Before I get going on that, a few words about this week...
I was just introduced to www.meetup.com .. what a great site (thanks Laura for the intro) I placed my BootCamp on the site and just this week Bill and Noreen joined the class on Saturday .. welcome both .. you were both sweating and smiling which I take as a good sign :)
Personally I managed 3 bikram yoga classes this week and 'boy' do I feel better for them. Sadly due to time constraints it meant I didnt do my usual cardio - but considering how fast my heart was racing doing evening yoga I'm not too worried about it.
Big congrats to Laura (another laura) and her hubby Juan on the birth of their first child ... an absolute beauty ! a 7lb 6 oz baby girl, who didnt even wake up to say 'hi' to me. Always incredible to see a baby just a few hours old - a miracle indeed.
So onward to an article I wrote on artifical sweetners. It is part of my e-book on carbohydrates which can be found on my website www.joannelee.com
Feedback is always welcome joanne@joannelee.com
ARTIFICIAL SWEETENERS
In a nutshell and so that I don’t leave my advise until last. Artificial sweeteners are not good for you and they may be bad for you. They can certainly help a person get away from their addiction to sugar and lose weight as they are calorie free and may not have the insulin response that sugar does but artificial sweeteners confuse the brain.
You consume the sweeteners and the sweetness you taste causes enzymes in your mouth to begin to flow. This tells your receptor cells to expect an insulin rush and the subsequent jolt of energy that is associated with sweetness - but this does not happen, there is no Insulin rush and there is no jolt of energy. Your brain feels cheated and wants the boost you promised it and before you know it you find yourself craving something else sweet to eat to appease the brain.
One study showed that those who ate artificial sweeteners ate 3 times more calories than the control group.
In my personal experience I have seen this over and over in the yogurt stores. I see people buying pint after pint of ‘sugar free’ yogurt. You would never see those same people ordering the same quantity of regular ice cream. For one it is a mental excuse to eat huge quantities ‘guilt free’ but in fact by doing this you become the victim of cravings just as you would if you were a sugar addict.
When your body doesn’t get that energy jolt it expects from eating something sweet it asks for more .. and more .. and more.
That is also why many of the diet sodas have caffeine in them. The caffeine gives you the jolt that your brain is expecting.
Again I think artificial sweeteners have their place and can
help a lot of people get off the sugar roller coaster to help them lose weight, but equally I have seen the people where everything they eat is ‘sugar free’ this and ‘sugar free’ that, literally from the coffee they drink with the creamer (and sweetener) in it, to their condiments and jams, their sodas and syrup. For some, artificial sweeteners are a main staple of their diet and it proves to be a habit equally difficult to kick.
It is said that by the end of 2006 11% of the food on the grocery shelves will be labeled ‘reduced sugar’.
Unwittingly many people in their attempt to stay clear of sugar are getting off one roller coaster and on to another one.
SO WHAT ARE THEY?
First there was Saccharin, some believe that in moderation Saccharin is the best choice of all the artificial sweeteners as it has been around the longest and seems to cause few problems. That being said those same people might agree that enough Saccharin is a carcinogen and in tests it did cause bladder cancer in rats.
SACCHARIN: a white crystalline compound synthetically produced.
ASPARTAME : combines two amino acids together(L-aspartic acid and methyl ester) and is 200 times sweeter than sugar
Saccharin was pretty much overtaken by Aspartame (Equal and NutraSweet). Aspartame tastes better than Saccharin but Aspartame is responsible for the more serious side affects linked to artificial sweeteners, this is because your body actually digests it. Other sweeteners can go unrecognized by the body as they have no calories and no nutritional value, but Aspartame can build up in the body because it is actually digested.
Studies have linked Aspartame to damage of the central nervous system and the immune system. Aspartame has more complaints made against it than any other food additive, it runs like this:
Linked to MS
Linked to Lupus
Linked to Fibromyalgia
Symptoms include:
Headaches
Skin rash
Nervousness
Depression
Panic attacks
Nausea
And possibly male infertility.
Aspartame is toxic to individuals who have the inherited disease phenylketonuria and critics claim that asthma sufferers have experienced serious respiratory side effects,
The FDA agrees that there are risks but tends to think that the dosages used are so small that the risk is limited, but no one can really tell us how much is too much.
