Hi, Everyone!
I made a simply amazing discovery, but before I convince myself it is true, I'd like to ask you all if I may be on track, or off track.

!00% determined to follow my diet faithfully this time, I decided to use an artificial sweetener (Splenda), some of which I had left over from my last diet try, about a year ago. A big coffee drinker, I just can't drink it black -- blech!! So, I started re-using my Splenda packets last week, my second week on the JC program.

Every morning I would wake up with a headache. Not a really severe one, my headache was the "now you feel it, now you don't" variety and lasted all day long unless I took some type of pain med (usually, Excedrin). It would wake me up in the moring, like about 4 a.m., and I could not get back to sleep or stay resting in bed nohow! Recovering from cancer, this is not too good for me. I really do need my rest. My head HURT.

THEN, yesterday, an epiphany! I suddenly remembered why I stopped using Splenda -- it would give me headaches, or so I thought. After I was diagnosed with cancer, I thought "Ah ha! That must have been the reason for the headaches!" (my tumor was enormous, 12 pounds!) Well, I tried an experiment and did not use any of it at all yesterday and guess what?? No headache this morning!

Has anyone else here had an experience like this with Splenda, or any other artificial sweetener? I would really like to hear about it if you did.

Rie

For me, the only one I can tolerate is saccharin (strangely, it's the one most people hate! And it's the one linked to cancer... or was suspected of it years ago).

All the others make me pretty ill and leave a terrible taste in my mouth (especially Nutrasweet and Splenda).

The one that gives me terrible headaches is Sorbitol.... I can't even eat breath mints or chew gum with Sorbitol! It's horrible!

I stick to real sugar these days... just very small amounts. It helps that I drink coffee black.

But if you want sugar, the truth is, it's only 15 calories per tsp (with none of the headaches, aftertaste or risks of the artificial stuff).

Penn Stater,
THANK YOU!!! Whew! At first, I was kind of worried. I really wanted to know if anyone else got headaches from this stuff. A very recent cancer survivor, that is always in the back of my mind. So, knowing that others get headaches from artificial sweeteners is very anxiety- decompressing.

When you say the others make you pretty ill, what happens to you (if you don’t mind me asking)? The only other weird symptom I’ve been experiencing is gas – not often, but when it happens, look out! <sorry!>

BTW, I live in PA, too! What section of the state do you live in? I’m down here in the NE corner.

Rie

Rie,

Sorbitol, Nutrasweet and Splenda just don't agree with me and can get my stomach upset. I think it may also be that there's such a bad taste from them, so they turn my stomach. When most people chew sugar free gum, they taste something similar to sugar.... for me, I taste a horrible acrid flavor that is disgusting!

I think it's genetic.... my Dad and I both discovered we had the same problem. And we both noticed that Sorbitol was the worst for us because it triggered headaches. We both first noticed it with "Breath-Savers" mints.

And both my Dad and I have no trouble with saccharin.

The trouble is, most sugar free gums and candy have Sorbitol now. So I haven't chewed gum in ages! I keep real Altoids in my purse and occasionally have one when I need a mint. I miss gum though!

I actually live near Washington D.C... I went to Penn State from 1989-1993. But... I have family in Boalsburg, Watsontown, Lancaster, and Hudson PA... so we try to get up to PA as often as we can!

There is another alternative. It is Xylitol or zylitol. Sorry I don't know the spelling.

I just know it tastes pretty good. I am extremely senstive to most artificial sweeteners. Can not tolerate them at all.

This one is better than all the rest for me.

Connie

Penn,
Thanks for your answer -- and I have to tell you that I have the same problem with certain spices that my dad did, too! When he got really older, suddnely he could not take certain packaged soups, like Lipton. There was some seasoning in it that would hit the back of his throat, he said, and it would make him sneeze. Now, that is happening with me, too. Or, it did before I joined JC, that is! I don't eat that anymore as there is way too much salt in it.

My nephew graduated from Penn State but I think you were there before he was. He went on to Villa Nova's law school and today is a fledgling lawyer.

