Living a Healthy Lifestyle

After last month’s quest to Kick One Bad Habit This Month – Soft Drinks, you may be thinking that since the core of the problem is high fructose corn syrup, diet soft drinks might be better. Well Think Again!!

Artificial sweeteners are chemical additives or drugs, and because of this, the body does not know quite how to digest and assimilate them. So they end up creating “disorder”, instead of “order” – vitality and health. Read on……

Sucralose (found in Spenda), though the FDA and marketers make claims on Splenda’s safe use, individual studies show otherwise. Sucralose is an organic chemical compound that is 600 times sweeter than sugar. So in order to put it into use, it must be combined with a bulking agent – dextrose, maltodextrin – in otherwords, “sugar” from high fructose corn syrup. Studies show the truth is that Spenda is 99% pure sugar, and not only is it “not calorie free”, it actually contains 4 calories. These are both issues for diabetics since sugar is still present, and there are still calories! Spenda has also been known to cause migraine headaches, destroy intestinal flora (the healthy bacteria we need), disrupt sleep patterns, plus increase cancer, MS, diabetes, Lupus, show signs of wei*ght gain and a list of degenerative diseases.

Aspartame (found in Nutrasweet) contains about 10% methanol (wood alcohol) by weight. In order for the body to metabolize methanol, it turns to formaldehyde which causes damage as it attacks the proteins in the body. Aspartame also penetrates the blood brain barrier creating neurotoxin havoc in the brain, thus, it causes brain damage, damage to the central nervous system, menstrual difficulties, and may affect brain development in the unborn fetus. And according to PBD.org, “small amounts of methanol can cause blindness, as the sensitive proteins in the retina are attacked…” Though proven carcinogenic and a direct hazard to our health, it has still been allowed to flood our food supplies.

Saccharin (found in Sweet ‘N Low), though delisted as a carcinogen in 1997, individual studies still show that it can create cancerous tumors in the bladder. It may also create allergic reactions that cause headaches, diarrhea, and skin eruptions. Studies also show there are health risks in consumption during pregnancies which may create harm to the unborn child in creating irritability and muscle dysfunction. Despite the fact that traditionally saccharin has been used as a low calorie sugar alternative, recent studies state that saccharin can actually increase body wei*ght.

The primary reason for originally introducing low-calorie artificial sweeteners was help for diabetics and dieters, but research shows that artificial sweeteners such as aspartame can actually lead to wei*ght gain. One specific reason is that phenylalanine and aspartic acid – the two amino acids that make up 90% of aspartame – rapidly stimulate the release of insulin and leptin, two hormones greatly involved with your metabolism, satiety, and fat storage. So even though you may be ingesting no or low calories, aspartame can still raise your insulin and leptin levels which are the driving forces behind obesity, diabetes, and many other chronic diseases.

If you want to use a low calorie sweetener, use Stevia. Stevia is green herb which is naturally dried, powered and turned to liquid and is said to be 200-300 times sweeter than sugar. It is beneficial in nourishing the adrenals and creating balance in the blood sugar levels, plus it can curb the appetite and want for addictions, thus a great help for diabetes, low blood sugar, and wei*ght loss. Stevia is also beneficial topically for acne, skin blemished, dermatitis, and eczema. PLUS, you can grow stevia in most climates – just ask for it at a local nursery or look for the plant online.

Bottom line:
• The dangers of all artificial sweeteners outweigh any good that may possibly come from them
• Artificial sweeteners are CHEMICALS, NOT FOODS! Thus they can only bring “disorder” and “dysfunction” to the body.
• Use honey, stevia, pure maple syrup or other sweeteners from the earth that are meant to be ingested and metabolized by the body.

Think about this – give up the artificial sweeteners for life! It’s actually very simple if you focus on foods that are in a whole form rather than processed. Processed foods again bring disorder, but SINCE YOU WANT ORDER IN YOUR BODY, focus on and eat WHOLE and WHOLESOME!