Truth About Sugar-Free Coffee Syrups
Please don’t be that person in line at Starbucks.
You know the person that thinks they’re totally healthy because they order sugar-free syrup in their AM coffee instead of regular, old syrup?
News flash!!!
If you’re trying to keep your weight down ( & wanting to be healthy/sexy ) and monitor your sugar intake. then sugar-free shit isn’t the way to go. Why? Because:
1.} There are a ton of sick-ass chemicals in artificial sweeteners. These fake sweeteners increase ( yes, you heard that correctly, increase ) the appetite. More appetite will cause weight gain. So WTF is the point of sugar-free crap if it increases your appetite? Beats me.
2.} Throw that Equal in the trash! I mean, really, what is it’s health benefits? Aspartame is the devil. It’s known to cause seizers & brain tumors.
3.} Sucralose isn’t any better. Those bright, cute colored packages of Splenda? Fail. Big fail. Splenda can enlarge the liver & kidneys while shrinking the thymus gland. Some other fun effects from this nasty chemical? Panic, diarrhea, headaches, brain fog, bladder problems, & stomach pains. Don’t be fooled by marketing.
4.} Going for Corn syrup in your coffee drinks because you are staying away from regular cane sugar – well guess what? Grams of sugar is virtually similar to corn syrup or even worst.
And your local coffee shop’s sugar-free syrups and sugar free products most likely contain one or more of the above chemicals. So, in general, added sugar can cause high blood sugar that may lead to type 2 diabetes. Disgusting, right?!
Tomorrow, when you’re ordering a cup of Joe, try these sugar substitute / sugar free option – add flavored cinnamon, nutmeg, or pumpkin spice as an all-natural sugars and no artificial flavor. Even better, skip Starbucks and try some cold brew. If you’re DYING for a sugary taste, please do yourself a favor & use organic Stevia ( it’s derived from a plant ) instead. Eat real foods!
I beg, I beg.
Besides sugar-free syrup in your coffee is pretty gross if you really think about it.
xx.L
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What a great post topic! I think it is important that more people know about this stuff, instead of just trusting a label & making assumptions.
Chase Miller
The Smell of Summer – A Boutique Surf Lifestyle Blog
how do you feel about agave sweetner?
Don’t do it!!! http://www.huffingtonpost.com/dr-mercola/agave-this-sweetener-is-f_b_537936.html
Try honey or maple syrup in place of agave. Agave is so highly processed it might as well be high fructose corn syrup. I’ve even heard it referred to as being worse than HFCS.
All of the fear-mongering over agave is unfounded and that HuffPo article is a sham. Read this:
http://www.wellsphere.com/healthy-eating-article/you-ask-i-answer-agave-is-the-new-enemy/1082273
Just because an author has an MD after their name, doesn’t make them a nutrition expert.
Agave causes pancreatic cancer
i have been trying to kick my sickie sugar free habit for a while now but this post made me go into my kitchen and through away any remaining sugar free stuff that I was “using up” !! thanks for the info !<3
OH NO, my coffee shop order has now changed!
xx
Kelly
Sparkles and Shoes
The sane goes with diet coke. Ive seen so many people drink diet coke as it will help control calories. If you dont want to add on the calories just stay away from soda!
Yes!!!! Agreed! Diet Coke is awful :/.
Noted!!! I will not be ordering that again with my skinny vanilla latte at Starbucks. Thanks for the post 🙂
Just FYI, the sugar free syrup IS what makes a “skinny” latte, skinny.
Love everything about your site Lauryn!
Um Cristina….nope. It’s not just the syrup. It’s also the milk- they end up using skim and that’s the bulk of why sugar free drinks are so low in calories. FYI.
I agree though sometime they put chemicals that make it addictive
The lack of knowledge about healthful eating is astonishing. The other day I heard someone saying how healthy their sugar free pudding cup was because it has hardly any calories….WHAT?!
When is the US going to catch up on the fact that low calories does not equal healthy, that putting fakey garbage into our mouths will never help us to permanently lose the weight or find health, and that these chemicals are straight up horribly dangerous? I sure hope we catch up soon!
Ditto to flavored non-dairy creamers… gives me the total icks.
I always put cinnamon or loose leaf tea in with my coffee grounds in the morning and it is sooo delish! I’ve noticed that I’ve cut back in how much sugar I use in my coffee since I started doing that.
