Let’s Move on From Artificial Sweeteners People…

Splenda Makes a Great Pool Cleaner

Just when you think it’s safe to assume the world has moved on from Splenda, Aspartame and other unpronounceable toxic artificial sweeteners available in your local café or supermarket someone comes along from mid- field and blows that theory right out of the water.

Given the amount of negative press that has been aired for some time now, you would think that health publications whether online or magazines would be aware of the many dangers of consuming these sachets of chemical missiles.

I was flicking through a well-known health magazine recently and saw an article that encouraged women to embrace artificial sweeteners for weight loss. It kind of made me gulp on my dandelion tea and spill a little bit on the magazine itself.

If such magazines, considered vital health tomes for many women and men encourage toxic sugar usage, what chance does the average person have of achieving optimal health?

My mind started to wonder…Is it because they are driven by advertising dollars and editorials tied into ad spend packages and is this what’s really fuelling much of the content that is reported on health websites and in magazines?

If you’re worried about weight loss the only loss that comes from these sugars is the loss to your health not your hips. I would much rather be a healthy size than super skinny and these messages about weight loss and image that predominantly come from advertisers are just unachievable for the average woman. Who wants to walk around looking photo-shopped anyway?  Health is much more important than how you look, its about how you actually feel inside.  Here's my foods to avoid list too.

Artificial sweeteners are just a form of poison and funnily enough, there’s a lot of research to show that they simply make you maintain your viscous sweet craving cycles. By refusing to cut them out, your essentially telling your brain and taste buds to want and like sweets.

Sugar, whether artificial or real will be metabolized in exactly the same way by your body. Put simply, artificial sugars only work to trick your body into thinking it is receiving sugar, thereby releasing insulin. When the ‘onslaught’ of sugar fails to arrive the excess insulin simply promotes fat storage.

For me though, the hideous factor involves what they will do to your body as opposed to what they won’t do.

In a life long animal experiment, where the testers were given an “Acceptable Daily Intake” and with the amounts adjusted to recognize the difference in metabolism between humans and rodents, Aspartame was shown to cause large brain tumors.

Indeed, the FDA investigator and Toxicologist employed by Aspartame’s PR firm (usually known for their aptitude in spin doctoring) stated the following:

“The cancer-causing potential of aspartame is a matter that had been established way beyond any reasonable doubt, one can ask: What is the reason for the apparent refusal by the FDA to invoke for this food additive the so-called Delaney Amendment to the Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act? Is it not clear beyond any shadow of a doubt that aspartame had caused brain tumors or brain cancer in animals, and is this not sufficient to satisfy the provisions of that particular section of the law?”

Other sugar guises include the well-known Splenda, part of the ‘Chlorinated Hydrocarbon’ family, known to cause toxicity in humans. Given that DDT and Chlordane are pesticides that are banned in the US and Splenda sits comfortably aside these chemical substances, why on earth would we be encouraged to consume it?

Nutrasweet has had an interesting history, in 1993 the FDA found over 92 different associated side effects from this little number. These side effects ranged from headaches to autoimmune diseases, blood glucose disorders and even death. Given that formaldehyde is a major component of Nutrasweet, and is also a carcinogenic found in cigarette smoke, it is frustrating to read that mainstream media is still supporting these sugars and encouraging us to use them.

Formaldehyde has also been proven to cause cancer by the International Agency for Research on Cancer. Disappointingly, the dangers of these toxins are well documented but have been carefully guarded.  Is this due to the trillion-dollar diet industry?

So how do I inject sweetness into my life you may ask?...

Well…if you’ve been reading my blog for a while you'll know that I use Stevia in my recipes. That’s because it is an all-natural herb, grown wildly in South America, 200-300 times sweeter than sugar, without the affects that artificial sugars have on your insulin. That is, it won’t raise your blood sugar and create a massive burst of energy, followed by lethargy and the need for another sugar hit.  That means that your body won’t go into a state of stress and release insulin and encourage fat storage! More importantly a little goes a long way so it really is economical too.

Stevia is available in a number of forms, including a raw green powder, white powder and a clear liquid. I personally like to cook with the liquid if I have it on hand or the powder now that I have perfected the ratios works well in baking. Like in this yummy recipe for Lime and Blueberry Muffins.

So hopefully I've given you some insight into artificial sweeteners.  And if you’re wondering what to do with those left over Splenda packets … I’ve heard they make a great pool cleaner….

For more gluten, wheat, dairy, yeast and sugar-free recipes visit the website supercharged.wpengine.com