My brother sent me an interesting and probably little-known fact about artificial sweeteners. If you look up Splenda, Equal, and sugar on the USDA National Nutrient Database for Standard Reference you will discover that the sweeteners have the almost the same number of calories per gram as does sugar.
Splenda (per 100g):
-calories (kcal): 331
-carbohydrate: 89.97g
-sugar: 80.33g
-starch: 9.64gEqual (per 100g):
-calories (kcal): 365g
-carbohydrate: 89.08g
-sugar: 80.70g
-starch: 8.36gGranulated sugar (per 100g):
-calories (kcal): 387
-carbohydrate: 99.98g
-sugar: 99.91g
The only reason the artificial sweeteners are listed as "zero calories" on food items is because they are used in very small quantities, which is possible because they are much sweeter than sugar.
Artificial sweeteners? No thanks. There's no need for them.. if you consume sugar in moderation (like you're supposed to do with nearly everything else).
Natural sugars are healthier, too. Honey is good for calming an upset stomach, for example.