And that is the thing. There are many studies on artificial sweeteners that suggest that they may be dangerous but all the studies have been done on animals. Many of the artificial sweeteners of today have not been out long enough for long term conclusions to be made. We are living the experiment and even then many people could be suffering the symptoms of their use but they do not put two and two together, that is, they do not associate their headaches or panic attacks or depression with the additive in their food.
And then came Splenda …
The claims are amazing, as sweet as sugar, but no insulin response and no side effects. They also tell you it is made from sugar and then that word ‘Natural’ gets thrown into the mix.
Let us first get one thing straight. If you a bicycle and take the pedals off and add a motor, what is it ? A bike or a motorbike ?
If we take sugar (sucrose, a disaccharide of glucose and fructose) but then we take some of the hydroxyl groups in the molecules out and replace them with chlorine atoms … is it still sugar?
The critics argue here that it more resembles a chlorocarbon than sugar and most pesticides are chlorocarbons.
Indeed Sucralose (Splenda) was discovered by accident by British scientists trying to formulate a new pesticide back in 1976..
I am not saying that by consuming Splenda you are consuming a pesticide, but the ‘Natural’ claims of Splenda being made from sugar are a little misleading. In the defense of the manufacturer using a relationship with a pesticide might not be the best marketing ploy.
Is Splenda safe ? We do not know yet. The manufacturer themselves did studies which showed that it caused problems in rats (enlarged liver and kidneys) but again, the studies were not on humans and it would all depend on the amount consumed and an individuals sensitivity to the additive.
Sucralose (Splenda) is pretty much not recognized by your body, not much of it is even absorbed (some studies say 15%) but if you are one of those people who is sensitive to sucralose in your system then even that might be too much. Much like someone with a peanut allergy doesn’t need to consume any amount of peanuts to have a reaction, the same holds true to any sensitivity, so again although not much is even absorbed – how much is too much? Only time will tell.
We have already seen some side effects of Splenda. Diarrhea, muscle aches, bladder problems, rashes and agitation. So some people certainly have a sensitivity to Splenda, for the rest of us there may be some side effects, we simply do not yet know yet.
My concern with the artificial sweeteners is that there is such a grey area regarding how safe they are and yet their use in our foods is increasing at a dramatic rate. Running the risk here of repeating myself, even if the artificial sweeteners turn out to be harmless or maybe they will invent one that is harmless, it still does not address the relationship we have with sweetness.
Artificial sweeteners are used in everything, we buy the packets and then we buy the products that scream ‘no sugar’ or ‘low sugar’. Well is we are all eating less sugar and if all these artificial sweeteners are calorie free then shouldn’t everyone be getting thinner ?
We do know that those that eat a lot of artificially sweetened food actually eat more food and end up heavier. On the flip side if the likes of Splenda can help someone lose weight by getting them off sugar then it can serve a purpose, but at some point it is wise to take control of your sweet tooth, cut back on the sweeteners and get rid of the cravings and off that roller coaster ride.
ALTERNATIVES
Sugar alcohols have been used for many years by diabetics who are then able to sweeten their food without triggering an insulin response.
SORBITOL: a polyalcohol present in plants, fruits and seaweeds. Absorbed from the intestine more slowly than fructose (fruit sugar) and is then rapidly oxidized to fructose.
ZYLITOL: sugar alcohol similar to fructose
MANITOL: derived from fructose
We see here the relationship with Fructose in all three. Fructose is found in fruits and honey it is a monosaccharide, a simple sugar and although it is one component of sugar (sugar = glucose + fructose) it is sweeter than sugar.
Fructose is absorbed slowly in the upper bowel and is largely unchanged. Fructose then permeates the liver without the aid on insulin. Although insulin is needed later in the metabolic process it is this reduced insulin response that makes fructose and its related sugar alcohols popular.
STEVIA
Stevia is an herb and has been used for over 400 years without ill effect (now that is a long term study!)
It is 200-300 times sweeter than sugar, indeed it is known in South America as the “sweet herb”.
The sweetness of Stevia is a different sort of sweetness than one finds with our artificial sweeteners but its popularity is growing enormously. The irony here (given that it has been around for 400 years and that it is an herb, not a chemical), is that the FDA has not yet granted Stevia “additive” status. It is approved for use as a supplement but not as a food additive.
We see this a lot with natural substances. There is not as much money to be made on a product that cannot be patented or controlled. The business of sugar and the business that is artificial sweeteners surely must not like the growing popularity of Stevia and some might suspect that they have some pull with the FDA. I’ll leave it to you to read between the lines. Meanwhile Stevia is available at all health food stores and is well worth a try.
