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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?
Maybe wean yourself off needing sweeteners? I've found the less I eat/put in my food, the less I want.
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 think I can do tea w/o sweetner, but coffee...that will be tough. It is a good idea to try cutting back though...Quote:
Originally Posted by Irulan
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.
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.
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.
Looking at Domino's Amber Agave...1 tbsp has 16g carbs / 16 g sugars. Not gonna help me in the weight loss journey....
One more vote for no sweeteners. It's hard at the beginning, but eventually you will dislike sugar in your coffee.
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.
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.
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.
I just use regular store brand granulated sugar. I only use ~ 1 teaspoon in my tea each morning.
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).
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. :)
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.
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.
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!Quote:
Originally Posted by goldfinch