You just can't ....
You read the labels on the soft drinks... It says zero calories, no sugar... diet. It seems appealing, still a sweet drink or treat, but no calories. It must be good, right? WRONG.
Most of these products are sweetened with artificial sweeteners. I am going to be talking about them today. They go by names like aspartame and sucralose.
At the grocery tour last week I talked about these. There were lots of questions and I thought I would give more information about these sweeteners.
What is aspartame?
Aspartame (APM; /ˈæspərteɪm/ or /əˈspɑːrteɪm/) is an artificial, non-saccharide sweetener used as a sugar substitute in some foods and beverages. In the European Union, it is codified as E951. Aspartame is a methyl ester of the aspartic acid/phenylalaninedipeptide. It was first sold under the brand name NutraSweet. It was first synthesized in 1965, and the patent expired in 1992.
The safety of aspartame has been the subject of several political and medical controversies, United States congressional hearings and Internet hoaxes[3][4][5] since its initial approval for use in food products by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) in 1981.[6]:2 The European Food Safety Authority concluded in its 2013 re-evaluation that aspartame and its breakdown products are safe for human consumption at current levels of exposure,[7] corroborating other medical reviews.
When broken down, aspartame forms phenylalanine and formaldehyde that are absorbed into your blood stream.
What is sucralose?
Sucralose is an artificial sweetener and sugar substitute. The majority of ingested sucralose is not broken down by the body, so it is noncaloric.[4] In the European Union, it is also known under the E number E955. Sucralose is about 320 to 1,000 times sweeter thansucrose,[5] three times as sweet as aspartame and twice as sweet as saccharin. It is stable under heat and over a broad range of pHconditions. Therefore, it can be used in baking or in products that require a longer shelf life. Common brand names of sucralose-based sweeteners are Splenda, Zerocal, Sukrana, SucraPlus, Candys, Cukren, and Nevella. Canderel Yellow also contains Sucralose, but the original Canderel and Green Canderel do not.
Both are very clearly CHEMICALS. Aspartame is listed as a medication, not as food. Whenever our body needs to process chemicals it puts a strain on our detox organs, our liver and kidneys especially.
There have been many studies on the dangers of these chemicals. I encourage you to research them.
You can't cheat sugar.
Artificial sugars are an appetite stimulant. When you eat an artificial sugar your body will be waiting for and anticipating the calories that go along with it. You will want more and you will be hungrier. If you are on a weight loss or health journey, artificial sugar is NOT the answer.
Natural sugars are better! Think honey, maple syrup and fruit. Fruit, in moderation, is a good way to get yourself off of a sugar addiction.
Please read ingredients and know what you are ingesting. If you read "no sugar" or "diet" be aware these products may contain chemicals.
If you are looking for ways to quit artificial sugars, I can help. Send me a message or give me a call!