invigoratedlife Tip #4 - avoid artificial sweeteners

Artificial sweeteners are just that - "artificial". Consider the definition of the word artificial; 1. made in imitation of something natural; simulated; not genuine or natural. What our bodies need is "natural" foods, even natural sweeteners. Not artificial ones.

The three main artificial sweeteners are: sucrolose (Splenda), saccharin (Sweet 'n Low) and aspartame (NutraSweet / Equal). All are toxic. All are damaging to your health. All have dangerous side effects. Consider just a few of the widely recognized side effects of aspartame:

Both sucrolose and saccharin have damaging side effects as well. The pre-approval research of Sucrolose showed that it caused shrunken thymus glands (up to 40% shrinkage) and enlarged liver and kidneys in laboratory animals.

Saccharin has been shown to cause cancer in laboratory animals and the American Medical Association recommends limiting the intake of saccharine in children and pregnant women. However, if you MUST use an artificial sweetener, saccharin has been shown to have less side effects than either aspartame or sucrolose.

Instead of artificial sweeteners, try using one or more of these natural sweeteners:

Unrefined sugar - Made from sugar cane juice that is released by pressing sugar cane stalks. It is typically 50% less processed and contains slightly more molasses than refined sugar.

Sucanat - Whole cane sugar with water removed. It is made by keeping together the two products that typical sugar processing tries to separate - sugar and molasses

Stevia - From a South American plant called Stevia. It is 300 times sweeter than sugar so it is used in extremely small amounts

Honey - Although honey is sweeter than sugar, has more calories than sugar and raises the blood sugar even more than white sugar; raw honey reportedly has medicinal benefits and contains enzymes and small amounts of minerals and B-complex vitamins. Please note that honey should not be given to children under the age of 18 months because their digestive tracts and immune systems are not yet developed enough for bacteria that may be present in honey.

Molasses - Molasses is a product produced in the sugar-making process. It contains more vitamins, minerals, and trace elements (iron, potassium, calcium and magnesium) found naturally in the sugar cane plant, making it more nutritious than most other sweeteners.