Aspartame

I am 2 1/2 years post - hit my goal weight & feeling fine. I go for blood work every four to five months because of my thyroid. During the spring I was very sluggish so my GP did extensive blood work & it turns out I was diagnosed with "Epstein Barr" (which came as a shock being that I never had Mono). Anyway, looking at tons of internet information, seems like big help is to get rid of aspartame in my diet (which is all of equal & splena). I do get tired in spurts (not all the time). Question I have is I've been so good staying away from sugar, what other substitute can I have that will not taste like poop? :help: Amy

The only thing I know of is Stevia. You can buy it at any health food store. I thought it was ok, but I know alot of people swear by it and just love it. I will caution you that you only need a VERY small amount b/c it is quite strong. Good Luck and I hope you get to feeling better soon!

Splenda is not aspartame.  Aspartame is: Equal and Nutrasweet.  Splenda is a different substance. I do not tolerate aspartame and got sinus/migrane headaches from it daily for a 9 month period before figuring out what the cause was.  Had my head examined in the process.  And as an afterthought, the doc said "Oh, yea aspartame can cause headaches..."  Within 2-3 days, headaches were gone.  I had been using the stuff for 3+ years before the problems started.  Now I avoid it at all costs. I do fine with saccharin and splenda sweetened products.  Obviously, I'd prefer not to use them at all but I do. Kathy

Hit send too fast.  I wanted to wish you well on the Epstein Barr.  Hope that you are feeling better soon.  I had mono at age 38 and it was rough.  Didn't feel like myself for about a year, I think.  Hope your recovery is much faster. Best wishes, Kathy

I posted a few days ago about the Celestial Seasonings all-natural sweetened tea.  Someone said it was good and I just bought some a few hours ago (peach delight) from the WalMart Supercenter.  Haven't tried it yet, but it is sweetened with stevia and has no artificial anything.  I believe it only comes in "to go" sticks for the time being so maybe you can give it a try.

Another thing I've been experimenting with is homemade decaf tea sweetened with frozen juice concentrate (pomegranate, white grape peach, and even cranberry).  I don't dump unless I have a lot of the bad stuff, but you can mix it to taste and see what happens.  I'm trying to increase my pure water intake and kick the CL myself...I figure I can take the few calories as opposed to dealing with the insomnia and incessant hunger that comes along with the artificial stuff.  Hope you get well soon!