Artificial sweeteners – friend or foe?

I’ll just admit it up front. I used to be a Splenda junkie. No seriously, I actually went so far as to carrying those little yellow packets around with me in my purse for a sudden coffee fix! I’ve dabbled in Equal, Sweet & Low and finally, Splenda, to cure my sweet tooth in a calorie-free manner. Like many American women in their 20’s, the allure of a low-calorie dessert or drink often got to me as I fretted over losing five pounds. When I think back to this time in my life, I not only think how silly, but I think how sad. First of all, as we all should know, losing five pounds isn’t going to make us any happier. Second of all, I was very thin at the time and got totally sucked into the world of aspartame, sucralose and saccharin.

Since that time in my life I have totally nixed my fake sugar habit and now scrutinize the ingredient list of products at the grocery store. What made me finally give it up?

Well here are some facts you may or may not know:

• All artificial sweeteners are regulated by the Food and Drug Administration. They have deemed aspartame safe for most of the population even though many, many people blame the substance from everything from brain tumors, to chronic fatigue syndrome to migraine headaches. Perhaps the FDA should re-evaluate if they really are looking out for our general well being?
• Even though Splenda has been deemed an “all natural” sweetener, it is actually a chlorinated artificial sweetener, known to many to cause migraines or upset stomachs
• Upon digestion, aspartame breaks down into three components (aspartic acid, phenylalanine and methanol), which are then absorbed into the blood and used in normal body processes.
• Studies have shown that people that consume artificial sweeteners on a regular basis actually GAIN weight, whereas those that consume only all natural sweeteners lose weight.

I don’t know about you, but after researching all the facts (and there are a lot of facts!), I’m pretty hazy on the subject and just not sure if I want weird chemicals floating around in my body. Plus, I can directly link my consumption of Splenda to my chronic migraines. Literally 30 minutes after ingesting a drink with Splenda, I always have a major migraine. Finally I said enough was enough and have been all natural and happy since!

When I nixed my Splenda habit and started (gasp!) using a teaspoon of raw sugar or agave nectar in my tea, I DID NOT gain weight. Actually, after I went through all these changes and made the big switch to natural sweeteners (amongst other things), I lost 12 pounds. My struggle with body image finally ended, I had fewer migraines, slept better and my skin cleared up.

I challenge you to take control of your life and health. Just because a product says “sugar-free” or “low-calorie” does NOT make it good for you. Educate yourself and step up to the plate. You only have one body…treat it right!