Avoiding aspartame - help!

[Lucinda15]

I've been doing slimming world off and on for a few years now and really love it. However, I would like to avoid aspartame as much as possible. And there seems to be so much of it - muller lights, hi-fi's, low fat drinks etc etc.

Can anyone recommend any brands/foods that I can substitute these with while avoiding aspartame?

Thanks.

[dementedpixie]

Is there a reason you want to avoid it. There is no evidence to show it is harmful

[Akire]

There arnt any fizzy drinks that don't have artificial sweeteners in though think 7up has different one. Looks like it's fizzy water all the way!

[Lucinda15]

I have just found out I'm pregnant after 2 mc's and we want to be really careful. Just want to try and eat as natural as I can. I know there is no evidence but I personally dnt like it and think it gives me headaches.

[emmaluvseeyore]

I've been doing SW for 10 months and don't eat muller lights or hi-fis. I do drink diet coke, but I could survive without it.

If you want yoghurts, just eat ones that have syns in them rather than muller lights. I do that as I like thicker yoghurt. I don't really eat anything like hi-fis, so no advice for you there.

[thenewaveragebear1983]

Eat real food. Use your syns for treats and leave the low fat high processed rubbish alone. Muller lights, hi fi bars etc just play havoc with your appetite control and insulin resistance. I do sw and I've lost 1.5 stone since january - but this time round I'm avoiding the processed low syn treats and free foods and sticking to real food. There's a woman in our group who eats 5 muller lights a day because they're free.....

[Lucinda15]

That's really interesting and very impressive thenewaveragvear congrats on ur weight loss. I must admit I dnt eat THAT many muller lights and hardly ever drink low cal drinks. But I do use the muller lights occasionally for over nights oats and I have a hi fi bar most days as my treat, and I find it fills me up and stops the sweet craving. Our meals are all good and cooked from scratch so it's just the snacks and yoghurts etc which I'm concerned about. But perhaps I'll take ur advice and just stick to the real food and count my syns with real yoghurts. Thanks

[emmaluvseeyore]

I use my syns on dairy milk and proper yoghurts. I've lost 3.5 stones so far, so it can't be doing me any harm!

[thenewaveragebear1983]

There's loads of studies into aspartame and other artificial sweetners , and the effect they have on the body's metabolism of glucose. Most recently a BBC programme showed that aspartame raised blood sugar over a period where stevia didn't. High sugar =insulin and insulin = fat storage not fat burning. plus, anything that can poison a dog can't be good for you can it? personally I can see sw changing its philosophy over recent years from being eat as much as you like and shovel in free food, to being more careful with portion sizes and eat speed and protein rather than free foods (which is often processed such as pasta, mug shots , Muller's etc). Calories are calories and a lot of the free food isn't actually that 'healthy'.

[dementedpixie]

The bbc one was about saccharine not aspartame.

[ByThePrickingOfMyThumbs]

Yes, just eat proper food. If you fancy something sweet, use your syn allowance and have some Greek yogurt and stir in some raspberries or honey. Or sweeten with stevia.

I try to avoid low fat 'diet' food. They are mostly crap, loaded with sugar and not very good for you. I'm always a bit that Muller Lights are free on Slimming World. Each one has 7g of sugar (a lot considering that it is recommended you not exceed 25g a day).

[Lucinda15]

Thanks I've bought myself some fat free Greek you and have honey to sweeten.

[maygirl]

Sweet Freedom syrup is nice and only 0.5 syn per tsp .Made from apples grapes and carob and is supposed to have a low GI. Same brand Choc Shots are nice too to drizzle on berries

[GingerScouse]

I second the Choc Shots - really nice if you have leftover milk allowance to make a low-Syn hot chocolate!