Hi c.jussero:

Wouldn't life be grand if we always knew the correct answer to everything? It sure would be less complicated. Oh, also if we could eat all the sweets and pastas and breads that we wanted? Maybe in heaven!

I notice that you are on the Schwarzbein diet. That definately makes splenda a no, no for you (if following the plan) since it is considered a stimulant.

I saw some info on splenda I'll have to pull up for you when I get a chance. What info did you pull up? Dr. Mercola's and the Sucralose Toxicity Information Center? Dr. Mercola is a big advocate of low-carb eating (more paleolithic than anything). He's an MD. He's very outspoken about natural ways of eating.

There's not a lot out there yet because it is relatively new. Splenda may tell you it's safe, but it's your life. Even if it weren't safe, they'd still tell you it was safe till they were blue in the face. I don't think any artificial chemicals in our bodies are good for us. That includes pesticides, chemical cleaners, artificial sweeteners etc. We need to choose our exposure to them selectively.

My biggest concern is not the person who has a little sweetener here and there, but the ones who are consuming large quantities of the stuff. I'd start feeling like a human guinea pig because those doses haven't been tested on humans as far as I know. My life is too valuable to chance trusting a company whose primary goal is to make money. Splenda may say it was thoroughly tested and deemed safe, but so was aspartame! It happened to be much more toxic in humans than rats. So in effect, we are always guinea pigs when a new product is introduced.

I just think it all comes down to making informed choices. I don't want corporations obscuring facts or playing politics or paying for false research. I want the facts so I can make my own decisions. But then, that brings me back to my initial comment. Only in my dreams! So my motto is "better safe than sorry".

Good luck with your difficult decision (re: the bowlfuls of splenda )