jonmyrlebailey

We all know how wild game is lean and has little fat but what about the sweet tooth in us all?

Are you on a fat and sugar restricted diet?

What's in your arsenal to deal with sweet, yummy, fruity and/or creamy cravings?

In my kitchen:

1. store-bought aspartame
2. McCormick fruit-flavor extracts (banana and strawberry)
3. plain non-fat yogurt
4. skim milk (or occasionally 1-2% low fat)
5. instant coffee
6. Watkins Baking Vanilla (much cheaper than pure vanilla extract)
7. fruit-flavored sparkling waters with artificial sweeteners
stuff like peach, black cherry, white grape, orange cream, cherry vanilla, tangerine/mango, strawberry

Vanilla adds a creamy flavor to fruit-flavor beverages like diet shakes. The Osterizer whips up cold, fruity, creamy frothy low-cal drinks. I don't add ice cubes. I put the blender pitcher of shake mixture in the freezer a while to thicken the shake up. Then mix some more before serving.

I've tried Truvia but it forms mold in beverage containers like ice tea in the fridge. Truvia mixed in cold beverages doesn't keep for long. Stevia is bitter. Those store-bought sugar alcohol sweeteners I've tried palpitates my heart.

I was using fresh and frozen fruit in shakes but too much sugar. Bananas are also fattening. Too much sugar, even from naturally-sweetened fruits, makes my head feel weird and my whole body tingle. My doctor said it was a head rush from too many carbs. Using fruit-flavor extracts and aspartame mitigates this.

Oldtimr

Pure vanilla extract costs a little bit more because it has superior flavor and you use it sparingly anyway. There is a reason the other stuff costs less, lower quality and taste.

elkman30

You might want to research aspartame some more. It's 200x sweeter than sugar and not so good for you.

Champlain Islander

I like pure Vermont maple syrup as a sweetener. One of my best fishing partners has a sugar house. I get lots of free syrup. He is a very good friend.

Oldtimr

Maple candy, mmmmmmm!

Champlain Islander

Yeah when I help out and they pour off a shot glass to grade it....I get to take the shot. Yum

jonmyrlebailey

I just emailed my doctor with this following message:

Is aspartame safe for me to use everyday as a sugar substitute in cold drinks? What's the most I can have in grams (1 packet = 1 gram) a day to be safe? I have been adding 4 packets (4 grams of this sweetener) daily to make my light shakes in a blender. I'm trying to limit sugar. To boot, I drink about a quart a day of Clear American sparkling water beverage sold at Walmart sweetened with aspartame.

I ask because some sources on Google claim aspartame might be bad for human health.

Since the 1970's, I've heard bacon causes cancer. I use about 4 slices a month for my grilled calf liver dinners. I eat fried sliced deli ham with eggs for breakfast every other day to save on fat. They started using aspartame for diet sodas in the early 1980's because saccharin supposedly causes cancer.

elkman30

You might want to google diet soda also. When something tastes sweet, many people want more of it and consume more than they should. When it tastes 200x sweeter than sugar, you can end up eating or drinking a lot more. You would be better off using less real sugar instead of a non-sugar substitute. Buy the smaller cans of soda if you still drink soda. Eat something with the sweet drink or food to help balance it out. And consider going for a walk, bike ride or other form of cardio exercise after you consume sweeteners so you can burn some of it off. You might also want to get tested for diabetes to see where you are on that scale. All of this stuff becomes more relevant when you pass 40 and even more so in your 50's, 60's and up.

flags

Stevia. All natural and sweeter than sugar without al the carbs

jonmyrlebailey

A nurse at my clinic emailed me to say my doctor will be reviewing my concerns about artificial sweeteners. I sometimes get a weird feeling in my head if I eat a certain amount of fruit at once as used in a diet shake. I was using fruit in my shakes to sweeten them. My doctor told me it was a head rush from carbs. I suppose I could cut back on the amount of fruit I use for a diet shake. 1/2 cup of blueberries instead of a whole cup. 1/2 banana instead of a whole banana. I could also just put a splash of fruit juice into club soda for a hint of flavor.

Sugars cause me head weirdness but not complex carbs like starches and fibers. I tested negative for diabetes last fall at my annual physical.

I use dairy a lot. Yogurt and milk has lactose, a sugar. Fruit has fructose, a sugar. I use BBQ sauce on grilled meats at dinner. The sugar in the KC Masterpiece doesn't seem to get to my head because there is a bunch of protein, starches and vegetables that goes with it. Too much sugar with not enough other foods, especially meat proteins, cause the head weirdness. A doctor once told me there is a close relationship between the head and the stomach.