May 29 15:58 2007 from Dave Has anyone ever noticed any funky mental problems when regularly using splenda? When I was semi-regularly using aspartame, I noticed that I had some weird memory problems that seemed to go away when I cut it out. Lately, I've been feeling like my memory is unusually bad and I'm wondering if it might be the spenda having a similar effect on me. I need to pick up some real sugar and try it out to be sure... May 29 15:59 2007 from Dave (I "need to pick up some real sugar" because I'm at work; we do have some at home, I'm just not likely to remember to bring it (ha!) and I'd prefer that it was in packets.) :-) May 29 16:00 2007 from krista I haven't noticed any problems, personally. May 29 16:03 2007 from Change I don't remember what sweetener I use. May 29 16:05 2007 from Dave Is it in packets? If so, what color are the packets? :-) May 29 16:11 2007 from Change I don't actually use sweetener, I'm just being a smartass :) May 29 16:14 2007 from Dave oh...right....right... :-P May 29 16:15 2007 from Dave (Really, I deserved that one, but still.... ;-) May 29 16:47 2007 from Mark Change: If it helps, I got it. :) May 29 16:49 2007 from loofah dave: have you tried the stevia packets? I assume this is for hot tea, so it should dissolve fine (the bulking agent they use doesn't dissolve well in cold liquid (at least the brand I tried)). May 29 16:52 2007 from Dave I tried some liquid stevia at my mom's, but it was a differnet tea and I wasn't sure of the proportions, yet. I tried the packets one time a LONG time ago, but they were old and seemed...like they'd aborbed a bunch of water. I'm perfectly willing to try them again. :-) May 29 17:03 2007 from krista I've been trying to switch to Stevia. It has some aftertaste in some hot drinks, but teas are usually ok. May 29 17:15 2007 from the boy I have read that aspartame messes with your short term memory. I don't use any fake sugar, though, so I have no other comment. (: May 29 17:19 2007 from Dave I can confirm that aspartame has that effect on me. I'm just wondering if sucralose does the same thing or of it's just my continual lack of sleep that's doing it. :-D May 29 17:25 2007 from the boy Both? (: May 29 17:31 2007 from Dave I've been dealing with sleep dep, in varying degrees, for probably 10+ years. It's not that I'm surprised that I have some short-term memory problems, it's that they seem _worse_ right now. The last time things seemed "worse" was when I was using aspartame and I at least felt there was a difference after stopping. May 29 17:38 2007 from Mark Use sugar and keep walking. Though, that would be easier if your walking partner would stop flaking on you. :) May 29 17:39 2007 from schtoofa Just curious -- the sweetener issue aside, how good do you feel about your regular diet? May 29 18:33 2007 from Dave schtoofa: I could use some improvements, but if I added 4 tablespoons of table sugar, I doubt it's going to be too bad... :-) May 29 18:34 2007 from Dave hmmm...now that I think about it, a packet is the equivalent of a teaspoon, not a tablespoon. :-) May 29 18:38 2007 from beavis Honey can have benefits beyond sweetening if you like its flavor. May 29 18:40 2007 from krista Whew. I was gonna say, I like my tea sweet, but dang. May 29 18:43 2007 from Dave krista: bear in mind that we're talking about one packet of sweeter per cup, I just drink four cups during the day. May 29 18:43 2007 from Change One packet is one gram. May 29 18:43 2007 from Dave beavis: honey's a good idea, but measuring it out might be problematic. And they containers tend to get sticky. :-D May 29 18:55 2007 from krista And if it is sugar content that you worry about, I think honey is ~equal to sugar. But if it's just container, why not buy those little honey sticks at the Farmer's? May 29 18:58 2007 from Dave krista: I just hadn't even thought of honey until beavis mentioned it. And I know that it's about the same calories as honey. May 29 18:59 2007 from krista Still, a tablespoon of sugar is a lot in a cup! Althugh, if a teaspoon is about 1/3 tablespoon, I have to admit I'm guilty. Which is a *big* part of why I switched to fake sweetner. May 29 19:01 2007 from Dave No, no. I use a packet of sweetener. I belive it is the equivalent of a teaspoon; I misspoke (typed?) originally. May 29 19:03 2007 from Dave Ooops; upon looking at the package, it claims that it sweetens like two teaspoons. May 29 19:53 2007 from bill So Amy has determined that splenda has weird mental effects on her, not memory loss per say, but not good stuff either. May 29 19:58 2007 from Change Does it make her crave the brains of the living? May 29 20:34 2007 from bill She describes have a feeling a deep seated dread. You know, that feeling you get when you realize you have a huge test today, and haven't studied for it. Needless to say, once she made the connection, she is very careful to not eat anything that contains it. :-) May 29 21:04 2007 from the boy Fresno that to me. No, seriously. There's pollen or crap in the air that makes me feel like I'm having a panic attack, when I don't have anything to panic about. May 29 21:09 2007 from byter I realized that tb probably forgot "does" between Fresno and that, but I actually like the idea of using