Question:
Help! My body hates sugar substitutes!!!
I will be having my surgery on May 6. I'm trying now to get into the habit of eating the things that I will have to eat post-op. Here is my problem-- I'm petrified of sugar substitutes. About 10 years ago I went to stay with my biological father and his wife for the summer. They were diet freaks and everything they had was sugar-free and low fat. Soon after I got there I got really sick-- terrible headaches, vomiting, diarrhea. After about a week of this, they took me to the hospital, and the doctor told us that it was the Nutrasweet. Sure enough, after I laid off the diet sodas, Crystal Lite, etc, I was back to normal. Ever since then, I've been petrified of trying any sugar substitutes because Nutrasweet made me so sick. I tried a no fat yogurt the other day without looking at the ingredients, and sure enough, i got sick shortly afterwards. When I checked the ingredients, i saw that it had aspartame in it. Can anyone help me???? — R. P. (posted on April 18, 2002)
April 18, 2002
I know many people that can't handle nutrisweet, aspartame, etc. Have you
tried splenda? It is made from sugar, and I haven't come accross anyone
with the same reactions as the above can produce. I would encourage you to
look for that and try it out. I find the taste to be SO much better than
any of the artificial sweetners also! My best!
— Sarah P.
April 18, 2002
I also had a bad reaction to aspartame/Nutrasweet years ago. And in 1994,
there were nOT other choices, really. NOw, Sweet 'n Low makes things,
there's Splenda (sucralose), the sugar alcohols, stevia, the
acesulfames--many, many choices. If you are uncomfy with living a sugar
free life, you might want to wait until other options are developed. If
you cannot do sugar free, you will regain your wt, so ir probably is not
worth the risk for you. BTW, my problem with aspartame went away at 3 yrs
post-op, so s/f anything is OK with me now.
— vitalady
April 18, 2002
I honestly thought that I was the only person in the world who couldn't
handle the sugar subs. I was also worried about that since I am pre op too.
I did go out and buy some splenda but to be honest I'm a little scared to
try it..I'm afraid that it will make me sick and then I won't be able to
tolerate anything
— Tina C.
April 18, 2002
My husband can't use anythin with aspertame /nutraweet. He gets light
headed and very hyper. He has no problen with splend or sweet and low.Sheri
C
— Sheri C.
April 18, 2002
I always got sick on artificial sweeteners. The first time was when I was
about 8 and my dad got me a diet coke on an airplane. I was so sick!
Headaches, nausea, dizziness--all things miserable. As an early post-op I
couldn't handle Crystal light, or anything with Nutrasweet, aspertame, etc.
Now, I can tolerate some--but it needs to be in such minimal servings.
The ONLY sweetener I can tolerate (AND I LOVE IT---TASTES LIKE REAL SUGAR!)
is Splenda. I use the Granular for cooking/baking and I use the packets
for teas, cereals, stuff like that. Best of luck!
— Kristin R.
April 18, 2002
SPLENDA is fantastic it taste so goood i cant even tell the differance i
love it i use it on all my hot cereals and when i buy sugar free products i
make sure it is sweetened with SPLENDA and you can mix it with kool aid too
— [Deactivated Member]
April 18, 2002
Rea,
I have some neurological issues that prevent me from using artificial
sweeteners. There is an herbal sweetener called Steevia that you can get at
health food stores. It is made from a root (I believe) and is not
chemically treated. It is very concentrated so you only have to use a small
amount. You can use it for baking also. My system can't tolerate Splenda,
Sweet N Low or Equal but I have no problems with Steevia. Hope this helps!!
— KathieInHawaii
April 18, 2002
Have you ever heard of Suzanne Somers sweetener called Somersweet? I
bought mine online on the HSN network website. You can cook with it, too
and it has a wonderful taste. A little goes a long way.
— Susan B.
April 18, 2002
Try Splenda. I think you will be pleasently surprised.... it IS sugar.
— Danmark
April 18, 2002
I noticed on person mentioned "Steevia". That must be an aquired
taste. I tried it a couple years ago and it was awful. But then again we
all have different tastes. ;)
— Danmark
April 18, 2002
Funny you should mention this. Yesterday I had sugarfree fat free frozen
yogurt from a vendor. It must have been sweetened with sorbitol MY body
can't tolerate that , I got really sick for about an hour or so. Anyway
personally I use splenda. I will use sweet and low if I have to but I go
out of my way to avoid nutrisweet also.
— Rose A.
April 18, 2002
I too have problems with nutrisweet long before surgery. However have
become even more sensitive since. I do fine with sweet & low and have
tried spenda which is ok. Sorbitol & maltitol seem to be ok, but they
have high calories. I have tried stevia too. It tastes a little bit
different, but is ok. Let your surgeon know about your sensitivity to
nutrisweet. They gave me SF crystal light in the hospital, and I was too
out of it to think about it having nutrisweet and had a reaction.
— Dell H.
April 18, 2002
I just wanted to say ditto to the Sommersweet! It's not an artificial
sweetener as it is a sweet fiber of a plant. I can't even stand the taste
of splenda, aspertame, etc... along with the fact that all of the negative
things I've heard about it creep me out. Sommersweet is the only sugar
substitute I will use. And a little of it goes a LONG way too because it's
about 5 times sweeter than sugar. My mom gets it and uses it in her
coffee, tea, for cooking, everything. Good luck!
— [Deactivated Member]
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