The verdict is then still out on our artificial sweeteners and really I don’t want you to beat yourself up over your use of sweeteners. The message here is for you to be informed and to be aware. Read your labels and know what you are consuming. By just being aware you will likely show more control and if you find yourself eating more and more and experiencing cravings at the very least you can know what is going on and take steps, even baby steps at first, to heal your body from the miserable cycle too many of us live everyday.
annelee.com
In a nutshell and so that I don’t leave my advise until last. Artificial sweeteners are not good for you and they may be bad for you. They can certainly help a person get away from their addiction to sugar and lose weight as they are calorie free and may not have the insulin response that sugar does but artificial sweeteners confuse the brain.
You consume the sweeteners and the sweetness you taste causes enzymes in your mouth to begin to flow. This tells your receptor cells to expect an insulin rush and the subsequent jolt of energy that is associated with sweetness - but this does not happen, there is no Insulin rush and there is no jolt of energy. Your brain feels cheated and wants the boost you promised it and before you know it you find yourself craving something else sweet to eat to appease the brain.
One study showed that those who ate artificial sweeteners ate 3 times more calories than the control group.
In my personal experience I have seen this over and over in the yogurt stores. I see people buying pint after pint of ‘sugar free’ yogurt. You would never see those same people ordering the same quantity of regular ice cream. For one it is a mental excuse to eat huge quantities ‘guilt free’ but in fact by doing this you become the victim of cravings just as you would if you were a sugar addict.
When your body doesn’t get that energy jolt it expects from eating something sweet it asks for more .. and more .. and more.
That is also why many of the diet sodas have caffeine in them. The caffeine gives you the jolt that your brain is expecting.
Again I think artificial sweeteners have their place and can
help a lot of people get off the sugar roller coaster to help them lose weight, but equally I have seen the people where everything they eat is ‘sugar free’ this and ‘sugar free’ that, literally from the coffee they drink with the creamer (and sweetener) in it, to their condiments and jams, their sodas and syrup. For some, artificial sweeteners are a main staple of their diet and it proves to be a habit equally difficult to kick.
It is said that by the end of 2006 11% of the food on the grocery shelves will be labeled ‘reduced sugar’.
Unwittingly many people in their attempt to stay clear of sugar are getting off one roller coaster and on to another one.
SO WHAT ARE THEY?
First there was Saccharin, some believe that in moderation Saccharin is the best choice of all the artificial sweeteners as it has been around the longest and seems to cause few problems. That being said those same people might agree that enough Saccharin is a carcinogen and in tests it did cause bladder cancer in rats.
SACCHARIN: a white crystalline compound synthetically produced.
ASPARTAME : combines two amino acids together(L-aspartic acid and methyl ester) and is 200 times sweeter than sugar
Saccharin was pretty much overtaken by Aspartame (Equal and NutraSweet). Aspartame tastes better than Saccharin but Aspartame is responsible for the more serious side affects linked to artificial sweeteners, this is because your body actually digests it. Other sweeteners can go unrecognized by the body as they have no calories and no nutritional value, but Aspartame can build up in the body because it is actually digested.
Studies have linked Aspartame to damage of the central nervous system and the immune system. Aspartame has more complaints made against it than any other food additive, it runs like this:
Linked to MS
Linked to Lupus
Linked to Fibromyalgia
Symptoms include:
Headaches
Skin rash
Nervousness
Depression
Panic attacks
Nausea
And possibly male infertility.
Aspartame is toxic to individuals who have the inherited disease phenylketonuria and critics claim that asthma sufferers have experienced serious respiratory side effects,
The FDA agrees that there are risks but tends to think that the dosages used are so small that the risk is limited, but no one can really tell us how much is too much.
And that is the thing. There are many studies on artificial sweeteners that suggest that they may be dangerous but all the studies have been done on animals. Many of the artificial sweeteners of today have not been out long enough for long term conclusions to be made. We are living the experiment and even then many people could be suffering the symptoms of their use but they do not put two and two together, that is, they do not associate their headaches or panic attacks or depression with the additive in their food.
And then came Splenda …
The claims are amazing, as sweet as sugar, but no insulin response and no side effects. They also tell you it is made from sugar and then that word ‘Natural’ gets thrown into the mix.
Let us first get one thing straight. If you a bicycle and take the pedals off and add a motor, what is it ? A bike or a motorbike ?
