I think I'd croak without a splenda packet or two to liven things up! Sig, is that because it promotes cravings, or just cause its "unnatural"?
Some people are insulin resistant. I'm the opposite. I've posted some incredibly low blood sugar numbers during fasting glucose tests. Thankfully, through careful diet, I can keep my numbers stable at the bottom end of normal, and I know enough to prevent 'crashing.' Some people eat clean because they want to lose weight, gain muscle, etc. For me, while those things are important, my motivation for eating right goes beyond that: I flat out get sick if I'm not mostly clean 100% of the time, eating mini-meals through out the day, that combine proteins and/or fat with my complex carbs.
I'm not entirely sure if my problem with Splenda is that it spikes insulin or not. I think some new scientific studies are trying to argue that it has this same effect on the body, even if it is not readily converted into glucose in the bloodstream. For all I know, it could be a different chemical sensitivity I have altogether (I am extremely sensitive to stimulants, including caffeine, and I get migraines from aspartame as well). All I know is that when I've had Splenda before, it triggers the same response in me as though I've had straight up sugar, if not worse.
That said, I can & do eat foods that have natural sugar in them - like dairy or fruits (provided it's the right food, right combination, right time of day, etc.), and I do rely on some protein bars & meal replacement stuff for convenience, even though they can have sugar added as well (hence my search for the ideal home-made protein bar recipe!). I don't really feel the need for "added sweetness" in most of the food I eat & drink anyway. I drink my tea without anything else. I have no interest in soda, regular or diet. If I want a different flavored beverage, I brew my own tea mixes and then chill that. I eat my oatmeal plain. And so forth.
I also think everyone has their own definition of what it means to eat clean. I don't think of it as "no refined sugar" because that's something I almost never would eat anyway, and when I do, it's because it's thrown in some combination that would slow down absorption. I think of not being clean as the extent to which I rely on manufactured and processed foods, something I tend to avoid. The biggest hurdle to my diet is eliminating those processed bars, and in an ideal world, I'd never turn to them. But for the ones with the right nutritional breakdown for me, I just know that it's the closest thing to a chocolate or candy bar I'll ever eat, and it's so EASY to toss it in my bag and eat in my car when I'm running around. Same deal with those processed soy/veggie burgers - I'd RATHER be able to make a tofu stir-fry or another egg white omelet or something else from scratch, but when I'm packing over 1000 calories with me to take to my office for the day, it's really hard to figure out how many 200 calorie mini-meals I could conceivably put together with enough protein that don't need more than a microwave. After a while, you do reach a point of how much tuna, turkey and whey protein powder you can and should consume.
and saying this---> "common Sparrow, come up with a REAL challenge" then you can try to last till Christmas; which means...yeup, you'll have to be good even ON Thanksgiving. *evil laugh* NOW who's doing this 