Sugar substitutes were first developed in the 1950s when a clinic director worked to develop a sugar-free diet for patients suffering from diabetes and other chronic conditions. The industry took off and today diet sodas and sugar substitutes make up a large part of the market. The idea that sugar substitutes are healthy alternatives is ingrained in the American psyche, regardless of the evidence to the contrary. Worse still, the prevalence of artificial sweeteners, corn syrup, and refined sugars in most American foods has created a country of candy addicts.
We are programmed to want some sweetness in our food, especially during the winter and in childhood. This craving was meant to prompt us to eat healthy carbohydrates in the form of naturally sweet plant foods. Due to the outrageous amount of sweeteners in most of our foods and their extreme levels, many of us can no longer detect the natural sweetness in healthy plant foods. We are not prepared to handle this inordinate amount of sweetness. This excess triggers addictions and cravings for unhealthy foods.
Children’s desire for natural sweetness (for growth and development) will typically diminish in adolescence. Instead, this waning one is defeated by sweet addiction. When we eat refined sugar or artificial sweeteners, our brain believes that we are getting the nutrients we need. Instead, we don’t get any real nutrients, so appetite and food cravings are re-activated. Our bodies are not necessarily looking for more sweetness, they are looking for real food! Plus, when we consume these low-nutrient foods and drinks, we have less room for the good stuff.
Diet drinks and soft drinks
Diet sodas have been linked to kidney damage, and diet sodas and sweetened water drinks are linked to weight gain.
At the University of Texas, diet soda drinkers turn out to be heavier than non-diet soda drinkers. Lead researcher Sharon Fowler says: “There was a 41% increased risk of being overweight for every can or bottle of diet soda a person consumes each day.”
Scientists at Purdue University have found that in a rat study, artificial sweeteners increased caloric intake, body weight, and body fat percentage.
And addiction? Cocaine-addicted rats choose saccharin-sweetened water over and above their cocaine doses, even as researchers spiked levels of the drug!
Sweetened foods and drinks actually change taste buds, creating cravings for more sweetened foods.
One study looked at brain activity in women who ingested water sweetened with sugar and sweetened with sucralose (which you might recognize as Splenda).
Both sweeteners activated the pleasure centers in the brain, but sucralose did not produce as much satiety. The craving was not really satisfying and thus led to increased cravings for more sweet things.
Nutrients that are said to contain many sweetened waters are often present only in minute amounts or in forms that our bodies cannot utilize. Isolated vitamins and minerals do not have the health benefits that whole foods do. It is the complete package (the combination of proteins, lipids, carbohydrates and vitamins and minerals) in plants that produce positive health effects.
Dangerous chemicals
The following are some of the most common (and most dangerous) food additives in use today.
Acesulfame K
This new artificial sweetener is 200 times sweeter than sugar. Little research has been done yet, but early studies have linked it to certain thyroid cancers and conditions.
Artificial flavorings
Artificial flavorings can mean that a food or drink contains any of the 3,000 allowed chemicals, many of which have negative health effects.
Aspartame (same, Nutrasweet)
Aspartame is 180 times sweeter than sugar. The FDA’s file of complaints about ingesting aspartame includes reports of dizziness, headaches, and memory loss. Some studies suggest that it is carcinogenic.
Benzene
Benzene is produced through the bottling process of many beverages. It is a known carcinogen that has been linked to heart rate problems, infertility, and seizures.
Cyclamates
Cyclamates are among the first artificial sweeteners used in diet drinks. They were once banned by the FDA due to suspicion of their link to cancer, but are once again subject to FDA approval.
Food coloring
Many food colors are linked to ADD / ADHD, asthma, and cancer. Although several of these are banned in other countries, the US commonly uses the colors Blue # 1 and # 2, FD&C, Ponceau, Red 2 (Amaranth), Red # 3 (Erythrosine), Red # 40 (Red Allura), Tartrazine, yellow n. 2G, yellow no. 6 (sunset yellow), yellow no. 23 (acid yellow).
Saccharin (sweet and low)
Saccharin is 300 times sweeter than sugar. The public stopped buying products made with the sweetener when they learned of its possible link to cancer. Studies did not “prove” this link, so again, it is common in many artificially sweetened foods. Saccharin is linked, however, with addiction to sweetness, obesity, and excessive intake.
Sucralose (Splenda)
Sucralose is 600 times sweeter than table sugar. Sucralose was an accidental discovery: it was originally part of a new insecticidal compound. Chlorinated compounds like sucralose were thought to pass through the body undigested. Recent research has found that up to 40% of chlorine compounds accumulate in the intestinal tract, kidneys, and liver. Chlorine has been classified as a carcinogen.
Reverse addiction
We can reverse our addiction to unhealthy sweeteners and restore our ability to savor the natural sweetness of whole foods over time. It will seem difficult at first, but I can’t further encourage you to give up diet sodas and colorful sweetener packets! These chemicals are foreign to our body and will not help you achieve any of your health goals.
Replace artificial sweeteners (and refined sugars, high fructose corn syrup, etc.) with natural sweeteners like stevia, xylitol, and small amounts of agave nectar or raw honey. Stevia is my personal favorite as it is a natural, calorie-free sweetener from the stevia plant. You will want to make sure to use a high quality brand that has not been over-processed. Stevia is also a great option for people with diabetes, as it will not spike your blood sugar levels.
In the long run, the best thing you can do is use very little, even these natural sweeteners, to get your cravings, food triggers, and your body’s metabolism working again in a healthy way.
