i have a warning for everyone!!!!!!!!!

[problematic1]

many of you may already know this... but aspartame is DANGEROUS!!!!!!

aspartame is the artificial sweetener used in diet drinks and non-fat foods.

over the last 4 years i have been dealing with various health issues.. and i never made the connection between aspartame and my health problems.

 

i would have horrifying stomach pains, sweats, chills, constipation and diarrhea. the doctors thought i could have crohns disease, IBS and other gastrointestinal disorders. i also have been suffering from vision loss and headaches.

 

i used to drink a lot of the crystal light water flavors, and this is when all of my troubles began. i never made the connection. there were times when i did not consume any of the water flavors or any diet drinks, and i would go months without any issues. but once i started drinking the water flavors all of my troubles would come back.

its taken me about 2 years to realize that aspartame is what has been poisoning me.

 

now that i have realized the danger of aspartame i want everyone to know just how dangerous it is. it has been linked to over 95 side effects (infertility being one of them).. and i have been having issues with that as well.

 

PLEASE take this into consideration the next time you consume aspartame. the doctors never even suggested that it could be the problem. i had to figure it out on my own.

thanks for reading and pass on the information to your families!!

[Seraphim]

Yup it is not good for you.

[osa92]

Even if you just use one a day for your coffee, s it still bad?

[MasterPo]

I have been warned. Thank you much. I hope you get better.

[problematic1]

masterpo, thank you for the well wishes!!

 

osa, everyone is different. for me.. one sip of aspartame and i am sick as a dog. other people have no short term symptoms at all. all i ask is that you please do your research. REAL sugar is better than artificial sweeteners in the long run

[Snny]

.... I think I'll just add apple slices in my water bottle from now on. That's too bad... I loved the Caffeine Crystal Light packets and didn't need tea to stain my teeth. Thanks!

[LillyLooWho]

I've been drinking diet pepsi for most of my life and no problems. Maybe it is an individual thing? Some people may be more sensitive than others.

[problematic1]

I've been drinking diet pepsi for most of my life and no problems. Maybe it is an individual thing? Some people may be more sensitive than others.

 

you may be right, some might be more sensitive to it than others. but i have done some research on aspartame and it could be causing things to go wrong with your body that you arent even aware of

 

all i know is aspartame has been causing damage to my body, and i just wanted everyone to be aware of the potential harm aspartame can cause.

 

i never even once thought that the crystal light packets were what was causing all of my health issues. i wish i had had someone to point it out to me a looooong time ago

[browneyedgirl36]

I've been ingesting aspartame ever since it came out on the market -- a loooong time -- and I've never had any health issues at all. They only issue I've had with it is that, like most artificial sweeteners, it does make you crave sugar, which can, for some people, result in eating a lot of unhealthy foods to satisfy the sugar craving, and it may be linked to people getting diabetes. I have linked it with feeling hungry a lot -- and craving carbs -- so I have cut back on it significantly.

 

The jury's still out on its overall effects, but...it is a chemical, and chemicals, for the most part, aren't good for us. And, it will affect different people in different ways -- I have one friend who swears she is deathly allergic to it (I've never heard of this, but her doctor said he thinks she is), and I have another friend who feels, in her words, "all cracked out" after drinking one diet soda, so it could definitely have something to do with allergies or one's brain chemistry.

 

Plain water is best, for the most part, anyway.

[Lonewing]

I'd avoid Splenda at all costs, too. Sucralose has so little research backing it, it's frightening. It's not food, it's a Pesticide...

[tiredofvampires]

^Yup, Lonewing. Spenda (sucralose) is a chlorinated sugar molecule, resembling the molecular structure of DDT.

 

The ancient Romans loved the sweet taste in their water -- and it was lead, so it made them crazy and die eventually of lead poisoning. So just because something tastes sweet doesn't mean it's not toxic. Artificial sweeteners are synthetic chemicals cooked up in labs, with multi-billion dollar stakes in the diet food industry. So consumers really need the facts on these substances.

 

I don't believe that just because you've been taking something your whole life and so far you have no ill effects, it means it'll always be that way.

 

Aspartame in the body produces formaldehyde (among other break-down products), which is toxic. And even though it's only a little bit, people who drink diet sodas ingest enough for it to be accumulative. I think some people are more sensitive than others, but it's not like an allergy where some people react to some foods and others don't. It's a poison for everyone, and some people can just go longer without having the results of that show up. So in a way, those who react more are better off, because their bodies are warning them sooner.