I’ve always preferred my coffee black so I’ve never had to worry in that case buuutt, I’m from the South and was practically raised on sweet tea. I recently (finally) kicked my diet coke-a-day habit, so it’s been super hard to let go of sweet tea. I transitioned to unsweet tea with sweet n’ low (I know – not much better than equal or splenda) but I just started carrying stevia packets in my purse because restaurants NEVER have stevia and I’m so glad I did, especially after reading this post!
couldn’t agree more! i used to be so addicted to splenda several years ago and it caused me intestinal distress and my cravings for sweets went through the roof! i can’t even use stevia these days because it gives me headaches! i just use unsweetened nut mylk or soy on occasion in my cup or tea/java. sooooo much better for you too!
So true! Very nice article and very good that you speak out loud what artificial sweeteners really are…f***ing crap!
This has got me wondering. I’ve used the skinny syrups for years in my coffee. I was admitted to the hospital 5 months ago diagnosed with colitis. The ct scan also showed cyst on ovary, mass on both liver and kidney and a kidney stone. I am now going through doctors appts and testing with different doctors for the different things and this has made me decide to throw away the syrup and start checking other things I use! Thank you!
I put 1 tbsp of so delicious coconut milk creamer. Does the trick for me and its only 20 calories! yay! and free of everything!
I’m a Splenda junkie for coffee. I know it’s bad but I’ve been taking my chances! I probably do need to make the switch to Stevia.
Ew, I hate fake sweeteners. I don’t drink coffee, but even so I refuse to consume fake sweeteners in anything. I don’t like the taste of stevia, so I use honey or maple syrup in pretty much anything I make at home that requires some sweetness. My honest opinion is that a little sugar never killed anybody. It’s all about moderation. The girl who puts real sugar in her coffee is being much healthier than the girl who reaches for the no-cal Equal.
LOVE it Jenni! We’re on the same page : ). x.
Exactly! There was a phase when I bugged my mom to let me use sugar free. She refused to. But when I researched about it, I was so happy I did. I figured if i want to eat food like that, Il eat it royally (portion controlled, obviously) without really cutting out its goodness. Or ill just eat healthy.
Thank YOU FINALLY someone who understands that splenda is NOT healthy. Its irritating that everyone leans for spleanda because they think its super healthy.
WRONG – why bother with the shit? If you’re looking for sugar, just use the real stuff!
Haha…This is so spot on! I totally judge people in line at Starbucks too.
Sugar free syrup belongs in the bin with carbonated drinks!
N x
Thank you SO much for sharing this! The world needs to start coming to terms with the fact that “sugar-free” or “calorie-free” does NOT make it healthy. Our bodies were not created to be able to process these horrible and harsh chemicals all the time. Thanks Lauryn!
Although I tend to feel better when I cut out sweetener of any kind, this article is great food for thought concerning aspartame/stevia. I very much believe there is still much to learn about Stevia; just because it comes from a plant doesn’t mean it’s in any way shape or form good for you. Doesn’t mean it’s bad, either. Also there are arguments against the claims that aspartame is in fact capable of seriously compromising your health. I don’t think there are any definite answers, but it is safe to say staying away from sweetener won’t hurt you :D. Hahaha. But I just think this article is interesting! I know I’ve strayed away from artificial sweeteners recently, but there were years where I drank diet soda as well as used sugar free syrups and never experienced a negative side effect. Was never bloated, never felt like it increased my appetite, never had any health problems… I think a lot of it is case by case.
http://www.sciencebasedmedicine.org/are-artificial-sweeteners-safe/
This is a great site. Also be aware that Starbucks only uses sweetened soy milk in their lattes, so even if you opt out of any kind of syrup your tall latte will still have 14 grams of sugar in it… Of course its real sugar and not artificial sweetener, but for those of you (like me) who are trying to eliminate added sugar from your diet beware! It’s very misleading, especially when it’s called a “sugar free” latte when you use their artificially sweetened syrups.
Ick!! So how should you order a latte if you still want that vanilla flavor but no fake sick crap?
Starbucks was running a special, and I had one. And it was SO gross, because I haven’t really had one since I read this. I think me and Starbucks are done.
I used to 100% agree. I still agree with you. But sometimes people are “that person” in line because they actually can’t have the sugar based sryups…which are also full of bad stuff. I haven’t had a flavored coffee beverage in 4 months, since I found out I was diabetic. However, I want an iced vanilla latte soo bad. I will be getting a sugar free one today. I don’t think you should do that every day or even every week but sometimes you do what you got to do.
I don’t care if I use sugar free syrups. It doesn’t give me sugar cravings and I’ve had no side effects.
To each their own.
