| Author |
Topic: Splenda.. safe or not? |
speedyfeet
Cool Runner |
 posted Jun-11-2005 06:08 PM
  
quote:
Originally posted by jenuin1:
Thanks for clarifying that. I didn't know I was such an idiot.
Not an idiot, just misinformed. 
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jenuin1
Cool Runner |
posted Jun-11-2005 06:46 PM
No, I read so much, maybe too fast, sometimes things gets mixed up with another. (And catch this oversensitive person in a bad mood, and well...) Not to mention, I thought one way to tell if a food product contains trans fats was to see if the ingredients list contained hydrogenated or partially hydrogenated oils/fats. No?Although, the tone of some around here, you would think this was not about proving the safety of Splenda but proving how smart you are and how dumb everyone else is. (Like characterizing those who prefer to look to natural foods and remedies first before trying anything else as fringe nutcakes is low. Some people may mistake anything advertised as natural to mean it's always good -not necessarily so, but I think more people are more discerning than this narrow characterization.) For the record, I tend to stay away from Splenda and other artificial stuff, but if I have it I have it. No worries. I don't think all these things are necessarily the end of the world, but there's okay, and there's better and best when it comes to what I put into my body. Who would disagree with that?
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gebuh
Cool Runner |
posted Jun-11-2005 11:12 PM
yeah you will be a bad one, with such an adversarial tone- you might want to work on your people skills. You say people choose to eat crap- I agree with that, but what happens when you don't know what crap is? What if you were bombarded your whole life by people (professionals all) telling you how good spam, hot dogs, fruit loops, nutrasweet, lunchables, processed flour, etc , are for you? What kind of advocate will you be when you trumpet the ok-ness of test tube foods? You want to know how to eat healthy you have to work, you have to dig. It's way too easy to eat poorly. End up unhealthy, go see medical professional. Does aforementioned professional say things like- eat more whole grains, cut the sugar, watch your meat intake, etc. Sure- if you're lucky, otherwise you get a prescription for this, that or the other thing. How else can the pharma industry stay afloat. Do you think we all have access to dieticians? Fortunately many of us have access to the internet, sometimes the only place you can find studies and papers that don't parrot the corporate spin so prevalent elsewhere, course you have to sift thru that too, but its better then nothing. You say "don't take advice from educated individuals"(sarcasm noted) but just because someone is educated doesn't mean they are concerned about your health. Reading thru these posts most of the disdain for education comes from people like you- who think we should swallow the food industry bullsh*t literally and figuratively. I am not a crusader for granola and pine cones. Eat what you want to eat, but you should know what you're eating- and you should know when you're a lab rat. Food shopping has turned into a frickin csi episode for me, I not only have to read the labels super carefully- I gotta read between the lines and understand just what the hell these people are trying to hide. Here's a senario for you Mr. Dietician:
I'm a lower income woman with 2 kids and no health insurance, I work at walmart(usa's biggest employer). There's a source of toxicity near my home. At least one person in my family has asthma and/or diabetes I got no health insurance if anyone is sick they go to emergency. Once a year the school doctors give my kids a free physical. The supermarket in my neighborhood sells crap, i got no car. Twice a year my kids come home from school with one of those cute little food pyramids all nice and colored in- sponsored by nabisco. They sell soda to my kids at lunch, everything else is canned and processed. I get nutritional info with the food stamp program, but I don't read it- who's got time for that? I gotta work and make sure my kids don't kill each other. I wonder why I'm tired and rundown. Hmmm- maybe I just need to call my dietician.... quote:
Originally posted by Mikey314159:
Ignorance is bliss! Need I say more?
The American diet may be leading to the death of some americans, but this has nothing to do with the health professionals. Dietitans, as I will be one day (and apparently I'll be a bad one), have worked hard to come up with a food guide rainbow (canada) and pyramid (US). The problem is the people who CHOOSE not to follow it and eat crap instead. Don't blame it on the medical community, blame it on yourself. If you're so smart you should stop going to doctors, they aren't natural anyway. Just follow your own advice/instinct and see how far it gets you. Whatever you do, don't take advice from any educated individuals, as this will definately set you up for failure. And don't follow the food guide, it's "in a nutshell, killing Americans". Whatever.
