Thoughts on Sucralose?

Hey guys,

Does anyone have any personal opinions on Sucralose as an artificial sweetner? When selecting a protein powder for an example, do you look for formulations without this specificially or does it not phase you?

I've heard of people reporting problems such as bloating, dizziness & headaches when they start using it. I'm sure it's obvious that anything artificial used in consistent amounts will more than likely produce an adverse metabolic effect overtime. I guess you only have to look at aspartame & all of the complications that started to arise with this.

Well I'd love to get a take on anyone's view with this.

Thanks

If you're concerned, spend a few weeks logging how you feel without sucralose. Then try sucralose for a few weeks and log some more. Then see if you spot any trends.

To my knowledge there's no known negative side effects to moderate sucralose consumption, but I admittedly do not keep up with the latest research on artificial sweeteners.

I like it more than Aspartame or acesulfame potassium taste-wise. Although I find most commercial powders add

too much. In the future I will probably get unsweetened, as I usually have it with dextrose anyway.

Metabolically if I recall right it passes through the system largely unchanged. In fact some people say it is contaminating the ground water because it is doesn't degrade easily.

That seems like quite a good idea. I guess from an individual perspective people respond differently to various chemicals. So I might try the whole logging thing, thank you for that.

Yeah I remember reading that somewhere too fin. I suppose not enough time has passed to properly document any potential long term implications. I think that was the problem with aspartame wasn't it? I think it was only after long term exposure that people started falling ill as a result of it. I'm not too sure. Ha ha yeah you're right, add dextrose & you could make even the rawest of amino acids taste nice.

Cheers guys

My favorite store-bought sweetener is Truvia, partially because it's all natural and partially because it is nearly indistinguishable from actual sugar when added to anything, yet it has a GI of under 10 because the sugar alcohol used (alongside the stevia extract) is eurythritol.

I believe true protein has flavoring options that use stevia instead of sucralose, and cost around a dollar more as a result.

Hey Josh thanks for the reply, interesting note on the GI. Do you think this carries a better taste to it then as opposed to just pure stevia? I suppose if it has a pretty close relation to straight sugar i've probably just answered my own question ha ha.

Curious about truvia as well. Haven't tried it yet. Recently made available in Canada. 

Have tried stevia and didn't like it. Even the supposedly best-tasting had a bad aftertaste to me.

Is it really much better? Ok for cooking?

Reason I ask is that I  am working on lemon meringue pie and would like to try it with

a natural replacement sweetener for sugar - fell into a sugar coma after dinner!

Otherwise, the pie has a fair amount of protein with lots of eggs, gelatin instead of 

cornstarch, and a primarily buckwheat crust. Lemon is awesome!

Oh man, I love Lemon Meringue Pie! Care to share your recipe?

I managed to come across a blend of erythritol & stevia as I was unable to find a supplier of the actual Truvia in Aus. It's certainly not noticeably offensive by any means. I mean it has a distinct taste which I suppose you either like or don't, but I add this to an otherwise extremely bland chocolate pee protein & it tastes great. 

I've been experimenting with desert recipes also, however only using raw ingredients. It's an experience of trying to fine tune texture, flavouring & nutritional content as you need a good binder & something to offset some of the bitterness. So i've been using lots of fresh coconut & small amounts of coconut sugar to do this. The sugar carries a few different minerals & has a surprisingly low GI (around 35). Certainly a better alternative to the commonly used agave nectar, which in my opinion is so sickly sweet & is really just fructose anyway.

Joel Tomkins said:

Oh man, I love Lemon Meringue Pie! Care to share your recipe?

Sure. The traditional one or the lower-sugar/GI one? The latter I haven't worked all the kinks out of yet...

After I do I want to tackle key lime pie though!

rynski said:

 .... I mean it has a distinct taste which I suppose you either like or don't, but I add this to

an otherwise extremely bland chocolate pee protein & it tastes great. 

Yes, sugar is pretty much sugar. Haven't messed around to much with the alternatives except honey.

Sugar alcohols are ok in small amounts, as mentioned above by Domz. Too much can effect digestion.

Xylitol has a "cool" after taste that would work well with citrus though. Combining different types

like Truvia does, makes sense. What are you making exactly?

FutureisNow said:

Sure. The traditional one or the lower-sugar/GI one? The latter I haven't worked all the kinks out of yet...

After I do I want to tackle key lime pie though!

The lower-sugar/GI one would be fantastic! Happy to be a second opinion while you are still trialing it

Joel Tomkins said:

The lower-sugar/GI one would be fantastic! Happy to be a second opinion while you are still trialing it

Will PM you what I have. The main benefit is it's lower in calories so can eat more!

