I literally cringe when I see someone drinking a diet soda.

I call it liquid poison.

This may sound extreme, but after you read the facts, you may very well agree with me.

I believe sugar free and diet products are one of the biggest scams in the food industry today.  Promoted as “healthy,” these lab created sweeteners in food and beverages can have serious side-effects on your health and well-being and are opposite of good for you.

There are two myths that are most prevalent today regarding artificial sweeteners.  Much of this will be shocking to many of you because the mainstream media and many allopathic doctors promote their use as safe.

Myth #1: Sugar-free foods help you lose weight

Most people who drink or eat diet and sugar free foods are trying to lose weight.  However, studies have shown they can actually cause weight gain!  Artificial sweeteners trick our brain into thinking it is getting real sugar. But since your brain isn’t getting the regular sugar calories that it expects, it causes you to crave more sweet things to fill that sugary calorie need.  In fact, most people who drink sugar free drinks crave sugar, which leads to over eating of sugars and carbs –  and therefore weight gain.

Myth #2: Artificial Sweeteners are Better for You Than Sugar

I am always telling my friends and clients that I would much rather them drink a regular coke than a diet one.  As much as I loathe the high fructose corn syrup and white sugar in regular sodas, they are still much healthier than artificial sweeteners.  Below I will go into detail about the dangers of lab created sweeteners.

No Artificial Sweetener is Safe 

Many people I know have heard about the dangers of aspartame, so they use sucralose (splenda) instead and think it is safe.  However, there is no such thing as a “safe” artificial sweetener.  All artificial sweeteners were made in a lab and they are all toxic chemicals. I’m going to list the most popular artificial sweeteners used today and their potential side-effects.

Aspartame (Nutrasweet)

This is the most common – and the most dangerous – of the artificial sweeteners. It is a combination of aspartic acid and phenylalanine, bound with methanol. Discovered in 1965, a scientist licked his finger while trying to create an ulcer drug and it tasted sweet.

For 8 years the FDA did not approve aspartame safe for consumption because it caused seizures and brain tumors in lab animals.  In 1981, however, it was passed. It would only make sense to classify aspartame as a drug.  But no, it is considered a food product.

Aspartame is an excitotoxin.  It can literally “excite” your brain cells to death.  Many problems, including specific illness, can manifest from the amount of neuron deaths caused by aspartame.  Some of these include:

  • Multiple Sclerosis
  • Lou Gehrig’s disease (ALS)
  • Memory Loss
  • Alzheimer’s
  • Parkinson’s
  • Epilepsy
  • Fibromyalgia
  • And much more

Aspartame also has an affect on dopamine in the brain, creating a sort of high, which causes many aspartame users to become addicted.  Those who attempt to go off aspartame can have withdrawal symptoms. Luckily, those go away with time.

I am a former Diet Coke addict.  My eyes were opened to what NutraSweet really is about 12 years ago and I quit drinking Diet Coke.  It was difficult at first, but you can’t convince me to even take a sip now.

Saccharin (Sweet’N Low)

This little pink packet may look unassuming, but it’s not. Saccharin is yet another “accidental” toxic chemical combo deemed a safe alternative to sugar. It was discovered in 1876 while working on coal tar derivatives and is a blend of anthranilic acid, nitrous acid, sulfur dioxide, and ammonia. Sounds good for you already. NOT! Sounds more like a toxic solution most wouldn’t let animals near, let alone humans!

Controversy about saccharin’s safety has been very prevalent.

  • Even the FDA tried to ban it in the 1970’s.
  • Many scientists believe it is causes cancer.
  • Many others have severe allergic reactions if they consume saccharin.

Given what saccharin is made of, does this really surprise you?

Sucralose (Splenda)

Touted as “natural” because it is made from sugar, this sweetener is far from nature.  It is also made in a lab, but this time they took sugar and used extra chloride to bond.

There are no long-term studies on how sucralose’s produces side-effects on the body.  The longest study done on humans only lasted four days!!  Recent studies have shown that sucralose can destroy up to 50% of your good intestinal flora, increase your intestinal pH, and cause weight gain.  There is also evidence that sucralose is absorbed by fat.  Hundreds have also reported allergic reactions to ingesting sucralose.

The claim is that sucralose passes through the body without breaking down, which is why it has no calories or effect on insulin.  However, if it never breaks down, where does it go?  The water system!  In a U.S. study, they found sucralose in 75% of drinking water!  This percentage will only continue to rise as people keep using it.

There are several other artificial sweeteners on the market as well.  None are safe (aspartame, saccharin or sucralose) and they all have reports of adverse reactions in people who have used them.  My advice?  Steer clear of anything made in a lab.

Safe No Calorie Sweetener

There is good news for diabetics or those wanting to avoid sugar.  Stevia, an herb grown in nature and not made in a lab, is a safe no calorie sweetener.  It is naturally very sweet and you can get it at nearly every grocery store or local health food market.  There is even make a soda called Zevia, which uses stevia instead of artificial sweeteners.  It is a great alternative for those addicted to diet soda.

Now that you know the dangers of artificial sweeteners, you may now understand why I call it poison.  Cutting these toxic chemicals out of your diet can drastically improve your health.  Is cutting calories worth cutting your quality of life?  I think not.

 

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