Crystal light

Posts: 44
6/7/12 9:16 P

I'm also a fan of Stevia.

Blackstrap Molasses is a wonderful sweetener packed with iron, calcium and potassium.

Yes, and honey! It's anti-viral, anti-bacterial and full of goodness. Raw honey is controversial due to the possible risk of botulism, but that is easy enough to avoid.

Think nutrition first!

Posts: 562
1/2/12 1:27 P

HONEY! it is good for you! antioxidants and if it from your area it can help keep the allergies away!
I am partial because I have bee hives of my own... every honey has a different flavor too!

Posts: 290
1/2/12 12:01 A

Where can you find Crystal light Pure? I didn't see it in the crystal section of our Wal-Mart. I have a hard time getting myself to drink plain water. I may try to juice thing too, it sounds like a good idea.

Posts: 2201
12/31/11 5:13 P

It stands for genetically modified organism. Basically, it's when a company takes the genes from one species (say, a bacteria) and injects it into another species (say, a corn plant) to confer certain traits onto the receiving organism (such as developing a corn plant that produces it's own pesticide). Now, that's just one example and I'm sure our friend who is a micro biology major can explain it in much greater detail, but there are a number if concerns when it comes to GMOs, including, but not limited to
- Humans have never consumed a lot of these genes in quantity or at all, and we don't know the effects of it because they've never been officially safety tested
- We don't know everything that happens to organisms when they undergo this gene manipulation and we don't know if other changes take place that are harmful or reduce health of these foods
- GMO crops tend to be sprayed with more pesticides than non GMO crops
- GMOs paved the way for gene ownership which is a huge ethical issue which has actually increased world wide starvation and ruined hundreds of farmers here in the US and world wide
- GMOs have wreaked havoc on many environmental conditions. They are likely playing a huge role in the mass die offs of honey bees and monarch butterflies, and they run the risk of turning into endemic species, like kudzu in the south, or feral cats, an unnatural secures that gets lose in a new environment and takes over because it has no competitors.
I avoid GMOs mainly on moral grounds because of the environmental concerns and the ethical stuff with gene ownership but the potential health risks are also disturbing. The problem Is that You're probably already eating GMOs and dont even know it! Oretty much any non organic product that contains Corn or soy products is GMO, corn alone makes up 60% of the calories in the average American diet!
It's taken so long for me to post this you've probably already gotten other, better answers!

BabyPoints: 9096
Posts: 1947
12/31/11 1:58 P

Agave is defenitely as sweet as sugar! I love it can be found in most store now right by the white sugar@

Posts: 86
12/31/11 9:05 A

Jessifromdenver, you didn't offend me, no need to worry. What is GMO?

Posts: 2201
12/30/11 11:33 P

I sincerely hope I haven't come across as criticizing anyone, that was never my intention. I apologize if anything I said came across that way.
I couldn't agree more about the GMO stuff, but that subject is so complex I just generally don't tackle it right away. I have this Barbara Kingsolver article I tend to just give to people when they ask me about it. LOL. She just writes it down so much more beautifully than I ever could, and you walk away going "of course! This makes so much sense." and when I say it people seem to walk away going "what does that crazy hippie know?"
GMOs are scary stuff, ladies.

Posts: 86
12/30/11 8:52 P

I feel that all the answers on here are very helpful. I thank each and everyone of you. Is the agave as sweet at the artificial sweetners. For years I have been trying to find something do I thank you!

BabyPoints: 9096
Posts: 1947
12/30/11 7:55 P

I personally am a Agave sweetener girl, and I am getting a Bachelor's in Micro and if I told you all the concerns about genetically modified or chemically produced products and how we as a scientific community are not aware of any side affects because there has been no research and just as I would never put a drug in my body that has not been approved by the FDA, I also will pass on GM produce and artificial sweeteners just a side note...I am less worried about the insulin's spikes. I drink the Crystal Light Pure( and a knock off) cause I do not like the taste of water and I want to get my 8 glasses in and that would be a lot of sugar. And according to national guidelines pregnant women should keep their caffeine under 300mg...so no need to give up your morning cup!

Ladies we should share information and opinions and not criticize others..please....

Posts: 2201
12/30/11 2:40 P

If you really, really want zero calories, I'd go with saccharin or Stevia. They've just been consumed by humans the longest and have the longest safety record. Also, there's sweeteners like xylitol, which is commonly used in toothpaste and gum because your mouth bacteria can't eat it so it doesn't cause tooth decay, or there's one that begins with a E that tastes just like sugar but is expensive. They're both sugar alcohols.
My favorite sugar is evaporated cane juice. It's sugar from regular sugar cane, but it's been processed in a way that makes it lower glycemic than bleached white sugar and still maintains what little nutrients can be found in sugar cane. It's sold very expensively under the brand name Rapadura, but you can buy a giant sack of it at Costco under another brand name for much cheaper. I have heard people say Rapadura is different but I can't see what the difference is.
Most of this stuff is sold at natural food stores like whole foods, but some can be found at regular grocery stores.

