vandykes44

My stomach gets upset and I get very bloated whenever I eat or drink anything with Splenda. Unfortunately, I'm currently trying to lose weight and have to stay away from so many lo calorie foods and drinks because of Splenda. I've tried many of the over the counter medications to relieve my symtoms, but nothing seems to work. I do have a pretty sensitive stomach and also have a problem tolerating many pre-packaged foods, eg. WW entries, and too much fiber. I never had any stomach problems when I was younger, but I seem to be less and less tolerant as I become older. The only odd thing is that I very, very rarely have any kind of stomach problems when I travel, and I travel to Central and South America somewhat often. I think it may be that they don't use preservatives.

I'm going to make an appointment with a gastro doctor soon, but was wondering if anyone else has any of the same problems and have found solutions.

Lehava

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I am terribly intolerant of most artificial sweetners, it is just how your body metabolism them (remember a decent part of it is synthetic junk the body isnt meant to take in anyway). You can lose weight without living on diet products and in the end you'll be better off without them.

CDTraveler

That is a common reaction. I can't tolerate Splenda at all, and have found a number of articles on the web detailing how large molecule artificial sweetners such as it cause gastric problems.

The simplest and safest solution is to avoid the stuff. Try water with a squeeze of citrus instead of soda, and fruit or pretzels instead of "diet" baked goods.

lfasgrl

Try putting the zest of fruits in to your water it gives it a bit of flavor without any calories. If you want something a bit more try club soda with a splash of fresh juice. Iam also trying to lose weigh and I can not tolerate the taste of artificial sweetner so iam going with the zest and flavor waters with no sweetners

Lehava

And you intolerance to packaged foods, again probably the synthetic preservatives or also a lot of them hide MSG in them (which I am very susceptible too also). Best thing to do if you want convenience meals is cook a lot of something, portion and freeze and then use as needed. You will find a lot less side effects.

And I say this as the worst cook in the world *smile*

wanderlust_jules

You are probably better off. I think I'm getting addicted to Splenda and that can not be a good thing.

Cookie Jarvis

I found out that Splenda bothers my system (the hard way). I try to stay away from the stuff.

snowdogs

An ingredient in sugarless gum sets off symptoms of IBS in my son. He also has an intolerance to Splenda.

GeoGirl

So glad I came across this thread! I have been drinking a beverage with Splenda lately and have experienced the same thing!

There are two natural sweeteners that do work for me: Xylitol and Stevia. Both can be found in a store like Wild Oats or Whole Foods. I find that these two sweeteners seem both safer and less irritating than Splenda.

HTH!
GG

Analise

What kind of foods do you eat which have contained Splenda?

gretchendz

Ok..the BEST tasting sugar substitute EVER is Whey Low. It is a bit pricey, but I swear it tastes like sugar. Also has brown sugar, powdered and maple syrup versions.

It is a bit pricey and (I think) only available at their website, but I swear by this stuff. Give it a try!

http://wheylow.com/

SarahWest

I'd suggest that you get acclimatized to foods which are less sweet. My father was a mature onset diabetic and when he was diagnosed the whole family stopped adding sugar to things. If we could do it as a whole family, I'm sure you can too. This is by far the healthiest option.

Good luck!

CDTraveler

Personally, I don't eat the stuff, but I do read labels. I have seen it in:
Yogurt
ice cream
cookies
cereal
frozen desserts/entrees
low-cal candy

lablelarry

I switched to sweeteners when trying to loose weight cause I drink a lot of coffee (and need alot of sugar to make it really sweet)...and the sweetener was causing my whole stomach area to get rock hard and very swollen/bloated. I had to quit cold turkey.

Analise

Many yoghurts still use Aspartame (Equal), so you won't have to give up on something as wonderful as yoghurt.

Cereal....just add Equal to corn flakes, cheerios, oatmeal, or any other cereal which has no sugar or sweeteners.

As for baked goods, you can't cook with Equal unfortunately. Only Splenda works so I would just give up those things all together if Splenda makes you ill.

Ice Cream? Sugar or Splenda.....nothing else out there.