Are There Any Sweetener Alternatives That Aren’t Bad for You?

It seems like every time the sugar alternative industry comes up with a new industry darling artificial sweetener, the world falls in love. Until, that is, the bad news starts coming out about it.  This happened with Splenda, the sugar substitute with the chemical name sucralose that came out a while ago that claimed to be an offshoot of real sugar.

People loved it because it seemed like a healthier alternative to saccharin and aspartame, which is the common artificial sweetener found in diet drinks and sodas.  Now, people are clamoring for all natural sugar substitutes like Stevia (my personal favorite) and agave nectar (not sure about this one, I heard it is even harsher on the blood sugar than real sugar).

Sucralose, or Splenda, has come under scrutiny for a variety of reasons.  The first is the claim that it is a derivative of real sugar, which was one of the main draws behind its popularity.  People thought that by using it, they were using a sweetener that was close to real sugar, without all the calories.

In fact, it is a totally chemically altered form of the chemical we know as sugar.  There were also a lot of side effects claimed from the every day use of Splenda. People were starting to report side effects from headaches to kidney problems. Now, I don’t know how much you have to consume to get these types of side effects, that type of information is conveniently not available many times.

Now, there is also evidence that many artificial sweeteners are actually linked to obesity, increased body weight, and over eating. This is because your body is naturally programmed to expect higher calorie foods when ingesting sweets. When the sweet taste is there without the calories, it can promote excess hunger, carb cravings, and other habits that lead to weight gain.

Splenda has also now been linked to an impact on intestinal health. There are claims that it may actually harm or deplete the healthy intestinal flora that inhabity the gut.  Another reason not to eat it.  However, it makes me wonder if even by using my beloved Stevia, I’m promoting myself to over eat, and to crave carbs a lot more for the rest of the day. 

After all, it’s not sugar…..hmmm…..