Sweeteners, which do you prefer & why?

[DebiPie]

Also, what do you use them for? Such as beverages, baking, or cooking?

Sugar, raw sugar, equal, sweet & low, stevia, honey, splenda or truvia?

Others? And why?

Thanks!

Sugar, raw sugar

Equal, sweet & low

Splenda

Stevia

Truvia

[cun7n1nja]

It depends on what I'm using them for. =] I like regular sugar, honey, brown sugar, and I have a stevia plant that I sometimes snip leaves from to use as sweetener. Also agave nectar is a great sweetener, but I don't use it often.

[DebiPie]

Really? Where did you get a stevia plant? How do you use it? I've not heard of this before...do tell, please.

[cun7n1nja]

I just got it from the little plant nursery at the store my mom works at last spring or something. It should be in with the rest of the herb plants. =] The stevia plant is where the stevia/truvia sweeteners come from. Like if you pick off a leaf and chew on it, the juice tastes sweet like sugar. To use it, I usually crush and bruise them to release the juice like you'd do with the mint in a mojito, and pour tea over it. But I think you could also boil them to make a simple syrup, then strain it.

[DebiPie]

interesting. I'd like to try it. sounds about as natural as it can get.

[cun7n1nja]

It's pretty tasty! =] And you know exactly what you're getting and the process it goes through, lol. If I didn't hate bees, I'd harvest my own honey. =P But I do make sure I buy local honey, which also helps if you have seasonal allergies. My mom told me that trick, lol, eat a spoonful of your local honey every day during winter, and by the time allergy season rolls around, you have a higher immunity to all the local pollens, so your allergy symptoms don't kill ya as much as usual.

[cun7n1nja]

And thanks for BA, my dear! =] This is what the stevia plant's leaves look like. link

[DebiPie]

k thanks

[cun7n1nja]

No problem!

[smokahontas]

I always use this brand of sugar link pure cane sugar :)

[Kain6th]

link I use that brand. it's quite addicting!

[smokahontas]

isn't that crack? o:

[sweatgirl]

none of them are good for us, but for different reasons. I stay away from sugar unless its natural sugar like in our fruit or yogurt. Splenda is the worst of them all it increases the ph level and slows down digestion that kills the good bacteria in the intestines by 50% and promotes weight gain. splenda is considered hepatotoxic and nephrotoxic which leads to liver and kidney lesions. 7%of splenda remains in your body for 5 days.

[Catie101]

stevia in tea tastes great and it is healthier than artificial sweeteners so I like that and with baking I'm thinking of replacing sugar with coconut palm sugar since it is much much healthier for you. besides that I don't add sugar to anything I eat.

[kitttykaaat69]

Brown suger is the best sweetener anything else isn't good for the body.

[Anonymous4Real]

lol. Brown sugar is just white sugar with a small amount of molasses. There is nothing magical about it. It has a small amount of calcium, magnesium, potassium, and iron in it. Nothing more.

[kitttykaaat69]

What makes molasses. And if brown sugar is white sugar with molasses added which of the 2 is the better choice? I never said it's magical just that it's the healthier choice even if its only by .1%

[kitttykaaat69]

Btw, you really don't need sugar in your body. Eat fruits if you need sweets

[DebiPie]

I do like brown sugar in coffee, but only once in awhile as a treat. Sooo good.

[angel_face1988]

Spelenda is better than regular sugar. That's what I prefer and that was I buy.

[ShrapnelHead]

Pure / unfiltered honey, especially in tea!

[DebiPie]

Yes, I love it too. Just don't give it to little kids under 3, you know.

[rachel05]

sugar.. tastes good, I don't like the others.

[Anonymous]

Splenda

[DebiPie]

I do use splenda in my coffee. I don't know how healthy it is though. I don't like the taste of sugar in it, the blue & pink pks give me headaches, so...Splenda! The others are quite pricey.

[Opinion Owner]

80% of Splenda passes through the digestive tract and is passed as feces. The remaining 20% is absorbed and then filtered out by the kidneys. It is not catabolized so you don't use the energy in it.