Increasingly more people have begun to understand the need to find alternatives to sugar. This has created a huge demand for artificial sweeteners, like saccharin (Sweet'N Low) and aspartame (Equal, NutraSweet). Although these products have been linked to serious health problems, like cancer, public demand for sugar substitutes has increased. BECAUSE OF OUR ADDICTION TO SWEET!!!! Yes me too - splenda in the coffee! Splenda is the latest to hit the market or Sucralose. It has become the nation's #1 selling artificial sweetener in a remarkably short period of time. Splenda claims to be the perfect sugar substitute with no calories, no surge in insulin, and no side effects or long-term damage. Some health advocates do not agree.
Splenda is a synthetic compound discovered in 1976 by British scientist attempting to create a pesticide!!! Yes - A PESTICIDE!!! Sucralose is made from sugar in a patented five-step process that substitutes three atoms of hydrogen-oxygen, converting sugar into a fructo-galactose molecule. It is a chlorinated molecule, which is basis for DDT, and can accumulate in body fat. This type of molecule DOES NOT APPEAR IN NATURE, and therefore your body does not know how to assimilate it. This is why it has zero calories. Questions about the safety of this product have been raised, but it is too early to know the long term effects. ONE CAN ONLY ASSUME THAT THIS WILL NOT ENHANCE HEALTH.
So I am a hypocrite. I know all of this - yet I still use Splenda in my coffee - until tomorrow!!! I vow to all of you that I am swapping to sugar. We do not need endless amounts of sugar in our diet, so I will use my two teaspoons on my coffee. WOW!! Change is so hard! Follow us on The Yancey Plan!!!! Change is hard - Life is good.
Blessings -
Wow Emmie! I really enjoy reading your blogs. I was misdiagnosed with M.S. in 1998, and I was told that sugar substitutes such as aspartame can mimick multiple sclerosis and other diseases. At the time I was drinking about six diet cokes a day. Thanks be to God that I was misdiagnosed! I really ate healthy when I thought I was about to lose everything...and then once I was okay...fell off the wagon again. Thanks for writing this and reminding me of what I already knew but filed away in the "dont want to talk or think about it" file. Blessings to you on this journey, and thanks again. Prayers are with you and your family.
ReplyDeleteThanks Holly!! Keep it up!
ReplyDeleteEmmie...what about honey?
ReplyDeleteomg! i havent researched splenda but it has always scared me. i must confess that diet dr pepper is my crack, although i gave it up during my pregnancy. maybe i could go to 1 per week instead of 1 per day....that would be a more realistic way of cutting down...hmmmmmm.... enjoying your insight!
ReplyDeleteYes Jana - there are lots of natural sweeteners. I'll talk about those tomorrow. Nope - honey doesn't taste good to me. Neither does agave or stevia. I think I will cut down until I don't need it. SO HARD!!!
ReplyDeleteYes to try, try, again! I am moving away from artificial sweeteners to honey and agave, only. Sugar is one of those foods that will "kick" you into a "carbo" overload. So be careful!
ReplyDeleteE,
ReplyDeleteWhat about Chad. Isn't he a natural sweetner?
Miss you!!!