Sorbitol, Aspartame, Sucralose, Xylitol...

[LoveMyTwoBoys]

Are they *really* that horrible during pregnancy if they are in, say, Extra Sugar Free Gum? I have a sugar addiction as does my dad. Before I got pregnant, I had been on a no candy, little-to-no ice cream diet & eating healthier. However, to handle the sugar cravings without adding to my calories (was trying to lose the weight I put on after my m/c) I turned to gum and Vitamin Water Zero (stevia). For the last 2 months I've been maintaining weight but still not adding a lot of calories.

Do I need to cut gum and Vitamin Water Zero out of my pregnant life for good?

Note: I'm very paranoid about everything right now since this is my first pregnancy after a miscarriage. So just tell me if I need to relax and enjoy being pregnant again.

[MamaFern]

the 1st 3 for sure are BAD. xylitol is good though! its good for your teeth and not at all bad for you unless you have too much in which case you may get a sore belly (loose stools) look it up, but its plant derived and used a lot in europe. it also doesn't raise your blood sugar at all...so its safe for GD/diabetes.

eta: check out your local health food store. most carry a xylitol gum that doesnt contain the other nasty stuff.. you really should avoid the other sweeteners if at all possible, especially in pregnancy.

[elonwy]

I avoid the first three because they can exacerbate stomach problems and I have Celiac disease. My GI told me that anyone with any kind of stomach issues, GERD, IBS, whatever should avoid artificial sweeteners like the plague. So they might actually make morning sickness worse. Just a thought.

[lillymonster]

Originally Posted by elonwy

I avoid the first three because they can exacerbate stomach problems and I have Celiac disease. My GI told me that anyone with any kind of stomach issues, GERD, IBS, whatever should avoid artificial sweeteners like the plague. So they might actually make morning sickness worse. Just a thought.

Wow, interesting! The first 2 give me the shakes and upset my stomach. I have stomach ulcers for some unknown reason, so I know I should stay away now. I can tell though by taste if something has it in it, so I don't get it too often.

I won't give my 3 year old daughter anything with those ingredients, so I probably wouldn't eat it while pregnant. I don't know if it would cause miscarriage, but I wouldn't do it personally.

[LoveMyTwoBoys]

None of them upset my stomach and I can't tell when they are in something. Probably because I've been chewing the gum so regularly for the last few months and grew up with the same gum in my mom's purse. The nearest health food store is a 45 minute drive across into the next state. Not the most fun trip when my husband is out of town. As long as I can keep drinking the Vitamin Water Zero, I think I can make it until I get some "better" gum. I can't let myself slip back into the candy/ice cream frenzy that I so desire every, single day.

Thanks for the help. It is nice to be back in this forum.

[mcoreen]

I looked in to the safety of Stevia when I was pregnant the first time, & the only articles I could find said that there where no long term studies done on the topic of Stevia during pregnancy. It has been used for a long time in South America in everyday recipes so some people feel it is probably safe or we would know about any ill-effects. However, you do need some extra calories during pregnancy. I personally decided that it was ok to have a small amount occasionally, but I do limit it's use now that I'm pregnant. I just use it once in while to sweeten my tea if it's late at night and I really don't feel like having sugar or honey.

[Lady Lilya]

Supposedly, artificial sweeteners will increase your craving for sweets. They trick your body into believing that you are consuming sugar, so you release insulin. Then that insulin makes your blood sugar too low, and you crave sweets.

Low blood sugar causes most of my nausea. If I make sure to get enough protein and fats, it doesn't happen.

[dejagerw]

You can by Spry gum online (amazon). It's a xylitol only gum that's really good for your teeth.

[GuildJenn]

It seems like it's kind of six of one and a half dozen of the other for you at this point.

Normally I would just say if you're not worried about gestational diabetes to go for the sugary stuff and brush your teeth more. Because really, why have that worry, especially at a time when a few extra/empty calories are probably not going to do you in (esp if the rest of your diet is good)?

