Artificial
sweeteners have become hugely popular in today’s society as people look for
quick fixes and ways to cut corners with their diet. These products boast claims as having zero
calories and that they are a safe alternative to sugar, but is it really that
simple? Are these artificial sweeteners
safe to consume without having any effect on the human body? There is new information emerging all of the
time, and many studies are now showing that these sweeteners that were once
deemed safe, may not be that harmless after all.
Conditioning The Brain
One
of the concerns with the use of artificial sweeteners in food and drinks is
that they condition a person to think things need to taste sweet to be good. Take for instance an individual that switches
from a sugary soda to one that is sweetened artificially. While they may be cutting out the empty
calories and sugar, which is a good thing, they are still reinforcing their
preference for items that taste sweet.
So what is wrong with having a preference for sweet things? If a person has been conditioned to seek out
sweet food and drinks, the probability is great that they won’t enjoy things
that do not light up the sugar center in the brain. Healthy food choices including vegetables,
whole grains, and water are not sweet, and it is less likely that someone that
consumes artificial sweeteners will seek these items out.
Link To Weight Gain
When
a person decides to replace sugary food and drinks with items that are artificially
sweetened, there may be an initial reduction in calorie intake. However, it is believed that in most cases
this is very short lived, and individuals simply make up for that caloric
deficit by eating other processed foods throughout the day. In short, a person really isn’t fixing the
problem by switching to artificial sweeteners, but is simply masking it and
compensating with other things.
Aspartame
in particular contains both aspartate and phenylalanine. These chemicals can interfere with hunger hormones
leptin and insulin, and influence fat storage and metabolism. Consuming artificial sweeteners can increase
a person’s appetite and keep them hungry by preventing them from knowing when
they have eaten enough.
Gut Health
The connection between artificial sweeteners and the
bacteria that lives in the human digestive tract is something that is to be
considered, as it may have larger implications than once believed. There are studies that show these types of
sweeteners support the growth and health of a particular bacterial population
that assists the body with the storage of fat as opposed to the breakdown of
food for energy. Furthermore, it is
suggested that the body’s tissues have difficulty absorbing glucose from the
blood, which can lead to glucose intolerance.
This condition can contribute to a higher risk of heart and liver
disease, as well as diabetes.
How To Proceed
When making decisions on what food choices are right for
you, it is important to consider that there are no “free calories”. These artificial sweeteners may seem like a blessing,
but every choice a person makes does have an impact, and everything you do does
matter.
If you are used to eating foods that are sweet, it will
initially be a challenge to remove sweetened products from your diet. The good news is, that if you stick with it,
your tastes will actually change back and the drive to seek out overly sweet
foods will lessen.
The most important thing is to get back to eating more food
that grows from the ground or falls from a tree, and less food that is being
designed by someone in a white lab coat.
Give it a try!
Believe it or not, the artificially sweetened foods that you once found
to be deliciously irresistible will soon taste unnatural and too sweet.
What have you got to lose?
No comments:
Post a Comment