Hi Barb,
You heard that I was not a big fan of artificial sweeteners and asked me to share my thoughts on your blog so here goes:
I think it was back when I was a teenager that it was either cyclamates or Sacharin was introduced as a substitute for sugar. I tried it and thought it had a terrible taste and I never used it or gave it much thought until studies came out linking it to an increase in cancer (at least in rats I believe).
Years later other artificial sweeteners came out and began wide use in foods especially pastries, snacks, and sodas. I tried those things and again I did not like the taste. But apparently a lot of other people did because sales of foods and drinks with artificial sweeteners really took off.
During this time it appeared to me that people were starting to get heavier which seemed odd because they should've been getting slimmer eating and drinking all that low calorie stuff, right? Concurrently there was the war on fat and that seemed to help drive the attraction to artificial sweeteners.
However, there was always the controversy about the safety of artificial sweeteners and if go online you can see them being linked to a variety of health risks including of all things...obesity. Perhaps most disturbing is that analysis of the chemical make up of artificial sweeteners puts them in the same neurotoxin family as DDT and dioxin. Even if this is remotely true why take the chance especially when you can always use plain old sugar which is only 15 calories per teaspoon. 15 calories...big deal!!
So I've always been sceptical of artificial sweeteners but what really hit home was when my friend DeeDee came down with a brain tumor. What's interesting about her was that she was really, really, fond of Sweet & Low. And for this reason she was so easy to please at Xmas because people knew her love for Sweet & Low and they would buy her a case for an Xmas present. Up to the point where she was diagnosed with the cancer at the age of 55 she was a very healthy person. Unfortunately the cancer got the best of her and she died a few years later. Was it the Sweet & Low which caused her cancer? No one can say for sure but it certainly is suspicious.
To wrap things up, people need to become educated about artificial sweeteners which is so easy to do on the internet. You'll be surprised at the numerous bad things they can do to your body. Also, people should get more educated about fats. Except for transfats, many are not the villain they're made out to be . Butter, olive oil, and even coconut oil are very healthy saturated fats, although ideally they should be of the organic version. At the very least you need fats to absorb fat-soluble vitamins like A, D, E, and K. At best, you'll look better, feel better, and probably will lose weight! And of course the other thing about fats is that you will crave sweets less which for many folks means less artificial sweeteners and/or less sugar.
Bottom line, avoid artificial sweeteners. Use Stevia if you want a low cal natural sweetener. Also, go online and learn about healthy fats.
---Paul G.