Posts: 2201
12/30/11 2:34 P

Well, I'm working on a bachelors degree in this subject so it's just stuff I've picked up at school. I don't drink coffee (I've never liked it) but why can't you just put sugar in it? Any sweetener that's zero calories does the insulin thing, and plain old sugar is actually medium glycemic. That means it doesn't spike your blood sugar as fast as, say, high fructose corn syrup. When I started to learn about this stuff, my goal switched from trying to get the same amount of sweetness with less calories to trying to learn to appreciate the taste of food with less sweetness. So I gradually put less and less honey in my tea until I learned to like it without any sugar at all. I started putting a little bit of water in juice I drank, and gradually increased it until now I drink juice mixed with an equal amount of water. Also, when I bake, input in half the sugar that the recipe calls for. So far no one can tell the difference. I personally feel like its a better move to just eat the real stuff, but eat less of it. It's been a gradual process but I've felt pretty successful with it.
Another thing you can do to lessen the impact of sugar when you consume it is to make sure you consume it along with some fat, protein, fiber, or a combo of these. These foods will slow the absorption of the sugar into your blood stream, so it will lessen the negative health effects of eating the sugar. So drink your coffee with a breakfast of eggs and whole wheat toast, for example.
You can try raw, unfiltered honey, which has a lot of nutrients and tends to be lower glycemic than sugar, or agave nectar, which requires less to sweeten the same amount.

Posts: 86
12/30/11 1:24 P

Jessifromdenver, you are very wise. Thanks for helping me out. I trashed my crystal light but have another question. I can't give up coffee but I went to decaf. Something about sipping that warm beverage in the morning. Can you recommend a sweetner I CAN put in my coffee?

Posts: 2201
12/30/11 12:47 P

Yes, and they would certainly be better than the artificial ones, but all zero calorie sweeteners, including Stevia, do the insulin thing. If you're a healthy weight and don't need to worry about weight gain that may not be a big deal for you, but then, if you're not worried about weight gain, why bother eating zero calorie sweeteners in the first place? Also, I don't know if all that extra insulin in your blood stream has an impact on your baby's development. I'm inclined to think not, but I've only taken a few nutrition classes, so icant say for sure.

BabyPoints: 9096
Posts: 1947
12/30/11 12:19 P

And there are Crystal Light Pure which have only natural sweeteners in them!
http://www.facebook.com/CrystalL
ightPure

Posts: 2201
12/29/11 4:56 P

I like putting lemon in my water. It can be hard on your teeth, but it's so yummy. Others like cucumber or berry.

Posts: 86
12/29/11 2:11 P

I just threw out my box of crystal light. Cancer and insulin triggers. Scary to even a non pregnant person. Ladies, thank you for your response. Maybe tons of crushed ice or something in my water. Again, thank you!

Posts: 562
12/29/11 1:35 P

I copied this from livestrong website:

Some flavors of Crystal Light contain aspartame, one of the most dangerous artificial sweeteners. Side effects of aspartame include headaches, anxiety, abdominal pain, nausea, heart palpitations and irritable bowel syndrome. Acesulfame potassium is another artificial sweetener used in some Crystal Light varieties. This sweetener contains methylene chloride, which is a known carcinogen. Therefore, long-term use of this carcinogen may cause cancer. Other side effects include nausea, headaches and impaired liver.

Read more: http://www.livestrong.com/article/
413874-what-are-the-ingredient
s-of-crystal-light/#ixzz1hwy11
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I have been drinking a lot of tea (ginger tea helps nausea). Also watered down juice.
Try to get some water in at least!

Posts: 2201
12/29/11 1:31 P

I think it's a good idea to avoid artificial sweeteners. There are safety concerns with aspartame (which is what is used in Crystal Light) in particular. You'd be better off doing a different brand that uses Saccharin (which has been on the market over 100 years and has the most safety data behind it), splenda, or Stevia, or you could get something like Kool Aid and just make it yourself using these sweeteners instead of sugar.
Now, the reason I don't like artificial sweeteners is because it plays a chemical trick on your body that actually tends to make you consume more calories over all. What happens is that when your tongue comes into contact with something sweet, it sends a chemical message to your brain to expect a large blood sugar spike. Your brain responds by sending a message to your pancreas to increase your insulin production to deal with the incoming sugar. Except in this case, you don't get any incoming sugar, so you have all this unneeded insulin floating around in your body. In order to deal with that, you start getting hungrier, and especially start craving sweets and carbs. This is why studies indicate that drinkers of diet soda tend to consume more calories than people who drink regular soda.
Now, if that is a major concern for you, you could consider switching to juice, which you can water down to varying degrees to reduce the calories. You'd probably start out watering it just a tiny bit, but over time could increase it. That way the sweetness is cut, so your brain only pumps out the appropriate amount of insulin. You could also look at drinks like herbal tea (sweetened or unsweetened), juice and tonic water cocktails, or water kefir (which also regulates your digestive system and is great for your skin).
Some really great resources for info on this stuff is the You! book series, particularly You! Having A Baby and You! On A Diet.

Edited by: JESSIFROMDENVER at: 12/29/2011 (13:33)

Posts: 86
12/29/11 1:02 P

I have a hard time drinking water and gave up soda. Does anyone know if crystal light is ok during pregnancy?