Let’s face it we can’t live entirely without sugar. All the wonderful things that we love to eat are laden with sugar. Cookies, cakes, ice cream, pastries, candy. Now here’s a thought… we just can’t eat that stuff daily. Shoot, we really shouldn’t even eat it weekly. Try once a month. and Great Scott, please don’t drink that six-pack of diet soda, or even worse.. energy drinks…even if it’s diet. Yes, I know it’s diet, but it’s a chemically manufactured drinks which contains too much sweetener and too much caffeine. Now, as for sugar for your ice tea, sugar for your coffee, hot tea, all the daily stuff… you should really try substituting it with artificial sweetener if you are planning to diet. So let’s just make it all the more confusing… yellow, brown, pink or green? Which is your favorite color? Ha! Well, instead, let’s make a more informative decision.
Stevia (green stuff)
1) It stifles an overactive sweet tooth can back fire
2) It contains a carcinogen that can cause cancer
3) It can cause some fertility issues
4) If used in soda, the over consumption of the product as with any sweetener can pose some issues.
Now for the yellow stuff: Sucralose usually known as Splenda
1) Misleading by name, is not natural
2) Can cause gastrointestinal problems (bloating, nausea, etc.)
3) Can cause skin irritations (Hives, rash, itchiness and skin swelling)
4) Can cause palpitations, runny nose and anxiety
Saccharin – Pink stuff (Sweet and Low)
1) Claimed to be “the best researched” sweetener
2) Previous claims of toxicity, and carcinogens previously found in rats do not translate to humans and was claimed safe for human consumption.
3) Could cause allergies in certain people.
Aspartame – Blue (NutraSweet, Equal of Sugar Twin)
1) Side effects include loss of hair, depression and dementia (Yikes!)
2) Aspartame disease? – headache, vomiting, nausea, cramps, fatigue, fibromyalgia, tinnitus, anxiety attacks, multiple sclerosis, lupus
Personally, I like the pink stuff. It’s been around the longest and has the least amount of side effects. As with anything, use in moderation. That’s why diet drinks, diet yogurt, diet energy drinks are a bad idea. How do you know how much sweetener is in there? Keep in control.
Reference:
http://www.medicinenet.com/artificial_sweeteners/article.htm
http://www.livestrong.com/article/99571-dangers-stevia-raw/