But if you experience distress or binging then it's sort of a whole other deal isn't it. Although really I might try concocting my own drinks with something like Ribena or mango nectar and water/club soda, gradually bringing the sweet level down. I'm guessing the vitamin water doesn't trigger binges which is why I focused on drinks.

For gum you may be mostly stuck. I don't do most sugar substitutes and it can be hard to find.

I'd mainly avoid aspartame and sucralose (one being sort of nasty and the other being pretty new IMO; I'm biased with aspartame because I get instant migraines from it.) Sorbitol is a sugar alchohol with a laxative effect so I don't use it and I think you'd want to be careful you weren't losing nutrients. Xylitol occurs naturally and is probably the best of the bunch - I know it can actually be good for tooth decay and I think candida. Not sure though.

[DanielleT]

http://www.americanpregnancy.org/pre...alsweetner.htm

I use splenda daily and personally have no concerns

[LoveMyTwoBoys]

Thanks, ladies. I haven't had any gum since I posted this morning. I think that I will be breaking into my sons' Yummy Earth sucker bucket instead of chewing gum until I can find something that doesn't have all this stuff in it.

I have been drinking the Vitamin Water to satisfy my sweets but really just want to eat Dh's ice cream that he left in the fridge. Instead, I am going to have some homemade granola & french vanilla yogurt, which better not have aspartame in it or I might scream.

[elonwy]

An idea for sweet water that works really well for me: I make my own "berry water" you can use a pitcher or do it by the glass. I get strawberries or some other berry I like, wash them well (obvy organic is better- no pesticides) and then plop a couple in my glass of water. Voila! Sweet water with almost no calories I do it with lemon slices and cucumber too when I want something less sweet. Two words of advice: The fruit only lasts about a day, so if you make a pitcher you want to drink the whole thing in one day, and whatever you do, don't try to eat the fruit afterwards.

[ILoveMyBabyBird]

I avoid gum because I have mercury fillings plus chewing gum makes me hungrier and I am hungry enough as it is. I would skip it and have a mint or other hard candy instead.

[bella99]

If you use xylitol, and have dogs, just be very careful. For whatever reason, they are attracted to it like moths to a flame, but it is extremely toxic and deadly to them, and it doesn't take a lot. We had a scare last year which involved us and our vet doing all the mathematical calculations to see if we should be prepared to lose one of our dogs. (We didn't, she was fine )

I try to limit my artificial sweetners (but I love Diet Coke), and Dr. Hale seems to suggest that aspartame and splenda are safe, for pregnant and nursing women.

[LoveMyTwoBoys]

bella99- Thank you so much for that information. We have 3 dogs and one gets into anything we leave within reach. Once I find something I will make sure to keep it 100% out of their reach.

[myk]

i avoid splenda at all costs because it gives me seizures. apparently it's extremely rare, but there you go. it's touted as the safest artificial sweetener there is, and it's not safe for me.

i do use xylitol. can give you loose bowels if you do too much, but it tastes good (doesn't taste like a chem lab made it) and it's said to inhibit tooth decay.

[IdentityCrisisMama]

You should be able to find Xylitol candy at conventional stores. Perhaps the selection will be poor but some of the "big name" gum companies (Trident, for instance) use it in a few of their flavors. I also feel like maybe the sugar-free Jellybellys have it?

[hollytheteacher]

Just wanted to point out that if you are sugar addicted, it most likely means that you are not ingesting enough protein. In pregnancy your protein need is even higher. Try upping the amout of protein you eat throughout the whole day...several extra small meals all including protein. It might help cure your sugar addiction

[bella99]

Orbit uses xylitol.

[LoveMyTwoBoys]

All the ones I looked at today also had Aspartame. I looked at Orbit and Trident and both the flavors I looked at had both. Next time I'll go without the boys and spend the time to look at every one.

I eat a lot of protien. We are big fans of meat around here. I'll try to up it even more to see if it helps. Thanks for the idea!