*On Second Thought, Hold That Breath Mint

So you quit drinking diet soda? That’s great, but it only begins there. Aspartame is found in so many more products than we realize. I went on Dr. Mercola’s website (www.mercola.com) and learned that Aspartame can be found in thousands of products such as:

instant breakfasts       breath mints       cereals       sugar-free gum       cocoa mixes       coffee beverages       frozen desserts       gelatin desserts       juice beverages       laxatives       multivitamins       milk drinks

pharmaceuticals and supplements, (including       over-the-counter medicines)       shake mixes       soft drinks       tabletop sweeteners       tea beverages       instant teas and coffees       topping mixes       wine coolers       yogurt

 

Those are everyday products that you wouldn’t think twice about eating! I think that this is a reason why the FDA is doing all it can to resist a recall on this product. It would result in HUGE changes in the food industry and they just aren’t willing to sacrifice that for consumer’s health.

With so many dramatic health issues being reported from aspartame, I bet you are wondering why you don’t hear about these things more commonly? Everyone is made aware of diseases such as MS and cancer, so why not aspartame disease?

“The reason many people do not hear about serious reactions to aspartame is twofold:

1) Lack of awareness by the general population. Aspartame-caused diseases are not reported in the newspapers like plane crashes. This is because these incidents occur one at a time in thousands of different locations across the United States.

2) Most people do not associate their symptoms with the long-term use of aspartame. For the people who have killed a significant percentage of their brain cells and thereby caused a chronic illness, there is no way that they would normally associate such an illness with aspartame consumption.” (Mercola.com)

 

*Free Gift With Purchase

The website http://www.wnho.net/ephedrastory.htm has tons of backed up information on the dangers of aspartame. Written by Dr. Betty Martini, it includes different stories and research from doctors linking aspartame to serious diseases and even as a cause of death. It is targeted directly at the FDA, even including a personal note to the FDA at the end. I highly advise you to go to this website and read the full article!! Here is a small exert from it:

 

“Aspartame interacts with all cardiac medication, all anti-depressants, L-dopa, Coumadin, hormones and even insulin. The FDA knows it and shows no concern whatsoever. To make matters worse they lie to the public and tell them its safe when their own Board of Inquiry Report said its not and asked that aspartame not be approved. It was Dr. Arthur Hull Hayes who over-ruled that report. At the time Don Rumsfeld was CEO and said he would call in his markers and get it approved, which is in the Congressional Record and an eight month investigation of aspartame by United Press International (http://www.dorway.com).

Aspartame simulates and aggravates diabetic retinopathy and neuropathy, and even can precipitate diabetes. Aspartame is responsible for macular degeneration, diabetic blindness and glaucoma, known to result from excitotoxin accumulation in the retina. Aspartame not only can precipitate neurodegenerative disease but naturally they are worsened by aspartame and other excitotoxins. In addition, we now have good evidence that excitotoxins play a major role in exacerbation of MS and other demyelinating disorders including trigeminal neuralia. New studies have shown that excitotoxins trigger significant elevation of free radicals in the lining (endothelial cells) of arteries which means that products with aspartame can increase the incidence of heart attacks and strokes. And there is a tumor connection not only brain tumors, but mammary, testicular, thyroid, uterine, ovarian and pancreatic for starters. It is a Class A carcinogen and the FDA’s own toxicologist, the late Dr. Adrian Gross, told Congress aspartame violated the Delaney Amendment which forbid putting something in food you know will cause cancer because without a shadow of a doubt it can trigger brain tumors and brain cancer.”

 

The FDA says that aspartame is safe, but they choose their words very wisely because maybe it appears to be safe on its own in very small doses, but when put into the mix of other things consumed on a daily basis it creates huge problems.

After reading Martini’s article, I went back to the article mentioned earlier released by the FDA. I found some pretty interesting contrasting information:

 

“Aspartame has come under fire in recent years from individuals who have used the Internet in an attempt to link the sweetener to brain tumors and other serious disorders. But FDA stands behind its original approval of aspartame, and subsequent evaluations have shown that the product is safe. A tiny segment of the population is sensitive to one of the sweetener’s byproducts and should restrict intake. However, the agency continually monitors safety information on food ingredients such as aspartame and may take action to protect public health if it receives credible scientific evidence indicating a safety problem.

