Artificial Sweeteners

LB8427 · March 2014

How do you all feel about these? I use a Splenda in the morning in my decaf and then my husband brought home some of those sugar free cookies made with Splenda when I started freaking out that I was eating too much real sugar. I've read all the stuff where it says that it's FDA approved for pregnant women but just wondering how other mommas feel?

unaveragejane · March 2014

I'm a bit skeptical about artificial sweeteners. If I'm trying to steer clear of cane sugar but still need a sweetener, I prefer to use agave nectar or honey.

BBColt78 · March 2014

It's really all personal preference. Like @unaveragejane I too stay away from artificial sweeteners and use honey or agave nectar. I do that when I'm not pregnant also.

yurmom · March 2014

I consume all the artificial sweeteners...Splenda in my coffee and Diet Coke...nom nom

mrscurlygurl · March 2014

I use splenda. I try to use less aspartame, but I have had a few diet cokes. I haven't seen any hard studies that show any affects on the fetus from artificial sweeteners. In fact, two years ago there were more warnings against aspartame and I've seen recently that even that may not need to be avoided.

Of course you'll get people who think artificial sweeteners are the devil pregnant or not.

EllaSmella · March 2014

I cut out artificial sweetener with my first pregnancy. I never went back to eating it because it tasted really fake/chemically to me after avoiding it for almost a year. It helps that I don't drink pop anymore, since diet soda used to be the biggest place I used to get it.

cakebatter27 · March 2014

I wouldn't make it without Splenda. I already gave up booze. I'm not giving up my sweetner too!

ahjahbaba · March 2014

https://m.thebump.com/pregnancy/is-it-safe/qa/can-i-use-artificial-sweeteners.aspx

alyssa719 · March 2014

I love the chemical taste. Yes, I'm strange. I've eaten a lot less of them since getting pregnant, and switched to sugar in my morning coffee (if I'm out, I usually still use the sweetener though). I found people saying that you should cut down/not eat sweetener, and ones that say you should cut down/not eat sugar. I hate the taste of honey or agave in my coffee. Unless I start consuming my body weight of either of these products, I'm probably okay... I think...

tshelby85 · March 2014

I won't touch them. I wouldn't before pregnancy. Natural is a safer bet.

pfeilele · March 2014

I had food restrictions while nursing, and I ended up cutting out artificial sweeteners because they are in a lot of stuff that also contains soy. Now, I can't stand the taste of them. I can't even chew gum anymore. I'd rather eat organic cane sugar. Oh I lied. I still love diet coke because it has a bite and you really can't taste the sweetness of it. So good. Honestly though, I think it's better in general to eat stuff that hasn't been chemically modified.

TurtleMonsters · March 2014

Will not touch them at any point in my life, though I did when I thought they were safer- sugar all the way (and butter over margarine- naturally existing over chemically man made). I've had to know a lot about them to deliver medication to my child and luckily found safe alternatives.

stevia is the most acceptable alternative I've found, but I just prefer to use sugar.

PenelopeSnuz77 · March 2014

I won't touch them either. The OB that oversees my midwife group specifically said to avoid diet soda.

I haven't had pop in years, but I thought it was interesting because my previous OB didn't say anything about it.

shanaynerz · March 2014

My dietician (for GD) dislikes artificial sweeteners, but I use Splenda. Sweet n Low is really bad from what I hear. I try to steer clear, but I can't have sugar and Splenda isn't in everything, so I've had diet soda here and there, but ideally you want to stay away from them apparently.

With DD I had lots of juice and regular soda b/c I felt that sugar was better than fake stuff, but now sugar's bad for me! I can't win.

LB8427 · March 2014

Thank you for all of your responses! I too rarely use it when not pregnant, just one pack in my coffee in the morning, but my doctor really made a stink about consuming real sugar so I was just curious. Appreciate it!

TugboatSheila · March 2014

I hate the taste of all artificial sweeteners, they make me want to vom.

But I'm someone who is not a fan of "lite" or "diet" anything. If I'm going to eat yogurt, drink a pop, eat Ranch dressing I go big or go home. I was like that before pregnancy though so my decision on that wasn't affected by being pregnant.

