Artificial Sweeteners that Aren't So Sweet

Anyone who has read any article or book in regards to health and nutrition has a pretty good understanding of how beneficial water is when it comes to the human body. But, lets be honest. After drinking one or two glasses, the average human being may begin to crave something else. Something a bit more tasteful. Perhaps, a bit more sweet. Something more along the lines of juice, gatorade, or soda. Does't that sound good?

Diet Beverages, Good or Bad?

Now what would you think if someone were to tell you that you could drink all the soda you wanted with absolutely no sugars or calories? Wouldn't that be amazing. You may be thinking, it's called diet soda. Well, you are right. In fact, the main goal of most of these diet beverages are to offer great taste without or considerably low amounts of calories. A healthier option. But, are they actually healthy?

Do not be fooled by the label! In order to create these sweet but low calorie drinks, artificial sweeteners are often added. If we were to take a look at the ingredients,  you would mostly like come across names such as Saccharin, Acesulfame-k, Aspartame, Neotame, and Sucralose. One thing all of these artificial sweeteners have in common is that they have all been linked to causes of a number of negative health issues.

The Bitter Side of Things

Some of these negative effects include weight gain, type 2 diabetes, and metabolic syndrome. Studies show that over time consuming just one to two diet beverages a day can actually do a great deal of damage. In recent years, type 2 diabetes has nearly doubled in consumers of diet beverages in comparison to those who do not drink diet beverages. Same in regards to metabolic syndrome. Diet beverages put consumer at great risk to it's cluster of serious conditions such as increased blood pressure, high blood sugar levels, excess body fat around the waist, and even strokes and various heart diseases.

The scariest part of all is that these artificial sweeteners were actually approved by the FDA. Most,  diet beverage consumers do not know that it actually was many years before these added sweeteners were approved due to a number of safety issues. One being Aspartame and it's capability to drastically increase cholesterol levels. In fact, a number of consumers have reported experiences of serve headaches, nausea/vomiting, insomnia, joint pain, increased heart rates, and more.

Alternatives

Fortunately, there are also a number of natural, healthy, and great tasting drinks on the market today in which also promote weight loss. Be sure to always pay close attention to each and every ingredient, what is actually going into your body, and to do your research on any ingredients you do not recognize.