"Fake it 'til you make it" is a saying that I usually appreciate. It is good advice when you're in a sour mood. Sometimes if you just smile, even a horrible, phony smile, you will begin to turn a gray day into a sunnier one. Or when you bite off more than you can chew, but you don't really want to spit the whole thing out, you can give it your best shot and learn from doing. But one place where you want to avoid anything fake is in your food.
Believe me, I know those artificial sweeteners are mighty tempting. Back in the late 90's, I spent about a year and a half on the Atkins Diet, which is how I initially overcame my bread, muffin, bagel, pasta and cookie addiction. I was still trying to lose my second pregnancy weight, poundage that was even more stubborn than that of my first pregnancy. I ate plenty of meat, veggies, and a little fruit. But the newly invented Splenda products, the sugar-free chocolate bars, the low-carb protein bars, these are the "foods" that allowed me to stick with this diet for so long. What I didn't know then, and still don't know, is what are the long-term problems that might be linked to consuming daily doses of sucralose?
Splenda, or sucralose, is technically made from sugar. This much is clear from the ads. But what they don't tell you is that the sugar molecules have been changed beyond recognition by removing 3 atoms and adding 3 chlorine atoms in their place. Is this product safe? The manufacturer will say yes, of course. But not everyone will agree. For example, sucralose has not yet been approved for human consumption in Europe. If you are consuming Splenda, and you may not even know you are, you are part of a very large experiment. It is now added to many diet sodas, protein powders (including the one we have been using for years! Met-Rx), baked goods, power bars, jams and jellies, and other low calorie food products. When you are trying to lose weight, these products might seem like a godsend. A way to have your cake and eat it, too. But if something seems too good to be true, it usually is.
Recent tests show that artificial sweeteners also cause insulin levels to spike, in the same way that eating actual sugar does. So eating and drinking sugar-free products can cause MORE carb cravings as your blood sugar levels plummet. This sets you up for being hungrier, and in response, eating more rather than less. When you kick the sugar habit, kick the artificial sweeteners as well!
All in all, these fake products are just not worth it. The healthiest choices you can make always involve consuming REAL WHOLE foods! When you are craving something sweet, and I do know that feeling, turn to the products that Mother Nature provides: apples, oranges, bananas, mangos, strawberries, sweet potatoes, carrots, even green peas have plenty of natural sugars, along with lots of fiber and nutrients that your body needs. Teach your body and your taste buds to appreciate the more subtle sweetness of fruits and veggies. Soon those artificial products will taste overly sweet and disgusting! Let me know how it goes!
Believe me, I know those artificial sweeteners are mighty tempting. Back in the late 90's, I spent about a year and a half on the Atkins Diet, which is how I initially overcame my bread, muffin, bagel, pasta and cookie addiction. I was still trying to lose my second pregnancy weight, poundage that was even more stubborn than that of my first pregnancy. I ate plenty of meat, veggies, and a little fruit. But the newly invented Splenda products, the sugar-free chocolate bars, the low-carb protein bars, these are the "foods" that allowed me to stick with this diet for so long. What I didn't know then, and still don't know, is what are the long-term problems that might be linked to consuming daily doses of sucralose?
Splenda, or sucralose, is technically made from sugar. This much is clear from the ads. But what they don't tell you is that the sugar molecules have been changed beyond recognition by removing 3 atoms and adding 3 chlorine atoms in their place. Is this product safe? The manufacturer will say yes, of course. But not everyone will agree. For example, sucralose has not yet been approved for human consumption in Europe. If you are consuming Splenda, and you may not even know you are, you are part of a very large experiment. It is now added to many diet sodas, protein powders (including the one we have been using for years! Met-Rx), baked goods, power bars, jams and jellies, and other low calorie food products. When you are trying to lose weight, these products might seem like a godsend. A way to have your cake and eat it, too. But if something seems too good to be true, it usually is.
Recent tests show that artificial sweeteners also cause insulin levels to spike, in the same way that eating actual sugar does. So eating and drinking sugar-free products can cause MORE carb cravings as your blood sugar levels plummet. This sets you up for being hungrier, and in response, eating more rather than less. When you kick the sugar habit, kick the artificial sweeteners as well!
All in all, these fake products are just not worth it. The healthiest choices you can make always involve consuming REAL WHOLE foods! When you are craving something sweet, and I do know that feeling, turn to the products that Mother Nature provides: apples, oranges, bananas, mangos, strawberries, sweet potatoes, carrots, even green peas have plenty of natural sugars, along with lots of fiber and nutrients that your body needs. Teach your body and your taste buds to appreciate the more subtle sweetness of fruits and veggies. Soon those artificial products will taste overly sweet and disgusting! Let me know how it goes!
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