Last time we discussed artificial sweeteners here (Part 1). Today I’m asking you to examine if artificial sweeteners are negatively impacting your health.
Are You Suffering Health Issues from Artificial Sweeteners?
You might not realize you’re having a reaction to an artificial sweetener. In fact, most people don’t make the connection, and a tremendous amount of time and money is spent by people sensitive to these chemicals, trying to find out what is wrong with them.
If you have any of the following that is unexplained, it would be worthwhile to take a break from all artificial sweeteners to see if your symptoms change.
- Headaches/migraines
- Fatigue
- Nausea
- Abdominal pains
- Anxiety attacks
- Depression
- Sleep problems
- Vision problems
- Asthma/chest tightness
- Eliminate all artificial sweeteners from your diet two weeks. (Note: If you typically consume artificial sweeteners in caffeinated drinks, you may want to gradually reduce your intake in order to avoid caffeine withdrawal symptoms – which include severe headaches.)
- After two weeks of being artificial sweetener-free, reintroduce aspartame in a significant quantity (about three servings daily) and avoid other artificial sweeteners during this period.
- Do this for one to three days and notice how you feel, especially as compared to when you were consuming no artificial sweeteners.
- If you don’t notice a difference in how you feel after re-introducing aspartame, it’s a safe bet you’re able to tolerate aspartame acutely, meaning your body doesn’t have an immediate, adverse response. However, this doesn’t mean your health won’t be damaged in the long run by this chemical and its breakdown products.
Conclusion
Avoiding sugar is a crucial component of a healthy lifestyle. The best way to eat well is to consume a naturally low-sugar diet based on whole foods. But many people are still trying to get their “hit” of sweetness from foods that contain artificial sweeteners. If you are still consuming foods, snacks and beverages that contain artificial sweeteners because you think it’ll help you manage your weight, that strategy may backfire.
In reality, “diet” foods and drinks destroy your body’s ability to count calories and actually promote weight gain. Complicating matters further, artificial sweeteners also appear to be highly addictive. Using artificial sweeteners will not trick your body into thinking it has had its fill. Instead, artificial sweeteners can increase sweet cravings because your body didn’t get the energy boost it was expecting from that sweet taste.
If you must have a sweetener, please try stevia extract — a safe and natural sweet herb. It is probably best to avoid highly processed stevia-based sweeteners like Truvia and PureVia, as these do not contain the whole stevia plant, which may compromise its safety.
Contributing post from Bobbie Covert~Nutritionist for Fit Chick Express
If you would like more information about Bobbie Covert, or more information about our fitness program for women, visit us at www.FitChickExpress.com.