Do You Use A Sugar Substitute?

[brandy_girl]

LOL Yep Felix! Coffee in the morning will regulate you pretty fast!

yep a huge bowl of bran cereal, coffee with Splenda in the morning and lots of drinking the night before better stay close to home ... who needs Exlax when you have that trippin trio?

KC that's hilarious!

[Kchurchill5]

I rarely add sugar to anything, but when I bake anything I do add it. However, my Aunt was diabetic and my Mom had to watch. I tried splenda and it was so so. I tried to pic natural type of desserts that didn't require sugars - but I used the real thing when I make a dessert. If my Mom watched, she could have a little. She just had to be careful and watch. But desserts were very rare - 2x per month if that, maybe 3 during the holidays.

[Engrossed]

I'm not diabetic but love my sweets and don't want the calories of sugar, so have tried all the different sweeteners.

I avoid anything with "Aspartame" as an ingredient after watching a documentary about it, and reading about it...biggest claim is that it can cause brain cancer.

I don't mind Splenda at all. In drinks it's great, and when used with half sugar in baking I can barely tell the difference. The only negative reaction I've ever seen anyone have to it was from my MIL who had an allergic reaction to one of the stabilizer ingredients added to the granular version.

I've recently started experimenting with Xylitol and Erythritol. Both are used in sugar-less candies. They are similar to Splenda in that they start from sugar and the molecules are changed so that your body can't absorb them. This is what causes the intestinal discomfort in some people. Beano can prevent this effect but also allows your body to absorb the calories. While I don't notice those effects with Splenda, it was dramatic the first time I used the "tols". Now I use a blend of Splenda/Xylitol/Sugar. The other 'downside' to the "tols" is that they have a weird 'cooling' effect, even in baked goods, if you use too much.

I found out about Xylitol from my Dentist of all people. It has been discovered that it keeps bacteria in your mouth from being able to eat, so prevents cavities. They have done studies in third world countries where they gave kids a Xylitol candy each day, they had no dental work, didn't brush their teeth, and they didn't develop any cavities. It is now added to a lot of dental care products.

I don't like the taste of Stevia. Truvia is a Erythritol/Stevia mix so can still have the intestinal effects.

I also love honey and agave nectar...but just like sugar they add calories.

[Chocolatl]

I never use substitutes any more. To me they all have an unpleasant aftertaste.
It's funny, because when I was young and skinny I used to like the taste of sugarless hard candy, and always put saccharin in my coffee (I don't sweeten it now).

[Marion_in_Savannah]

I use Splenda in my coffee and tea, because it's the only one I've ever found that doesnt have any aftertaste for me. I've tried Truvia, which was not bad but to my tastebuds had an almost vanilla taste which I didn't care for in my tea. DH uses the loose Splenda to put on cereal and fruits.

For baking I use only sugar.

[Deely]

What eye opening responses! I already have intestinal problems and I hate taking unnecessary meds because if it they side effects, I'll have them. Sooo my decision is to stick with sugar. Thank you all for helping me to sort through all the info out there!

[FrenchBunny]

I made these two recipes for a diabetic friend of mine and I tried them and if I didn't make them I wouldn't of known they were made with Splenda. They were really that good. No aftertaste at all. I still have to go and post my review and pics over there. I will use Stevia in my tea sometimes just to cut back on some sugar, but not always and it's really good. I need to get some more, I'm out.

http://www.food.com/recipe/splenda-blen ... ies-107628

http://www.food.com/recipe/diabetic-oat ... ies-144639

[Chocolatl]

I don't remember if it was Cook's Country or Cook's Illustrated, but they recently did a test of sugar substitutes, and none of them did very well in baking. The texture was badly affected.

[Engrossed]

Recently, I've been on a coconut craze which is weird because I used to despise it, but that is the sweetened shredded kind.

Now that I've learned of the amazing health benefits of coconut, I try to use coconut oil, coconut cream and coconut milk in as many recipes as possible. I also have been playing with coconut flour. I buy unsweetened shredded coconut in different sized shreds for recipes too.

Anyways...I recently discovered coconut sugar! It's made from the sap of coconut blossoms, and is low glycemic, suitable for diabetics, and can be subbed 1.1 for sugar. It tastes a bit like a maple brown sugar. I have found that it isn't quite as sweet is regular sugar, but it's a wonderful product, and if anything, I sub half of it for sugar or brown sugar in recipes. It's is a bit pricey...I buy mine on Amazon.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Coconut_sugar

[Kchurchill5]

I don't eat sweets; but now and then a recipe does require sugar. Sometimes I will use honey, but usually I just less sugar. And I use the real thing.

I don't like the substitutes.