We’re getting to the sweet stuff today, literally speaking. No, not sugar, but close. Splenda. Aspartame. Stevia. All those artificial sweeteners that may be in so many of the foods you love, especially those that are targeted towards the diabetic or low carb crowd.

1. Diabetes And Artificial Sweeteners: Not As Good As You
Might Think
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healthawareness (30) in diabetes • 3 months ago
Diabetes And Artificial Sweeteners: Not As Good As You Might Think By David Andrews
We’re getting to the sweet stuff today, literally speaking.
No, not sugar, but close. Splenda. Aspartame. Stevia. All those artificial sweeteners that may be in so many of the
foods you love, especially those that are targeted towards the diabetic or low carb crowd.
It’s hard to deny our love for sugar. If you are like me and have a real sweet tooth, you love nothing more than to
sink your teeth into a creamy piece of chocolate or indulge in some ice cream from the local store.
But you know very well that if you hope to manage your diabetes and your body weight, both of those are very poor
decisions. Sugar is one of the leading causes of obesity in our world today and as such, most of us are keen on
avoiding it.
These chemical based substances are designed to mimic the taste of natural sugar only provide no calories. Seems
like a dream come true, right?
Hold up.
First, many of these are associated with negative side effects. While there are a few natural varieties out there –
Stevia and Splenda to name a few – the chemical based ones (man-made) often lead to issues related to
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2. gastrointestinal upset, brain fog, and can also even increase your risk factor for disease if you take in enough of
them.
What’s more is that for those who are suffering from diabetes, these sweeteners may be doing you more harm than
good.
Research actually suggests that these artificial sweeteners may alter certain metabolic pathways associated with
metabolic diseases and could even put you at risk for suffering from glucose intolerance. The worse your glucose
intolerance is, the more problems you’ll have with your diabetic related symptoms.
And to top it all off, when you are constantly utilizing these artificial sweeteners in your food, you are keeping your
brain fixated on sweet tasting foods. It’s hardly breaking away from sugar. You are still going to have the cravings for
sweet tasting foods and this may cause you to indulge more often than you don’t.
Remember that while the artificial sweeteners may be calorie free, the other ingredients used to prepare whatever
food you happen to be eating are not. So just because that cookie made with sweeteners contains only 2 grams of
sugar, the 200 calories that’s found in it still count.
By eluding yourself into thinking these foods are ‘healthy’ because they are low in sugar, you may actually be
increasing your risk of body weight gain.
So at the end of the day, you’ll want to reconsider these artificial sweeteners. If you are going to have a sweetener,
definitely do stick with the natural varieties such as Stevia but don’t go too crazy with it. Keep your serving sizes
under control and only allow yourself it on occasion.
A much better choice is to satisfy your craving with something naturally occurring like fruit. It’s Mother’s Nature’s
candy and comes loaded with great nutrition. Here’s a delicious creamy strawberry smoothie that could serve as an
excellent replacement to that bowl of ice cream you have your heart set on.
1 cup frozen strawberries
1 cup unsweetened almond milk
¼ tsp. xanthan gum (natural thickener gluten free powder)
1 tbsp. natural almond butter
1 tbsp. dried unsweetened coconut flakes
1-2 ice cubes
Place all ingredients in a blender and pulse blend until your desired consistency is reached. Serve immediately.
Enjoy !
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Image source: https://thewholejourney.com/the-danger-of-artificial-sweeteners-and-what-how-to-replace-them/
diabetes sweeteners health food recipe
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