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Acidosis
Cool Runner |
posted Jun-12-2005 08:20 AM
quote:
Originally posted by gebuh:
yeah you will be a bad one, with such an adversarial tone- you might want to work on your people skills. You say people choose to eat crap- I agree with that, but what happens when you don't know what crap is? What if you were bombarded your whole life by people (professionals all) telling you how good spam, hot dogs, fruit loops, nutrasweet, lunchables, processed flour, etc , are for you? What kind of advocate will you be when you trumpet the ok-ness of test tube foods? You want to know how to eat healthy you have to work, you have to dig. It's way too easy to eat poorly. End up unhealthy, go see medical professional. Does aforementioned professional say things like- eat more whole grains, cut the sugar, watch your meat intake, etc. Sure- if you're lucky, otherwise you get a prescription for this, that or the other thing. How else can the pharma industry stay afloat. Do you think we all have access to dieticians? Fortunately many of us have access to the internet, sometimes the only place you can find studies and papers that don't parrot the corporate spin so prevalent elsewhere, course you have to sift thru that too, but its better then nothing. You say "don't take advice from educated individuals"(sarcasm noted) but just because someone is educated doesn't mean they are concerned about your health. Reading thru these posts most of the disdain for education comes from people like you- who think we should swallow the food industry bullsh*t literally and figuratively. I am not a crusader for granola and pine cones. Eat what you want to eat, but you should know what you're eating- and you should know when you're a lab rat. Food shopping has turned into a frickin csi episode for me, I not only have to read the labels super carefully- I gotta read between the lines and understand just what the hell these people are trying to hide. Here's a senario for you Mr. Dietician:
I do believe dieticians are covered by medicare, and I bet if you call up your local CLSC, they even have a dietician there. Where I live our food guide is printed and handed out through the government. I also do remember that food served in my high school cafeteria had to meet certain requirments set by the school board, so yes, healthy food was an option at lunch. I'd love to know exactly who is advocating hot dogs, fruit loops, processed flour and the like.
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speedyfeet
Cool Runner |
posted Jun-12-2005 12:31 PM
quote:
Originally posted by Acidosis:
I do believe dieticians are covered by medicare, and I bet if you call up your local CLSC, they even have a dietician there. Where I live our food guide is printed and handed out through the government. I also do remember that food served in my high school cafeteria had to meet certain requirments set by the school board, so yes, healthy food was an option at lunch. I'd love to know exactly who is advocating hot dogs, fruit loops, processed flour and the like.
I remember my high school cafeteria being very healthy. It was regulated by some company, and the school board too I guess, but we didn't really have much junk. We had salads, healthy muffins, baked fish, pasta, bagels, soup. No chips, soda, or anything like that, and definitely no hot dogs! We did have the signature cafeteria cookies, but you've gotta have a treat sometimes. Now at university, where our cafeteria is run by Sodexho, there are signs up saying that all of the meals have below some amount of fat, have a certain amount of fiber, etc, etc. We have trans fat free muffins, healthy sandwiches, soups, fruits, and even a salad bar. Each table is decked out with a little pamphlet on controlling portion sizes and other guidelines for healthy eating. I think it's a real tragedy when cafeterias sell only junk. But then again, you can always bring your own. Not only healthier, but cheaper too.
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Mikey314159
Cool Runner |
posted Jun-12-2005 09:20 PM
quote:
Originally posted by gebuh:
Here's a senario for you Mr. Dietician:
I'm a lower income woman with 2 kids and no health insurance, I work at walmart(usa's biggest employer). There's a source of toxicity near my home. At least one person in my family has asthma and/or diabetes I got no health insurance if anyone is sick they go to emergency. Once a year the school doctors give my kids a free physical. The supermarket in my neighborhood sells crap, i got no car. Twice a year my kids come home from school with one of those cute little food pyramids all nice and colored in- sponsored by nabisco. They sell soda to my kids at lunch, everything else is canned and processed. I get nutritional info with the food stamp program, but I don't read it- who's got time for that? I gotta work and make sure my kids don't kill each other. I wonder why I'm tired and rundown. Hmmm- maybe I just need to call my dietician....
