Sweetners?

[Penny4]

Hi, I usually have a cup (ok, large travel mug) of coffee a day, maybe a cup of tea at night. I use Equal to sweeten, but would like to get away from the artificial stuff. I was looking at Agave Nectar (not sure if that would work in coffee), but it has "points" in the Weight Watcher world.
I got some Stevia today to try out, but that has "Dextrose" in it, which is not good either, is it?
Any thoughts on sweetners?

[Irulan]

Maybe wean yourself off needing sweeteners? I've found the less I eat/put in my food, the less I want.

[goldfinch]

I use Stevia mixed with Erythritol, which is a sugar alcohol but which has next to no calories and doesn't effect blood sugar. More info here: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Erythritol

The brand I use is Truvia, which is widely available.

[Penny4]

Maybe wean yourself off needing sweeteners? I've found the less I eat/put in my food, the less I want.

I think I can do tea w/o sweetner, but coffee...that will be tough. It is a good idea to try cutting back though...

[westtexas]

I replaced sweetners in my coffee (was using brown sugar) with nut milk. Hazelnut is especially good, but I like almond too. Coconut milk is also a little sweet naturally (and thank goodness it doesn't actually taste like coconuts). For the record, Agave will work in your coffee - it's syrupy. I just didn't like it nearly as much as the nut milks.

[trista]

My problem with Agave is how it changes the taste of the drink.... and I didn't like the taste. Plus I have read several articles about how heavily processed it is, and in fact some liken it to high-fructose corn syrup.

I don't know the answer... but I'm trying to wean myself off sweetners, but i'm not there yet.

[Irulan]

When I first started drinking coffee, the gal who initiated me:p gave me a big long lecture about learning to like it without sweeteners. That was, um, a whole lotta years ago.

[Penny4]

Looking at Domino's Amber Agave...1 tbsp has 16g carbs / 16 g sugars. Not gonna help me in the weight loss journey....

[pll]

One more vote for no sweeteners. It's hard at the beginning, but eventually you will dislike sugar in your coffee.

[grey]

I think I would give up coffee if I had to go without any sweetener. Or "milk" (I don't do dairy).

Stevia here. Some people note a bitter aftertaste. I got used to it, doesn't bother me - not enough to keep me from adding it to tea/coffee.

[nscrbug]

I'm not a huge coffee/tea drinker, but when I desire a cup...I use Stevia In The Raw...little green packets. I have not encountered any aftertaste, and I usually can get away with using just 1/2 a packet because a little goes a long way.

[sookiesue]

I'd suggest using real, fair-trade, organic sugar. Your body knows what to do with sugar (unlike those artificial chemical sweeteners), and if you are really just having one cup of coffee a day, it seems like you probably wouldn't waste too many points with real sugar...unless you use a LOT, in which case cutting down is probably a good idea.

My experience with weight watchers is that those 'extra' weekly points are for things just like this - sugar in your tea/coffee, a glass of wine, or a bite of chocolate. If you really enjoy that coffee then it is worth a point or two. I don't have any experience with stevia, but all of the artificial sweeteners are really things to avoid.

[ny biker]

I just use regular store brand granulated sugar. I only use ~ 1 teaspoon in my tea each morning.

[Chile Pepper]

Another vote for real sugar. A teaspoon of sugar has 15 calories. If it's just one cup a day, with a half or one teaspoon of sugar, it isn't going to affect your weight program. Personally, I don't like sweet coffee, but I do use sugar in other ways (and I do not use artificial sweeteners at all).

[Dannielle]

as far as stevia goes, I greatly prefer liquid stevia over powder in packets. I use SweetLeaf brand liquid stevia (amazon has the best price) and I also use 365 brand (WholeFood's house brand) vanilla stevia and NowFoods stevia glycerite. It's a little pricey but that just forces me to ration it out judiciously lol. No dextrose in liquid stevia. :)

[GLC1968]

We use the Sweetleaf brand stevia as well. It's nothing but stevia and a tiny amount goes a LONG way. I put 1/8 of a tsp in my husband's coffee and he likens it to 2 tsp of sugar in terms of sweetness.

I agree with weaning yourself off sugar all together though. I did it when I graduated from college because I just didn't want the hassle of sugar in my coffee. Now I can't stand sweet coffee, so it's possible. Start by reducing the amount a little by little. I'd bet that in a month, you could totally adjust to sugar free without too much pain.

[Anelia]

Can you find real honey? I guess you can use a little in your coffee in the morning. But don't add it to very hot beverages because the healthy ingredients are destroyed.

[Brandi]

I use Stevia mixed with Erythritol, which is a sugar alcohol but which has next to no calories and doesn't effect blood sugar. More info here: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Erythritol

The brand I use is Truvia, which is widely available. I agree with this. I find that sweetners can cause stomach issue's and stevia doesn't. It might get a bit of time getting used to it. But I like it now. Maple syrup is good too!