Serious Eats - seriouseats.com

OK, this is the thing with sourdough. The regular yeast thats used in regular bread, such as back on the east coast and many other parts of the country (and the world) wouldnt raise the bread out in california. ( back when california was first being settled) so they had to use a different type of bacteria (yeast) to make the bread rise. It has to do with whats in the water. This yeast made the bread taste sour. Hence the name sourdough. This also made cooks make totally different recipes for Pizza etc. I love breads and pasts. So for my own taste I like pizza and breads back east like in Pennsylvania, or new york. I live in Utah now and they dont have any breads or pizzas that I like. So Im not happy (but I'll live)

I like Splenda for dissolving in cold liquids, like my iced coffee in the summer (because yes, I'm too lazy to make and keep simple syrup on hand), and for making a few desserts my 5-year-old can eat and then NOT bounce off the walls and ceiling afterwards. But the price alone is enough to keep me from using large enough amounts of it to do any damage!

I've never had a problem using it, but I also don't use it regularly. I will use one small packet to sweeten 4 cups worth of Thai tea (about as much as my french press holds), but I don't even drink that very often. Moderation in all things!

Ive raced cars,and motorcycles, I've crashed, and burned(been on fire on a motorcycle), I've had 2 bullets barley miss me, I even spent a year in and out of hospitals, and a nursing home due to injuries.....Splenda does not scare me, and I use it regularly.

Considering the stuff not only makes me severely nauseous, but triggers severe migraines, it makes me nervous as hell. I've found it in everything from dairy products to cereal to bread, even when the stuff in question isn't labeled as being sugar-free or low carb!

Sugar might kill me in the long run, but at least it hasn't sent me to the hospital.

@ slow and sweet:

I'm a type II diabetic on oral meds and not insulin. My body really reacts to sugar (i.e. HUGE blood sugar spikes with even a little bit ingested), so I avoid it as much as possible. And sadly, I love my juices and sodas. I can do without coffee and tea most times. I'm not much of a sweets fan (candy, baked goods, etc), but I like my beverages.

Chocolate tea eh? (yes, I'm Canadian :D ). I might have to look that up. Thanks for the great suggestions.

@CanadianFoodieGirl: Give Sucralose just a little more time - between it and Aspartame, it's pretty improbably that you'll be able to find something not sweetened with either of them. For almost anything that requires some form of sweetener, manufacturers are constantly coming up with new versions of old recipes and replacing sugar with these artificial sweeteners. They now make Splenda Peeps, for crying out loud!

@hungrychristel: I haven't ventured into sweetening things through baking with stevia yet, but that's next. I do a fair bit of baking through fall and winter, so I'll see what it's like.

@slowandsweet: I have had a rough time finding teas that I like - I'm, for the most part, drinking just black tea as a cold tea, and green tea for hot tea. Anything I've found that's flavored without artificial sweeteners tastes very bland without the addition of some sort of sweetener. Thanks for the chocolate tea suggestion (sounds creepy, but I might try it.)

@OliverRanch - I found out a few years ago that many commercial toothpastes contain sugar. Sugar! In toothpaste! My dentist found a couple of cavities, but I was an avid brusher and had never had cavities before. He asked me what kind of toothpaste I had been using, and I told him that I was using the new flavored kinds that had come out (vanilla, orange, etc). He scolded me and told me to look for the ADA (American Dental Association) seal on the box before I buy any toothpaste, to confirm that the stuff will actually prevent tartar buildup, bad breath, and cavities.

Following up with my response; I appologize for not considering those with diabetic issues. I STILL think you might be on the safer side choosing something more natural.
I'm sure other agree with me on this: eat my butter full, real sugars, and avoid modified ingredients and preservatives all the time (not just for health reasons, flavour too). And for those who will argue that I am asking for a heart attack at 23 years old: I am healthy and fit as a horse! Since I've been eating this way, I've never felt or looked so good!

@ OliverRanch - Try a natural brand of toothpaste, like Tom's of Maine. I believe they don't contain artificial sweeteners (and for that reason don't taste very sweet so you may not like them).

I avoid sugar substitutes (other than in my toothpaste - anyone know a brand that doesn't use saccharine)? I just don't like the taste.

I do have concerns about aspartame based on reports that aspartate, released during digestion of aspartame, crosses the blood-brain barrier and can build up to toxic levels.

@ Oberst - your original comment implied that sucralose passed through unchanged which is not entirely accurate. I wasn't able to find any information on sucralose's metabolic fate, but yes I realize the things you mentioned are common metabolites and not alarming. But what effect, if any, does the non-metabolized sucralose have on the kidneys? On gut flora? Does the flora break it down and what by-products are produced?

I'm comfortable with the information that is currently available. I am always wondering about the things we *don't* know, and am leary of ingesting a man-made chemical and being a guinea pig. It might very well be fine, but what if it isn't? There's just no way to tell.

So I just eat real food as our ancestors have done for thousands of years, rather than a chemical which has only been used for a few years.