I need help peopel, as most of you know I have Hepatitis C, well I have been told that I need to stop using sweet-n-low and start using a natural sweetner. Because the artifical ones are not good for the liver. I can’t use sugar (diabetes).
Does anyone know of a natural sweetner that won’t make my coffe and tea taste nasty or strange ? I must have my coffee and my tea. No caffiene makes Ayesha a very grumpy girl.
Ayesha wrote:
I need help peopel, as most of you know I have Hepatitis C, well I have been told that I need to stop using sweet-n-low and start using a natural sweetner. Because the artifical ones are not good for the liver. I can’t use sugar (diabetes).
Ayesha, you’re in luck! There is a product out on the market called “Splenda” at http://www.sucralose.com that diabetics can use instead of sugar or aspartame/saccharin.
Up until just last year, Splenda was sold mostly through Canada, but I am told distribution in the US is increasing. Splenda is 0 calories per serving, and gets its sweetness from sugar, but they have a process that (as a friend of mine explained) changes the molecular structure so your body doesn’t process it like regular sugar.
Best of all, you can COOK with this stuff! (you can’t with Nutrasweet).
Splenda has a special message for diabetics at that Web site. Just to make sure, you probably want to consult with your regular doctor, though.
Ayesha, my dad has diabetes and I believe that he can use fructose or glucose. Sorry, I forget which one, I will call him tomorrow and ask. It’s a natural fruit sugar that most diabetics can use in reasonable amounts. I’m not sure how available it is in the States; here in Germany they sell it in almost any grocery store.
I just looked it up in my “The Art of Cooking for the Diabetic” book. The sweetener I’m thinking about is called nonglucose carbohydrate, and it’s pure fructose. If you’d like, I can either scan, fax or mail the section on sweeteners to you. Just send me an e-mail, it’s in my profile.
Best wishes to you
Tracy
There is a new natural sweetener being sold in natural foods stores–stevia. Well, it’s not really new, because people have been using it for centuries. It’s made from the leaves of a plant.
I don’t know whether it would be good for you or not, but it might be worth looking into.
I tried it, and I didn’t like it. That may be because I am allergic to NutraSweet and I had a psychosomatic reaction to it.
I have a whole $10 box of packets of the stuff sitting on my shelf. Email me, and I’ll mail it to you if you want.
I’m also a diabetic. I’v taken to drinking coffee black, unsweetened. You’d be suprised how quick you get used to it.
Thank all of you, how does any of this stuff affect the taste of drinks ?
Greenbean I’ve heard of that, in fact it is recommended on a Hepatitis diet I was reading about. I’ll email you asap, thanks.
tatertot, thanks, do I look for that at the grocery or health food store ?
Baglady, I’ll have to check out some of thier products at the grocery store.
spooje, I used to drink my coffee black, but have gotten spoilrd in my old age. 
I am not sure how stevia tastes in drinks. I was so busy having a false allergic reaction that I didn’t notice.
What’s the stuff in Pepsi 1? Tasted kinda worse than nutrasweet.