You may believe that the supermarket in your area sells crap, but I doubt that this is the case. I have yet to see a supermarket without a vegetables and fruits section. Whole wheat bread can be bought for the same price as white bread. Skim milk is cheaper than 3.5%. One must look past the junk and look at the healthy stuff that does exist in the supermarket. It is cheaper to buy healthy food than to buy junk, and cheaper as well as often healthier to bring a lunch to school rather than buy one every day. You obviously have access to the internet, so why not spend a few minutes looking through the american dietetics association's web site instead of spending your time here. It will be an investment in your health to learn more about balanced nutrition. Just my opinion. ------------------
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ADAM1100XX
Cool Runner |
posted Jun-12-2005 10:46 PM
Beer with Splenda sounds good.
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gebuh
Cool Runner |
posted Jun-12-2005 11:42 PM
Jeez, do you actually read the posts you reply to? I said SCENARIO. And it might be a good idea to get out of your ivory tower on occasion, cuz I assure you, crappy(or no access to) supermarkets do exist.
edit-hmmm maybe it was just my lack of spell checking quote:
Originally posted by Mikey314159:
You may believe that the supermarket in your area sells crap, but I doubt that this is the case. I have yet to see a supermarket without a vegetables and fruits section. Whole wheat bread can be bought for the same price as white bread. Skim milk is cheaper than 3.5%. One must look past the junk and look at the healthy stuff that does exist in the supermarket. It is cheaper to buy healthy food than to buy junk, and cheaper as well as often healthier to bring a lunch to school rather than buy one every day. You obviously have access to the internet, so why not spend a few minutes looking through the american dietetics association's web site instead of spending your time here. It will be an investment in your health to learn more about balanced nutrition. Just my opinion.
[This message has been edited by gebuh (edited Jun-13-2005).]
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Acidosis
Cool Runner |
posted Jun-13-2005 12:31 AM
quote:
Originally posted by gebuh:
I assure you, crappy(or no access to) supermarkets do exist.
Thank god I don't live in the excited states of America. I thought "Supersize Me" was just a comedy and not really a documentary about the American palette.
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speedyfeet
Cool Runner |
posted Jun-13-2005 07:49 AM
Even the crappiest parts of town sell fruits, vegetables, and bread.
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Acidosis
Cool Runner |
posted Jun-13-2005 08:36 AM
Even the transients in our city know the value of getting a bagel and banana.
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Mikey314159
Cool Runner |
posted Jun-13-2005 09:47 AM
quote:
Originally posted by gebuh:
Jeez, do you actually read the posts you reply to? I said SCENARIO. And it might be a good idea to get out of your ivory tower on occasion, cuz I assure you, crappy(or no access to) supermarkets do exist.
edit-hmmm maybe it was just my lack of spell checking [This message has been edited by gebuh (edited Jun-13-2005).]
So what you said SCENARIO. I was replying to your scenario, I don't think that there is any problem with that nor do I believe that it was rude or conceited to do so. You asked, I answered, that's all. I'm not on any ivory tower, but it seems as if you are suffering from some type of superiority complex, but I'm no psychologist.
Of course there are parts of the world that do not have supermarkets, but we are talking about the US here, where there are supermarkets galore. If not, people would be unable to buy food and would die. Crappy supermarkets do exist, but I stick to my earlier point, I've never seen a supermarket without veggies and fruits. It is tragic that you do not see this. Often, "crappier" supermarkets have less junk and more fruits and veggies, at least where I live. Although I have noticed in the US that many of the places are overrun by doughnuts. Very sad, but that's beside the point. The vegetables, fruits, milk, etc. are still there and available for purchase. It's a choice that must be made. ------------------
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Stone Soup
Cool Runner |
posted Jun-13-2005 03:52 PM
Yes, but they taste like you-know-what! I live in Brooklyn and moved from a very affluent neighborhood to one far less so. I can't even begin to account for the difference in the quality of produce and food in general in my new neighborhood - truly unbelievable and it's the same grocery store chain as my old n'hood! Yes, there's a coop nearby, but it's unbelievably expensive (I'm talking $6+ for a carton of organic strawberries). Yes, I still eat the healthiest of what's available at the grocery store, but my options are literally about 10% of what they used to be. To travel back to my old neighborhood without a car and pick up groceries would take an hour and a half out of my day that I simply don't have. It is very easy to sanctimoniously criticize people's "choices."