Other organizations give aspartame and the other approved sugar substitutes a thumbs up. For example, the American Heart Association endorses their use by diabetics and those on weight-loss diets. The American Diabetes Association calls sugar substitutes “free foods” because they make food taste sweet, but they have essentially no calories and do not raise blood sugar levels.”

 

Woah woah woah, aspartame use is being encouraged for diabetics?! But didn’t Martini’s article refer to aspartame as a causing factor of diabetes? Reading through Martini’s full article, she used MUCH more sited research supporting her claims than the FDA did in their defense. The FDA hasn’t proved anything to defend aspartame’s safety for each and every person. They speak in general terms, which can mislead people who are potentially more at risk than others. This is a serious problem at hand and the FDA has the most power to make the change. If we can spread this knowledge to enough people, we can force the changes that the FDA is resisting to make. If they aren’t able to keep profiting off of this product then they might finally listen.

A Warning Would Be Nice

I visited the diet coke website and it was just heartwarming. It included a timeline of the history of diet coke. They are proudly the #1 diet cola seller, and do things to update the appeal of their product such as using celebrity endorsements, flavor changes, different promotions and more. It gives “diet coke lovers a whole new way to enjoy the flavor they love”. How considerate. This can be understandable looking from the company’s point of view because it is a product that sells, and sales is what these companies really care about, not the well-being of their customers.

This is why I think there needs to be an FDA warning on all products containing aspartame. So many people who consume it have no idea about the harmful effects it can have. I am willing to bet that if people truly knew the inside facts of aspartame, they would be able to get past that “taste they love” and make better decisions for their personal health. If people aren’t able to get past the cravings of soda, then drink a soda instead of a diet soda! If weight is really the issue here, there are many healthier options than filling your body with chemicals to cut back on a few calories. 

 

*Dieters Beware

When I googled “diet beverages” it came up with numerous listings linking to things such as “the best diet beverages”, “the diet that works”, etc. But I was happy to see that there were also tons of web pages announcing the dangers of diet beverages- specifically targeting aspertame. Some of these websites show studies linking diet soda drinking to obesity.

According to studies (http://www.webmd.com/diet/news/20050613/drink-more-diet-soda-gain-more-weight), obesity is more common among diet soda drinkers than it is with regular soda drinkers. This has to do, also, with the fact that those drinking diet sodas are likely struggling with their weight, and they think that drinking diet beverages is a form of a diet.

Knowing this, I accessed an article on the FDA’s website (http://www.fda.gov/FDAC/features/1999/699_sugar.html). Of course, they defend themselves from all complaints against aspartame. They continue to back up the idea that artificial sweeteners such as aspartame is a good substitute for dieters.

 

“Humans naturally have an appetite for sugary things. But in excess, sugary foods can take a toll. Large quantities add up to surplus calories, which can contribute to weight gain. In order to lose weight, the total calories from foods, especially those with lots of calories from sugars as well as fats, must be decreased and physical activity increased. As a result, many consumers seeking to control their weight have turned to sugar substitutes as one way to help lower the daily calorie count without having to give up their favorite foods.

“Anything that can help people cut back on [excess] calories is good,” says Adam Drewnowski, Ph.D., director of nutritional science at the University of Washington. He emphasizes that weight loss is complex and can’t be attributed to any one food product. But existing studies, some of which he has conducted, show that sugar substitutes can help certain people maintain a weight loss. Because sugar substitutes, also called artificial sweeteners, are many times sweeter than sugar, it takes much less of them to create the same sweetness. The resulting calorie count of the amount used is negligible.”

 

Some of the things said are true, but I do not believe that consuming aspartame is the answer to weight issues. What the FDA doesn’t tell you is that aspartame actually increases sugar cravings, resulting in people wanting these products more frequently. So maybe you don’t consume as many calories from the sweetener itself, but you may crave more of the product that contains the sweetener which leads to weight gain. 

Fox Special on Aspartame

Check out this news story on Aspartame! It’s about 10 minutes long but has tons of good information to learn more about this issue.