IMO the most delicious and fantastic of sweeteners is honey. I use it while baking, in coffee, in my oatmeal to jazz it up etc.

JAMPUP · March 2014

Stopped consuming them during first pregnancy but don't get me wrong I will have a diet coke now and then and a sugar free caramel latte! I just water down everything as if I am giving it to my toddlers to reduce the sugar and I have even stuck to this the year i wasn't pregnant just habit.... My ob said it was okay to consume in moderation

fmb2011 · March 2014

I was never a fan of fake sugar, I tried them all stevia, Splenda, truvia but nothing tasted right to me. So I stick to flavored creamers and don't add any extra sweetener. I used to be a hard core Diet Coke drinker but I gave that up a few years ago. After reading some articles about diet soda, I'm glad I did. I've also moved to the camp of "natural is better" like butter over margarine, sugar over artificial stuff.

mrscurlygurl · March 2014

I won't touch them. I wouldn't before pregnancy. Natural is a safer bet.

Didn't take long for my prediction to come true...

mrscurlygurl · March 2014

shanaynerz said:

My dietician (for GD) dislikes artificial sweeteners, but I use Splenda. Sweet n Low is really bad from what I hear. I try to steer clear, but I can't have sugar and Splenda isn't in everything, so I've had diet soda here and there, but ideally you want to stay away from them apparently.

With DD I had lots of juice and regular soda b/c I felt that sugar was better than fake stuff, but now sugar's bad for me! I can't win.

Did she/he say why? Is it a dislike in general or a dislike while pregnant? GD is the reason I don't cut out all splenda. I already can't have sugar...does all the joy have to be sucked out of life?

Huahine · March 2014

When I'm not pregnant, I treat diet coke like the nectar of the gods that it is. But when pregnant, I'm less comfortable consuming all those chemicals. I didn't have a diet coke my entire first pregnancy. By the time I was recovering in the hospital, all I wanted in life was a giant fountain diet coke. This time around I'm more relaxed about it, but I still only have a few ounces a week.

Soon2BMrsN · March 2014

I try to avoid artificial sweeteners in general, but especially when pregnant.

AutumnBonfire · March 2014

Before getting pregnant with DS, I put Splenda in everything. I was also trying to lose weight and this really helped. I stopped with the artificial sweetner when I got pregnant with him and never went back. I'd love to consume fewer calories, but I'm also trying to eat "cleaner." I use raw sugar in coffee and oatmeal and either raw sugar or honey in tea. If I use sweetner for whatever reason I use stevia. I really don't like the artificial taste anymore now that I'm used to sugar.

honeybee434 · March 2014

I've never been able to handle the taste of artificial sweeteners/diet or lite drinks/etc, so I just have always used regular sugar or cane sugar. I used to drink diet Dr Pepper for a couple months years ago and it started giving me horrible headaches that stopped as soon as I switched to regular, so I just stay away from them all even more so than I did. I'm intrigued to try honey or agave in my coffee, now, after reading these posts! Usually I just use flavored creamer and I don't add any extra sugar. I try to work as many natural food items into my diet as I can as long as I don't have to sacrifice taste that much.

mamaloaf · March 2014

It makes me feel better that like myself, some others haven't given up on the artificial sweeteners. I use two packs of splenda in iced tea and I probably consume the most having a diet mt dew. I feel people giving me the side eye when I'm choking back the diet dew, too. Why do I feel like I have to hide it from people??? It's not whiskey for heaven sake...

dobbyisfree · March 2014

I switched to monk fruit for coffee. Works okay for me but a coworker says it tastes citrusy to her. I cant taste it in my coffee. I try not to use too much artificial sweetener, but some stuff i like has it... i did give up diet soda which is a huge deal for me so the occasional iced tea packet with sucralose i cant beat myself over.

abundancenow · March 2014

My dietician for GD recommended Splenda as an alternative to sugar last pregnancy. After delivery I heard good things about agave. Then I read it was similar to corn syrup. Then my new dr who specializes in nutrition said no Splenda, try Stevia. I decided not to add any sweeteners and only eat limited real sugar in foods. Theres a lot of conflicting info. I do hear a lot of negative about aspartame and cancer. Both my mom and dad died from cancer, so I do avoid aspartame totally.

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