I hope someone is able to clarify something for me.

Doing Atkins I'm allowed to use Splenda as a sweetener as long as I count one serve (eg 1 tspn) as 1 gram of carbs and don't exceed 3 serves per day.

I don't quite understand why this is because while reading further about the effects of artificial sweeteners on the blood, I discovered that Splenda is one of the only artificial sweeteners that doesn't raise blood sugar levels because the body simply does not recognise it. Some of the other as's are recognised as sugar which then prompts an increase in insulin??

Surely then, this would mean that no insulin is released when I eat foods sweetened only with Splenda? So why do I need to count each serve as part of my carb intake if my body isn't recognising it as anything..... or am I being really stupid here???

I'm sure I've got it wrong somewhere along the line so need help with clarification. I'm enjoying more and more jelly made with Splenda and the Farmhouse Lemonade from Coles which is also sweetened with Splenda and need to know how to count carbs (if any) while consuming these products. At the moment I'm really unsure how to measure them.

Thanks
JP

Sucralose is the sweetener in Splenda, the only thing is that sucralose is many hundreds of times sweeter than sugar, so it would only take a few molecules to give the same sweetness as a teaspoon of sugar. So to make it more "user friendly" it is packaged with a filler - maltodextrin, and it is the filler that contains the carbs.

1 teaspoon of granular Splenda contains 0.5 g carbs
1 tablespoon of granular Splenda contains 1 g carb
1 Splenda tablet contains 0.1 g carbs.

Many products that contain Splenda are made using the bulk sucralose, so don't contain the carb-containing filler.

Hope this helps
Tara

Hi Tara,

Thank you SO much. That DOES clarify things enormously for me and it also has shown me why I haven't lossed any weight for the past fortnight! I haven't been counting all those extra carbs in the foods I've been eating which contain Splenda.

Thanks again!!
JP

Not necessarily so....

Your brain can react to the taste of anything sweet by sending a signal to your body to start secreting insulin. This happens to some, not all people.

You may be one of the lucky ones or you may not be.

Karen

...oh Karen! Now you've confused me again!

I think I'll just cut out the diet drink and lc jelly and see if my weight and measurements start declining again. If they do then it's likely I've found the problem.

Thanks again

PS. I've just learnt how to use the 'smilies' which is fun.

JP

Hey Joypod,

I'm raplidly becoming a Splenda fan myself, but I've not yet disovered the joy of jelly with Splenda. Do you get this prepackaged or make it yourself somehow? I'm dying to get hold of some! Please tell me all!

Ciao,

Zebidee

I like the Splenda too. I never counted any of it. No wonder I'm not losing any more weight. Oh my!

Apart from Splenda stalling some people, I think that the reason it is so limited in induction is that, induction is supposed to break you of sugar cravings. Splenda tastes like sugar, which would do nothing to curb your cravings.

I recently discovered 'Liquid Splenda' through http://www.passthetoast.com - all it is, is the active ingredient in Splenda without the carby granules, making it ZERO carb (apparently).... And it's concentrated so you don't have to use much - 2 teaspoons equals 1 cup of sugar.

I use it all the time.