3 Artificial Sweeteners to Avoid for Good Health

Look, if you want the ultimate in sweetness you really want a puppy.

That’s all there is to it.

The overwhelming amount of sweetness derived from a tiny ball of fluff is staggering.

And if you’re still craving sugar, you can’t eat puppies (and why would you want to…)

So, what can you do?

Well if you read my last article you’ll know aspartame isn’t an option. Here’s the link to my aspartame article.

And, if you’re starting to see a trend here, it also means that you probably shouldn’t have other artificial sweeteners either.

Yeah, that’s because other artificial sweeteners have equally bad effects on your health.

I’ll break down 3 of the most popular artificial sweeteners, along with why they’re bad for you,  and then I’ll tell you about some of the other weird things wrong with these artificial sweeteners.

3 Artificial Sweeteners to Avoid For Good Health

Acesulfame Potassium: This is a sweetener that’s used in many soft drinks as well in many low fat foods like yogurts.

Acesulfame K is a potassium salt. It contains a known carcinogen called methylene chloride. Interestingly enough, it even has some industrial applications as it’s used as a paint stripper and a degreaser.

Known side effects include:

• Nausea
• Headaches
• Mood problems
• Hypoglycemia
• Poor liver and kidney health
• Poor eyesight

Sucralose:  Also known by its brand name Splenda, sucralose shares a similar chemical structure to DDT, the banned pesticide. It’s an organochloride, and organochlorides are known to be some of the most toxic substances made by man.

Some of the side effects of sucralose might include:

• Migraine headaches
• Muscle aches
• Stomach cramps
• Diarrhea
• Bladder issues
• Skin irritation
• Dizziness
• Inflammation.

Saccharin: This sweetener is known by its more famous name of Sweet N Low. One of the most common sweeteners, it’s thousands of times more sweet than sugar. It is one of the few artificial sweeteners with proven links to the formation of cancers in animals. It is also known to cause a myriad of other side effects.

These include:

• Nausea
• Diarrhea
• Skin problems
• Allergy-related symptoms

I mean, when you look at it plainly, you’ll see that there’s really no good reason to consume artificial sweeteners.

The problem is how pervasive they are and how addicted Americans have become to sweet tastes.

But, if that’s not reason enough, I went ahead and compiled a few more reasons why artificial sweeteners should be eliminated from your diet altogether.

5 More Reasons to Avoid Artificial Sweeteners

1: They May Disrupt Your Gut :

There’s a few ways this happens.

For one, ingredients like sucralose can kill healthy gut bacteria. This means that as the sucralose passes through your intestines, it kills much of  the healthy probiotic material. This can create some serious problems with digestion and nutrient absorption.

Another problem that can arise is low-calorie foods with high sweet factors actually tell your gut that high calorie food is on its way. So your gut gets ready to go to work. The downside to this is when the gut finally receives the food it anticipated, there’s no high-calorie meal to digest.

This then creates a series of problems for both digestion and health later on.

2: They May Jack Up Your Hormones:

One of the effects that the low-calorie, sweet flavor has is it may affect your insulin levels.

As mentioned in the point before, your body is primed to believe that sweet food carries calories with it.

When you eat low-calorie sweeteners, your insulin is then mobilized even though there are no calories for it to work with. When there are no calories, your insulin levels spike and then come crashing down, which actually makes you hungrier.

Another thought is that artificial sweeteners prevent your body from producing GLP-1. This is another hormone which regulates blood sugar. The prevention of this hormone from entering the bloodstream can also contribute to food cravings.

3: They Boost Your Appetite:

All those cravings that were just mentioned actually can make you overeat anyways. And one expert believes that they might make you overeat for another reason.

Natasha Turner, ND, authored a book on her beliefs. In the “Super-Charged Hormone” diet she writes:

“The taste and feel of food in our mouth influences our learned ability to match our caloric intake with our caloric need…High fat, high sugar foods taste both sweet and dense, signaling to your brain that they’re high calories.

But artificially sweetened foods often have a thinner consistency and texture than sugar-sweetened foods and thus, aren’t as satisfying. Our natural ability to control how much we eat and, therefore, our body weight may be weakened when this natural link is impaired by consuming products that contain artificial sweeteners. ”

#4: They Might Lead to Blood Sugar Fluctuations:

One of the largest constituent of diabetes sufferers are soda drinkers…even those who drink diet sodas.

While the research isn’t 100% positive why this is true, some guess it’s because diet drinkers often feel their ability to reduce calories in soda gives them permission to overeat at other meals.

It could also relate to the fact that, in general, low-calorie sweeteners are also responsible for huge food cravings (as described in the two points above).

There seems to be some science behind it.

The University of Texas did a study and found that diet soda drinkers were 65 percent more likely to be overweight than people who never drank soda. Remarkably, they were even heavier than people who drank regular soda.

All of this leading to diet soda drinkers having a higher incidence of metabolic syndrome which can lead to Blood Sugar Fluctuations.

5: They’re All Artificial:

Yes, that’s part of the name, but many of the artificial sweeteners come from GMO crops as well.

Artificial sweeteners such as sucralose, aspartame, can all be made from corn, soy, or sugar beets. These three food sources are mostly always GMO. And while there are only a handful of studies supporting the safety of GMO, many in the health community have yet to lend a verdict because of how new these materials are.

For safety’s sake, it’s always a good idea to avoid GMO ingredients if you’re able too. And let’s be honest, you’re able.

With all of that information, you now know why artificial sweeteners shouldn’t be in your diet.

The problem is, you find artificial sweeteners in almost everything.

To escape them means you have to alter your diet in dramatic fashion.

My suggestion?

Drink water, lots of it.

Or switch to tea if you can.

Flavor beverages with lemon and natural fruit flavors. Stevia is a good sugar replacement. It’s thousands of times sweeter than sugar so it means you don’t need to use much.

And, as always, give yourself grace as you transition away from artificial sweeteners.

Talk soon,     

Dr. Wiggy
www.HealthAsItOughtToBe.com