Killer bev…

In the recent years, an awareness of the dangers of aspartame has grown a tremendous amount. But not nearly enough, because it is still on the market and being consumed on a daily basis.

Just yesterday, I was having a conversation with a friend about drinking soda. I mentioned that I was writing a blog on the dangers of aspartame, and the person had no idea what aspartame was. I then explained that it is a major ingredient in artificial sweeteners such as NutraSweet & Splenda, and that cleared things up. But he had no idea that these sweeteners are harmful to the body. After explaining some of the dangerous side effects, he was very interested and excited to learn about it.

I think that this is a good example to stand for those alike my friend. It is the lack of education on the matter that is so dangerous. The FDA claims that people know about the dangers of aspartame and because the product is still selling they assume people are not fazed by this information.

On the other hand, tonight at work my friend came in and ordered a diet coke. Right away, I jumped on the chance to tell him about how bad it actually is for you. His response? “Eh, whatever. Everything is bad for you. If this doesn’t kill me something else will.” What a great outlook on life! Although there was a lot of sarcasm in what he said, many people have this approach on their health. I think the reasoning for this, though, is they think that even though diet beverages aren’t “healthy,” they won’t make you fat. This is proof that people still have a LOT to learn. Telling a person that aspartame is unhealthy is not enough for some people. 

*What the FDA didn’t mention

So I have blabbed on quite a bit about aspartame being bad for you, and haven’t really given you the hard facts of it yet. In an article in www.righthealth.com, the definition of aspartame is given. “This sweetener is marketed under a number of trademark names, including Equal, NutraSweet, Canderel, and is an ingredient of approximately 6,000 consumer foods and beverages sold worldwide. It is commonly used in diet soft drinks, and is often provided as a table condiment. It is also used in some brands of chewable vitamin supplements and common in many sugar-free chewing gums. However, aspartame is not always suitable for baking because it often breaks down when heated and loses much of its sweetness.”

 

There are no health risks included in that definition, so I chose to use that as an example of what the majority of the public believes aspartame to be. In an article titled “The Truth About Aspartame: Diet or Deadly?” by Stephany Crowly (Clinical Iridologist, Nutritional Consultant), you can see the other side of the story:

Millions of people in over 90 countries will suffer and even die due to FDA approved food additives currently found in over 5000 products.

There are likely many people you know suffering from “common” symptoms of chronic fatigue, fibromyalgia, memory loss, headaches, insomnia, panic or anxiety attacks, spasms, shooting pains, numbness in the legs, cramps, vertigo, dizziness, tinnitus (ringing in the ears), joint pain, slurred speech, or blurred vision. People suffering from these illnesses who use Nutrasweet or like sweeteners have Aspartame disease.

80% of the complaints to the FDA about food additives are about this deadly drug. Even still they approved the use of Aspartame through the powerful lobby and deep pockets of MONSANTO (who reaps $1 billion/year from Aspartame) and the food industry giants who saw the profit potential in all those “catchy” labels that would sucker millions world-wide. It’s in diets drinks, chewing gum, antibiotics, vitamins, baked goods, and probably most of the packaged goods in your kitchen cupboard.

The “watchdog” agencies like the FDA, World Health Organization, and European Communities and even the American Medical Association have reviewed much evidence that these substances are linked to the above mentioned illnesses and neural pathway disturbances, behavioral problems in children (such as ADD), inexplicable weight gain even permanent brain damage and all have concluded that they are basically safe for the majority of the population, presumably in small doses.

Crowly offers a quite different explanation of aspartame. I chose to post my favorite parts of the article, but you can view the whole thing at:http://nurtureyourwellness.com/Docs/Health/childrens%20health%

20and%20nutrition/THETRUTHABOUTASPARATAME.htm.

So there you have it, the FDA knows of all of the side effects of aspartame yet it somehow still remains on shelves! Maybe you wouldn’t experience these extreme side effects if you were not a mass consumer, but some people DO consume more than the average “serving size” and therefore are unknowingly putting their bodies in danger. 

