Warning – rant ahead. Let me preface this that I cannot abide the taste of Splenda/sucralose. It is super bitter to me. I know a lot of people think it tastes like sugar, but it is awful on my tastebuds. Life would be easier if it was not that way.
I avoid products with sucralose in them like the plague, and I read labels on things to make sure it isn’t hidden there (like in the old Arnold Sandwich thins). You know it is going to be in ‘diet’ products like lite yogurt, diet sodas, etc – so that is easy because I don’t eat those things.
But can someone *please* explain to me what sucralose is doing in foods/products that it really is unnecessary to be in? I think to check things like cereals, breads, nut butters, etc. However, what the hell is it doing in my mouthwash??
And why, why, why did it make an appearance in a side item I had with dinner tonight?
Brussel sprouts! Seriously. I thought I would try something different, so I bought these. Normally I just get fresh brussels, but they looked anemic. So this sounded fun with a little sauce. Only 80 calories per serving. Then I taste the sauce and it tastes really weird and sweet (not expecting that for butter sauce, let me tell you). I look at label – sucralose! 👿
I do not get it.
Seriously, indeed. Sucralose really upsets my stomach, so I also have to watch out for it. Got surprised by a bottle of Gatorade last time.
I suspect that if you magnified this feeling times ten, it’s how people with Celiac feel about wheat.
I feel the same way about aspertame. The difference? Not that it tastes bad, but that it gives me serious migraines and ringing in my ears.
It’s in everything for the same reason that HFCS is in everything else. Here is a very good article about the dangers of Splenda…
http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2011/04/26/major-media-finally-exposes-splendas-lies.aspx
UGH! In MOUTHWASH? Now I need to go check my mouthwash….
The more that Michael and I get away from eating processed food, the less ANY of it appeals to me. I had looking at a package of food and seeing 20 ingredients. I want 5 or less and I want them to be natural!
I swear…if we don’t kill everything we just planted in our veggie garden we’re going to turn into those horders that grow their own food and have a compound. 😀
And you know, they market Splenda as natural, too… annoying.
I agree! I’m tired of it and it’s not fair!
I know!!! So annoying! I feel that way about sugar, too. It doesn’t need to be in all the foods it’s in!
ugh I know. They seem to sneak this stuff into everything!
I feel the same way about gluten…they stick it in everything.
It causes seizures in me. Be careful because it’s also in toothpaste, cough medicines, and even Airborne! It is in sugar free gums obviously as well.I also read it kills ants, so it’s bad stuff!
Just a year or so ago Splenda used to be the savior to people watching their sugar intake. It was supposed to be the healthy alternative to aspartame and companies jumped on the bandwagon. Now that it’s been around longer more articles are popping up about how bad it is for people!
I tried a no-sugar month of eating last year and was appalled by how hard it was to find food that didn’t have some sort of sugar or artificial sweetener in it. Meats, breads, everything had it. No wonder our society has all the health issues we have. The food companies certainly are not helping!
I had to go check, of course, and yep, my mouthwash has it, too! None of the sweeteners seems to bother me (taste- or otherwise), thank goodness. Not that I seek them out, but still.
I wonder if Tom’s of Maine mouthwash has any nasties added to it.
Hee hee. Splenda addict here. I wish I wasn’t. I’m getting better about using less and less of it. I believe you, but its weird how something could taste so good and sweet to me, and be bitter to you. I’m glad it doesn’t cause seizures in me. I would be in real trouble.
And the reason all those stupid companies are using it is because they are trying †o take advantage of the low cal craze while still adding ‘sweet’ to every stinkin’ food we eat. I agree with you. No need for splenda in a butter sauce.
I don’t know Splenda but if it’s like aspartame I understand. I used to use products with aspartame but these days I don’t use diet products that have aspartame in it anymore. I use the normal/full fat versions and just use less of it. The taste is so much better.
Wow- sucralose in mouthwash- now that’s something new!
I have that same issue with Truvia (Stevia). No matter what it tastes bitter to me. So when I see something that says sweetened naturally and buy it only to find out it has stevia it ticks me off! I think you should write Listerine and complain. I cannot at all see the need for sucralose in mouthwash!
I can handle the sweeteners so I am lucky but in mouthwash! I will check mine but I don’t mind the taste so… really crazy though!
I’m willing to bet it is used because of economics. Sucralose is 600 times as sweet as sugar, so you get the same sweetening power in 10 lbs of splenda as you do in a whole truckload of sugar. I bet you can save your food factory a lot in product and freight cost by switching.
I’m one who can’t hardly tell a difference in taste especially when the sweetener is a minor ingredient, but I wonder how many people will stop buying these products because of the switch…
I wish that I was that way! I eat a LOT of Splenda. It doesn’t bother me at all, love it.
In the mouthwash? And the sprouts????? Good grief! I don’t mind the taste, but I dunno, just seems WRONG in those products! Thanks for bringing this to our attention Lori! Have a great day!
I have a theory: I think that people are accustomed to tasting sweet, and if they don’t, they won’t buy a product again. My second theory is that sugar is addicting, so if it tickles our tastebuds, we’re likely to buy it again…Thought of you & your post today – I was looking at canned fruit in it’s own juice – read the label on one that said “in water” and it was actually in WATER + SUCRALOSE. Ugh. It takes me forever to shop & read each & every label!
Dawn
And even in generic Tylenol! Yes, I am SERIOUS. I bought a new bottle, opened it to take one, and thought, hmmm, new bright red coating. Put it in my mouth and the taste (even just the little bit before swallowing) was REVOLTING. Looked at the label, and sure enough, sucralose. It causes me lots of problems, too, so it is SUPER frustrating to find it in seriously weird places like a pill that is made to be swallowed, not chewed and tasted!
I am so, so glad to hear that I am not the only person who can’t stand the taste of Splenda! Maybe something is off with my tastebuds but the taste is just awful. My cousin on the other hand cannot taste the bitterness at all. She honestly used to use over 20 packs in one drink. Wish I was kidding. Her nutritionist finally convinced her it wasn’t good for her and she’s cut way back. I can handle Sweet n’ Low just fine but other people say it has a terrible aftertaste. Guess it’s an individual thing. I’m currently trying to make the switch to Stevia and while it took awhile to get used to I like it now.
I absolutely hate the fact that Sucralose is being put into EVERYTHING now… first it was drinks. Peace Tea and Arizona Tea, it annoyed me that they didn’t have to bother with putting a big “DIET” on the front of the can and they could just slip it in there in the ingredients list on the back, where I pretty much have to shove the can up to my nose to be able to read it.
There have been some really nice flavors of Teas and such that I would just love to try, I’m a sucker for anything with Blueberry (Arizona Blueberry Flavored Green Tea) but if it’s got Sucralose in it I won’t even touch it. You too, Viso “Will.” But at least Viso does me the courtesy of giving me a warning by labeling the stuff with Sucralose as a diet product AS IT SHOULD BE. But other companies just sneak it past. And why do they put it in there -with- the High Fructose Corn Syrup, what would be so wrong about just having the HFCF in there by itself without the Splenda crap?
I’d take the HFCF over Splenda, Stevia, or any of those other fake sugars any day.
I feel the same way! I get so hacked off when I buy something, forget to check the label because I don’t buy anything diet, pop it into my mouth and there is that horrible aftertaste! Into the garbage it goes! I was at Costco a couple of weeks ago and tried a sample of some chicken dish and there was that taste again… go and check the package and sure enough, there it is! Why can’t these companies just make something less sweet!!!!
I agree so much! I abhor the taste of sucralose & I don’t believe in putting that artificial mess in my body. Who can we write?!