Artificial sweeteners may save you calories, but it's not really that great a bargain. Artificial sweeteners have been connected to weight GAIN, INCREASED food cravings, INCREASED hunger, INCREASED insulin resistance leading to Diabetes and DECREASED ability to taste naturally sweet foods like fruit. And, yes, some sweeteners are STILL possibly linked to CANCER - they just haven't been on the market long enough for the link to show (all according to a recent Dr. Oz show).
MORE INFORMATION:
Link to Dr. Oz Show - http://www.doctoroz.com/vide os/artificial-sweeteners -and-other-food-substitu tes-dangerous-your-healt h
Please note these are member-submitted secrets and are not reviewed by SparkPeople's health experts for accuracy. If you feel a secret is inappropriate, please click Report Inappropriate Secret and our staff will review it.
SparkPeople advertisers help keep the site free! Learn more
I am very chemically sensitive, so all artificial sweeteners make me sick - anything from migraine headaches to a "spacy" feeling like my head is stuffed with cotton. I do use stevia, honey, agave, xylitol and good ol' sugar with no similar problems, though I don't care for the aftertaste that stevia can have.
IVONNEALDANAL10/28/2010 1:17:00 PM
I stopped using artificial sweeteners and start losing body fat but stop losing weight... kind of weird uh?
GIANT-STEPS10/28/2010 11:34:00 AM
Do consider Stevia though. Stevia is an herbal sweetener that has been in use without problems for over a century. It has been shown not to spike insulin like artificial sweeteners and in diabetics even improves blood sugar control. It does have a slight licorice aftertaste but I don't even notice it in oatmeal and tea which is the only place I use sweeteners.
YOUCANDOITSUE10/28/2010 10:06:00 AM
I don't use to many artificial sweeteners, I find they have an aftertaste.
YOGAMASTER10/28/2010 9:49:00 AM
Since I have stopped using artifical sweetners I feel much better, and IBS does not seem to be as bad.
Related Secrets
Artificial Sweeteners
Dr Mark Hyman Says "Stop confusing your body. If you have a desire for something sweet, have a little sugar, but stay away from “fake” foods. Researchers found that the total food eaten over 14 days dramatically increased in the artificial sweetener group — meaning that the artificial sweetener stimulated their appetite and made them eat more."THERE’S NO DOUBT about it. Artificial sweeteners cause obesity" "Eliminate sugar and artificial sweeteners and your cravings will go away"
I asked a nurse practioner if she heard that artificial sweetners were dangereous she had printed out some info and it scared me Splenda-your body doesn't recognize it so it hooks on to anything, artificial sweetners such as Equal and sweet and low are not in the healthy group, so I went to my doctor and told him I was not going to use sugar or sweetener and told him about the article he told me since I drink hot tea to use honey and I use a teaspoon of sugar on anything else I need sweet-----
MORE INFORMATION:
with that said the Sunday before valentine's day I started my journey and in 2 weeks I lost 6 pounds and my blood sugars were in the normal range I was so excited I saw my doctor and took the info I had and asked for a blood test to be done so instead of my Ac1 being lower than 8.3 and can't wait
Eat foods that have been minimally processed. The food will be easier digested and more easily recognized by the body. Our bodies don't know what artificial sweeteners are (well, they think that sweeteners are real sugar and when it's not, the body craves MORE sweets and sugar).
