I was under the impression that "Splenda" was an all natural product.
An excerpt from the newswire today.....
"In fact, Splenda is a man-made chemical compound. FCAN, Florida's largest consumer group, asked regulators at the FTC to order J&J to suspend the deceptive marketing campaign and set the record straight.
"Splenda is produced through a chemical process that involves chlorination and phosgene gas, a major industrial chemical used to make plastics and pesticides," said Bill Newton, executive director of FCAN. "That's not a process anyone would think of when they think 'natural.'"
the whole story if you are interested >>> http://biz.yahoo.com/prnews/050216/dcw056_1.html
I think I will just stick to sugar.

I've read/heard that Splenda is just as bad as Equal, Sweet N Low, etc.
Raw sugar is the best, but you have to be careful with that because sometimes it's just regular sugar that has been dyed brown.

sugar, no matter the color, is the worst option.

True. Everyone reacts differently to everything. I hate that!!! I wish there was just one thing that worked for everyone. Life would be so much easier. :(

Splenda (sucralose) is not a natural product. First, Splenda is a combination of sucralose and maltodextrin, a corn based bulking agent. There is a lot more maltodextrin in the product than sucralose. McNeil Nutritionals will not release the formula, my guess is that there is less than 10% sucralose (probably closer to 1%) in there. If you look at the crystals in your hand you can see both products. The maltodextrin is the fluffy, dull larger crystals and the sucralose is the small shiny ones.
Disclaimer! I sell sugar for a living to industrial food manufacturers :D I sell sugar and other ingredients including other sweeteners, mainly refined products like high fructose corn syrup.
Below is an article about a product called Shugr that is made from all natural ingredients.
The only "all natural" or "organic" sweetener product is called Organic evaporated cane juice. It is just what it says it is. Juice from organically grown cane plants that is evaporated to create a crystal. All other products out there are either chemically manufactured or "naturally" occuring sweeteners that are extracted from fruits.
http://biz.yahoo.com/bw/050212/125007_1.html
Please let me know if you would like more information on sugar, hfcs, sucralose and all alternative sweeteners. I have a ton of reference materials on all of them and would be happy to scan and email (or fax) to anyone interested! I have a whole library of information on just about any type of food ingredient we consume. The majority would be in sweeteners, wheat flour, corn products (dry and wet, including corn starch, dextrose, hfcs, corn syrup),modified food starches, vegetable oils and shortenings (don't get me started on trans fats!), milk products, salt and everything in between! I have a limited amount of information on food additives. Also feel free to ask me what something on an ingredient statement is and I will tell you or find out!
Remember, everything in moderation. The problem is Americans don't know the meaning of the word moderation.
Jamie

raw honey, real pure unprocessed maple syrup, and agave nectar are truly natural sweeteners that have undergone no or very little processing. They still contain vital nutrients and enzymes and are consumed by even the most hardcore health freaks, like raw foodists. Yeah, they have a few calories, but everything in moderation. They will not leech nutrients out of your body like white sugar does.

I just read this about a natural sugar...of course I can't eat it....I get problems from sugar........any kind...except maple syrup or stevia
"Sucanat (Sugar Cane Natural) is sugar in its most natural form. It is extracted from the sugar cane and the freshly squeezed juice is evaporated by a special Swiss process. Only the water is removed. This process preserves all of the molasses. Sucanat is organically grown with no added preservatives and additives."

Anyone tried Stevia? I got a free sample with my milk thistle, and it's VERY sweet, but it's supposed to be truly all natural. Just wondering if anyone had any info on it....I looked on the net but of course they are going to say good things about it since they are producing it! www.stevia.com if you want to read more....