I'm glad you still visit PA! It is such a lovely state -- so much to see and do, and the scenery is wonderful, especially out Lancaster way. I am a transplant from NY state, actually and have lived here for 8 years. So far, so good!

Rie

Hi, Connie!
It's nice to 'meet' you! Thank you for your reply. Believe me, I had no clue that other people could have sensitivity to artificial sweeteners, but it sure does look like they do!

Have you ever tried Stevia? A friend of mine sent me some and just raved about it. It's supposed to be 'all natural'. I got all exicted over it but when I tasted it, YUK. I just can't do it, it's that awful to me.

I haven't tried what you suggested yet but I think I'm going with Penn's suggestion. Just a TEENY sprinkle of real sugar in my coffee seems to be working for me. If there are 16 cal. in one tsp., then I am getting about 4 or less with the little amount I am using. Thanks, anyway, though!

Rie

Had to jump in on this post.... I also have a problem with artificial sweeteners. In fact, that's what prompted me to ask JC for a food ingredient list before I even walked in the door.

Aspertame gives me heart palpitations. Splenda gives me gas and worse. All the sugar alcohols -- the "-tol" suffix -- give me headaches.

The reason why these substances are "calorie free" is that they are indigestible. Your body has no idea what to do with these foreign substances, so they pass through the same way they went in -- sometimes at turbo speed!!! Splenda is made by taking natural sugar and replacing the water molecule (the basis of life) with a chlorine molecule (toxic/poison, used to kill bacteria in the water supply.) What would you rather have in your body?

I'm with PennStater -- sugar is natural and only 15 cals per teaspoon. Measure carefully and be symptom free. Sounds like a good deal to me, but the folks trying to cash in on "sugar phobia" are trying to get you to think otherwise.

I've also gotten into using agave nectar as a sweetener, especially in yogurt. It's lighter than honey, has beneficial enzymes, and has a low glycemic effect.

Aviva,
WOW!! Your post answered a lot of things for me. I didn't realize lots of these things contain sugar alcohol. No wonder I had such gas attacks! Since I've stopped using them no more headaches here -- and gas problems seem to be far less.

You are 100% right. I don't want these chemicals in my body! My body is handling all that it can right now just dealing with chemo after-effects. So, it's a tiny bit of sugar for me if I must use sweetener.

Where do you buy the agave nectar? Would a place like GNC sell it?

Thanks so much for your help! (Phillies fan, eh?! Me, too...and those Eagles!! YAY!)

Rie

My husband and I both have trouble Splenda. We both get upset stomachs and headaches when we use it. Splenda claims that their product is safe and does not cause side effects, but we have experimented by going on and off of it. When we stopped it, the problems stopped. It definately makes us both sick.

I can find agave nectar at Whole Foods and Wegman's, usually with the honey and syrups. The Raw version has more enzymes. The dark one has a richer taste. A health food store would be more likely to have it, vice GNC, but I've never looked there.

Philadelphia sports is very exciting right now! We were lucky enough to be at the ballpark Saturday, and we have tickets for Wednesday's game. Fightin' Phils!

Hope we have this much excitement in January!!!

Hi,

I was reading your email regarding splenda. I have been using it for a while and my daughter told me that it has some terrible side effects. I have not noticed any headaches but I have notice that I can't seem to loose weight in the stomach area. I have never been one to tolerate artificial sweeteners, the other ones would cause me to cramp really bad.

However, no noticeable reactions to splenda. I have been on JC for about 6 mos now, I have lose more inches than weight; can be very disappointing some times. I want to see the pounds disappear, we never know what why my weight lost is so slow. I think I will cut out the splenda and use the real stuff spairingly. Luana

Aviva and all on this thread,

I can't beleve it, but I just received in my email a warning about dogs ingesting xlitol! Apparently, it can make them extremely ill, and in certain cases even cause death.

