I have never used an artificial sweetener

[malaise]

Brown sugar, molasses or honey. Clearly I’ve eaten food and had drinks with white sugar but white sugar is never used here.

[2naSalit]

1. Avoided here too...

Including processed foods. I do put turbinado in my coffee.

[malaise]

3. The only canned food in here is tomato paste

and cat food. I never use sugar in my coffee.

[marble falls]

8. Tomato products only, the cats get the best dry and water is left out even for the ferals ...

... no sweetener in my coffee. I also make it a point to use EU certified tomato products and pasta.

Trying hard to keep this jalopy of a body mine is to last as long as possible.

[malaise]

9. The ferals love a can of wet food mixed with their dry

😀

[marble falls]

18. I know that, but they don't. They love the dry I use, no cereal, meat is the number one component.

and low fats.

I'm putting out 40 - 50# a month. My house cat doesn't get canned. He drinks plenty of water but I still worry about fish oil and male cats regarding kidney disease.

Avoiding feeding the raccoons is the tough part. I put feed out in the morning as early as I can and still avoid the late ranging raccoons and as late as I can at night and still avoid the early ranging raccoons. In the winter I add a mid day feeding. No raccoons to worry about.

The ferals have done a great job getting rid of tree rats, mice, snakes, but still grab an occasional bird but there are a lot fewer feather piles than there used to be. The second floor patio is the bird feeding station and I've finally found the right feeders though trial and error that the squirrels can't rob. I have feeders out for the humming birds and the doves have to make due with whatever seed falls on the ground.

I have a nice sanctuary of our own in this town. A creek and some nice trees. Too bad Texas is too hot to get to enjoy it year around.

[malaise]

21. Lucky ferals

😀
Your place seems lovely

[EYESORE 9001]

2. That is good

I’ve consumed far too much artificial sweetener in my lifetime. White sugar and HFCS too.

[marble falls]

4. Avoided but it gets slipped in.

[malaise]

6. I am sure along the way some has slipped in

but it is never purchased.
I did like regular Pepsi when I was young.

[Srkdqltr]

5. Good for you all. Gow does that make you better?

[malaise]

7. Better?

Huh?

[Skittles]

10. pretty cool

how about salt, do you add salt to anything....

[malaise]

12. Switched to sea salt years ago

I do like a lil salt😀

[Delarage]

11. I try to avoid it

But sugar and HFCS are added to so much of the garbage processed food that is so prevalent in the US, they're hard to avoid totally. I don't like artificial sweeteners but I do like Zevia soda (sweetened with Stevia). To me, it tastes great. My friends are 50-50 on it. But when I want a soda, it's Zevia (root beer and black cherry are my faves). I tried growing stevia in my garden, but never found a good way to use it--so I leave it to Zevia.

[malaise]

13. The only processed food here is oven roasted

sliced turkey breast for sandwiches
I have always hated cereal so that helps.

[Delarage]

14. I do well when I cook

It's eating out--restaurants and social events--that are tricky. I do cook most meals--which is actually cost-effective. But I work a lot, so can't always find time to do it as much as I'd like. It is still possible to make better choices, but much more difficult.

[malaise]

17. So true

We can’t control everything but we can reduce the exposure when we shop.

[OldBaldy1701E]

15. Being a diabetic I have to use some.

It is that or stick to bread and water. I'd rather jump into a mulcher, to be honest. Then there is the small matter of being able to purchase food that is not tampered with. Such good food is out there, and those who offer it are well aware that people will pay premium prices for it. Which means most of the population cannot afford it. So... junky food it is.

[malaise]

19. Good point re cost

There is a lot of crap,food out there

[Vinca]

16. My husband's diabetic so we use Splenda. We're old as the hills and in good

health so it doesn't seem to be hurting us. We don't use aspartame at all that I'm aware of.

[malaise]

20. Yes that changes everything

I always hated the taste of artificial sweeteners.

[Vinca]

30. Splenda is the only one I can stand. You need to reduce the amount when you substitute

it for sugar because it's really, really sweet, but in most recipes you can't tell the difference. Of course, you can't make stuff that requires confectioner's sugar or sugar that's supposed to become syrupy.

[Tommy Carcetti]

22. Okay. nt

[Croney]

23. I think it's very good for people to avoid these things, but

I've reached the age where I don't think my food choices will be what kills me. I have a wonderful Splenda cookbook; I don't use white sugar for anything. We have to eat low-sodium due to my husband's BP, and we try to eat less red meat and more fish. We don't eat white bread. My downfall is sweets. I'll be 79 in November. I ran a (slow) 5K yesterday.

If I were a young person today, I would definitely pay attention to the warnings about sweeteners, and any other dangers pointed out by science. It's foolish to ignore the facts.

[malaise]

24. Great post

I walk 5k four days a week and exercise with the stationary bike the other days.

And yes something will eventually get all of us. By the way I too have a sweet tooth. 😀

[moonscape]

25. I use some sugar alcohols because

I stopped eating sugar and simple carbs in general about 12 years ago. Am 72, keto, an avid hiker (about 40 miles/week with elevation), gym goer on days not hiking, eat whole fresh foods, and love my keto ice cream and chia pudding. Will not give them up

[malaise]

26. Excellent

[Happy Hoosier]

27. You've consumed sugar alcohols.

They occur naturally.

You body processes sugars from brown sugar, molasses and honey exactly the same as it does from refined white sugar, though those things offer other nutrients. FWIW, Jamaica has a higher rate of T2 diabetes than the U.S.

Ultimately it boils down to how much much insulin your body is producing in order to try and get your cells to accept glucose.

[malaise]

28. Slid points

That said I avoid the artificial sweeteners and white sugar.

[tinrobot]

29. Good for you, but that brown sugar and molasses is still mostly sugar.

Strip away some color and few trace minerals, and brown sugar is still 90-95% sucrose (i.e. white sugar). Molasses is very similar.

And ANY type of sugar still creates a long list of health issues.

[Johnny2X2X]

32. Isn't brown sugar

Just white sugar with some molasses mixed in?

Somthing that is frustrating to me is that the scientific consensus on diet seems to be at least more blurred than it used to be. Hard to know the truth about things like artificial sweeteners.

[maxsolomon]

31. I use white on my grapefruit halves.

What is white sugar, in moderation, going to do to me?

[Chainfire]

33. I love sugar of any variety and have probably eaten tons of it in my life.

My favorite "sweet" is Tupelo honey. I believe that my health is on par, or better, with the rest of my age group. I do not eat artificial sweeteners because they taste awful to me.

[malaise]

34. Same here're artificial

😀

[DFW]

35. I have tasted food with artificial sweetener

Maybe it's just me, but I can taste the difference, and it tastes horrible!

[CatWoman]

38. it has an after taste

[DFW]

40. It does, indeed

And not a pleasant one, either.

[malaise]

39. You are not alone

Hate it 😀

[BluesRunTheGame]

36. I drink only distilled water, rain water or pure grain alcohol...

[CatWoman]

37. i only put sugar in my tea

and I only use raw sugar.