You know the only drink I get from Starbucks is sugar free and it keeps me from stomach Aches and I have never had any of those Simptoms and I drink it all the time and if it increases the appetite and you don’t want to gain weight, just eat crackers or somthing else you normally have as a snack, it’s not a big deal and I’m still a very healthy person
All non sugar sweetners are all processed. None of them are good for you. Best thing is to use regular sugar & just reduce the amount that you use to the very minmum that you need to achieve a sweet flavor. It’s trial & error. Best not at all.
I had read that stevie has caused miscarriages. I like to use monk fruit extract. I usually keep in my purse.
no wonder i never lose weight while drinking skinny dolce latte! even one day i didnt have anything beside two starbucks! not one pound
Stupid stevie lol u dumb
Hi, agree with what you said but do be careful with “natural” sugar substitutes. I’m allergic/sensitive to Stevia. It can cause issues too. It’s an herb. People with ragweed allergy may be sensitive and other people as well. So just plain old sugar in moderation is best for some. 🙂
I honestly don’t think it makes much of a difference if you occasionally (and I mean occasionally) order a coffee with sugar-free syrup. Of all the side effects you have discussed, I’m sure much like everything else you would find that even the most “natural” of products (my main focus here being sugar) link to heart disease, have carcinogens, cause diarrhoea, stomach pain… The list goes on. As with everything, moderation is the key word in my opinion and have what you enjoy as you could get struck down by a car tomorrow and that won’t be caused by a few sweeteners in your coffee.
Hi i have prader will syndrome. And epilepsy i cant have sugar syrups. Due its high sugar my body grabs onto hard to swift weight. I have no choice but to use sugar free syrup. Prader willi is genetic causes obesisty which my weight is ok.
what about the coffee? it isn’t any good4u either
The fear-mongering over artificial sweeteners is ridiculous! Where’s the evidence to support those outlandish health claims??? Brain tumors from Equal? Really?? Just. Stop.
Your ‘thymus’ decreases in size as you got older anyway. It’s only enlarged in children.
I respectfully disagree with just about everything you said, including your “facts” about sugar free sweeteners.
But even if you are correct, I am capable, as a diabetic, of deciding if sugar-free sweetener is a good idea for me. And I don’t need your shaming to help.
Have you ever thought about the fact about the fact that there are people who have to watch their sugar intake e.g. Type 1 diabetics? They have to count every single carb that there is in something and inject insulin for it.
You sound stupid. Sorry. Where are the sources of your claims? Science backup? Or this is an article you read in cosmopolitan so “oh my gosh I need this in my blog” The skinny confident? Alright sweetie.
I appreciate your passion for health. Some of us can’t tolerate sugar and miss the taste. Aspartame gives (at least me) severe headaches and Stevia has an aftertaste that is reminiscent of ear wax. I’ll take my chances with enlarging my kidneys and liver and shrinking my thymus gland. Thanks for caring about everyone’s health.
Not everyone knows about what’s inside these sugar-free sweeteners, so that’s really wonderful of you to share your knowledge about them. They are really scary but their advertisements says otherwise, so it’d be much better to just stick to the old, regular sweeteners (just in moderation though!)
Understandably you should avoid it if you can but some people are diabetic and shouldn’t be having sugar syrups so it’s nice that they can still have flavoured syrups from time to time that are sugar free
What is a seizer? Is it a giant Aspartame that jumps out and grabs you?
Its my job to go through labels of products and make sure it’s safe for consumption. This article is utter bollocks.
There are sweeteners in so many products, not just sugar free products, and a number of sugar free products use milk powder, and other more natural additives. You say chemicals like its an evil entity but everything is a chemical..
Too much of anything may cause problems.
Not only is this article painfully unsupported by any evidence, the entire thread of comments below is about as professional as this opinionated rubbish.
I mean, did you know typing to fast has been known to cause baldness???
I mean that’s so gross right? SICK. STOP RIGHT NOW or your head will fall off.
Such disgust, so scary.
Sorry I think this is made up rubbish and why the bad language….Totally unprofessional
BTW, Caribou uses Stevia as a sweetener in their sugar-free syrups. 🙂
Funny how my doctor and nutritionist are FINE with me using sugar substitutes and having the occasional latte made with sugar free syrup, because I am DIABETIC. If it was really harmful as per your claims, they both would tell me to stop using Splenda in my tea. You didn’t back up a single claim with studies and factual evidence about artificial sweeteners. Do your research and provide reliable sources before spouting off about the dangers of something you obviously haven’t fully researched.
What about monk fruit?
