[Mr Peabody]

Aspartame if you weren’t aware is artificial sweetener that goes by many brand names, Nutra Sweet etc. you can research that.  A friend of mine read somewhere that one of the side effects of Aspartame could be slight hearing loss.  He stopped consuming it and reported imprived hearing perception and began playing with his brands of cables on hand, speakers etc.  So I thought nothing to lose and stopped, although I only had one diet soda a day, sometimes two on weekend or Friday.  This isn’t scientific controlled test but I do feel I had slight improvement in hearing.  I don’t get to listen to my main system every day so it was hard to tell there but in the car and on my workout system I could tell.  In fact, I took my treble and midrange controls in the car down a couple notches, just seemed to be a better balance.  The improvement wasn’t night and day but it was appreciable enough to me that I continue to avoid Aspartame.  Just wanted to pass it along in case you care to try for yourself.  If you do I’d be interested in hearing back whether you could tell any difference.  I could tell in about a week without the Aspartame.  Before stopping I checked the internet and Aspartame has been found safe for consumption, I couldn’t find any particular article that mentioned the hearing aspect. 

[kentj1948]

 Aspartame breaks down into formaldehyde in the body, a known carcinogen.  Here is a link to Wikipedia.  Read the "Metabolites" section, it has a link to formaldehyde.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aspartame

[Mr Peabody]

Thanks for the link.

[sts9fan]

Poison
Just eat sugar if you need sweet.

[Wind Chaser]

Just eat sugar if you need sweet.

Meh, honey and maple syrup taste better and are better for you.

[Baumli]

Dear folks,

I always thought Aspartame was a bearing oil you could use for the spindle of your turntable. And it also doubled as a contact enhancer. Not as good as chocolate though, when it is applied to the proper input.

Seriously, I won't put the stuff in my body. Like Kent J. I know its carcinogenic side-effects, however far down the metabolic line they may be. There are other metabolic and pancreatic risks too, which I won't go in to here.

Gustatorily,

Francis Baumli

[Bob in St. Louis]

Agave nectar/syrup 

[OzarkTom]

Agave nectar/syrup 

Be careful on agave, it will send your sugar level up very high.

http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2009/07/02/agave-a-triumph-of-marketing-over-truth.aspx

[ctviggen]

Meh, honey and maple syrup taste better and are better for you.

Sugar = honey = maple syrup.  They're all bad for you.

[vonnie123]

only artificial sweetener I'll use is Stevia which is plant based.  Aspertame is nasty stuff.

I avoid corn syrup sweetener too.

[Guy 13]

Hi all.
I've been using Stevia now for several months without any side effect.
Well, I only use it with my Lipton tea.
Once in a while (Read once a month),
I add one tea spoon of pure honey to whatever needs to be sweetened.
No sugar or the same, unless the manufacturer uses a new name
to disguise a sugar (Bad, read toxic) substitute.
Thanks.

Guy 13

[Wind Chaser]

Sugar = honey = maple syrup.  They're all bad for you.

Refined sugar is by far the worst. Honey within moderation is actually good for you. Pure maple syrup as a flavor, rocks.

[Mr Peabody]

I was reading something not long ago that said real maple syrup is about $40.00 a bottle due to the large amount of sap to produce one bottle.  Things like Ms Butterworth isn't real maple syrup. 

Honey is pretty good, I haven't really read to see what all is put into it for preservatives etc.

[Guy 13]

Hi all,
coming from a province (Quebec) that is a large maple syrup producer
and a long time ago I was a supplier of gas burner for maple syrup evaporators
I can confirm that it takes 40 gallons of liquid to make one gallon of syrup.
However, yes, maple syrup is not cheap, it's almost a luxury,
but when it comes to taste, nothing can beat the taste of the maple syrup
from Canada and northen USA.
Guy 13

[Bob in St. Louis]

I make my own vanilla extract.
I trade a jar of that for a jar of maple syrup from a fella in Michigan. 

[Wind Chaser]

...real maple syrup is about $40.00 a bottle...

I pay $13 CAD for a full liter of Quebec's finest. I go through a few liters every winter. Use it my herbal teas; it is super delicious with fennel, licorice root, and mint. And I buy the actual herbs, not the bagged stuff.

Honey is pretty good, I haven't really read to see what all is put into it for preservatives etc.

As for honey, I get that unpasteurized, straight out of a big vat without any additional crap, direct from a relatively local producer about a half hours scenic drive from where I live.

[Wind Chaser]

...nothing can beat the taste of the maple syrup

I have to agree with you there. 

[Nick B]

Be careful on agave, it will send your sugar level up very high.

http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2009/07/02/agave-a-triumph-of-marketing-over-truth.aspx

My sister in law gave me a bottle and the amount of carbs was crazy. I haven't used it and will be pouring it down the drain. So much for a healthy alternative. I am fine using the pink and yellow artificial sweeteners and occasionally a teaspoon of brown sugar.

[JerryM]

Honey is pretty good, I haven't really read to see what all is put into it for preservatives etc.

Processed honey is, in and of it self, a preservative. It never goes bad, and has an indefinite shelf life. Archeologists found edible honey in King Tut's tomb, more than 2,000 years after it was placed there.

Maple sugar is the original sugar of North America, well before Europeans landed here. It remained as such until refined cane sugar became more cost effective.

Also, maple isn't just for breakfast anymore unless, of course, it still is:   

http://vermontspirits.com/products-vermont-gold.html

http://www.duncsmill.com/our-rum/maple-rum/?age-verified=03ad1ff736

And Aspartame will kill you. Horrible stuff, soon to be banned. Limit your intake while the money works itself out.

Have fun,

Jerry

[thunderbrick]

And Aspartame will kill you. Horrible stuff, soon to be banned. Limit your intake while the money works itself out.

I remember an Aspartame "scandal" 15 or more years ago, but no bad reports for quite a while now.  My (then) wife is a dietician and read a lot on the subject.  I drink tons of the stuff, and aside from being an audiophile there's been no adverse effect.

Oh, wait…