KNOW THE FACTS ABOUT ARTIFICIAL SWEETENERS Are Sugar Substitutes Worth the Tradeoff?
The U.S. market for soda is worth over $200 billion, fueled by the average American’s annual consumption of nearly 40 gallons of soft drinks — including diet soda. While staying hydrated is good, sending lots of chemical sweeteners into our digestive tracts may not be. Concern for serious health issues started in the early 1970s when scientists linked cyclamate and saccharine, popular synthetic sweeteners, to cancer. Congress banned cyclamate but wouldn’t ban saccharine. More recent studies determined that obesity is related to many types of cancer, and obese people are more likely to consume lots of diet soda. Similarly, high blood pressure, diabetes, and strokes are more likely due to underlying health issues like excessive weight than consuming artificial sweeteners. In the last decade, more natural sugar alternatives have become available, like stevia, agave, monk fruit, and allulose. Diet soda manufacturers have yet to incorporate these into their soft drinks, but they are experimenting. The Coca-Cola Company uses stevia along with erythritol (another new sugar substitute) in its Vitamin Water Zero.
Artificial sweeteners do provide some benefits, including fewer cavities, lower blood sugar, and less weight gain. However, some people still suffer side effects from drinking diet soda. The sugar alcohols in diet sodas are linked to intestinal distress, and one scientist points to a potential link between laboratory- created sweeteners and inflammatory bowel disease (IBD). The importance of our stomach’s microbiome is new to science, and all impacts are under intense scrutiny.
Sugar-free beverages may be a better choice than sugar-infused drinks because they don’t cause insulin spikes, but the Mayo Clinic warns that frequent
consumption of any type of sweetened drink can become habit-forming, making it hard to return to drinking plain water, which is the optimal choice for health. As with most food trends, we should be
informed, listen to our bodies, and make wise choices about what we drink and eat. Crash and Burn: Why Fad Diets Fail
Disrupting Your Metabolism Crash diets clash with your body’s
Perpetuating the Yo-Yo Cycle Restrictive diets also fail to change a person’s basic relationship with food. Many dieters slash their intake to ease their guilt or to punish themselves for binging. This can result in a repeated diet-and-binge cycle, reinforcing the dieter’s despair. Over time, the muscle loss and metabolic slowdown caused by diet-and-binge cycles make it even harder to slim down. So, What Does Work? Consider working with a dietitian or a therapist to examine your relationship with food. Rather than cutting out entire food groups, balance your plate with a mix of vegetables, lean protein, whole grains, and healthy fat. Read food labels and monitor your daily calories, protein, carbs, fats, fiber, and sugar. Finally, focus on small changes you can stick with rather than a drastic diet overhaul. As you work with your body instead of against it, remember: Our bodies crave consistency!
As summer draws near, many people are embracing detox diets, intermittent fasting, low-carb programs, or other buzzy regimens to slim down. Before you fall for the latest dieting fad, consider this: About 95% of all these diets fail to produce lasting weight loss! Why are so many popular dieting regimens self- defeating? Here are the primary reasons and better strategies to try.
basic needs, setting you up for intense cravings and rebound eating. Low-carb and ultra-low-calorie regimens may seem to work quickly because they reduce water weight and deplete the body’s stored glycogen. Depriving your body of essential nutrients, however, can trigger cravings and binge eating and can slow your resting metabolic rate so much that you gain more weight in the future. Intermittent fasting is also hard to sustain because it clashes with a dieter’s natural hunger patterns and daily routines. Sidestepping Underlying Issues Many people try to diet without addressing the underlying reasons they overeat. Perhaps eating is a coping mechanism for dealing with low self- esteem or past trauma. Without exploring those reasons and finding alternative comforts, a crash diet is unlikely to work in the long run.
2
423-267-6715 | HoustonAlexander.com
Made with FlippingBook Ebook Creator