To Drink or not to Drink?
So -- I dropped caffeine from my diet with pregnantcy (well, caffeine in soft drinks. I drank some caffeinate and some decaffeinated, but it is hard to get the Diet Caffeine Free drinks and easier for me to drop altogether than limit to just when I can get that -- and the sweetener in the Diet may be a problem anyway). And I upped my consumption of milk and water instead. Except -- I sweeten my water. Every 20 ounces of water contains 2 packages of Splenda. So I decided to go out on the web and see if Splenda is safe. Boy, you can learn ANYTHING on the web. And when it comes to something like this, an awful lot of them seem to have agendas behind them as well.
"Eat natural only. Stevia is natural so that's the only sweetener you should use" and such. Even people claiming that what the FDA approves/doesn't approve has to do if the company that makes it is American or not! It starts sounding very paranoid. But it also makes you wonder who you CAN believe.
I found the American Pregnancy Association site that has a good overview of sweeteners that does not seem to be hysterical... They do refer to the FDA. But some would have me discount that. However I'd never heard of the American Pregnancy Association before so I am left wondering if this is legitimate or not.
Artificial Sweeteners During Pregnancy says that Splenda is fine. So for now I will continue drinking my water.
"Eat natural only. Stevia is natural so that's the only sweetener you should use" and such. Even people claiming that what the FDA approves/doesn't approve has to do if the company that makes it is American or not! It starts sounding very paranoid. But it also makes you wonder who you CAN believe.
I found the American Pregnancy Association site that has a good overview of sweeteners that does not seem to be hysterical... They do refer to the FDA. But some would have me discount that. However I'd never heard of the American Pregnancy Association before so I am left wondering if this is legitimate or not.
Artificial Sweeteners During Pregnancy says that Splenda is fine. So for now I will continue drinking my water.
posted by MommyLydia | 12/05/2006 11:57:00 AM
4 Comments:
My motto has always been as natural as possible. That said, I've done better during some pregnancies than others. My first, I ate very well, the other two not as well as I would have liked, but not terrible either. I ate artificial/chemical foods sparingly, but didn't shun them altogether. They were a special treat though. I know how hard it is to make all these decisions!
Do you sweeten your water because you just don't like the taste? When I had morning sickness, water bothered me, but if I put a splash of grape juice in it, it was fine. It wasn't really enough to count as many extra calories or sugars, but it gave it a bit of color and taste that made it bearable.
Yeah, I'm not found of unsweetened water at all. Lemon juice works just as well. But they don't have lemon juice at the coffee dispensers at work :)
Splenda is chlorinated sugar. It is not natural and has been linked to kidney issues. I would stick to Stevia or nothing. ;)
Spirittibee: Everything I have read says that Splenda is safe during pregnancy. Stevia is not. Thanks for your concern
The FDA has explicitly okayed Splenda. So has the American Pregnancy Association and the American Council of Science and Health (Evidently a Consumer Reports like org for food, nutrition, chemicals) "More than 100 studies over 20 years have found no link between Splenda and any health problems. It can be used by pregnant women and breastfeeding mothers."
The big warning they give is not to let it replace healthy foods. But since I only use it in my water, and it is actually causing me to drink more water than I would elsewise, I have determined that is not the risk for me.
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