The Artificiality of Artificial Sweeteners

Ok. yeah, it's been a long time since my last post, and...um...well...I don't have a good excuse. Oops. So, well, let's get started.

ar.ti.fi.cial adj. Not genuine; made by man; not found in nature; following the design of, but without the genuineness of, a natural occurance. Webster's Classic Reference Library Dictionary

Artificial sweeteners. It's a topic that promotes great emotion and sensitivity. Yes, I've learned if you talk trash about someone's favorite artificial sweetener, you are the devil incarnate. So, let's get the party started! Although today I'll just be discussing artificial sweeteners in general.

First point I want to make, I think I've already made. Artificial sweeteners are just that...artificial...fake. In fact, the whole idea about artificial sweeteners for weight loss or perhaps even diabetics is artificial, hence the artificiality (yes, I know that's really not word!) of artificial sweeteners.

The following information is from Stevia, The Diabetic's Dream: The Fat cell's Nightmare by James A. May.

"...Artificial sweeteners may be even more harmful (than sugar), not only for diabetics but for the general population as well. Artificial sweeteners may cause more fat storage than sugar. ...Researchers say that they make the problem worse because they rob the body of chromium ( a trace mineral required by the body to control blood sugar and therefore to prevent diabetes and hypoglycemia), increase insulin production while also incresing the desire for sweets and may actually raise the setpoint, which is the fat maintenance level chosen by the weight-regulating mechanism in the brain."

According to Renowned Nutritionist, Ann Louise Gittleman, "a six-year study of 80,000 women shows that the higher the artificial sweetener consumption, the more likely the women were to pack on the pounds."

The American Cancer Society documented back in 1986 that people who use artificial sweeteners gain more weight than people who avoid them.

Furthermore, Dr. Julian Whitaker has written, "Artificial sweeteners are marketed with the promise of weight control, and the vast majority of people who consume them do so to either lose or avoid gaining weight. Folks, this is a fraud of gigantic proportions..."

"...Sugars and artificial sweeteners are the enemy to diabetics and everyone who is trying to lose fat and enjoy health and well-being. These sweeteners cause fat storage, and excess fat is an underlying factor leading to diabetes."

So, there you go. Just some brief, and yes, basic information about artificial sweeteners from people know more than me.

Aside from the reference mentioned, this information, or at least some of it can also be found online at www.steviauniversity.com

A Spoonful of Sugar...What's the Big Deal?

"A spoonful of sugar makes the medicine go down in a most delightful way!" I love Mary Poppins! It's actually my favorite movie! Seriously! And I love sugar! Who doesn't right? Yummy! It's because we love sugar that we have various substitutes for it. We may hope we can get all the sweetness and taste of sugar without it's harmful effects, even though the substitutes are not sugar at all--which is weird it you think about it!

Most people think that they only "harmful" thing about sugar is what it does to our waistlines. Yeah, it makes us fat! That's not news. But most people do not know other effects of too much sugar.

The following information comes from www.smoothie-handbook.com/sugar-side-effects.html

"...sugar ages your skin, depresses the immune system, and is the preferred fuel of cancer cells. In Dr. Nancy Appelton's book, " Lick the Sugar Habit," she lists 76 ways it can ruin your health. I'm not going to list all 76, but let me highlight the top 10 that stood out to me."

"1. It feeds cancer cells and has been connected with the development of cancer of the breast, ovaries, prostate, rectum, pancreas, lung, gallbladder, and stomach.

2. It can cause autoimmune diseases such as, arthritis, asthma, and multiple sclerosis.

3. It greatly assists the uncontrolled growth of candida yeast infections.

4. It can increase the size of your liver by making your liver cells divide, and it can increase the amount of liver fat.

5. It can increase kidney size and produce pathological changes in the kidney such as the formation of kidney stones.

6. It can increase your risk of Alzheimer's disease.

7. It can cause hormonal imbalances such as increasing estrogen in men, exacerbating PMS, and decreasing growth hormone.

8. Your body changes it into 2 to 5 times more fat in the bloodstream than it does starch.

9. It has the potential of inducing abnormal metabolic processes in a normal healthy individual and to promote chronic degenerative diseases.

10. It upsets the mineral relationships in your body causing chromium and copper deficiencies and interferes with absorption of calcium and magnesium."

Bummer. So, what are sugar-loving people like you and me to do? Well, I do ingest sugar in moderation. I do check the amount of sugar in products at the grocery store. I also don't ADD sugar to anything. In other words, in baking, smoothies, or whatever I'd prefer to use something else. But I'll get to that later.

So, what's the big deal with a spoonful of sugar? Well, if it's just a spoonful of sugar, it isn't really a big deal, but most people ingest much, much more than that from desserts and from food bought at the store that don't even taste sweet, and therefore, are at risk of the above ailments.

Thus, many people choose to use artificial sweeteners...

And Introducing...Erin!

I'm starting a new blog! Woohoo! Yay! Ok. Enough of that. I've been where you are, and I'm sure you want me to get to the point. From the website you probably already surmised that my name Erin. You would be correct.

Let me be clear. I intend this blog to be dedicated to my views on artificial sweeteners, stevia, perhaps herbal teas, or frankly whatever I want! Ha! I also want to be straight-forward from the get-go. I am employed by Wisdom Natural Brands, the makers of SweetLeaf Stevia and Wisdom of the Ancients Herbal Teas. I tell you this because I desire to be completely honest as to where I'm coming from, but I have learned so much about health, hence, this blog.

Many people would disagree with what I intend to post on this blog. On the other hand, many would agree with me also. Like I said, I have learned so much. I have also learned about people. Many people seem to take their food very personally. It never ceases to amaze me that when I alert others to the dangers of something like a particular artificial sweetener some people seem to to get so offended, as if I've insulted their mother and their dog down to their third and fourth generations.

I'm not a food nazi. Far from it. Anyone who knows me knows that. I believe in our right to eat whatever we want. But I think if more people understood the chemical make-up of certain artificial sweeteners, for example, they would at least think twice about it. We cannot have real freedom to choose unless we understand the choices that are available to us. My views are based on what I believe to be fact. Even so, I know there will be some that will disagree. That is their privilege. I've learned that in the end, many people will believe what they want to believe, regardless of any facts. The way I see it, this blog is really just for me to relay information. What people do with the information is up to them. Enough said.