Could be gluten free easily - that was my original motive as it was for a friend. Then

I tasted it and my motive morphed.

What's interesting I learned is that sucrose (table sugar) actually has a lower GI than

glucose (68 vs 100). Studies differ but that's the average.  But that said, it's also the

glycemic load - the total sugar and carbs is pretty large in an unmodified recipe,

probably around 100g.  Would like to cut that total down to around 30-40g which is more

manageable I feel.

In any event will send it later today or tomorrow.

I am currently making something called Choco Chia. A brazilian friend told me about this one & it's really straight forward to put together. The ingredients are; coconut cream, cacau powder, coconut sugar, chia seeds & gelatin. If you like the sound of this, i'll shoot you through the recipe. It forms a moose type of consistency. 

I'm also working on another self titled Heavenly Raw. More of a cake type of effect this one. Ingredients are: avocados, coconut oil, coconut flesh, coconut sugar, cacao & almond meal. Works really well, just developing the finishing touches on texture. Again I can post up the recipe for this also if anyone is interested.

That lemon meringue sounds like a winner FIN, maybe we can swap happy dessert stories. 

Nothing like moose for dessert rynski. Are you removing the hairy skin first? I hope! 

There's a recipe thread somewhere here. Maybe it should be a sticky if it isn't already. I would post it there.

Found that truvia here - more or less. Different brand but am thinking of just getting a bag of that eurythritol.

It's tricky replacing sugar in dessert because sugar does things like melts and hardens. It's supposed to be close though.

Takes time, like most good things!

Ha ha whoops, you'll have to excuse my spelling inability. That could have someone arrested. 

Yeah I agree, I suppose that's what makes trial & error qualify for a bit of fun. I'm gonna swap the coconut sugar for the stevia/ erythritol blend in the 'moose' & see how it reacts.

rynski said:

Ha ha whoops, you'll have to excuse my spelling inability. That could have someone arrested. 

 

Yeah I agree, I suppose that's what makes trial & error qualify for a bit of fun. I'm gonna swap the coconut sugar for the stevia/ erythritol blend in the 'moose' & see how it reacts.

Great, let me know!  I just found this stray puppy without tags so I'm ragged dealing this bundle of energy!

That is super cute. First things first; doggy rings.

You're talking about so great and interesting things, but actually not so much about Sucralose... 

I know that it is a artificial sweetener and that's, beforehand, not good, but quoting Paracelsus

"Dosis sola facit venenum" or "The dose alone makes the poison" 

 Besides, I was reading that Sucralose and Splenda, although similars, they're not the same things.

Like OP, thoughts?

And I'm interesting on it because unflavoured protein powder it a great thing to mix with anything (fruits, coffee, etc etc), but there's one flavour on www.myprotein.com (Cookies & Cream) that is ultraawesome but I want to know before if sucralose it is "neutral" on low dosage.

Thanks!

rynski said:

That is super cute. First things first; doggy rings.

          Hahaha! 

Adriano Flo said:

You're talking about so great and interesting things, but actually not so much about Sucralose... 

 

I know that it is a artificial sweetener and that's, beforehand, not good, but quoting Paracelsus

 

"Dosis sola facit venenum" or "The dose alone makes the poison" 

 

 Besides, I was reading that Sucralose and Splenda, although similars, they're not the same things.

 

Like OP, thoughts?

 

And I'm interesting on it because unflavoured protein powder it a great thing to mix with anything (fruits, coffee, etc etc), but there's one flavour on www.myprotein.com (Cookies & Cream) that is ultraawesome but I want to know before if sucralose it is "neutral" on low dosage.

 

Thanks!

The Center for Science in the Public Interest is a staunch supporter of sucralose, which is similar to sugar except for the addition of a chlorine atom which makes it largely indigestible. Somehow it makes it 300 times sweeter than sugar as well, but Splenda is cut with malto I believe to make it twice as sweet.That adds a gram of carbs maybe. 

What's strange is that the same group has been objecting that Stevia hasn't be studied enough, even though it's been in use for thousands of years. It kind of gives me the feeling that there may be a commercial interest somewhere behind the "public interest" however I don't know that as a fact.

The recommended dose is something like 100mg/day o pure sucralose for an average sized guys. It's based on a 100-fold safety factor from amounts studies. That's probably what's in 2-3 scoops of sweetened protein powder. A protein bar has between 50-75mg from what I've seen reading labels.

Of course, sugar isn't all that safe either!

Another sweetener considered generally safe is Neotame. Don't know much about it.