I’ve eliminated the fake sugars, for the most part. (I still like an occasional sugar-free Jello, and not being a coffee drinker, my one self-allowed vice is diet soda.) Mrs. kevkrom eliminated them entirely.
When I need a sweetener, I use a natural sugar alcohol like xylitol or eryitherol. (Maltitol and sorbitol do bad things to me.) Or stevia extract. There’s also a zero-cal soluble fiber that’s naturally sweet that goes by the brand name FiberFit that I use.
Atta boy!! I’ve upped my consumption of Jello, but I make my own with unsweetened fruit juice and unflavored Knox, and it has really, really helped with what used to be an achy spine around the neck. I think the gelatin helps the body rebuild cartilage and all that, who knows, but I do know that improvement was swift and I’ve been making it a point to up my consumption of gelatin ever since! Your missus sounds like a wise woman!
Oh — and also, I drink sugar-free soda pop on special occasions, all day long sometimes if it’s a big party, because I don’t drink booze (I’m allergic ... I break out I handcuffs). So fake sugar is okay on occasion, I just cringe when I see people depending on it every single day, the way I used to drink diet soda pop every single day. *shudder* Now it’s just special occasions.