Anti - aspartame & caffeine ?

[type1db]

Is there anybody here that has taken aspartame and caffeine out of their diets? If so is their any benefits?

I'm currently drinking nothing but water to see if my blood glucose levels improve. I hope to improve more than just my bg levels.

:eek:

[buttons]

It has been so long since I have used aspartame.. or any artificial sweetner that I forget when I stopped. it has been many many years........ perhaps it would be better to say.... I have only used it a few times in that I had a severe acne reaction to them... I still drink coffee.. I alternate between decaf and reg max well house coffee bags.

[EllieK]

Is it better for you if you don't use artificial sweetners - resounding YES.

As to the benefits - it all depends on how sensitive your individual body is the the particular chemical.

Aspartame is a neuro-toxin that happens to be harmless in very small doses - but when it is heated up it turns into something else altogether - starting with formaldhyde (spelling)

MSG - while not a sweetner - for the sensitive individual can cause a whole host of issues - including joint problems.

If you are not sensitve you may not notice in the short term - but for the chemicals that don't leach out of the body - long term can be an issue.

As you have by now guessed - I avoid all chemicals.
IMHO - natural food is what our bodies were made to ingest and everything will work better with the proper fuel.

You wouldn't put unleaded gas in your diesel engine - right?

Take a look on the internet for specific info on certain chemicals - much more info there.

[xMenace]

I currently have neither in my diet. I never liked any artificial sweeteners, but I gave up coffee and all caffeine in June after 25years of heavy consumption. I did it primarily to lower my BP. Currently my BP is great and I've had no eye bleeders since quitting. I feel much much better physically. Of course I'm sleeping better too.

[genie86333]

I haven't given up aspartame as it's the only way I can drink soda & I am a soda junkie (although I've cut back a lot - used to drink over a 2-liter every day - of the regular stuff.) But I have, for the most part, cut out caffeine, as it does affect my #s.

[buttons]

Jenie... I am so there as a soda junkie but .. I just dont tolerate diet and of course the hight sugars.... I have found a juice concentrate at the health food store... ... montmorency Tart Cherry concentrate, there are 19 g carbs and 15 g sugars.... in 1 oz ( about 2 tbsp) I make a big glass of crushed ice and add the oz of the cherry concentrate... when I just have to have a flavored cold drink....80 calories... so one doesnt want to drink a bunch of this ... but still it is a doable treat...

ps: it is good for grout ... a problem for some hypothyroid peeps....

[birdyland]

Aspertame gives me major headaches. Half of them make me sick, and the other half I wouldn't touch with a 10 foot pole (chlorine Splenda). I just leave it out. Caffine went out the door when I quit soda.

Buttons... why is cherry concentrate a problem for hypothyroid? I'm very strict about soy and timing, but hadn't heard that one yet!

[Erin]

I am a caffeine junkie. Yes, my morning coffee raises my blood sugar, but I can cover it with a small bolus, and it makes life a lot better for everyone forced to be near me before noon.

As for artificial sweeteners, I use them sparingly and rarely. I enjoy a diet coke every once in a while... but it's a rare treat. I also put 1/2 a splenda in iced coffee for a real treat.

But otherwise I try to avoid the aspertame and sorbitol and stuff. Just because I can't stand the aftertaste really. I'd rather drink things without any sweetener than have the aftertaste spoil it. That's why only 1/2 a splenda if I want sweet.

[buttons]

Jenie... I am so there as a soda junkie but .. I just dont tolerate diet and of course the hight sugars.... I have found a juice concentrate at the health food store... ... montmorency Tart Cherry concentrate, there are 19 g carbs and 15 g sugars.... in 1 oz ( about 2 tbsp) I make a big glass of crushed ice and add the oz of the cherry concentrate... when I just have to have a flavored cold drink....80 calories... so one doesnt want to drink a bunch of this ... but still it is a doable treat...

ps: it is good for grout ... a problem for some hypothyroid peeps....
Birdyland , I am sorry if I didnt expalin correctly...Tart cherry is a natural food cure and good for keeping gout at bay.... gout is a sometimes problem for peeps with hypothyroidism... and I have had two bouts of gout -- the pain is dreadful

[birdyland]

Ahhhhhhhhhh. got it. The gout is a problem, not the tart cherry ;-} Maybe I read it too quickly.

thanks for the clarification.

[type1db]

i don't know if this is accurate or not, but its been about 3 or 4 days now that i've gone without the stuff and I've seen a weight loss of 4 pounds.

[IrishJoe]

As you have by now guessed - I avoid all chemicals.

not meaning to be smart but everything is a chemical !!!

but i know what you mean.. excess artificaly stuff !