 

And as browneyedgirl points out, artificial sweeteners trick your body into feeling there's something sweet to metabolize, so your blood sugar (and then insulin) will spike out of control, so it's not even giving you the benefit of cutting out sugar that comes with a "diet" product. (And as a matter of fact, about 95% of a packet of aspartame is dextrose or maltodextrin, which are high glycemic sugars, which spike blood sugar. So the labeling is tricky: it's low-caloric, but high sugar content.)

 

You really can't cheat nature. If you pour chemicals into your body, day in and day out, instead of dieting the healthy way and replacing unhealthy drinks and foods with natural and healthy ones, it's just not going to be good.

 

A touch of honey, stevia (a non-caloric sweet herbal extract), dashes of fruit juices or lemon, or a pinch of xylitol (a natural sugar, absorbed more slowly and less caloric than table sugar [and actually good for your teeth!]) can be used instead. If people want their fizzy drinks, there are so many alternatives using seltzer as a base to make your homemade "sodas," there's really no excuse to continue soda addiction.

 

link removed

[Miss Firecracker]

Watch out for albacore tuna now too.

[Angler]

I avoid aspartame like the plague.

 

I don't buy the "I've consumed it my whole life with no problems" rationale. Smokers smoke their entire lives until they wake up with cancer, or have a heart attack.

 

Real food doesn't have an ingredient list.

 

Beef, chicken, pork, fish, vegetables, fruit, water.....

[Miss Firecracker]

I avoid aspartame like the plague.

 

I don't buy the "I've consumed it my whole life with no problems" rationale. Smokers smoke their entire lives until they wake up with cancer, or have a heart attack.

 

Real food doesn't have an ingredient list.

 

Beef, chicken, pork, fish, vegetables, fruit, water.....

 

Actually those things have a LOT more ingredients than you can imagine.

[Angler]

Actually those things have a LOT more ingredients than you can imagine.

 

Care to share?

 

If you're thinking hormones, anti-biotics, pesticides, GMO, the answer is no.

 

Now tap water, it's got stuff I'd rather not consume, but I don't think it's a huge detriment to health.

[Lonewing]

Sugar itself is not bad.

Corn syrup itself, even, is not bad either.

The issue is, we go and consume too much of it.

 

The easiest thing you can do to correct a sugar imbalance in your diet, it to drop foods high in sugars and substitute something else in. Cutting the snack foods altogether will go a long way.

 

If you ABSOLUTELY have to munch on something, eat celery until your jaws are tired and you don't want to eat anymore.

[sidehop]

Pretty much...if you have to and only thing it's sitting in front of you consuming it won't kill you. Even water, people go to the extreme of getting rid of fluoride. We can't get away from everything, all about making smart choice. Otherwise you go crazy trying to nit pick every single things that's considered as bad.

[eternalsunrise]

Yes I avoid aspartame! I hope you are feeling better.

 

I started using truvia (stevia) in my tea instead of splenda. Sometimes raw honey as well.

[Jim Wormold]

Yes, read about how harmful sweeteners are a few years ago.

 

But many are still unaware how harmful even white processed sugar is.

Do some net searches. You will be taken aback.

Starting with: link removed

link removed

...there's more!

 

Organic whole cane sugar (even more unprocessed than brown sugar) is the way to go.

Tastes like caramel. Great for coffee. Bit too strong for a fine Earl Grey tea, but

I am trying to get off sugar in my tea.

 

Still has all the minerals, etc, we need for our bones, etc.

[Angler]

Read labels.

 

Aspartame, soy, vegetable oil, high fructose corn syrup = put it back on the shelf.

 

You're casting a vote of confidence every time you scan an item through the register, and send money to the food factories.

 

Stop voting for poison.

[Lonewing]

Aspartame is a chemical.

 

Soy, vegetable oils [corn, canola, etc], and High frustose corn syrup are naturally derived. Soy is naturally derived form soybeans, and it's perfectly fine in moderation like everything else. There's better oils to choose from versus corn oil, but it's not a synthetic derivative like that horrendous Crisco transfat stuff!

 

High fructose corn syrup is nothing more than Fructose, and it along with Sucrose and Glucose, are your main three simple sugars. Your body sees them identically.

