Sugar-free: How strict do I need to be?

[Anonymous]

I know that Sacchrin is a big no-no. What about Aspertame? Aspertame is in all the sugar-free gums and candies. Have people been avoiding those? I'm by no means strict when it comes to all the pregnancy restrictions. But I do try to be diligent when it comes to chemicals and artificial things that have been confirmed to be bad. Am I ok if I just avoid the pink stuff and Sacchrin, or should I moderate Aspertame as well? Has anyone spoken with their doc about this?

[Anonymous]

Excuse my ignorance, but why sugar-free?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Excuse my ignorance, but why sugar-free?

BECAUSE SUGAR WILL KILL YOUR UNBORN BABY. YOU MUST AVOID IT (AND ANY SUBSTITUTE) IF YOU CARE ABOUT YOUR CHILD.

[Anonymous]

I was also told Sweet & Low/saccharine was a no-no (not sure why; it was just on my OB's list of things to avoid), but I pretty freely use Aspartame (Equal) and sucralose (Splenda). Generally I think you're supposed to "limit" your use of artificial sweeteners, but more because of a general concern about the unknown rather than any specific links to issues. Sucralose, for example, is too new to have any real studies done about it. But as a diet soda addict, I admit I haven't been really good about "limiting" myself.

[Anonymous]

I try to avoid all fake sugars. There is a huge debate about them, but I actually started having problems about 5 years ago when I was overdosing on the stuff (12 diet sodas and a case of diet jellos everyday). I was having blackouts and getting really sick. I wouldn't worry about tiny amounts in gum or the very occassional diet soda, but I wouldn't try to make it part of your diet. Try to have smaller amounts of regular sugar or honey. I think the 16 calories in a pack of real sugar is nothing to worry about, but who knows what those chemicals can do.

[Anonymous]

Sucralose is not new -- it has been widely used in Europe for a very long time. There are plenty of studies confirming its safety, and it is widely considered safer than the other sugar-free options.

Aspartame is OK as well in moderation. I have been getting my diet soda fix with Diet Rite (sucralose/no caffeine).

[Anonymous]

I tend to be a purest (flame away, please) but during pregnancy and nursing, I ask myself one question -- would I feed my baby this through a baby bottle? If the answer is no, I don't eat it. I am dead set against giving my fetus or my toddler artificial sweeteners. Whenever we go out to eat, he sees those little pink and blue packets and says "No touch the chemicals, Mama!"

[Anonymous]

OP here. I don't care one way or the other about sugar. I was asking about sugar-free because I found some great Extra brand watermellon gum and some Icebreakers Sours that both are helping with nausea. I wanted to know how much is too much because I could easily go through a pack a day. Lemonheads help, and I had a whole box yesterday. I'm sure a diet coke here and there is fine, but I'm hesitant to down a box of candy with Aspertame...

To the pp that mentioned Sweet & Low, that is made from Sacchrin and is absolutely a no-no (I referred to it as the pink stuff).

[Anonymous]

Really? Wow - I'm so clueless about this stuff. This morning I dumped a packet of Splenda in my coffee - as I do every day - and thought nothing of it.

[Anonymous]

Anything in moderation is fine. If you're having one packet that's fine...however, I'd be nervous of peoplelike the PP who drank a ton of diet cokes. Those pregnancy candies they sell at maternity stores are all natural and would help with your nausea. It may be a little more expensive but chances are you won't be nauseous for much longer.

[Anonymous]

I think Splenda is the better of the three. (Not including Truvia, which I think is on the newer side so I'm avoiding to be safe). I'm sure a tiny pack a day isn't going to do much damage (although probably best to switch to sugar), but how much of that stuff is in the candy and gum? Maybe I should just try and call the company. It could be the equivalent of a pack of Equal per stick/piece or more!

[Anonymous]

There are two kinds of artificial sweeteners - those that have been found to cause cancer, and those that will be found to cause cancer.

If it has zero calories, it is not food. Pregnant or not, you shouldn't be consuming it.

[Anonymous]

FWIW-- one of my best friends has a DD who is 6 weeks younger than my son. She drank one diet coke everyday during her pregnancy. When her daughter was 18 months old, she started to physically regress and shake. Upon getting her a cat scan, they discovered an ependymoma (a cancerous tumor) at the base of her skull. After 13 months of hell - radiation, chemo, multiple brain surgeries - her DD is cancer free, for the meanwhile, but with the physical capabilities of a 7 month old. My g/f is convinced it was the diet-coke-a-day. You don't need to tell me to stay away from artificial sweeteners twice during preg.

[Anonymous]

I called Mr. Wrigley Jr. Ok, I just called the company:

4 to 5 mg of Aspartame per stick of gum

A pack of Equal is 1 gram, but I don't know how much of that is the Aspartame.

I will say, I did a little googling, and I'm even more weary than ever of the fake stuff. It sounds like the NutraSweet company is in charge of a lot of the research and it is very biased and therefore not likely reliable. I'm not posting any links or anything, because I wouldn't just go by one or two sources and I take everything with a grain of salt (or Aspertame, hehe).

Like the pp with the cutie anti-chemical toddler, I really try to avoid putting un-natural anything into my body. But I'm also going to do whatever I can to avoid puking at my non-private office. I'll try to be more aware of it now, and maybe spring for the $5 cut up watermelon at the deli instead of chomping a pack of sugar-free watermelon gum.

[Anonymous]

I'm the 10:48 poster. I thoughtlessly assumed sugar-free meant limiting use of real sugar (for diabetes, etc). If you are talking of sugar replacements, then I agree, the less you use, the better off you are: reputable studies have shown *large* quantities of aspartame are linked to tumor development in mice. What about trying agave syrup, honey or polyols (Sorbitol, Mannitol, Isomalt, Maltitol, Lactitol, Xylitol, Erythritol, Polydextrose)?