I was raised on Sweet 'N Low. My mother had the idea that flavored yogurt was totally terrible for you, probably because it tasted good and her theory of food was if it tasted good, it had to be bad for you. So, we got plain yogurt. All the time. I was the only kid who ate plain yogurt on the planet in 1980, I swear. But, to soften the blow I had unlimited access to the pink little packets to make it edible. Then, it was Equal. Now it is Splenda. I was raised on this stuff and so far so good. No third eye has appeared on my forehead -- yet.
It is easy to Google a million articles from the popular press on how artificial sweeteners (click on link for a great article about it) cause cancer and other illnesses. I know this may rub some the wrong way (especially my sister-in-law, sorry!), but the fact remains there have been no conclusive scientific studies to suggest that artificial sweeteners are harmful in the small amounts that we consume.
So, if you drink a glass of Crystal Light or a diet soda occasionally, I say it is fine. Note the word -- occasionally. That means like once a week on date night. OK, I can't believe I'm saying this but even once a day won't kill you or your weight loss endeavors.
I have several friends who admit to drinking 8 - count it - 8 diet sodas a day. Whoa. All I can think of here we are, putting in all this time, lifting, biking, walking stairs, running, abs -- and then to follow it up with --chemicals?
I am a huge advocate of eating clean and frankly artificial sweeteners are simply chemicals and although low in calories, still empty calories. There are so many products out there with this stuff in it, it can be easy to eat mostly artificially sweetened stuff. And guess what? Calories are calories and you'll still gain weight. I can't help but think of all the fantastic stuff -- like WATER, fruits, veggies, REAL FOOD -- that is being skipped when downing yet another Diet Dr. Pepper and eating an entire bag of chocolate chip rice cakes.
3 comments:
great articles. it helps me to make a more informed decision. I was thinking about getting some splenda from costco to put into plain yogurt and to cook with, rather than cane sugar. We'll see how it goes. Thanks for the post!
Hey! Guess what I saw yesterday @ HEB in the health food section (where you can dip & pour into a bag). STEVIA! Yeah! It's $14.99 a lb, but I wonder for a few packets how much it'll be?
What do you think about Sun Crystals? I use those occasionally to sweeten my wheat squares and/or grape nuts. I'm a purist, so I would never put ANY of that junk in a recipe, unless I was baking for a diabetic...so sorry to hear you missed out on flavored yogurt as a kid!! Frozen cotton candy Trix Go-gurts are one of my guilty pleasures :)
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