 

The main issue with High fructose corn syrup, and indeed, sugar in general, is the fact that it is in everything. Your problem is not with sugar itself, persay, the problem is you're simply consuming too many foods containing sugar - and sugar is the same whether it comes from processed sugar, honey, corn, beets, you name it, it's all Sugar - sucrose, glucose, of frutose. Replace 100mg of corn syrup based sugar with 100 mg of honey based sugar,where the sugar content per volume is the same, and you will still have the exact same health issues on one that you had before on the other!

 

The solution cooked up by the food industry is the artificial sweetener, which is a chemical designed to fool your tongue into thinking whatever it is, is sweet. The problem is, these chemicals have an impact on the body, one which takes perhaps 20 or 30 years to reveal itself. The compound problem is you're basically tricking yourself into thinking you can eat a whole lot more than you should be eating and not sweat it.

 

The best thing to do is to simply cut back on how much sugar-sweetened foods [and food in general] you eat in the process of getting your necessary calories. You may need to outright revamp just how many calories you need to each day to maintain your body weight. Write Everything down, measuring it if you have to, use a USDA guide to convert your foods into calories, check the scales, and do this for a week. Reduce your calorie intake by 100 or 500, and see what the numbers look like, and vice versa. You'll get a very good grasp on how much is "enough" for your body after only a couple weeks!

 

The trick is in forcing yourself to have your sugar and eat it too - which means you can have sugar, you just can't go eating Too Much of it!! You have to determine how much is too much for your persoanl body, in your own time. Yes, sometimes this mean you have to grow up and tell the kid in you NO, but this is part of being an adult - controlling your diet! Stop fooling yourself [by using artificial sweeteners], you don't need that extra something all the time. You CAN go longer between meals, and you Don't HAVE to have something by your side to snack on. If you MUST, grab celery, or carrots. Between the two of those, you will lose your urge to snack!

[Angler]

Fructose and glucose are not the same thing.They are not processed the same way.Please research a subject before posting incorrect information.

[Angler]

Soy is full of phytoestrogenic compounds.

 

Men should avoid non-fermented soy....unfortunately, like high fructose corn syrup, soy is showing up everywhere.

[Lonewing]

Frustose, gluecose and sucrose are each C12H22O11. You are partially correct here, but the whole point is, people have too much sugar in their diet. too much sucrose, too much glucose,too much fructose, each imbalance will cause health problems. Even too much water will kill you. So what then, Water is Bad and we shouldn't injest water?

 

Our problematic solution here is to then remove all the nutrients from our food so we can keep eating "Too Much," which is nothing more than a bandaide for the real issue: addressing overconsumption.

 

Address the overconsumption problem, and all these health issues due to imbalance or overbalance go away. No crazy carb or protein diets, just Eat Less diets. This does of course mena you need to manage WHAT you're eating too, so you get the moderate amount of that particular nutrient that will be best for your body. Most everythign you generally find on the table is good for you, in moderation. Even a twinkie can be enjoyable, in moderation. The problem is, 12 donuts is NOT Moderation!!!

 

This means smaller plates, smaller bites, more time taken in enjoying the meal, as opposed to enjoying the sensation of something sliding down your throat. If tastes REALLY GOOD, eat it SLOWER!! The tastebuds are on your tongue, NOT in your stomach!!

 

Now I looked up your Phytoestrogens... here's the page on wikipedia... link removed

 

Evidence is accruing that phytoestrogens may have protective action against diverse health disorders, such as prostate, breast, bowel, and other cancers, cardiovascular disease, brain function disorders and osteoporosis,[1][5][5][6][7] though there is no evidence to support their use in alleviating the symptoms of menopause.[8]

 

Now, if this evidence bears out, it would appear to me that an older adult male should be encouraged to add more soy to their diet, because it seems to me some of these health issues are those that typically strike older men, particularly prostate cancer. Young men would obviously have issues losing their sex drive, but once older men, well, that might not be such an issue afterall.

[Angler]

Frustose, gluecose and sucrose are each C12H22O11.

 

Sucrose is the combination of Fructose + Glucose. Glucose can be metabolized by muscle cells, and stored as muscular and liver glycogen.

 

The problem with Fructose is it is metabolized in the liver, and has a direct route to filling up your liver glycogen storage. After that, it is converted directly to fat.

 

Also, fructose does not raise insulin levels nearly as much as glucose, so you consume calories and stay feeling hungry.

 

The caloric content of the different simple sugars may be the same, but the hormonal response is very different.