Fresno as a verb. I've been Fresnoed! :) May 29 21:23 2007 from Dave werd... May 29 21:36 2007 from Dave bill: I'm still curious if that's really the spenda or the Ace K (not that I suggest she test it, I'm just curious). May 29 21:51 2007 from loofah dave: if you wanted to sweeten with honey, you could use those little squeezy bears, thereby reducing the sticky container problem. (I'm assuming you mean the little packets were sticky, or getting it out of a jar in a reasonable fashion is a pain) May 29 21:54 2007 from Change And measuring is easy, squeeze into a teaspoon, then use the teaspoon to stir it into the tea :) May 29 21:56 2007 from Dave loofah: even the squeezy things tend to drip over time. I'm not saying the problem is insurmountable, I just wanted a little fuss as possible. change: yeah, that's a possibilty, but I like putting the sweetener in the pot & letting the hot tea disolve it. :-) May 29 23:58 2007 from imago I just saw honey granules for sale at my local asian grocery store. I forgot what was in it besides dried honey, but whatever the second ingredient was, it didn't set off any alarm bells for me. Probably just something to make sure the stuff doesn't stick together. May 29 23:59 2007 from Mark Hmm... Honey tastes good.. :) May 30 09:28 2007 from TheFinn Another item is evaporated cane juice. You can get it in the same format as sugar and organic is available at costco. I have moved away from even sucralose when possible b/c I still have some of the negative effects I get from aspertame (gas) and sugar (bowel issues). ECG is about as close to no-effect (for normal serving amounts in stuff like drinks), and it doesn't have the "evil" processing that table sugar ("sugar in the raw" is *not* raw sugar, it is *unbleached* processed sugar, as soon as "cane juice" dissapears, you have crossed the line, as soon as cane drops from the name (outside of fructose or beet sugar which are different sources), it is poisonous and your body no longer can properly digest it. I have further issues on top of that. Oh, and Reg used it in the chocolate tortes for my bday. no effects ^_^ May 30 09:28 2007 from TheFinn Also, who has had a migraine (like,nausea triggers, severe) in the last week? May 30 13:52 2007 from the boy I had an opthalmic migraine, probably from stinky allergic air from a tire fire at the same time. May 30 15:35 2007 from TheFinn The reason that I'm asking is that I know of 3 people that have had major migraines in the last week, not all in the same states, and 2 were "I haven't had one this bad in over a year" level. sunspots or something... May 30 15:40 2007 from the boy I've been getting progressively worse, allergy-wise, the longer I live in this bowl of pollen called the central valley. May 30 15:44 2007 from TheFinn As long as you aren't allergic to cottonwood, you should move to seattle ;) May 30 16:33 2007 from the boy I'm allergic to 8 months of rain. (: May 30 16:36 2007 from krista I found it's not the rain, but the grey. Still, if something were to happen between D & I, I would probably be back to going to Seattle, just based on the friends up there. May 30 16:37 2007 from the boy True. The rain and gray are intertwined. And I like rain. Just not THAT much rain. May 30 17:46 2007 from imago So move to Portland instead. It seems to have rain interspersed with sunny, even in the winter. May 30 17:48 2007 from Change I've heard bad things about the road conditions in Portland...giant potholes, swallow whole cars, etc...many deaths... ;) May 30 17:48 2007 from Dave FUCK! change beat me to it. :-D May 30 17:54 2007 from Josh Yes, try Seattle. May 30 18:50 2007 from the boy We looked at Portland, and it was pretty rainy, too. I thinking I should just move to the desert. May 30 20:52 2007 from krista Damn, my ankles are swollen. Sucks. They're usually a bit big, but not quite this bad. May 30 21:45 2007 from Mark My boss just complained about a feeling of dread, similar to how bill described Ame's reaction to Splenda. So I cut'n'pasted our artifical sweetener discussion in an email to him. Thanks, Halibut! :) May 30 21:46 2007 from Dave Awesome! May 30 21:48 2007 from Mark Speaking of which, Dave; Have you tried honey yet? I really am quite fond of it as a sweetener. My most recent batch of root beer is made with Avacado Blossom honey. I'm really looking forward to how it comes out. May 30 21:54 2007 from Dave No, I haven't tried ANYTHING new, yet. I mean, I have used honey in tea before...usually when sick. We've got some Desert Sage (I think) that's been pretty good. Just haven't gotten around to doing anything differently... May 30 22:18 2007 from rookie Deep tissue massage today. That was good. Very very good. Tight spots from lots of rehearsal are no longer tight. w00t. May 31 02:44 2007 from Josh That could also imply that your boss is having heart related issues, which do the same thing. May 31 21:04 2007 from anne Heh...I just got a can of Starbucks Doubleshot Light -- silly me thought it would simply have less sugar than the normal stuff, but it's got both sucralose and our friend Acesulfame K. It doesn't taste all that bad except for a mildly funky aftertaste, but now I'm wondering if I'm going to end up with the Placebo Feeling of Dread. :P