Splenda: friend or foe?

Okay, here's the thing. I'm kind of obsessed with eating healthy. As in eating wholesome and natural foods that benefit my body instead of harming it. (Of course, like any girl, I LOVE my chocolate bars, ice cream, and other sugary snacks. But I try to limit myself. Ahem, most of the time, anyway.)

Sounds simple, right? Well, it should be. Except I'm having trouble digesting (ha, get it?) all of the dangerous new findings about Splenda, the "healthy" artificial sweetener. Obviously, Splenda is not natural. So there's strike one. But my parents have been using it in their coffee for years now, and after hearing all of the hype about its benefits, I didn't question it. Well, anyone who knows me knows how much I love coffee—I try to stick to one to two cups daily, pairing two packets of Splenda with each cup. Is that such a bad thing?

Apparently, according to studies everywhere, it is:

"The report makes it clear that the artificial sweetener Splenda and its key component sucralose pose a threat to the people who consume the product. Hundreds of consumers have complained to us about side effects from using Splenda and this study...confirms that the chemicals in the little yellow package should carry a big red warning label."

So. Evidence shows that Splenda is not safe or healthy, regardless of what the liar-pants USDA says. (I never much liked those USDA people.) So what's a girl to do? I mean, the sweet powder has been my constant companion for almost four years now! I've used it in coffee, jam, chai tea, yogurt…

As you can probably guess, this has been a very sad revelation for me. I feel so betrayed! Should I go back to regular sugar? What about that Truvia stuff? There's always natural honey. And agave nectar? Jeez, there's too many options out there. I guess that's a good thing, but how do I tell which one is the healthiest for me?

Can't you see my dilemma?

Obviously, consuming a little bit of the stuff everyday is not going to kill me. Or at least, I hope not. But I'd feel better if I knew that what I put in my coffee was helping my body, not hurting it. I'm curious, what do you use?

Photo by Clay Banks.