Natural products or chemically manufactured: I know what I prefer!
We’ve all been there, looking around the supermarket starving hungry the pretty much drawn in by all of the food. For years our food industry has taught us that fat is bad and should seek low fat and low sugar alternatives in all areas of our diets. Diet programmes offer similar advice, providing low-fat or low sugar alternatives using sweeteners in order to help people lose weight. But at what cost?
Aspartame
Until about 5 years ago aspartame wasn’t even on my radar, I hadn’t heard of it and I certainly wouldn’t be able to tell you what it would even relate to. When I started becoming more aware of my health and what I was putting into my body I started to do some research about the food and drinks that I consumed. Truth be told I have never really been one that opted for low sugar alternatives, I rarely drink fizzy drinks, I don’t eat sweets and I certainly don’t use things that are low in fat or low in sugar (should I ever treat myself). I know people who drink at least one can of Diet Coke everyday and that was definitely never my lifestyle. I first discovered aspartame in a friends Pepsi Max and I started to look into it a little bit more. I spoke with people who were also into their health and the general consensus amongst people who understood about aspartame was that as a chemical they could not even comprehend how this was allowed in a food industry. That being said Aspartame has been found to be safe for human consumption, with thorough testing. However, it is still an additive that concerns me and one I am not prepared to put into my body. I am no scientist and I am no doctor, I have done the research and made a personal choice not to include this in my diet, as well as trying to avoid other chemicals such as acesulfame and sucralose.
I want to tell you about why I believe aspartame is no good
It is often found in carbonated beverages but in all honesty you can find chemicals such as aspartame added to so many foods and drinks, the actual number is kind of terrifying. Many people have reported as having adverse reactions to foods with aspartame in them including headaches and migraines, seizures, depression, fatigue, anxiety, heart palpitations and memory loss, just to mention a few. Researchers who have studied the adverse effects of aspartame have stated that many chronic illnesses such as brain tumours, Alzheimer’s disease, dementia, fibromyalgia and cancer may be triggered or worsened by ingesting aspartame.
So why is aspartame in our food and drink
Aspartame is a sweetener and is therefore popular in products promoted as low sugar or sugar-free as they are able to be produced without sugar. The consumer is then able to look at these products and deduces that they must be good, afterall they are sugar free and we are constantly told that sugar is bad for us. The sweetness has to come from somewhere, step up aspartame. But it isn’t just aspartame, sweeteners themselves have a long history of controversy, it is up to the individual to do that own research, become more knowledgeable and understand what is in a food and drink.
Conclusion to the story is this, globally aspartame has been considered safe for human consumption with studies showing that there are no safety concerns associated with normal or increased intake. There are some scientists who believe the opposite aspartame could be triggering or advancing illnesses such as dementia, alzheimer’s disease and cancer. For me its a no brainer. If there is even a 1% chance that these sweeteners do what some research suggests then I want them nowhere near me. I personally feel as
As always I encourage you to do your own research, draw your own conclusions and come up that you still will benefit you. I am not a doctor or a scientist, please do not take my word as gospel in place of medical professionals. This is purely in my opinion.