The Bitter Truth About Artificial Sweeteners

By Gabriela Rosa - Natural Fertility Specialist & Naturopath | EFT, Natural Fertility, Men & Women’s Health

Artificial sweeteners go by many names: NutraSweet, and now Splenda, just to name a couple. They are everywhere, in diet drinks, sugar-free candies, chewing gums, ice creams and desserts, children’s over the counter medicines and even in many prescription medications. Many governments approve of their use in foods and drugs; and the public is constantly told these chemicals are “safe.” The truth of the matter is that they are NOT safe! They are toxic chemicals that harm the body.

Below is a brief list of artificial sweeteners and their harmful effects:

Aspartame (NutraSweet) - Headache, Neuropsychiatric disorders such as panic attacks, mood imbalances, nervousness, and dizziness. May aggravate seizure conditions and cause nausea.

Acesulfame Potassium - Stimulates insulin secretion thus aggravating hypoglycemia. This produced tumors in organs and other tissues, leukemia and respiratory disease when administered to rodents.

Saccharin - This has been linked to skin problems, bladder problems, wheezing, nausea, tachycardia, insomnia, hypertonia and irritability and has been found to cause cancer in rodents.

Sucralose (Splenda) - Enlarged liver, enlarged kidneys, shrunken thymus and obesity. There is a lack of adequate safety testing for the effects of this product.

While excess sugar intake causes many problems of its own and is also not healthy, especially when processed and refined, your best choice is to reprogram your taste buds or replace both with natural alternatives. If you insist on keeping sugar in your diet, it’s best to stick to natural sources such as pure, raw honey (in small quantities) or organic fruits.

Another ehatlhy, natural alternative to both sugar and artificial sweeteners is Stevia (Stevia rebaudiana). Stevia is a plant from the Asteraceae family, and has been safely used in South America for hundreds of years. It actually has been used safely all over the world, including Japan, where it makes up about 41% of the sweetener market. It has no calories, and it does not affect insulin production. In liquid or powdered concentrate form, Stevia is about 300 times sweeter than sugar, so a little goes a long way!

There have been no reports of toxicity associated with Stevia, and in some Asian countries it is government approved for use as a sweetener. In Australia it is marketed as a dietary supplement and is available from health food stores. It can be used for cooking and baking and is probably the healthiest sugar substitute available.

Xylitol is another safe sugar substitute that occurs naturally in many vegetables and fruits and certain hardwood trees. It is also produced naturally in our bodies during normal metabolic activity. Studies on humans and animals have shown it to be safely tolerated when given orally and no harmful reactions were indicated. Xylitol was found to show a much lower amount of insulin production than glucose. However, it can be an expensive option.

To kick the sugar habit it is essential to ensure your blood sugar levels are nice and even (regular protein snacks) and nutrient balance is optimal - both chromium and magnesium are vital nutrients for this purpose. In addition, for a seemingly magic fix for your sugar cravings which does not involve sugar (or any other such alternatives) use tapping to easily, effortlessly and very effectively resolve the issue!

Leading Sydney-based clinical naturopath and natural fertility specialist Gabriela Rosa publishes the two celebrated ‘Natural Health Booster’ and ‘Natural Fertility Booster’ ezines with 1,000+ subscribers. If you’re ready to optimise your health, wellbeing and fertility, get your FREE tips now at www.boostyourhealthnow.com or www.boostyourfertilitynow.com.

Gabriela has limited private consultations available, to make an appointment please phone Julia or Carolina on 1300 85 84 90.

Keywords: Diet > Health > Sugar > Sweetener