quote:
Originally posted by speedyfeet:
Even the crappiest parts of town sell fruits, vegetables, and bread.
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Acidosis
Cool Runner |
posted Jun-13-2005 05:27 PM
quote:
Originally posted by Acidosis:
Thank god I don't live in the excited states of America.
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Mikey314159
Cool Runner |
posted Jun-13-2005 05:47 PM
quote:
Originally posted by Stone Soup:
Yes, but they taste like you-know-what! I live in Brooklyn and moved from a very affluent neighborhood to one far less so. I can't even begin to account for the difference in the quality of produce and food in general in my new neighborhood - truly unbelievable and it's the same grocery store chain as my old n'hood! Yes, there's a coop nearby, but it's unbelievably expensive (I'm talking $6+ for a carton of organic strawberries). Yes, I still eat the healthiest of what's available at the grocery store, but my options are literally about 10% of what they used to be. To travel back to my old neighborhood without a car and pick up groceries would take an hour and a half out of my day that I simply don't have. It is very easy to sanctimoniously criticize people's "choices."
Yes, but you don't have to buy organic strawberries. I don't buy strawberries when they're expensive like that, and I don't pay extra for organic. You can buy whatever fruits or veggies are least expensive for the time of year (oranges, apples, bananas...). Frozen veggies are good too. ------------------
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peachtree
Cool Runner |
posted Jun-13-2005 11:28 PM
quote:
I don't pay extra for organic.
I'm not surprised. You're on quite the little bandwagon there, aren't you? BTW, my pediatrician told me to buy all organic and cut out all artificial sweeteners. He stated he's seen a rise in ADD and other health problems as our food supply has become more processed and people begin to ingest more non-food chemicals. To me, it just makes good sense to eat whole foods rather than artificial stuff. But then again, what do I know? 
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Leezle
Moderator of Carbo Canteen |
posted Jun-14-2005 12:00 AM
quote:
Originally posted by peachtree:
I'm not surprised. You're on quite the little bandwagon there, aren't you?BTW, my pediatrician told me to buy all organic and cut out all artificial sweeteners. He stated he's seen a rise in ADD and other health problems as our food supply has become more processed and people begin to ingest more non-food chemicals. To me, it just makes good sense to eat whole foods rather than artificial stuff. But then again, what do I know?
Fresh fruit is expensive and can be hard for many to afford, organic is even more so. Yes, it is the ideal for most, but out of the budget for the vast majority as well.
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Acidosis
Cool Runner |
posted Jun-14-2005 12:11 AM
quote:
Originally posted by peachtree:
He stated he's seen a rise in ADD and other health problems as our food supply has become more processed and people begin to ingest more non-food chemicals.
You've identified an effect, but how can you say artificial sweeteners are the cause. Couldn't the recent greater inactivity levels of the American population be a more likely cause, a less likely cause? Does your pediatrician know something that the American Dietetic Association doesn't?
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peachtree
Cool Runner |
posted Jun-14-2005 12:25 AM
[QUOTE]Couldn't the recent greater inactivity levels of the American population be a more likely cause, a less likely cause?[QUOTE]I'm certain there are many causes. But you can't rule out chemical additions to food as a contributor. And anyone who makes blanket statements about food additives that have been around less than a decade is not being cautious. Just because a few studies have been done doesn't mean that you can guarantee the safety of an additive. I really don't think promoting artificial sweeteners is a good focus for a dietitian; just as I'd be disheartened to hear them promote a fast food lifestyle or a processed food diet.
