Too much of a good idea

Too much of a good idea Over the past quarter century, artificial sweeteners have become a way of life for most Americans. However, if this is a good thing, because obesity has increased substantially during the same period of time?   I thought it useful to examine more closely to artificial sweeteners. Splenda is sucralose in place of chlorine in the final molecule. There have been reports of diarrhea and stomach cramps after eating large amounts of Splenda. Saccharin (Sweet & Low) and aspartame (Equal, Nutra Sweet) received bad publicity over the years. Although nothing has been proven without a shadow of doubt, so far. These are all the artificial sweeteners approved by the FDA. Most of our processed foods that say "sugar free" on the label contains one of these sweeteners. The more you consume processed food that is "without sugar", the more we eat artificial sweetener. How much is too much?   One of Purdue? Researchers? study that appeared in the July 2004 Inteational Joual of Obesity found that "Artificial sweetener may disrupt the body? s natural ability to 'count' calories based on foods "sweeteners". "What does this mean for us? The interruption of our natural ability can lead to an increase in the number of calories you consume. This might explain why there was an increase of products without sugar and weight gain that occurs at the same time.An alteative, relatively new in the United States is Stevia. Stevia is a sweet herb, native to Paraguay. It has been used in Japan for more than 20 years without adverse reactions. Its natural sweetness is concentrated. A few drops in a cup of tea is more than enough. The FDA has banned the use of Stevia as artificial sweetener that can be tested to their satisfaction. However, Stevia can be obtained at grocery stores as a health supplement.Common sense should tell us that in order to have an effective weight management lifestyle, we must reduce our consumption of food - without sugar. Although it appears now that Stevia is a "safer" than other forms of artificial sweeteners, balance is key in all things.Constance Weygandt is a balance mentor who specializes in finding answers for people who are trying an alteative to the traditional weight. For more information or to register for the newsletter Constance, visit their website