I barely use it anymore, but I used to pour massive quantities of Splenda into my coffee every morning. When I was really sick, I also used to suck on lots of sugar-free candy, drink lots of diet soda, etc. My sweet tooth seems to have gone into hibernation over the past couple years and now, the thought of desecrating my coffee with fake sugar seems like a crime against nature. Not sure how I used to consume such sickeningly sweet stuff all the time, but my taste buds have definitely changed.
Anyway, this article caught my eye because I remember swiping packets of Splenda from coffee shops and keeping a stash in my bag at all times. It's kind of a dense read for the less scientifically-inclined, but still pretty informative: Choosing a Sugar Substitute.
There's also an interesting paragraph near the end about the sugar content and satiety factor of liquid calories...although for my own sanity, I had to selectively gloss over it a little, Boost in hand.
Interesting article, thanks for sharing! I will admit that I add the evil Equal to my coffee (ok, the Wal-Mart brand), but I tell myself that if I don't stay current on the published health risks, they must not exist. Right.
ReplyDeleteRight! ;)
DeleteI was/am such an artificial sweetener fiend (yellow packets ONLY, Splenda or bust!), but I have definitely noticed that my tolerance for it now is lower than it was when I was severely restricting. When I'm in the field, sugar subs are almost never available, and then I use table sugar and try not to stress about it. So I guess I'm not that militant about it anymore. The thing is, since the substitutes are so hyper-sweet, I'm shocked at how much sugar I have to add to get even half the usual sweetness.
ReplyDeleteAnecdote: During one of my field expeditions, there was no sugar substitute available at the field station, I hadn't brought any with me, and I ended up not even using the table sugar because it was full of ants. When I got back to the States, the FIRST things I wanted to do was have one of my zero-cal vitamin waters (I think it was a Propel). After over a month of having pretty much zero added sweetener of any sort, I literally had to spit out that first mouthful of drink and throw away the rest, because all of the sudden the sweetener tasted like pure gross chemical to me. Which it sort of is, I suppose. It wasn't the same with readjusting to regular sugar (I also made my friend stop so I could buy a Frosty on the way home from the airport, after not having any dairy or even any cold drinks for a month, and that went down just fine, lol). I gradually readjusted, but it's a good example of how what seems natural-tasting can be highly subjective.
Agreed, the sugar substitutes are way sweeter than regular sugar! I guess I've just gotten used to the chemical taste of the fake stuff. To this day, I can't drink regular soda because it tastes so strange to me - although I suppose in terms of sweetness, it's more "natural" than diet.
DeletePart of the reason people crave sickenly sweet stuff when they are malnourished is simply because they are malnourished. Also, on some level, since that is something you allow constantly and in plentiful quantities, your body and mind get to know that at least THAT is something you won't deny it, so it facilitates a craving to get as much of that sweet stuff as possible...almost to make up for all the stuff you deprive it. Weird and kind of smart, huh? Too bad tht stuff has little nutritional value...guess our body/mind duo can be fooled. :-) But in any case, I can completely see why your taste buds have changed. As you get healthier, your body doesn't crave that in the same way. It's actually a really awesome sign of progress!
ReplyDeleteHuh that's really interesting, I never thought of it that way. I suppose that might also explain why I (maybe others, too?) also craved salty food a lot when I was restricting. Thanks!
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