Before getting into our topic, I’d like to wish all of you a happy, healthy, successful and prosperous 2019.
Why do people use artificial sweeteners? Short answer: To reduce their caloric intake and “loose weight”.
Saccharin, acesulfame, aspartame, neotame, advantame and sucralose are six artificial sweeteners approved by US FDA. All big artificial sweetener brands stand for one of these compounds.
How do they work?
There are three players in this entire diet game: Brain, tongue and stomach.
The stomach is a fairly simple guy. He just wants to be full. The more nutritious the stuffing, the better. But the gatekeeper to his food is the tongue, the problem-maker here. The brain is the third player and the one who decides the winner between the two.
Unfortunately, the tongue and the brain are, let’s say, very close to each other. And the tongue knows how to get its way.
So your eyes look at that sweet, sugar-loaded cake. Your tongue decides it wants a piece. And even before the stomach gets a hearing in the brain’s court, the matter is settled. And the consequences of a bad decision are borne entirely by the poor tummy, and, of course, by your increased body fat.
This is the story supporting why artificial sweeteners are a smart answer.
“They use the tongue’s frivolousness against it”.
They mimic the effect of sugar on the tongue’s sweet-receptors, fooling the tongue into believing it got what it wanted.
So, what’s the problem?
Given the above rationale, artificial sweeteners look like the answer to all your dieting prayers.
Maybe not.
There are some extremely serious allegations against these products, which include cancer and diabetes.
Although there seems to be no clinical proof about cancer, we cannot say the same thing about diabetes.
When your tongue sees something that is supposed to be sweet, it sends a signal to the brain that says: “I’m going for it”, and the brain sends a signal to your stomach to prepare for this. And, the stomach signals the pancreas telling it to secrete insulin in preparation. But no sugar comes.
So now your body has an insulin spike but no sugar to deal with. Do this too many times, and you end up with insulin resistance, and the consequences that follow; diabetes being one of them.
I feel that nothing that is artificial should enter the body. I go as far as saying that this applies to medication as well.
So, from my point of view, artificial sweeteners are a no-no. But there is one in particular that I must warn you against: ASPARTAME.
Aspartame was classified as a neural toxin by the US armed forces, and the FDA did not allow its usage for 17 years. So, what changed their mind? Donald Rumsfeld joined the board of the company that produces aspartame, and approval was obtained???
Studies that are coming out, warn against its serious side affects.
So, do artificial sweeteners help in weight loss?
You’re probably not going to believe this, but long-term research says NO. In fact, some studies suggest that they can make you gain weight.
In the studies that show that artificial sweeteners might lead to weight gain they weren’t the culprits. You were.
Here’s how.
Overcompensation
“I had a diet coke. Surely now I can afford to have that pasty.”
That’s overcompensation.
Fooling yourself
Another reason is put forth as people not training their brain. Even though, weight loss and fitness seem to be about the body, because that’s where the effect is seen, the real game is played in the brain.
This is my favorite reason
As I’ve put forth above, when you consume something that is sweetened by artificial sweeteners, your tongue, brain and stomach don’t know that real sugar does not exist. So insulin is secreted and the NORMAL amount of sugar that is supposed to be circulating in your blood is reduced. What is the brain’s one and only food? Sugar. The brain isn’t getting enough “food” so sugar cravings come into play. This might be why overcompensationhappens. People want sugar and pastry, etc.
In summary, not only are you putting “poison” into your body to loose weight, you could end up gaining weight.
Think about it, my friends.
That’s it for now; see you all the next time.
