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by Mary Shomon

July 10, 2003 -- If you haven't seen the little yellow packets peeking out alongside their blue and pink friends at restaurants and coffee shops, you will soon. Sucralose (known by its brand name, Splenda) is making waves throughout the nation as the newest, hottest artificial sweetener.

Sucralose is derived from table sugar -- sucrose -- but is chemically modified so it has no calories, and so it is not perceived by the body as a carbohydrate. Unlike carbohydrates, sucralose is not broken down during its passage through the body. It can be used by diabetics, and by people who want to control their blood sugar.

In determining the safety of sucralose, the manufacturers state that the FDA reviewed data from more than 110 studies in humans and animals. Supposedly, many of the studies were designed to identify possible toxic effects including carcinogenic, reproductive and neurological effects, and no problems were seen.

Of course, we've heard this all before with many products -- everything from cyclamates, to saccharine, to aspartame, to HRT -- I think the only way we'll really know if there are problems from sucralose is after years of regular use, or more intensive, long-term studies. For example, some undocumented reports claim that sucralose may be able to cause problems with the thymus gland, liver and kidneys. So ultimately, there is probably still some risk.

But from the readers contacting me, I'm not hearing from people indicating that they have any obvious reactivity to sucralose, as many people do with aspartame (which in some people is known to cause headaches, and other neurological symptoms, sometimes within minutes of exposure.) Personally, I tolerate saccharine well, but I don't like the taste. I don't tolerate aspartame at all, and I don't like the taste. Aspartame gives me a major headache, and sometimes makes me feel dizzy, so I try to avoid it as much as possible.

To me, sucralose tastes the best of all the artificial sweeteners, in fact, I can't tell the difference from sugar. I have no side effects from it. So, if I have to choose from the yellow, pink or blue, it's going to be the yellow packets for me!

Ultimately, you're probably better off with a natural sweetener, such as stevia, than an artificial one like sucralose. But while stevia is great for sweetening coffee, tea, or yogurt, for example, it doesn't really work for baking and as a food ingredient. There, the issue is, are you better off avoiding sugar and replacing it with sucralose than using regular sugar, or one of the sweeteners that have demonstrable side effects, like aspartame?

My personal preference is to use the Splenda as a way to stay on my lower-carb, low-glycemic Thyroid Diet. If it allows me to indulge in treats periodically and that helps me eat more healthfully overally, then I feel it's a fair tradeoff.

I've switched totally off of all diet sodas that contain aspartame, and have found that even a can of soda with aspartame has side effects for me. I've switched to Diet Rite cola, because it has sucralose and not aspartame, and, additionally, it has no caffeine, so I can avoid that as well. When I want a bit of caffeine, I drink Diet Snapple Iced Tea. Of course, this is all in addition to water (I drink two 32 ounce bottles a day, at least!)

My favorite protein shakes, Pure Protein canned protein shakes, have Splenda in them, and they are just delicious. VERY low-glycemic, and make a nice snack or treat.

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And on hot summer nights, one of my new favorite treats is to take some lemon and lime juice, put it in the blender with ice and a little water, and make a "mock margarita." I serve in a margarita glass rimmed with salt. Almost no carbs, no sugar, almost no calories, but you get the feeling of drinking a frozen margarita!

Splenda is used to sweeten many other products including Diet RC Cola, Nestle Nescafe Frothe coffee drinks, Arizona Diet Iced Tea, Kraft Crystal Light ready-to-drink beverages, Ocean Spray Lightstyle juice drinks, Dannon Light 'N Fit smoothies, Breyer's no-sugar-added Fruit Bars, and Swiss Miss cocoa mixes.

A complete list of products that use Splenda is available online in PDF format.

Taking the low-carb/Splenda thing a bit further, you might want to check out a great new cookbook, More Splendid Low-Carbing, by Jennifer Eloff, a prolific cookbook author and low-carb expert (whis is also hypothyroid). Jennifer has spent years developing low-carb versions of so many wonderful treats, and I know your mouth will start watering when you hear some of the titles of the recipes:

• Buffalo Wings
• Mandarin Spinach Salad
• Cauli-Fried Rice (tastes like Chinese fried rice)
• Faux Mashed Potatoes
• Zucchini Fries
• Wholegrain Bread
• Caramel Custard
• Chocolate Mousse
• Black Forest Cake
• Homemade Chocolate Protein Bars
• Gingersnaps
• Brownies

These are just a few *of the many wonderful recipes for everythin from drinks to main dishes to treats that Jennifer has lovingly assembled.

More Splendid Low-Carbing is available from Jennifer's site, sweety.com for $16.95 plus shipping.





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