All About Aspartame
A big reason why I write a blog is because I hate seeing people like you get misinformed by less-than-stellar sources of health information.
I also hate it when a solid source provides truthful information, but explains it in a way so foreign and complex that you would need a degree in the field to comprehend what they are trying to say.
I’m not big into long, complicated discussions. When I write, I have one over-arching goal;
“How can I say what I want to say in as few words as possible?”
Today, I want to say a few words regarding this aspartame controversy that’s on the news every 5 seconds and answer one primary question;
Is aspartame bad?
In a word, yes.
Well, actually, let me put it this way;
The foods and drinks that tend to contain aspartame are bad. There is all this talk about what exactly aspartame does in the body and if it is truly harmful, when at the end of the day, that doesn’t really matter.
As I mentioned in my Physique Transformation E-Course, we tend to get caught up in the details and forget about the big picture.
Aspartame is an artificial sweetener. It is usually found in processed foods that increase your waistline.
Therefore, aspartame isn’t the real issue. It’s the foods and drinks that contain it that make you fat!
These include diet sodas, “sugar-free” candies and yogurts, certain jams/jellies, flavored spreads, chewing gum, syrups, cereal, and puddings.
These aren’t exactly things that you want to be consuming on a daily basis!
Just because something says “sugar-free”, doesn’t mean it is healthy!
As an aside, I will admit that I am a big fan of chewing gum. I had several packs in my car that I would chew every time I got into my car to drive somewhere (usually 2-3 times a day).
Jess finally got me to stop chewing so much of it though, and I will now only be consuming aspartame-free gum! I’m currently looking into getting Glee gum from Trader Joe’s. If you know of any others, please let me know below.
If you happen to add artificial sweeteners to your drinks and/or foods, you don’t have to cut that out altogether. Instead, use Stevia.
Stevia is the extract that comes from stevia plant leaves. It will sweeten to a similar degree as aspartame, but comes without all the dangerous toxins and side effects.
It is sold in most grocery stores and you can also find many products now infused with it (including Coca-Cola and PepsiCo). However, I prefer to stick with the supplement Stevia, because you know what you are getting there, while I still have a hard time trusting big manufacturers to be completely truthful about what is in their products.
Take-Home Point:
Aspartame isn’t good for you, but more importantly, the foods and drinks that contain aspartame aren’t good for you! If they form a large part of your nutrition, cut back and eat more natural foods (hint: if somethings says it is cherry, chocolate, mint, and 10 other flavors with the label “sugar-free”, stay away). If you have to sweeten things, use Stevia.
I hope that helps clears some things up! Let me know if you have any more questions or want to share your own 2 cents in the comments section below!
Be your best,
Kasey, CSCS
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