Sweet Mistakes we Make - Artificial Sweeteners

Although they have certain benefits artificial sweeteners have fallen short in their original purpose which was to help the “sweet tooth” amongst us enjoy a treat without gaining weight. The reality is, since the introduction of Artificial Sweeteners, people have actually been getting heavier.
Artificial Sweeteners contain little or next to no calories but they will only help you lose weight if used in place of sugar. It would seem that Artificial Sweeteners have simply been added as an extra and used alongside regular sugar intake instead of reducing sugar intake while using Artificial Sweeteners.
After many years of use, artificial sweeteners are still controversial. Some people think that they are good because they do not cause cavities and may help them lose weight. Other people think that using artificial sweeteners can cause cancer and other diseases.
There are two basic artificial sweetener types that are used instead of sugars in foods. They are:
- Noncaloric sweeteners
- Sugar alcohols.
Noncaloric sweeteners do not add calories to foods. They are used in many kinds of foods such as snack foods and drinks. The names of some noncaloric sweeteners are saccharine and aspartame.
These sweeteners do not cause as much tooth decay as sugar.
Sugar alcohols have about the same number of calories as sugar. They are used in chewing gums, throat lozenges, and hard Sweets. As with other artificial sweeteners, they may cause fewer dental cavities than sugars. Chewing sugarless gum after meals is known to help prevent cavities.
Because they have the same calories as sugar, sugar alcohols do not help people who are trying to lose weight. For some people they cause diarrhea. Examples of sugar alcohols are sorbitol and mannitol.
Aspartame Alert: Over the years Aspartame has come under fire due to links with it causing seizures and attention deficit disorder. It has been recorded in some people to cause headaches, heart palpitations, swelling of the face, hands and feet.
If you are known to be sensitive to Aspartame, you should always check product labels and avoid foods that contain it.
About the Author: Eric Smith is an Organic Gardener, Environmentalist and has studied Natural Therapies in depth. Eric represents ONE Group Certified Organic Skin Care, Home & Nutritional Products - http://www.milifestyle.net/ Click Here to Find out about Berry Radical Antioxidant SuperfoodSocial Bookmarking