With obesity continuing to skyrocket each year, doctors are now estimating that this is the first time in history that our children will have a shorter average life span than their parents. Think on that for a minute... There is no doubt that one of the main culprits to this epidemic is the increasing amount of sugar in our diets! In fact, the average person in 1850 living in the US would only consume 1 pound of sugar each year compared to today's average American who eats 150 pounds of sugar a year!! WOWZA!! While this insane increase in sugar consumption is largely to blame for our current health crisis, many conventional medical and nutritional practitioners have overlooked the role artificial sweeteners play as a potential driver for this epidemic. So in this week's What's That?! Wednesday post we discuss the dangers of artificial sweeteners and give you six very good reasons to completely remove them from your diet. Strong evidence, from numerous studies, shows that artificial sweeteners are highly addictive chemicals (not real food) that rewire your brain chemistry, decrease your metabolism, and make it very, very difficult to lose weight and burn fat. Some of these studies show that these sweeteners can increase your risk for weight gain, pre-diabetes, type 2 diabetes, and cardiovascular disease as much as regular sugar. So while manufacturers love to position these products as "guilt-free", "healthy" alternatives, the reality is they are doing more damage to your health and your weight management than you know! 6 Reasons to Avoid Artificial Sweeteners:
Artificial sweeteners can be found in over 8,000 food products currently on the market in the US alone, so we highly recommend that you read labels very closely for these ingredients. The biggest culprits include: diet sodas, chewing gum, low-fat and sugar free yogurts, sugar or fat free coffee creamers, low-fat and sugar free diet foods of any kind including "fat free" or "low calorie" salad dressings, condiments, snacks, and sweets. The names of these sweeteners include: Aspartame, Equal, Nutra-Sweet, sucralose, Splenda, sacharin, Sweet & Low, sugar alcohol, glycerin, maltitol, sorbitol, and xylitol just to name a few popular ones. For a much more complete list of artificial sweetener names, click here. Lastly, most important thing you can do is to avoid processed and packaged foods and eat a diet of real foods with plenty of fresh produce. It is also helpful to purge your pantry, fridge, and freezer to get rid of these temptations in your house. Remember, you have to treat this like it is...an addiction! If you need some more, clean, low-carb and naturally sugar-free recipes infused into your weekly eating plan, check out our new eBook, 10 Day Sugar Detox! It has over 30 real food recipes that are delicious and easy to make and will help you decrease the amount of sugar, hidden sugars, and artificial sweeteners in your diet! It also comes with 2 (5-day) meal plans with a "make-ahead" plans and grocery shopping lists to save you valuable time and energy! This eBook can help you boost your metabolism, get rid of sugar cravings, and lose some weight! You may also find our blog,10 Tips to Get Rid of Sugar Cravings, helpful as you make this transition. Plus, in the next edition of What's That?! Wednesdays, we will give you a breakdown on the different sugar sources from real food, which are the best choices, and which to avoid! Stay tuned friends... In good health, Billie References: 1. PLOS ONE, Intense Sweetness Surpasses Cocaine Reward, 2007 2. Physiology & Behavior, 1988 & 1990 3. Journal of Biology & Medicine, 2010 4. Nature, 2014 5. American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, 2013 6. Schwartz, GR. Aspartame & Breast Cancer & Other Cancers, 1999
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Billie Shellist, FDN-P
I practice functional nutrition, an approach that allows me to look at your entire health history and help you find the "root causes" of your chronic health complaints. This cuts out the trial and error process and helps you get real symptom relief and resolution! Food is medicine and knowledge is power -I hope you enjoy my anti-inflammatory recipes which are gluten, dairy, and soy free as well as very low grain and sugar. If you'd like to heal from the root cause(s) of your chronic symptoms, try starting with a complimentary 15-minute consultation. Click here to request your free session. |