handle so sugar.
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I do not have an opinion as to whether sucralose is bad for you (or how bad). I’m certain that it does not cause a blood sugar rise like a glucose or fructose.
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I did not say sucralose causes a rise in blood sugar like glucose or fructose.
I said maltodextrin does.
Look at my entire quote in context. I was talking about how maltodextrin - which is technically a complex carbohydrate - causes a quick rise in blood sugar.
Here is the entire context of my quote:
You’re right. I missed the transition from sucralose to maltodextrin.
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I’m sure someone will think me an abomination for this, but here goes. I’m a fan of “natural” things are better to consume, but poison ivy and poison oak are “natural” and I don’t eat them (heard a story of couple boys in Michigan that did as a “preventative cure”…not a good result). Oil is “natural,” dirt is “natural,” but I [Editted] don’t advocate eating mud pies (sticks in your gums and teeth). I realize Splenda is not “natural”. All of this said, I like my coffee, tea, and (Ack!) soda with some sweetner. I don’t drink the sugar ones for obvious reason (they won’t give me that much insulin!). I find it similar to drug advertisements and their disclaimers…my wife and I listen to the TV ads and during the disclosures often comment, “Well damn! Gimme some of that!” I recall a headline from many years back that declared: “Man dies from drinking water!”; turns out he drank 2 gallons in under an hour…there are practical matters to be considered and to each our own…within reason and moderation!
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Absolutely!
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Yes, I did veer off topic!
I am just fascinated by how they can change a few atoms in food to make stuff behave totally different. Or make entirely new things!
They can make anything. Except significantly faster insulin. 
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