Artificial sweeteners cause heated rifts amongst health experts. Are they good or bad? Sure, they have fewer calories than processed sugar. But can a mad-made chemical really be beneficial for your health? Today, we are playing the devil’s advocate. Here are 5 science-backed reasons why you need to stop using artificial sweeteners today.
1. They Trick Your Brain Into Feeling Hungry
Non-caloric sugar alternatives are an attractive choice for most because you get to enjoy your treats guilt-free. But we overlook the hormonal changes that diet soda will create within our body. Many health experts have a black and white approach of fewer calories equals weight loss. However, when you consider the havoc these artificial sweeteners make on our hormones, you might think twice the next time you go to pick up your diet soda.
Some research reveals that artificial sweeteners are unable to activate the reward center that helps us feel satiety. They trick our brains into still feeling hungry, meaning that we will try to eat more calories from elsewhere. This means that it’s best to stop using artificial sweeteners today if your intention is weight loss. You’ll be much better off tracking your calories and eating natural sugar alternatives.
2. You’ll Still Be Craving Sweets
Sugar is an addiction. It takes time, discipline, and will-power to break free of its hold. Many use sugar-free alternatives in an effort to stop craving the sweets but it rarely works. Research reveals that non-caloric artificial sweeteners do not solve the behavioral binging problem that we have in society today. You’re still going to crave the sweet stuff.
Expecting an artificial sweetener to solve your sugar addiction is like going from one class A drug to another. If you’re serious about quitting sugar stop using artificial sweeteners as a gateway solution. It’s not working.
3. It Doesn’t Contribute To Lower Obesity Levels
Most make the switch to diet sodas and artificial sweetener lattes in an effort to lose weight. CICO (calories in, calories out) is a method quoted by trainers and health professionals. Artificial sweeteners will certainly contain fewer calories than the real sugar alternatives.
However, research has proven that artificial sweeteners don’t play a role in helping reduce obesity. In fact, some studies found that it had the opposite effect and actually increased obesity in some cases. Using these sweeteners doesn’t solve the behavioral habits that contribute to obesity and they won’t contribute to your weight loss.
4. They Can Increase Your Risk of Metabolic Syndrome
Metabolic syndrome is a condition that we don’t talk about enough contributing to 70% of American deaths. It’s a cocktail of obesity, high cholesterol and type 2 diabetes and long-term consumption of sweetening additives contribute to the onset of it.
One study reveals that drinking diet sodas can increase your chance of metabolic syndrome by up to 36%. More research has discovered a link between the increase of type 2 diabetes and man-made sugar alternative consumption. Considering metabolic syndrome is a lifestyle disease that affects the lives of so many Americans, it’s another good excuse to stop using artificial sweeteners.
5. They Negatively Impact Your Gut Health
Digestive health is much more important than we realize. Without good gut health, we can’t digest and receive the incredible nutrients that we are consuming. With good intentions, we might switch to diet sodas knowing that full-sugar sodas are bad for our gut health. Unfortunately, the research shows that diet sodas aren’t much better.
Consuming artificial sweeteners are proven to increase glucose intolerance and alter gut microbiota. Further studies have proven the impact that diet, including the consumption of non-caloric artificial sweeteners, plays in negatively affecting our gut microbiome. Although sweeteners may reduce your calories, this research reveals that they don’t make you truly healthy on the inside.
What to Eat Instead
For those of you who love their cakes, there are some natural alternatives that will not damage your health (as far as we know). Stop using artificial sweeteners and opt for natural sweeteners like Stevia or any other erythritol based product. They’re easy to find on Amazon in single-serving sized packages so that you can add them to your morning latte on the go.
Fresh is always best. Some good sources of natural sugar are bananas, dates, raw honey and maple. There is still much more to research in the world of man-made sweeteners. For now, it’s safe to say that we do not know enough about them to deem them as a healthy sugar alternative.
