Splenda, yay or nay?

I have noticed over the past 3 or so years that the pink and blue packets on restaurant tables have started giving way to or being combined with the yellow packets. I am curious to find out other diabetics’ opinions on Splenda.

I am a blue packet guy myself. In fact, if I find out anything is sweetened with Splenda, I stay far, far away from it. I can’t explain it very well, but there is something about the Splenda taste that does not agree with me – it’s like it numbs my taste buds or something. I don’t care for it. However, with all of the yellow packets appearing these days, I wonder if I am in the minority.

Josh, I use Splenda all the time. I don’t find it has an odd taste or numbs my taste buds in any way. In fact, I far prefer it to Equal (I’m concerned about the safety of aspartame) and Sweet N Low (which to me tastes VERY artificial). I drink a lot of tea and I always sweeten with Splenda or stevia. However, if I’m at a restaurant and all that’s available are Equal or Sweet N Low, I go for Equal.

I only know 2 other diabetics in the “real” world, and both have the same opinion as you on Splenda. Every time I go to the grocery store I’m worried about which of the diet drinks that I like have turned to the “dark” side :wink:

I don’t use any sweeteners at all. I drink my tea/coffee without sugar, and in my baking I use real sugar, but always a bit less. The carb in the flour and other ingredients is just as evil as the sugar anyways… may as well have the real thing and just go easy on it!

Hey I was just wondering if you had use Blue Agave??? This is a natural sugar that is safe for people with diabetes. It is sold at natural food stores or online I did lots of research on it if you goto goole and type it in you can get tons of info. on it!! It has less crabs then reg. sugar and you can bake with it!!! Just a heads up with give it to our three year old an she likes it alot it really good. “AND IT"S NOT FAKE”

I only use Splenda. I even use the Brown Sugar Splenda. I never could drink diet sodas because of the aftertaste, but now that Diet Coke uses Splenda, I can actually drink that one, but rarely do because it just intensifies my craving for a “real” soda (I was addicted to Dr. Pepper pre-diagnosis…go figure). But, after reading these responses, I am going to try to find the Blue Agave that Korin mentioned. :slight_smile:

I like Stevia the best actually.

I definitely prefer Splenda to Equal or Sweet N Low, and I use it whenever I have plain yogurt and oatmeal, for example. I don’t notice an aftertaste at all. The only exception is with diet sodas. I don’t like the new Diet Coke with Splenda, for example, and am sticking to the old aspartame-sweetened stuff, even though I don’t think it’s very good for you.

I haven’t heard of Blue Agave, but I’ve heard of Agave nectar/syrup in general. Agave Nectar and Honey and maybe Molasses are, imo, the most natural sweeteners, and I would use more of them if I didn’t have diabetes (where I have to be more concerned with overall carb intake). However, agave is still mostly fructose, so it has a lower glycemic index but still a lot of carbs, especially compared to Splenda/Aspartame. Calorie King lists it as 28.4 carbs per ounce, exactly the same as white granulated sugar.

I love stevia, but not everyone does. Many brands have kind of a black licorice taste, so if you don’t like black licorice, you might not like stevia.

Ironically enough, I just noticed that one of the Google Ads on the side was about Aspartame and it led to this:

FDA Statement on European Aspartame Study
April 20, 2007 – FDA has completed its review concerning the long-term carcinogenicity study of aspartame entitled, “Long-Term Carcinogenicity Bioassays to Evaluate the Potential Biological Effects, in Particular Carcinogenic, of Aspartame Administered in Feed to Sprague-Dawley Rats,” conducted by the European Ramazzini Foundation (ERF), located in Bologna, Italy. FDA reviewed the study data made available to them by ERF and finds that it does not support ERF’s conclusion that aspartame is a carcinogen. Additionally, these data do not provide evidence to alter FDA’s conclusion that the use of aspartame is safe.

I used to use Splenda for my tea, but finally decided it was raising my BG levels. It is the bulking agent they use for the powdered form that can have that effect.

I now use Equal tablets instead, as well as Stevia tablets.

Hi Josh. I am just like you and we are in the minority. I think Splenda has a bad after-taste. Of course they all do, but Equal is the least offensive to me.

I am all about the Pink.

Hey Josh,
I’m a Splenda guy and will opt for it whenever I can. I don’t find any after taste. Actually, it tastes about the same to me as Aspertame does, but I have some concerns about the long term impacts of the blue stuff, where I remember reading something about Splenda being a re-engineering of the Glucose molecule to keep it from being digested as sugar…
Cheers,
Jeff

I really like splenda. tastes sweeter than sugar. but I know it doesnt agree with some people.

The main reason I prefer Splenda is the fact that aspartame gives me terrible migraines. I can drink 1/2 a soda with nutrasweet and get a horrific migraine!

I’m not such a fan, myself. I used Splenda for a while and it tasted okay, but more than a couple packets gave me some pretty gnarly headaches, which really worried me. I used aspartame for a number of years when it was still considered “safe” and am wondering when they’ll find a problem with sucralose (aka Splenda). I find it a little alarming to observe the pattern of transition from one sweetener to the next as problems are found with each one.

For what it’s worth, I find that stevia tastes better than artificial sweeteners and doesn’t give me the heebie-jeebies. I like Sweetleaf liquid because it doesn’t have a discernible aftertaste, there are also a number of different flavors but I haven’t tried any yet. Unless my sugars are running high I usually tend to stick with evaporated cane juice (aka unrefined sugar) and bolus for the carbs.

Yellow Here , I use Splenda but not often . I drink my Tea and Coffee black so I only use it in cereal when I have it .

well i use it all the time for my whole family & im the only diabetic
i dont get any complaints from them i use it on their cereals,in cakes that i cook,in fact anything that needs sugar to sweeten it i have 4 children ages bettween 13 & 2 i dnt have any trouble getting them to eat it

When I visit my mom’s house, she’ll tend to bake desserts and such with Splenda in place of sugar. It works remarkably well. The stuff has completely eliminated the fear I had when I was diagnosed that I would never be able to have pumpkin pie again…