The first real sugar substitute, aspartame, is used in many diet friendly products such as soft drinks, chewing gum, jams, salad dressings and baking mixes. Aspartame, known commercially as Equal or NutraSweet, was approved to use in Canada in 1981. It was first discovered in 1965 by a USA Scientist, and in 1975 the manufactures had to go to court.  The courts found tampered evidence, which suggested that aspartame produced brain tumors in monkeys. Aspartame was pulled off the market in the USA until 1981, when the grand jury found new evidence that it was safe for human consumption.  With a clean slate, aspartame resurfaced and spread across North America like wild fire. Hitting every supermarket and fast food restaurants with one product in particular; diet pop.

Diet pop is not, I repeat not a healthy beverage for weight loss or general health and wellness. In fact diet colas harm the body in many ways. Most importantly they load your body with 2 types of poisons: aspartame and caffeine. Diet colas also contain acids which may deplete your bones of calcium over long periods of time.  Sure switching from regular to diet pop will save you 140 calories, but water should be your beverage of choice for weight loss.  Keep your body hydrated and healthy by drinking fresh fruit and vegetable juices, herbal teas and plenty of good quality water.

Aspartames main ingredient is called phenylalanine, which can interfere with proper metal functioning in the body. When aspartame breaks down it releases methanol, a gas that impairs the functioning of our nervous system. Foods that contain artificial sweeteners need to be labeled, and aspartame is now classified as one on the Top 10 most common food allergens.  Symptoms of an aspartame allergy include unexplained headaches, dizziness, migraines, seizures, vertigo, rashes and anxiety.

According to Health Canada, an acceptable intake of aspartame is 40 mg per kilogram of body weight. Products containing aspartame are usually processed, packaged and filled with food dyes and preservatives, all things to avoid in a healthy diet. Most artificial sweeteners chemically end in “ol”, where more natural sugars end in “ose”, such as sucrose and fructose.  Read labels of food products and try to avoid artificial sweeteners whenever possible. Some other Canadian approved sugar substitutes include: sucralose or Splenda, lactitol, maltitol, nannitol, sorbitol, and xylitol.

Yogurt is another healthy diet product which often contains artificial sweeteners. All low fat and low calorie yogurts are sweetened artificially, in most cases with Splenda. Remember to read ingredient lists and try to buy yogurt that is sweetened with sugar cane, sucrose or white refined sugar.  Better yet, buy plain organic low fat yogurt, which contains no added sugar. To sweeten it up, top with fresh fruit, nuts and a drizzle of honey or pure maple syrup.

In my nutritional consulting practice, Positive Change Nutrition, www.rachellewood.ca, I educate clients about the negative impact artificial sweeteners have on our health and wellness. Artificial sweeteners may also produce sugar cravings, another reason to avoid for weight loss. Since artificial sweeteners are chemically processed, your body had a hard time digesting and metabolizing them. This can often result in a sugar craving because your body is not registering the artificial sweetener as sugar and then craves the real thing.  Artificial sweeteners accumulate inside your cells, and you should aim to eliminate or at least limit the amount in your diet.

Did you enjoy this article? It is also posted on my nutrition blog at http://blog.rachellewood.ca Sign up for my blogs RSS feed and never miss a post. Stay tuned next time for Sugar Series- Part 2 of 3, How Sweet Stevia Really Is.