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Acidosis
Cool Runner |
posted Jun-14-2005 01:18 AM
Your right that Splenda has not been around that long but it did go through extensive research to be on our plates . It is also important to note that Splenda is very poorly absorbed by the body with most of it being excreted through feces and the rest of it going out through the urine and also that not that much Splenda is needed to obtain the same sweetness as sugar (Splenda has been found to be 600x the sweetness of sugar) so it is not like the 18 teespoons of sugar your swallowing when people drink regular coke. I'm not a dietician, but I could imagine that for obese people who must reduce calories but don't want to lose sweetness, and likewise for diabetics artificial sweeteners are lifesavers, eg Splenda Muffins. If researchers came out tomorrow with a link that Splenda was dangerous in some way I wouldn't be worried, because 1. I'm not consuming vast quantities of this stuff, and 2. After all the research that has been done, and all the time that has passed since research on Splenda was started (I'm guessing early 90's), any link found would probably be a pretty weak one. [This message has been edited by Acidosis (edited Jun-14-2005).]
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Stone Soup
Cool Runner |
posted Jun-14-2005 01:33 PM
My point is that the only option in the n'hood where the fruit is palatable (and I'm NOT fussy about that stuff) is outrageously expensive. I never buy organic food and don't think it should be my only option for non-rotten, underripe produce.
quote:
Originally posted by Mikey314159:
Yes, but you don't have to buy organic strawberries.
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Flab Gordon
Cool Runner |
posted Jun-14-2005 01:40 PM
quote:
Originally posted by peachtree:
I'm not surprised. You're on quite the little bandwagon there, aren't you?BTW, my pediatrician told me to buy all organic and cut out all artificial sweeteners. He stated he's seen a rise in ADD and other health problems as our food supply has become more processed and people begin to ingest more non-food chemicals. To me, it just makes good sense to eat whole foods rather than artificial stuff. But then again, what do I know?
Not to doubt your pediatrician, but are you certain that a rise in ADD and other health problems are related to the food supply becoming more processed and people beginning to ingest more non-food chemicals? Or could it be due to things like kids spending hours in front of the tv or computer, lack of exercise and time spent outdoors playing, side effects of other medications, global warming, etc, etc.
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Mikey314159
Cool Runner |
posted Jun-14-2005 05:21 PM
quote:
Originally posted by Flab Gordon:
Not to doubt your pediatrician, but are you certain that a rise in ADD and other health problems are related to the food supply becoming more processed and people beginning to ingest more non-food chemicals? Or could it be due to things like kids spending hours in front of the tv or computer, lack of exercise and time spent outdoors playing, side effects of other medications, global warming, etc, etc.
You've got it! Too many people draw conclusions from who knows where, with no evidence!!!!! Just because there is an increase in ADD and an increase in processing at the same time, it doesn't mean that there is a cause and effect relationship!!!!!! I've said this many times before but it seems that nobody wants to hear it or believe it even though it makes more sense than alot of the other stuff I've read on here. Oh well.
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peachtree
Cool Runner |
posted Jun-15-2005 12:06 AM
quote:
it doesn't mean that there is a cause and effect relationship!!!!!!
It doesn't mean there isn't, either. I'll try to find some studies. I know I read about the artificial sweetener/ADD connection in my ADD Answers book, but I'll try to find where the author found those studies. Right now we're remodeling, and all our books are in boxes.
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peachtree
Cool Runner |
posted Jun-15-2005 12:14 AM
Just as an aside, when my Dad was a kid growing up in Nebraska in the 30's, the docs believed smoking would alleviate asthma. He took up the habit then. He eventually became a doctor himself, but it didn't stop him from needing a quintuple cardiac bypass at age 57.People learn a lot over time. I wonder what we'll be saying about these sweeteners 50 years from now. It takes awhile to do the research and make the disease connections. I don't think they're good for people, but I can't speak to whether they're harmful or not. I guess it is wait and see for all of us.
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