whoops, I think it should be sweetener.

I used to drink Diet Pepsi almost 24 hrs a day and now I have a bladder disease and I can't help feeling like the Diet Pepsi caused some of it. I can not have aspartame without severe pain but I can tolerate some Splenda. I have heard artifical sweetners make us crave more and more sweetners and sugar

Don't use these anymore. Your body cannot figure out what to do with this artifical sweeter and just dumps it in fat. Your brain registers it as sugar and voila craving gone, your body does not. You are better off using sugar. I recommend sugar in its raw form as its not bleached or processed.

Thanks for the feedback. Sugar is such a bad addiction, and sometimes a cup of tea with splenda tastes so good. I worry that over the years it will cause cancer or problems with kidney or something.

The comment about artificial sweeteners "tricking your body" is true. The verdict isn't in on the long term use of them but keep in mind that most are made from petroleum by-products and they are NOT natural food sources....no nutrients. When I drank Diet Pepsi 24/7, I too had bladder problems because the chemicals didn't let me sense when I had to "go" and I had lots of embarrassing accidents. Listen to your body.....If you think that something could be harmful; trust that thought!!

Please don't use that sweetener. The only one that is recommended is Truvia. It's much sweeter than cane sugar so you don't need much. However, any substitute is only going to keep you addicted. If you can, try to stick to the fruits with the least amount of sugar content. I am fighting the same battle as you so I"m here if you need support and want a companion to fight this battle with. My addiction is diet pepsi. Hugs GB

About 7 years ago I stopped drinking all soft drinks and switched to iced tea or hot tea. I do feel so much better and am happy I am over that addiction. But sometimes, you just want a little sweetness. It is hard for me to get used to coffee or tea without sweetener - just doesn't taste good to me. My husband thinks I should just drink mostly water, anyway.

I have tasted truvia and stevia, but they both have an aftertaste that splenda doesn't have. Anyway, if I can just cut down. I went to the doctor the other day and she said my liver and kidneys are fine right now. But I worry about 10 years down the line.

Well, I will try to cut down. It is hard when you are a sugar addict. Thanks for all the support from everyone.

Dr. Mercola just published another article explaining why we don't want to use any artificial sweeteners. He also explains about Stevia and Xylitol. The only healthy forms of sugar.
This is a fabulous article and video that explains a lot.
http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2015/05/14/artificial-sweeteners-diet-soda.aspx

@GettingStronger - perhaps try a different Stevia.

I used Equal for a long time - then switched to Splenda. When I started reading articles about all artificial sweeteners I decided to try Stevia. I use Stevia from Trader Joes that's labeled Organic Stevia Extract and the only ingredient is Stevia. I know there are others on the market though that are JUST Stevia. When I first started it I used too much and there was definitely an aftertaste. I've adjusted the amount I use and now no aftertaste.

A couple times I've been at friends and used Truvia and could definitely taste an aftertaste. I'm guessing that for me it may come from the other things that are added.

I also like flavored liquid stevia. My favorites are Orange for my tea and Vanilla Creme for my coffee ;-) It only takes 4-5 drops. A lot of healthfood websites have a variety of Stevia brands available so don't give up on it ;-)

It seems that the better brands I buy are lots more expensive - but the taste is more pure and a little goes a VERY long way.

Organic Whole Leaf Stevia is OK (or grow your own plant and use it to make your own extract. :) ) But you have to be very careful with most stevia you see sold, even in health food stores. If it is not whole leaf stevia, it is most likely the overly processed form of stevia which is not good for us. This is a great blog post that explains it really well: http://www.100daysofrealfood.com/2013/04/25/stevia-food-babe-investigates/

I'd stay away from xylitol. http://www.thehealthyhomeeconomist.com/xylitol-not-as-sweet-as-its-cracked-up-to-be/ That's just one example, do your research you'll find lots of info on why it should be avoided.

The corn industry is powerful and wants us to think otherwise, but it's no better than the other processed sugars. I have been curious to know if somehow the ADA was heavily lobbied by the corn industry to push xylitol. Are dentists getting big fat checks from their corny Sugar Daddy? That's where we first heard about it - from our dentist. Then suddenly it was popping up all over the health food stores and now even Safeway sells it.

Bee Free Honey is what we've been buying to use as a sweetener. Bee friendly! http://beefreehonee.com/ It's really good in tea with lemon, and drizzled on pancakes and waffles, in oatmeal with a bit of cinnamon. I haven't tried baking with it yet - has anyone else tried?

We are trying to reduce sugar, and it is so difficult! Who wants to eat unsweetened oatmeal. Yuck.

Thanks for all the replies. Yikes, being healthy is hard. I almost think it is easier to just drink my tea without anything. Or have mostly water. Glad this forum exists. I learn so much.

I miss black teas. :( My coffee - when I do drink coffee which isn't often because the acidity usually hurts my stomach - but my coffee I love with homemade almond milk (I add a little cinnamon and vanilla bean and it's awesome in coffee :) ). Super yummy.

But I've not found anything that substitutes well for sugar and warmed milk in a nice mug of good black tea. :( Makes me very sad because that is one of my favorite drinks ever. But because I am trying to stay clear of sugar, I just don't have it. Especially the way I drink tea - which is pretty much all day! I always like to have a mug with me. :) So that would be way too much sugar in a day.

So I do a lot of oolong, green, rooibos, herbal/tisane, and recently I've been into whole chrysanthemum flower tea from Tao of Tea. It's really good and soothing. I really love the chrysanthemum tea, and sometimes I add a few little goji berries or dried blueberries if I have them. But it's great because I don't need to add any sweetener to those teas - they are wonderful and comforting on their own.

Of course this week I'm suffering from allergies really bad (grass pollen counts here are extremely high right now) so I've been doing my apple cider vinegar with honey and lemon in a mug with hot water. That's my "tea" for the moment. I find it helps me feel better when I'm suffering from allergies or colds.

Truvia is the better of the options. One problem with using artificial sweeteners is that they can cause people to crave even more sugar, which is an endless cycle. If you can stay away from the sugar and reduce your intake of the artificial sweeteners, it should help a great deal. Congratulations on what you have accomplished! Hugs GB

You can find "research" on anything.

If you are concerned cut back on the fake sugar. I switched from Spenda to Stevia. I use 2 packets a day or less and I bake with real sugar. I just dont overdo it and I'm pretty sure it wont kill me.

Look for teas that taste good without sugar too. I love tea but never use sugar. If I make iced tea for a crowd I sweeten with local honey:)

It's really tricky, if you're going to use a sweetener, trying to figure out which one to use. Even the so-called "natural" alternatives (stevia, truvia, xylitol, erythritol, agave) are highly processed (difficult for the body to process) and/or GMO.

Recently I've been reading more about going back to the basics, using whole cane sugar (not to be confused with the refined white stuff). Brands names are Panela, Rapadura, Muscovado, Jaggery, Sucanat...

Whole cane sugar is very minimally processed so that it retains a lot of the vitamins and minerals. Also being that it is true food - something found in nature - your body has a better idea of what to do with it when you consume it. It is also fairly easy to find certified organic nonGMO whole cane sugar.

The only problem is that it does retain a lot of it's natural molasses (which is what is stripped away along with vitamins and minerals in the processing of white sugar) so it can have that sort of molasses taste to it, which is not always what you want. But so far I'm OK with that, since we're trying to avoid sweeteners for the most part.

I've not tried it with tea and milk yet - just as it occurred to me to check whole cane sugar out the weather warmed up and - who wants hot tea when it's 90 degrees outside? Not me, anyway. :)