This is one reason why Old Stylers cook meals from scratch and avoid ready meals!

anguk

My hubby is diabetic so we can't use sugar and everything we do buy seems to have Aspartame in it. Does anyone know of an alternative we could use instead?

Eliza252

wow, wasn't expecting that one to start a debate!

I think that part of the problem in tying these issues up is that all the academic papers (I agree media reports are a bit of a flimsy source of information) are really difficult to access without belonging to the right organisation or knowing where to find them.

Ted_Hutchinson

anguk wrote:

My hubby is diabetic so we can't use sugar and everything we do buy seems to have Aspartame in it. Does anyone know of an alternative we could use instead?

Useful article on Sweeteners Good & bad at NUTRITION ACTION HEALTHLETTER ■ M A Y 2 0 0 4 Sweet nothings.
It's American/Canadian based so some of the products they discuss are known by other names here but the article is very good and impartial.

gritts

John_Jackson wrote:

This is a case of irresponsible, scare mongering and does the BBC no credit whatsoever to have reported the findings in this manner. The article actually concludes that aspartame is safe in the dosage in which humans use it: the exact opposite of the headline.

Surely this is a case of the bbc reporting someone elses findings. I can see no slant one way or another. The headline uses these little things ' ' on either end of the word linked.

It's just like the whole MMR debate and the reporting of. DYOR, make up you own mind and give the bbc knocking a rest.

gritts

A point to consider is do food and drink manufacturers use aspartame as they are concerned about tooth decay, obesity etc etc or because artificial sweeteners are cheaper than sugar?

margaretclare

anguk wrote:

My hubby is diabetic so we can't use sugar and everything we do buy seems to have Aspartame in it. Does anyone know of an alternative we could use instead?

Try Splenda - it's derived from sugar so should be safer. It comes in powder form and also tablets for your cuppa.

Aunty Margaret

Ted_Hutchinson

margaretclare wrote:

Try Splenda - it's derived from sugar so should be safer. It comes in powder form and also tablets for your cuppa.

Aunty Margaret

The article I linked to below say this about SplendaSucralose
Also known as: Splenda.
What is it? Sugar (sucrose) chemically combined with chlorine. Its “made from sugar” label slogan is technically true, but misleading.
Why it’s low-calorie: Our bodies can’t burn sucralose for energy.
Safety: Sucralose passed all safety tests in animal studies.
Comments: There is no reason to suspect that sucralose causes any harm.

competitionscafe

Bogof_Babe wrote:

My argument is that why does everything have to be artificially sweetened? Not all of us have a sweet tooth, and I find a lot of food and drink cloying, as I'd rather have them without any sort of additives, or if absolutely necessary to make them palatable then what's wrong with a teaspoonful of suger?

I agree as I find a lot of foods 'over sweetened' even though I think i do have a sweet tooth (love chocolate, ice-cream etc). As for artificial sweeteners, regardless of the health issues I find the taste (and aftertaste) is awful, yuck!
And as for Coke, don't know how anyone can drink that stuff, way too sweet for me, but each to their own I guess.

I know when making stuff from scratch using a recipe, you can often reduce the amount of sugar and it still turns out fine and often tastes better for it.

Mind you when I was a child in South Africa I can remember eating sugar canes (as in the plant) which is basically pure sugar - I guess your tastebuds change as you get older!

moggins

I have a real problem with Aspartame being in everything as my little girl has severe reactions to it. One moment I have a happy placid little soul, after Aspartame she turns into a raging whiney monster. But of course she wants what every other child does, luckily she now understands that there are certain things she cannot have and I'm having to read labels constantly because it seems to be in everything!!

Loadsabob

John_Jackson wrote:

The problem with this type of sensationalist-headline reporting is that we end up worrying about things that are perfectly safe. Switching from aspartame back to sugar could lead to the problems associated with sugar intake: weight gain, tooth decay etc.

I tend to question things I read in official reports, though, as much as I question those I read in the media. Just because something's official doesn't give me much more confidence, and I tend to expect someone behind the report to have some vested interest - it often happens, so little research is impatial these days.

I think we're too quick to us artificial products that we can't know the long term effects of, because we haven't yet HAD them for the long term. Just because something hasn't been proven harmful, doesn't mean it's safe, it just hasn't been proven unsafe yet.

I use sugar (and butter) and natural, unrefined products wherever I can. My waistline is fine, so are my teeth.