Artificial Sweetener Versus — Does it Matter?

If it's not real sugar and has no calories than it's ok to eat, right? Think again. New evidence has shown that those pretty colored packets have almost the same exact effects on the body as the real stuff does. When you consume artificial sweeteners the sugar receptors that are found in your mouth, gut, and pancreas get tripped just as they would when you consume natural sugars. The body reacts by absorbing more real sugar, triggering insulin production, and turning sugar into fat. Even worse, research shows that consuming artificial sweeteners increases your appetite in general so you end up consuming even more.

Artificial sweeteners like aspartame, sucralose, and saccharine were created as a calorie-free way to curb sugar cravings, however they actually have the exact opposite effect. Artificial sweeteners are 200-700 times sweeter regular sugar. Consuming artificial sweeteners or products that contain them on a regular basis can alter palate drastically. Basically, since you are no longer able to perceive what normal sweetness tastes like, you need more sugar, fake or real, to be satisfied. Regular artificial sweetener consumers may find that a sugar detox is in order to reset their taste buds. By recalibrating your taste buds you may discover the natural sweetness in unexpected foods, like almonds, that they haven't been able to taste in years.

Some artificial sweeteners are labeled with the intention to fool you into thinking they are "good for you." Stevia is normally touted as a "natural" sugar substitute and sucralose (Splenda) is often labeled "derived from sugar." How bad can it be? All artificial sweeteners, no matter their original source, go through intense processing or refining. For example, sucralose was created with the use of chlorine and some extra chemistry. A study showed that this chlorinated sweetener alters the intestinal microflora that are essential to healthy living and your immune system.

If all that doesn't have you throwing out your pretty colored packets than perhaps knowing that studies have shown that people who use artificial sweeteners are more likely to be overweight than those who don't. So if the health risks don't scare you perhaps vanity will be enough to help you say goodbye to the artificial sweeteners in your life. The best way to avoid eating them is to become an avid label reader. Read all the ingredients in your food if it's in a package of any kind and turn down anything with those not so sweet sweeteners in it!