 

Just eat it, you’ll like it

I believe that the most important step in creating an awareness of the dangers of aspartame is by having an FDA warning on the products that contain it as well as listing the side effects (or at least a source to find them at). Certain measures have been taken that the FDA believes is enough: according to http://www.mcmanweb.com/diet_coke.html the FDA duly requires a warning that all products containing the sweetener be labeled for the substance. The problem with this though, is that many people don’t know this sweetener as a bad thing. Aspartame has been advertised to be the wonderful sugar substitute, so when people consume it they believe they are making a healthier choice.

This is an old commercial advertising the artificial sweetener NutraSweet. The commercial is targeted to children and their parents. I think I just threw up in my mouth a little. THIS IS HORRIBLE!!! It is an ad making parents believe that their precious children should cut back on sugar (yes…) and substitute it with this wonderful product that is sugar free, and the kids LOVE it! It sickens me to think that this company is so money hungry that they not only try to hide the dangers of aspartame, but they try and trick consumers into believing it is a healthy choice! 

 

Aspartame, is it?

After days of thought and research, I have decided to pinpoint upon one specific dangerous ingredient that is used in SO many products, whether or not you may know it. This ingredient is known as Aspartame. Aspertame is most commonly known to be an ingredient found in Nutra Sweet and Equal artificial sweeteners. People love this product, because it has no calories, and it makes things taste sweeter. What a heaven-sent! Well my people, think again. Before you go loading up on this sucker, you should probably know what you are putting in your body.

   Why should you care? It’s a sweetener that you can’t get fat off of, right? Before I go too far into this subject, I will tell you why I care. Well, actually, why I care NOW. I didn’t used to care. In fact, I’ve known that aspartame is bad for you for as long as I can remember. My mom is what some people might call a “health freak”. She has been trying to drill into my head that aspartame is bad for you since day one. “Don’t drink diet beverages! Stay away from sugar-free labeled products!” So for the most part, I did (while I was still living with her). But when I went away to college, I was sucked into what everyone was obsessing about: not gaining the freshman 15! I loved drinking soda in high school, and never gained weight from it because I was actively involved in sports. In college, though, I didn’t continue playing and started to realize why people choose to drink diet soda instead. I eventually switched over and joined the masses drinking diet beverages and buying sugar free labeled products when grocery shopping, thinking it would help. So blah blah blah, ultimately I realized that these diet products are no diet at all.

After two years of following the trends of the eating habits of those around me, I started to see my mom’s health consciousness in a different light. I began to realize that you really are what you eat. Why would you eat a bunch of junk food if it were going to harm your body in the long run? Yes, it tastes good… but you can find healthy alternatives that taste good too!  Although I wasn’t hooked on it long enough to see the SERIOUS side effects of aspartame, some people do. I want to share those people’s stories on my blog so that you can see from more than one source that this really is a serious problem. So stay tuned for more information!

Chemicals are my favorite food

Hello world…..

     So here goes my first blog post. There are many controversial issues that people choose to    blog about to voice their opinions and listen others’. I, however, have chosen to blog on an    issue that is not controversial, but an issue that people are simply uneducated. That issue, is  eating healthy. Of course, this is a VERY broad topic, but I would like to focus my research and  reflections on the specific fact that people are being deceived by the things they are eating.

Product labels, diet plans and ingredient substitutes are increasingly misleading people to believe that the things they are eating are healthy for their bodies. As more and more Americans today are struggling with obesity, or even just striving to look like the perfect models they see in magazines, they are looking for specific diet plan or product to solve their problems. Well, I’ve got news for you. The majority of these products that are being shoved in people’s faces are not healthy for you. In fact, these products are likely the roots of many health issues you may have, or will develop. The Food & Drug Administration should not be allowing these chemicals to be put into our foods, and if people become aware of this we can put a stop to it.

There are many different available sources to learn about the foods that are healthy for you, and those that are not. The problem is, not very many people know about these sources, or this issue in general. I can’t act like a master on this topic because I am everything but that. I have eaten my fair share of junk food and have an everlasting sweet tooth. But as I am learning more about the effects these foods have on my body, they are becoming much less appealing. I am learning every bit of the way through this blog, and I hope you will too! I hope that my blog can create awareness and will encourage others to go forward and make changes in their own, and our future generations lives.