Artificial Sweeteners: My diet's salvation

You know the movie “The Shining” with Jack Nicholson? Well that is what my house is like when Mommy has not had any sugar.

“No Cookies, No cakes makes mommy go Crazy”

I have a massive sweet tooth and when I do not have sugar I can be a bit grouchy and grumpy to say the least.  Yet, I have been trying to lose a few pounds for a healthier me.  I tried cutting back on sweets but that never works.  I always end up abstaining only to have a sugar fit one day and eat massive amounts of sugar.

I started to eat the low calorie or fat free foods.  I realized that they were not all that bad. Most of them tasted really good. I wondered how they could be so low in calorie and sometimes really sweet.

I discovered that most of these diet and low calorie and low fat foods contained artificial sweeteners.

Artificial sweeteners are synthetic sugar substitutes but may be derived from naturally occurring substances, including herbs or sugar itself. Artificial sweeteners are also known as intense sweeteners because they are many times sweeter than regular sugar.

Most them claim to be zero calories and often times are sweeter than sugar.

There are pros to using artificial sweeteners

·         They contain zero to no calories.

·         They can be substituted for sugar in baking and cooking.

·         You sometimes can use less of artificial sugars than sugar.

·         They can help with a low calorie diet.

Some claim that there are drawbacks to using artificial sweeteners.

·         Some people have found out they are allergic to them.

·         There are claims that they can lead to health issues such as cancer and organ damage.

·         They have no real nutritional value.

·         They are not natural.

·         They are bad for pregnant women.

But according to the National Cancer Institute and other health agencies, there's good scientific evidence that any of the different types of artificial sweeteners approved by the FDA for use in the United States cause cancer or other serious health problems. It is shown that artificial sweeteners are generally safe in limited quantities, even for pregnant women. As a result of the newer studies, the warning label for saccharin was dropped.

The point is that all things need to be use in moderation and artificial sugars are one of those things.  You can use them but it is probably best to not use them very often and keep them from children until more research can be done.

I know that my family is a lot happier (and safer) now that I have found artificial sweeteners.  My sweet tooth has been tamed…for the moment.