ARTIFICIAL SWEETENERS: How do we move past them?

My #4 Ingredient To Avoid

ARTIFICIAL SWEETENERS

In my blog you might notice I am anti lab created food. Well artificial sweeteners fit the bill for highly lab created, so I'm writing about it and why you should avoid it as much as possible with some other sweetener options.

First of all, there seems to be new studies out almost every week about the dangers of certain artificial sweeteners, and unless you want to be the test lab rat, best to avoid. 

Second of all, we all know that lab created food is highly risky because the FDA approves things after minimal testing and never seems to look into the long term affects.

Thirdly you don't need to get rid of your sugar intake if you are already following my other foods to avoid. Why have the weird tasting stuff if you can do the real thing.

Artificial Sweeteners include:

Food Additive Code (E Number)	Name of Sweetener
E420	Sorbitol
E421	Mannitol
E422	Glycerol
E950	Acesulfame potassium (k)
E951	Aspartame
E952	Cyclamate
E953	Isomalt
E954	Saccharin
E955	Sucralose
E956	Alitame
E957	Thaumatin
E959	Neohesperidine dihydrochalcone
E962	Aspartame-acesulfame salt
E965	Maltitol
E966	Lactitol
E967	Xylitol
E968	Erythritol

Main companies that use these are sweet n low, equal, and splenda. Watch out when a food says sugar free or low in sugar.
 

Diabetics, You don't need to eat the artificial sweeteners!

For baked goods use fruit puree, agave nectar, stevia or mix them. With your tea use agave, with coffee use stevia, or make your own pop with seltzer water and squeezed fruit. 

Stevia 

This is an actual plant that is 300 times the sweetness of sugar and no calories. You can actually grow this plant in WA state for those of you that live here in the pacific northwest, and you can grow this plant all over the world as well. You can buy pure stevia in most health food stores. I would stick to stevia in it's pure form and stay away from the brands out there that mix stevia with other artificial sweeteners like stevia in the raw, and truvia.

Agave Nectar

Agave is another replacement for cane sugar if you are diabetic. This syrup does have calories but it is very low on the glycemic index. You can use this substitute with the same conversion as honey. You can find Agave at almost any grocery store now a days even at costco.

For those diabetics, or highly allergic people out there that are looking for a chocolate fix 

this site might be something to look into http://www.gnosischocolate.com. This company makes chocolate with agave nectar and there chocolate bars are soy, dairy, gluten and refined sugar free!

As always read your labels! Know what's going into your body because it's the only one you've got so take care of it if you can. 

Tomorrow I'll be covering the #5 &#6 ingredients to avoid!