Login/Register

The whole purpose of artificial sweeteners is to lose weight. The dream of it was that people could eat foods that maintained a sweet taste, yet it did not have near as many calories as regular sugar. It doesn't seem harmful at all, and if you're looking to lose weight, what better way to do it, right? Well, no, not exactly. Artificial sweeteners are actually the most dangerous substitutes in our food today. 

Artificial sweeteners mimic the flavor of regular sugar, but with absolutely no usefulness at all. There is no nutritional value, at all, in artificial sweeteners. So, what is the point of eating foods with them? Honestly, you are far better off to have sugar. There are many artificial sweeteners on the market today, however, I'm going to discuss the four potentially worst sugar substitutes: aspartame, sucralose, saccharin, and neotame. The scariest part about this is that the FDA approves of all of these artificial sweeteners. 

Aspartame: This is a common and popular sugar substitute and you may have seen it in many different foods. To start off with a few, yogurt, soda, tabletop sugar substitutes, and even your chewing gum may all have aspartame. You may not even realize how often you consume aspartame. If you are anything like me, you may chew gum everyday, which means you are consuming aspartame ever day. It does not seem harmful or scary, but recent research suggests just the contrary. Even though the FDA will not ban this sugar substitute, it is important to know that this sweetener is toxic. Did you know that US Air Force Pilots are warned not to consume any aspartame at any amount? The reason is that aspartame has been suggested to cause brain tumors, mental retardation, birth defects, epilepsy, Parkinson's Disease, Fibromyalgia, and Diabetes. Wow, that is some shocking evidence. Does it really seem worth it to consume aspartame over sugar to save a few precious pounds? I think not. Besides, there are studies showing that artificial sweeteners do not even help aid in weight loss. 

Sucralose: You may not recognize this name, but you may recognize the marketed name of Splenda®. Basically, this sugar substitute has been chemically changed by substituting three chlorine atoms in for three hydroxyl groups. Hmm, something doesn't add up here. Chlorine does not sound like a natural ingredient you should add in a food substance. Well, the FDA does not seem to care about regulating toxic foods and this is becoming a huge concern to our health. Chlorine is definitely not a safe ingredient in this food additive and it has been said to be a carcinogen that is harmful for our bodies. 

Saccharin: This substitute is believed to have been the first artificial sweetener ever discovered, dating back to 1879. The history of this substance is actually quite interesting, if you'd like to read more about it, click here. The post basically says the scientist who found this substitute was working on coal-tar derivatives, and noticed a sweet taste on his hands and arms. The rest is history; This stuff become so popular and was nearly in every food, because it tasted more sweet than sugar but held zero calories. Later, a study was done and it suggested the artificial sweetener contributed to cancer in rats. The FDA actually tried to ban the food additive, but it failed and instead the chemical had to have a warning label on it. 

Neotame: This artificial sweetener is arguably the most toxic and life threatening substitutes of them all. The scariest part about this "sweetener" is that you will most likely NOT find it on a food label. Basically, the creators of this food additive decided to make a new sugar substitute that is even more toxic than aspartame, and market it for billions of dollars. Well, they went in a round about way of doing this and got the FDA on their sides, which means the FDA does not have to put it on any food labels. If you'd like to read a more in-depth story on this, click here. So what exactly is neotame? Well, neotame is aspartame plus 3-di-methylbutyl, which is found on the list of most hazardous chemicals. You saw all the negative impacts of aspartame; Just think neotame is more deadly. It is scary to think about what we are really eating. 

It is pretty sad that we even have to worry about the foods we're eating being toxic and deadly to us. That's what the point of the FDA is all about. They are supposted to protect us against harmful substances. But until they start doing a better job, we are left in the dark about certain foods.

All of this scary information I mentioned above should make you rethink your priorities a little bit. Is it more important for you to eat less calories than it is to prevent a life threatening disease? I would hope you would answer no to this question. Honestly, you should be more worried about how to stay motivated to run on your treadmill, then how many calories you are eating.

As long as you are exercising regularly, and trying to eat healthy, then you should be fine with your weight. The most important thing to take out of this post is to try and say no to as many artifical sweeteners as you can.

About the Author

Katy Stephens Katy Stephens is a 19 year old college student who enjoys writing about health and wellness. She has a passion for graphic design and writing blogs.