The typical Western diet is swimming in damaging refined sugars. Our dependence on this over processed sweet stuff, which is hidden in everything from tomato sauce to low fat salad dressings—is seriously harming our health.
American’s are packing on the pounds at a record pace and more than 29 million of us now have type 2 diabetes. In fact, nearly one out of four American seniors 60 or older has the disease.
It’s really no wonder that so many of us have turned to artificial sweeteners as a way to cut back on refined sugars. The trouble is these chemical concoctions are doing far more harm than good.
Following are four terrific reasons to dump artificial sweeteners starting TODAY…
1. They cause weight gain:
The number one reason people turn to artificial sweeteners is to help them drop some weight, or maintain their current weight. Unfortunately, despite their slick advertising campaign claims, artificial sweeteners fail at both of these goals. And we’ve known it for over two decades.
Studies stretching as far back as the 80s have linked artificial sweeteners with weight gain. In study after study, folks who replaced sugar with artificial sweeteners have weighed more at the end of the study than those who kept on eating sugar.
The answer, of course, isn’t to just switch back to refined sugar. It’s to drop the artificial sweeteners and slash the amount of refined sugars in your diet too. Become a label reader, cut back on prepackaged foods and eat more homemade meals in which you can control the ingredients.
2. They trigger sugar cravings:
If you’re trying to satisfy your sweet tooth with a pink, blue or yellow packet (or sweets laced with those artificial sweeteners) I’ve got bad news. It doesn’t work.
It turns out your body responds very differently to artificial sweeteners than it does to sugar. When you eat sugar, cells on your tongue shoot a message to your brain. The reward centers in your brain light up like a Christmas tree and the feel good hormone dopamine gets released making you feel blissfully satisfied. You know, that good old sugar rush.
But when artificial sweeteners hit your taste buds the message gets garbled. Your body expects the caloric sweet stuff, but when it doesn’t get the hit it’s looking for your brain doesn’t respond with those same satisfying chemicals.
The result? Killer cravings which lead to you overeating in an attempt to satisfy your sweet tooth, or reaching for something filled with refined sugar instead. Skip the fake sugar and satisfy that sugar craving with some delicious fruit. Eat a handful of berries or a juicy apple and you’ll get the dopamine release your brain craves while you take in some healthy fiber and nutrients too.
3. They’re linked to diabetes:
You know that eating a ton of refined sugar can put you on the fast track to type 2 diabetes. So artificial sweeteners can seem like a good alternative. Don’t be fooled. Research has linked artificial sweeteners to blood sugar issues and diabetes.
And the link isn’t just found in those who are overweight. In a disturbing and revealing study out of Brazil, normal weight people who drank diet sodas had a 15 percent greater chance of developing diabetes than those who didn’t choose diet drinks.
Skip the soft drinks and try tea or fruit infused water instead.
4. They mess with your gut:
We’ve learned a whole lot about gut flora over the last few years. We now know that maintaining a healthy balance of gut bugs is vital for overall good health. And it turns out artificial sweeteners can bump your healthy bacteria right out of balance.
In a landmark animal study artificial sweeteners increased the amount of blood glucose in mice by an astounding 200 to 400 percent. As researchers scrambled to figure out why they finally realized it was linked to changes the sweeteners caused in gut bacteria. In other words, artificial sweeteners aren’t just linked to weight gain, increased glucose levels and diabetes they can also alter the bacteria balancing act that helps keep us healthy too.
Artificial sweeteners are simply bad news. They contribute to the very problems they’re supposed to help resolve. Drop the fake sugars starting today.
Healthier Talk
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