Consider all of the sugar substitutes in the diet foods that many of us eat every day in an attempt to lose weight.

Could they really be doing just the opposite, and actually be promoting weight gain and making us less healthy to boot?

Sugar substitutes in your diet soda, sugar-free this, artificially sweetened that, equal in our coffee, sweet n low in the iced tea we drink… whew!

-Are these calorie savers of any real benefit to weight loss?

-And what about our health?

Can Sugar Substitutes be Toxins?

Is it true that sugar substitutes are actually bad for the body? Any substance that is not recognized by the body as a natural food source is a toxin.

-The chemical process of making sucralose (Splenda), alters its composition in such a way that it is a completely different molecule than that of natural sugar. It may originate from real sugar, but any resemblance is soon gone after processing.

This altered form of sugar does not occur in nature and thus our body doesn\’t have the ability to properly metabolize it. Because of this, its makers can claim it to have zero calories, although it has been shown to be partially absorbed by some.

-The more of these sugar substitutes (toxins) we ingest, the more overworked our livers become and the less efficient the liver is for processing nutrients… and yes, that goes for fats as well. When this happens our bodies struggle with weight loss, in fact we may even gain weight.

Even if we choose not to use the packet sugar substitutes, nearly every diet product on the market uses some form of unnatural sweetener, whether it be Splenda, Equal, Sweet n low and so on. There are over 6,000 products on the market today that use aspartame alone. Consider all the things you consume in a day that contain these toxins and you begin to understand the livers workload.

The Liver and Weight Loss

Weight loss is difficult if not downright impossible without a properly functioning liver. Our liver has many functions, the most important of which is to chemically break-down everything we eat and drink, as well as to filter out any toxins that may come along for the ride.

-The liver is key to many metabolic processes in our bodies as well as in supporting the digestive system. It controls our blood sugar levels and is critical to weight loss, as it regulates fat storage.

Our liver also detoxifies the body through the production of bile, critical for breaking down fats needed to absorb many fat-soluble vitamins our bodies crave.

-It\’s up to the liver to figure out which substances are good for our bodies and those that need to be filtered out of the blood. If the liver is clogged up with toxins, such as the chemicals found in processed foods and sugar substitutes, it can\’t be as efficient in processing the fats and nutrients as we need it to be.

And guess what happens then? If the liver cannot process the fats we eat, this in turn causes weight gain and can prevent us from losing weight.

How Sugar Substitutes Continually Sabotage Weight loss

Simply put, when artificially sweetened foods and drinks reach our small intestines, the receptors there find little nutrition because of these unnatural toxins. The part of the brain that tells you you\’re full then sends the message to keep eating, we need nutrition. So even after what should be a healthy fulfilling meal, because of these diet sweeteners, we still feel hungry or soon will shortly.

-Another problem with these types of sugar substitutes is they increase your desire for sweet foods and drinks. Equal (aspartame) is said to be 200 times sweeter than sugar, Sweet n Low (saccharin) 300 times sweeter and Splenda (sucralose) six hundred times sweeter. This only increases our desire for sweet things, the very types of foods we\’re trying to avoid most of all!

It has also been shown that sugar substitutes still cause fluctuations in blood sugar levels the same as regular table sugar, which bring with it the sugar lows that lead to increased cravings and appetite. (and of course, eating)

-In addition, when people eat foods and drinks that are diet or low calorie, they seem to think it\’s okay to eat a lot more of them, they\’re so low in calories, right?

I know many dieters who eat tons of sugar-free snacks and fat-free foods because of the lack of fat and sugar, I wonder why they still don\’t lose weight? Hmm.

What To Use for a Healthy Diet?

First off, if you\’re trying to lose weight or even just eat healthy, avoiding sugar and sweets altogether is your best bet. It\’s really not as hard as you might think. If you start out small, by just using less sugar in everyday uses. (coffee, tea, etc.)

-And with vegetables and fruit, try to enjoy their natural flavors, you may be surprized what you\’ve been missing. I\’ve been eating grapefruit my whole life, always with a little (1 tsp.) sugar on the halved sections. When I tried it without the sugar I was happy to find I actually liked it better without it!

Many things you may have never even tried without sugar, if you were brought up on it, as many of us have been. (reduce the salt on the veggies the same way)

-This includes diet drinks as well, artificial sweeteners are as bad or worse than table sugar, as they are toxins and not natural to your body. But, staying healthy is not enough, we all do have to stay happy as well, and that means that we all must have some sweet in our lives too, just limit them.

But if given the choice between artificial sweeteners and natural substitutes, I would certainly recommend natural sugar substitutes. There are many natural sugar substitutes you can use in place of white table sugar:

Natural Sugar Substitutes

-Trehalose -a fairly new sugar substitute

-Inulin (not to be confused with insulin)

-Xylitol -is a sugar alcohol sweetener, may help prevent tooth decay

-Sucanat -made from pure dried sugar cane juice

-All Natural Maple Syrup

-Honey- which has many healthy benefits

-Stevia is an herb that is 200 – 300 times sweeter than sugar, but unlike sugar it does not cause a rise in blood sugar that spikes energy levels, followed by fatigue and the need for more. Stevia is a plant, not a man-made chemical substitute and is natural and not toxic to the body as are artificial sugar substitutes. Some brands may contain a filler called “rice maltodextrin”, which may be unsafe for diabetics

-It is nearly calorie free but like any of the sugar substitutes, just because it\’s made with Stevia doesn\’t mean you can eat more!

Any of these natural sugar substitutes can be beneficial to weight loss.

If sweets have always been your Achilles\’ heel in your weight loss plans, try getting rid of unnatural sugar substitutes, you might be in for a surprise. You may find that you crave the sweets less, which will surely boost any weight loss plans, but in addition you\’ll have more energy and feel healthier too!

www.health-stories.org deals with a range of health issues, from depression, to the calories burned chart, with great ideas for the diet solution we\’re all looking for!

*Copyright: You may freely republish this article provided the text, author credit, the active links and this notice remain intact.

http://www.health-stories.org deals with a range of health issues, from depression, to the calories burned chart, with great ideas for the diet solution we\’re all looking for!
*Copyright: You may freely republish this article provided the text, author credit, the active links and this notice remain intact.

Author Bio: www.health-stories.org deals with a range of health issues, from depression, to the calories burned chart, with great ideas for the diet solution we\’re all looking for!

*Copyright: You may freely republish this article provided the text, author credit, the active links and this notice remain intact.

Category: Wellness, Fitness and Diet
Keywords: sugar substitutes,natural sweeteners,weight loss,natural sugar substitutes,lose weight