Because I check everything out on Snopes.com, I found this article on Snopes:

http://www.snopes.com/critters/crusader/xylitol.asp

So, it's true. If anyone here is using xylitol, and if you own a dog, please be very careful the dog doesn't get ahold of any sugar free gum, or what have you. In the email warning, it was about a woman's dog who got into her purse and managed to wolf down three or four pieces of her sugar free gum. Within a very short time, he was very ill and had to be rushed to the vet. He was extremely lucky they were able to save him, but I guess this substance is very bad for a dog's liver.

Wow! Who knew??? By the way, I am a volunteer Wildlife Rebab Technician, so my email inbox usually contains warnings of this nature. Once warned, forearmed!

Rie

People react differently to all sorts of things. Splenda has been shown to cause headaches. However, it does not have chlorine in it, per se. Part of sugar has been replaced with three chlorine atoms. While this is not natural, it is done by a chemical process, it is interesting to note that chlorine is a necessary mineral for us. Many fruits contain chlorine.

Personally, I can't tolerate sugar alcohols. Erythritol is a sugar alcohol, but it is absorbed differently from other sugar alcohols. It still bothers me. I think Stevia is nasty, so I will use Splenda occasionally.

However, I've made the choice to use raw sugar and honey in small amounts - it hasn't affected my weight loss in any way. You just have to choose what you feel comfortable using, and what you can tolerate.

Rie - I love your posts, and think you must be a pretty amazing person.

Beadog,
LOL! Why, thank you, sweet new friend! I was feeling the same way about all of you, too! What an amazing bunch of people (I prefer to think of everyone here as my new friends!). The love and support that is felt here is second to none. I look forward to reading and posting every day, now, it’s almost addicting.

Thank you so much for your info on Splenda. I can’t explain why, but when I used it my head would pound, and would wake me up from a sound sleep leaving me unable to lie in bed any longer. Hmmmm…..movement seemed to help! It just hit me that the pain would only strike at night, when I was at complete rest. Then, with moving around, the pain would begin to subside. This tells me that my body was somehow ‘rebelling’ at the attempt to digest Splenda, and during deep sleep, our body functions slow down, with digestion at the head of that list. Then, upon moving around, the stuff was ‘forced’ through my system faster, allowing me to excrete it. Once, gone, so was my head pain.

Those three little chlorine atoms are nasty little buggers, huh?! Well, I have to admit I’m a wee bit nervous! My WI is tomorrow and (eeek!) between my bad food day and adding a touch of sugar each day to my coffee, I just might have screwed things up a tad. If so, back to the old drawing board!!

Have a great and successful JC day!
Rie

I've never had a problem with Splenda. I use it all the time but I think I have a bit of a problem with aspartame. I drink Diet Coke and I've had to cut back on the amount I was drinking. Last November I started experiencing really bad stomach pains. I went to my doctor and he thought it might be gallstones and said that it's common in women when they lose weight. He ordered an ultrasound and everything was fine. Then I wondered if maybe it was from all the Diet Coke I had been drinking - at one point I was drinking six cans a day! So, I decided to not drink ANY for a week and see how I felt. The stomach pains went away. Now, I don't drink nearly as much Diet Coke as I used to. I won't buy the twelve pack of cans because that makes it too easy to grab one and drink it.

Rie,
It gives me migrain headaches. I only do Sweet 'n Low.
Christine

Hi all -

I have a strong reaction to Splenda. It makes me feel shaky and drops my blood sugar. Equal does not have this affect on me. I know that artificial sweeteners in general are not good, but the only one that I can consume is equal.

Hi Everyone!

I just want to thank you all for your great input! It was very heartening to learn that it was not all 'in my mind', and that apprently other people DO get a bad reaction from Splenda. Just a quick report here from me:

My splenda packets were tossed in the garbage and I've been headache free ever since. Wow! This is so great as those headaches were really painful and debilitating.

I've tried experimenting with Equal, Sweet and Low and Stevia, as well as a teeny bit of sugar in my coffee. The taste of the artificial ones just turns me completely off, so now I either go sugarless or just a touch of natural sugar. By the way, Stevia is made from all natural ingredients but to me the taste is just awful and overpowering. Anyway, so far, none of the others caused me to have headaches; I just couldn't adjust to the taste of them.

Rie