If we take sugar (sucrose, a disaccharide of glucose and fructose) but then we take some of the hydroxyl groups in the molecules out and replace them with chlorine atoms … is it still sugar?
The critics argue here that it more resembles a chlorocarbon than sugar and most pesticides are chlorocarbons.
Indeed Sucralose (Splenda) was discovered by accident by British scientists trying to formulate a new pesticide back in 1976..
I am not saying that by consuming Splenda you are consuming a pesticide, but the ‘Natural’ claims of Splenda being made from sugar are a little misleading. In the defense of the manufacturer using a relationship with a pesticide might not be the best marketing ploy.
Is Splenda safe ? We do not know yet. The manufacturer themselves did studies which showed that it caused problems in rats (enlarged liver and kidneys) but again, the studies were not on humans and it would all depend on the amount consumed and an individuals sensitivity to the additive.
Sucralose (Splenda) is pretty much not recognized by your body, not much of it is even absorbed (some studies say 15%) but if you are one of those people who is sensitive to sucralose in your system then even that might be too much. Much like someone with a peanut allergy doesn’t need to consume any amount of peanuts to have a reaction, the same holds true to any sensitivity, so again although not much is even absorbed – how much is too much? Only time will tell.
We have already seen some side effects of Splenda. Diarrhea, muscle aches, bladder problems, rashes and agitation. So some people certainly have a sensitivity to Splenda, for the rest of us there may be some side effects, we simply do not yet know yet.
My concern with the artificial sweeteners is that there is such a grey area regarding how safe they are and yet their use in our foods is increasing at a dramatic rate. Running the risk here of repeating myself, even if the artificial sweeteners turn out to be harmless or maybe they will invent one that is harmless, it still does not address the relationship we have with sweetness.
Artificial sweeteners are used in everything, we buy the packets and then we buy the products that scream ‘no sugar’ or ‘low sugar’. Well is we are all eating less sugar and if all these artificial sweeteners are calorie free then shouldn’t everyone be getting thinner ?
We do know that those that eat a lot of artificially sweetened food actually eat more food and end up heavier. On the flip side if the likes of Splenda can help someone lose weight by getting them off sugar then it can serve a purpose, but at some point it is wise to take control of your sweet tooth, cut back on the sweeteners and get rid of the cravings and off that roller coaster ride.
ALTERNATIVES
Sugar alcohols have been used for many years by diabetics who are then able to sweeten their food without triggering an insulin response.
SORBITOL: a polyalcohol present in plants, fruits and seaweeds. Absorbed from the intestine more slowly than fructose (fruit sugar) and is then rapidly oxidized to fructose.
ZYLITOL: sugar alcohol similar to fructose
MANITOL: derived from fructose
We see here the relationship with Fructose in all three. Fructose is found in fruits and honey it is a monosaccharide, a simple sugar and although it is one component of sugar (sugar = glucose + fructose) it is sweeter than sugar.
Fructose is absorbed slowly in the upper bowel and is largely unchanged. Fructose then permeates the liver without the aid on insulin. Although insulin is needed later in the metabolic process it is this reduced insulin response that makes fructose and its related sugar alcohols popular.
STEVIA
Stevia is an herb and has been used for over 400 years without ill effect (now that is a long term study!)
It is 200-300 times sweeter than sugar, indeed it is known in South America as the “sweet herb”.
The sweetness of Stevia is a different sort of sweetness than one finds with our artificial sweeteners but its popularity is growing enormously. The irony here (given that it has been around for 400 years and that it is an herb, not a chemical), is that the FDA has not yet granted Stevia “additive” status. It is approved for use as a supplement but not as a food additive.
We see this a lot with natural substances. There is not as much money to be made on a product that cannot be patented or controlled. The business of sugar and the business that is artificial sweeteners surely must not like the growing popularity of Stevia and some might suspect that they have some pull with the FDA. I’ll leave it to you to read between the lines. Meanwhile Stevia is available at all health food stores and is well worth a try.
The verdict is then still out on our artificial sweeteners and really I don’t want you to beat yourself up over your use of sweeteners. The message here is for you to be informed and to be aware. Read your labels and know what you are consuming. By just being aware you will likely show more control and if you find yourself eating more and more and experiencing cravings at the very least you can know what is going on and take steps, even baby steps at first, to heal your body from the miserable cycle too many of us live everyday.
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