Actually I was raised to think that too but I can tell you it isn’t true. I am a certified Nutrition coach with over 15 years in active health practice. I have given up sugar in my diet completely going keto and now that I have detoxed it I no longer get any false appetite cravings. I drink diet soda, use Splenda in my treats and coffee daily and have lost 109# in the last year alone. I had become disabled from working all day and then working out after work trying to keep my weight level with my thyroid disease. I ate lots of salads and not any processed sugar but guess what. Your body can’t tell one sugar from the other so salad sugar goes on your hips just the same. Now I eat 1800-2000 calories a day and I’m nearly to my goal weight. I was 310# after the drugs they gave me for “treating” my new autoimmune disease. I can no longer work out as I can hardly walk most days so if I can eat that much, and use non caloric sweetners being in the house all day with my kids who have cakes, cookies and chips all over and I don’t even look at them, I’m calling bs on your fake news you are regurgitating from old fake science the sugar companies put out when they lost money to the low sugar no sugar craze. Keeping you addicted keeps them in business. Sugar causes brain tumors and cancer.
I think this person who wrote is immature. I hope they matured and actually studied some more. It doesn’t matter if its fake or not. Everything needs to be done in moderation. Over doing anything is not healthy for you. I mean even drinking to much water can make you drown from the inside, working out to much can stress you muscle and tendons. You can eat the same good food and eventually can become allergic to it too. I’m not a doctor but to me this is simple logic.
I’v known people have were really healthy, ate only organic food nothing processed, worked out, but still got cancer and other problems. Where as a friend who just did everything in moderation and nothing happened to him. These are adult friends (People in their 70’s).
The sad thing is you never stop learning. You need to learn what is good for your body. We all have different bodies. Depending on your Race (Yes my fellow millennials, race does matter), depends on age, body type and so on. Please use more sources before you write something.
You’re right, you’re not a doctor. You’re not a nutritionist. So just say you have this philosophy. Have you seen someone with blood sugar of 1100? Life is not one size fits all, so just maybe it’s better for some people to have some sugar free sweetness in their life. Your obsession with skinny is bizarre.
I had weight loss surgery and I can only use sugar free everything in my diet. I hate this because of everything you have listed. I do try to do my own recipes and use all natural ingredients also but sometimes I just don’t have time to do it all. Single mom three kids and two with special needs, I don’t always get it done.
I’m sure your breast implants and all the lip fillers you use aren’t that healthy either. Stop shaming people for what the put in their coffee, my God.
They*
First of all cinnamon and pumpkin spice don’t sweeten anything in fact it entrances the bitter flavor of coffee. Secondly stevia is extremely processed just like all sugars. Thirdly the research shows sucralose has been shown to be the healthiest out of the available sweeteners besides possibly Erythritol. The only accurate thing about this post is that aspartame is no good. Fail. Big fail. Also Noelle sugar free has nothing to do with skim milk. Skim milk is less fat not less sugar.
Thanks for the info.
Articles pretending to be informative should not be written by 12 year old ghetto rats.
Had fun viewing the site. Thanks for writing this. You got a lifetime fan.
This has got me wondering. I’ve used the skinny syrups for years in my coffee. I was admitted to the hospital 5 months ago diagnosed with colitis. The ct scan also showed cyst on ovary, mass on both liver and kidney and a kidney stone. I am now going through doctors appts and testing with different doctors for the different things and this has made me decide to throw away the syrup and start checking other things I use! Thank you!
Happy to help <3
What about diabetics? I’m diabetic and that’s why I use sugar free syrup in my coffee. I love the taste. I also sometimes use cinnamon. Stevia is no good for diabetics or some of the other alternatives because they have exactly the same effect on the body as sugar. A diabetic nurse told me this.
Thanks for this article,
I bought 3 skinny syrups today and I was trying to find out if there were negative reviews. WoW! This was all I was looking for and thank you. I the middle of trying to lose weight, we take some wrong decision just like I had today. I am going to send them back and get my money back. I’ve got liquid organic stevia from earth food store. This post is the best educational article ever. Thanks
Thanks for this article,
I bought 3 skinny syrups today and I was trying to find out if there were negative reviews. WoW! This was all I was looking for and thank you. In the middle of trying to lose weight, we take some wrong decision just like I had today. I am going to send them back and get my money back. I’ve got liquid organic stevia from earth food store. This post is the best educational article ever. Thanks
I guess those of us that hate the flavor of stevia are just screwed
You didn’t mention MonkFruit. Any issues using this as a sugar substitue?