Sugar Free

So, I just finished day 10 (out of 14) with no sugar, bread, fruit (anything with any type of sugar) and things are going pretty well. I've discovered a few things about trying to cheat my way around it though. I'm doing ok without the bread, except for breakfast. Eggs are getting old and have way too much cholesterol for my Lundell blood. Tonight I broke down and went to Costco to buy the big package of egg substitute. It's mostly (99%) egg whites and hopefully doesn't taste like glue. I'll find out soon (not tomorrow though. I 'm going out to breakfast with my friends where, sadly, I will have to skip the blueberry-wheat germ pancakes at First Awakenings).

Anyway, I loves me the sweets, and have tried to find every candy and chocolate that exists displaying those 2 little words "Sugar Free". There are lots, and they're pretty good, but now I am trying to weigh my options when it comes to eating chemically produced sweetener or going without. Here's why:

1. People can have a "sensitivity" to sucralose. In other words: Stephanie, your stomach is not going to feel right as long as you continue to eat Sugar Free Reeses Peanut Butter Cups , even if you only eat 1 and the serving size is 5. Conclusion: Splenda is out for me. Good thing I didn't buy the Costco box (I think it tastes gross anyway).
2. My favorite sugar free treat so far has been Dove Sugar Free Dark Chocolates. I was excited these about because I didn't see any artificial sweetener in them, just something called maltitol. Then, I was at Costco tonight stocking up on fake eggs, and this guy shoved a handful of chocolate at me and said "You can eat this. It's sugar free!" How did he know? He told me all about maltitol. It sounded like the answer. It's processed from wheat. That's good, right? I loved that man. I bought his $20 box of chocolates. Then I came home and read this about the problems with maltitol. (I still ate one of the tricky man's chocolates. You should hear my stomach right now.).
3. Aspartame tastes pretty good in Sugar Free Jello and Diet Sprite. I'm not really a soda drinker anymore, but I'll take what I can get when it comes to sweetness right now (diet cola has never been for me). I've been a little afraid of aspartame for a while (here's why), but I just read on the FDA website that they consider it safe as a food sweetener. I don't know about it though. I'll keep eating my Jello and drinking my Sprite, but I don't have much brain power left to lose. Is it worth it?
4. My only happiness comes from a little herb called Stevia. It is a sweetener that has been used in other countries for centuries. I'm gravitating towards it because it's the only natural, noncaloric sweetener I have found - and it tastes good! I bought a little bottle of it at Trader Joe's the other day and I love it in my Pero in the morning. You can even grow it! I'd fit right in with all of the other herb growers here.

I could probably go on, but it's late now, and as I've been typing, I've been looking up more sweetener info on the internet and I am certain no one is as interested in it as I am. I look forward to four days from now when I will indulge in oatmeal with strawberries and feel like I'm eating strawberry shortcake - if I make it until then without my brain withering away and my stomach wearing out. I'm counting on you, Stevia.