Hiya all!

Just a quick Q! - excuse my ignorance but...what does Splenda taste like? - I have so far not touched the stuff because I've always been a bit funny with artificial sweeteners - is it ARTIFICIAL? - Does it have a funny AFTERTASTE? - I'm a keen cook and would like to do a bit of baking but I generally only DO pure foods, i don't like the idea of FRANKENFOODS!

Thanks in Advance peeps!

Take care

Ax

I don't notice any bad aftertaste with splenda, which I do with other sweeteners. However, it affects people differently, so you should experiment to see how it tastes to you. I use the tablets crushed for sweetening rather than the granular stuff. It saves all those extra carbs in the maltodextrin bulking.

Splenda is less artificial than other sweetners, as it's actually made from sugar. I've not noticed any nasty aftertaste. I don't use very much of it though, just some of the granular stuff on fruit sometimes, I use Sweetex which is saccharine, for sweetening tea and coffee and I try to avoid asparteme as much as possible.

Hi Adrix

Yes, Splenda is an artificial sweetener. It's produced from sugar, but it's bound with chlorine, which is a poisonous substance for the human body.

Those who use it will tell you it's safe - if they believed otherwise, they probably woulnd't be using it (Those who sell it will also tell you it's safe - if they didn't say so, they woulnd't be able to sell it :mad.

Personally, I don't trust it. It's too new to have been studied properly on the long-term effects - when aspartame came out, everyone thought it was totally safe (some people still think so ), same with saccharin and cyclamate, that have since been put in a certain list by the FDA so there has to be a warning on the products that contain either.

Here's an article that hopefully will convince some: http://www.mercola.com/fcgi/pf/2003...nda_dangers.htm

Here's one that explains better why it's so dangerous:
http://www.wnho.net/splenda.htm

Here's an eye-opening Q&A on the subject:
http://www.deepdownwellness.com/althealth/splenda.html

I don't know about you, but one of these is enough for me, let alone all together

I'm very wary of artifical sweeteners and their effects on our health. However for a really special treat I do have the occasional glass of diet iron bru as a change from still or sparkling water!

Does anyone know if this is better than sugary pops on the blood sugar?

I think spleda is the best tasting of the artificial sweeteners. Personally I use diffeent ones in rotation so I get less of each individual one.

ElisaB - With the greatest respect chlorine is one of the atoms of common salt NaCl which although not a good idea in large amounts is vital to human health. This does not mean Splenda is harmful or harmless however, unfortunatly only time will tell.

That's interesting. "Table" salt or sea salt?

Elisa

Those sites you posted don't convince me at all.

I use chlorine bleach around my house. Its in the water at the local swimming pool too. The amount I ingest from splenda tablets is miniscule and I am not going to worry about it. Besides, I rarely feel the need to sweeten food.

Yes it is. But that doesn't make it healthy or safe. See here:
http://www.mercola.com/1997/archive/cancer_risk.htm
http://www.mercola.com/2002/apr/17/chlorine.htm

I don't think there is anything out there "safe" anymore, do you? The air we breathe, the water we drink, the foods we eat, the fabrics and such that we are surronded in, our homes, that nasty black mold. It just doesn't matter what you are referring to, there will be issues. No one is immune to the pollutions of the world unless they live in a glass bubble and we all know that isn't doable. My husband buys the Sunday paper each week even though I am allergic to the ink and inhaling it could make me sick. When he eats chicken or peanut butter he risks making me sick. When i go out in public I risk getting sick because I am allergic to perfume. I have clutter in my home and I risk gettng sick. Each and every day when I wake up I and everyone else risks getting sick. We just cannot avoid getting sick and need to not get so hung up on things we just don't know. According to research in the 80's I should already be dead from drinking diet soda. According to research now I should be in even worse health from all the preservatives I ingested in food. Actually, since eliminating foods I tested positive to, I feel so much better and don't get as sick. Did those tests stop me from eating all the things that made me fat? No. Am I dead? No, thank goodness. Life is a risk and although I am using Splenda at the moment, I won't always and cannot see using the stuff as being dangerous. I don't think using artificial sweetner is dangerous to anyone unless eaten in bulk...over eating the stuff. I use maybe a tablespoon a day if even that. Now the sweetner in diet soda...it hasn't gotten me yet! Sorry if I sound argumentative, but I just don't see the danger in Splenda since it is made from real sugar. Can the others claim that? As for the taste? I love it! I used to put a heaping teaspoon of sugar in my coffee and now only need to put half a teaspoon! I hear they have come out with Splenda just for baking! Has anyone tried that? Sorry for going on! We just can't live our lives stressing about these things. Life is full of chances and I am going to chance using Splenda at this point and time!

To ElisaB,

Both. Salt is essential to life...and every other atom of it is made from chlorine. The only difference I am aware of between table salt and sea salt is that sea salt also contains many other salts - some of which are also made of chorine.

There may be good reasons why splenda may be good or bad for the health but to say it is part chlorine is rediculous, bad science and casts doubt on any article which puts this forward as a reason not to have it.

Hydrogen and Oxygen are two gases which if put together in the right proportions become rocket fuel and will cause a devastating explosion. What is water? H2O - maybe we shouldn't drink it or we will explode! That is the level of this kind of arguement.

Don't forget the widespread problem of Dihydrogen Monoxide!http://www.dhmo.org/

Well I probably use on average less than 5 tabs of splenda a week. Dr Mercola's alarmist writings are not going to frighten me out of it.

IMVVHO, the closer we can stick to "natural" foods, the better off we are. The more we eat food that has been altered from it's natural state, whether by chlorination or processing the beejeezus out of it, the worse off we will be, healthwise.

Yah, I think that fresh whole foods are -in the main- better for us than cooking since heat can degrade important minerals and vitamins. And yah, I know that just the OPPOSITE is true for other foods.

This is the way I look at it - if I can reproduce <insert current hotly-debated food item here> in my garden or kitchen, I'm more likely to eat it.

This is why I don't eat margarine, splenda-et al, box dinners, etc. My reasoning. My choice. And basically, moderation in all things....
Except laughter. EVERYONE should laugh their days away. Life's too short to do otherwise.

PS. I think I'll grow stevia in my garden. It's plenty sweet
PPS. Just because I use <insert home cleaner here> around the house for disinfecting and cleaning doesn't mean I think it's ok to eat it.