Thursday, July 14, 2011

Giving Up Sugar-Free Foods

source

Do you find yourself hungry after eating Splenda or other artificial sweeteners? I do.

For the last several weeks I have been so hungry! I could not figure out what was wrong with me! Why am I so hungry? I tried to eat more fruits and vegetables, but I still experienced a high level of hunger despite my efforts to eat more healthy and filling foods. I have been chewing more gum, because The Biggest Loser advertises Extra gum, which is supposed to help curb your hunger.

It was not until this week that I feel like I have finally had a break though! You see, I heard on the radio that there was a new study out about how sugar-free gum and diet soda can make you feel more hungry. What!? I wanted the reporter to say it again. Had I hear her correctly?

I searched high and low for the study, but could not find it. I did find an interesting article at LiveStrong that you might want to check out.

I normally chew gum as a way to suppress my appetite. If I am hungry right after lunch, I will chew on gum to distract myself from the fact that I feel hungry. I have been chewing gum more often, because I have felt more hungry more often.

Not only that, but I wanted to learn how to like regular, plain, old oatmeal. I did not want all the sugar in the sweetened packets. Plus, I wanted to be able to save some money by buying the plain stuff. I decided that I could put some Splenda on top of my oatmeal to sweeten it just enough so that I would enjoy eating it.

Could these things I have done to help myself actually be causing me to be more hungry? How frustrating!

This happened to me once before about a year ago. I was drinking too much Crystal Light and it was giving me headaches. I decided that I would not drink it anymore and I had the worst headaches as my body went through withdrawals! I am frustrated that I let something like this happen again.

I am not a medical professional. But for me, I have decided to stop eating sugar-free gum, Splenda, and other artificial sweeteners, because I do not think they are good for me. They obviously give me headaches and increase my hunger levels. These are two things that I am not willing to live with just so I can eat something for 0 pointsplus+.

I am sure that I could consume these things in moderation and it would not be that bad for me. However, why eat them at all when I know that there are negative side effects that are harmful to my body?

The bottom line is to do what is best for you. You might be able to handle sugar-free gum, Splenda, and other artificial sweeteners. If so, that's great! But, if you have been suffering from some of these same things I have been talking about, maybe it's time to make a change.

Tell me about you? Are you experiencing some of these same things? Are there other natural sweeteners that you use instead?

8 comments:

Mrs. Allbright said...

Jen, the "sugar free" most "fat free" thigns have aspartame in them. Aspartame is an artifical sweetner that will give you bad headaches along with many other symptoms. I was drinking it in my coffee and also diet soda often through out the day and was having major headaches. I decided to stop and my life has been a lot better! I agree with you, it isnt worth eating something that will hurt you just because it is "0 points".

Hope this helps.

:)

mrsmarkdave said...

I find this information from your personal experience very, very interesting. I know my husband will, too.
I do chew sugar free gum but really only if I'm going somewhere and feel like I need to freshen my breath.
I do not drink crystal light at all because of the artificial sweetener. This sounds extremely dumb, but I used to drink diet Mt. Dew like there was no tomorrow. So, I would stock up whenever it would go on sale. So, I was left with a million 12 pks of the stuff when I realized and accepted how bad the artificial sweetener is. I am finally down to only one left (I should've just given it away. Maybe I'll give this last one away to someone who will buy it anyway). After this - I will not be drinking it (or any diet pop) anymore. Aspartame is really horrible for you.
I don't know about Splenda. My father in law is ADDICTED to it. I like it but could take or leave it. I don't eat it enough to notice any side affects, but I will start taking note.
Thanks for the info.

Heather said...

I cut out all artificial sweeteners (diet soda, splenda, etc)last December, and I feel great. I am also a Weight Watchers member- I too keep a blog about my progress- http://theclevelanddilemma.blogspot.com/ and I have found that cutting artificial foods out in general have made a big difference in how I feel. I try to cook more, buy more locally grown fruits/veggies, as well as only buying and eating things that I can understand the ingredients. There are a lot of chemicals and toxins in processed foods that I feel like my body doesn't need. I spend a little more at the grocery store- but it's my body and I want to feed it things that are natural, not full of chemicals.

Cheers on cutting out fake sugar!

(Love your blog too- I've been following it for some time!)

Rebecca Nelson said...

Gave it all up. If I want a soda BAD ENOUGH I just drink one. It isn't about depriving yourself but making the best choices for any given day.

I'm down 44 pounds. I'm having to eat more to not continue to lose! Wow. I'm sooo happy!

xo~Rebecca

Just miss c said...

I've heard the same thing. Artificial sweeteners can cause a lot of problems for people. Including stomach problems. I think stevia is the best. It's natural and still a sweetener.

-J.D. Humenay said...

This was pretty well advertised in CA before I moved away. Artificial sweeteners DO make you more hungry, they ARE just as addictive as any other processed sugar, and many of them have been proven to cause cancer in rats.

Do I still use 'em? RARELY. I'll drink a Zero soda once in a while, but I'm a big fan of honey as a sweetener. Locally made honey (available just about anywhere) has SO many health benefits! Boots the immune system, helps with seasonal/pollen allergies in humans AND animals, and did I mention it's DELICIOUS on oatmeal? ;)

mrsmarkdave said...

Following up - your entry made my husband do some further research regarding Splenda and that it's not really good for you.
Thanks for giving me incentive to look more into this. My husband found some information about it here:
http://suewidemark.com/splenda.htm

Anonymous said...

I wrote a blo posting on this that you WILL find interesting as I had the same EXACT situation. http://lifestyleandfashionplace.com/is-it-normal-to-feel-hungry-all-the-time/228/

LinkWithin

Related Posts Plugin for WordPress, Blogger...